Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998
Thursday March 1, 2018 vol. CXLII no. 19
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } BEYOND THE BUBBLE
NJ responds to latest GOP tax cut act By Nick Shashkini Contributor
Last year’s Republican Tax Act placed a $10,000 cap on formerly unlimited state and local tax deductions for income, sales, and property taxes. Deductions on income and sales taxes previously allowed many high-tax state residents to pay less in taxes. Faced with this new cap, some high-income residents of New Jersey are projected to experience considerable tax hikes. In response, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed that the state legislature allow municipalities to establish charitable funds to which homeowners could pay their annual levy. Theoretically, tax credits would therefore be extended to residents that give money to the
fund, thus cancelling out the projected tax hikes under the new plan. As of the time of publication, the New Jersey Senate has voted 28–9 in support of the motion, but the bill has yet to be approved by the Assembly and sent to the governor’s desk. At a Princeton town hall meeting, Liz Lempert, the mayor of Princeton, along with council members Heather Howard and David Cohen, all Democrats, shared their impressions. Lempert, who had attended a New Jersey conference of mayors in Trenton, claimed that there had been some pushback from the state legislators to the idea, and that the Internal Revenue Service wouldn’t necessarily allow its implementation. She also noted that authorization of See TAX BILL page 2
ON CAMPUS
ON CAMPUS
PHOTO COURTESY OF MUDD LIBRARY TWITTER
Panel addresses the effect of wartime on campus during the 20th century.
Panel discusses impact of 20th century wars on U.
By Benjamin Ball Contributor
University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee ’69, Trustee Robert Rivers ’53, and Director of the Army Officer Education Program for ROTC Kevin McKiernan discussed the impact of twentiethcentury wars on University life at a panel Wednesday, Feb. 28. “The impact of war on campus has a lot to do with how directly it affects the campus community and how much the campus community either supports or cares about the objectives of the war,” said Durkee. Rivers, who grew up in the Princeton area during World War II, was 10 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941.
“I don’t remember a lot that happened on that day, but I do remember when Roosevelt gave that speech the following day, telling the nation that we were at war, and that changes things dramatically in the town, and dramatically at the University,” Rivers said. Rivers’ father lost his job at Tiger Inn when, according to Rivers, the eating clubs closed during the war. Rivers also spoke about the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which brought Princeton’s first black undergraduates to campus. “All of the sudden in 1945, four black students show up on campus,” said Rivers. “There were a lot of questions among the Princeton University alumni, but there was a lot of joy . . . and it was a major,
major thing for young black folks in the town. They were heroes.” Rivers went on to attend the University during the Korean War. He then became the first AfricanAmerican elected to the Board of Trustees during the Vietnam War, when Durkee was also in attendance as a student. According to Rivers, during the Korean War, students were required to a take a test in their junior year to determine whether or not they would be drafted. “If you scored above it you stayed in school, and if you didn’t get above it, you’re off to war,” said Rivers. “I passed it by one point.” Durkee attended the University during the Vietnam War. He stated that the war had a tremendous imSee WAR page 2
AUDREY SPENSLEY :: PRINCETONIAN ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Sociologist Desmond discusses book ‘Evicted’ By Audrey Spensley Associate News Editor
“We can’t fix poverty in America without fixing housing,” said sociology professor Matthew Desmond at a Feb. 28 lecture on eviction in America. Desmond, whose book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2017, has spent the last several years researching how eviction plays out “on the ground” in American cities. In 2008 and 2009, Desmond spent about fifteen months living in lowincome areas of Milwaukee, Wis., first in a trailer park and later in a rooming house. He shadowed several families who were being evicted and closely interviewed them about the process. “I went everywhere with them. I went to shelters, to eviction court, to homes,” said Desmond. “I watched their kids, I slept on their floor, I ate off their table, I went to church with them.” He followed landlords as well, shadowing them as they handed out eviction notices and traveled to different properties. “The complicated relationship between the landlords and tenants is central if we want to understand eviction in America,” Desmond said. According to Desmond, while sociologists have “spent a lot of time looking at public housing,” research on the process of eviction was surprisingly limited when he started his project. To compensate for the lack of data, Desmond and his team analyzed tens of thousands of eviction records,
In Opinion
talked to 250 people immediately following their eviction hearings, and analyzed thousands of 911 calls and newspaper ordinances. The book follows the stories of eight families in Milwaukee struggling to find adequate housing conditions. At the lecture, Desmond focused on the story of Arleen Bell, who makes an appearance in the book’s first chapter. In 2008, Arleen’s 14-year-old son Jori and his cousin were throwing snowballs at cars. One man whose car had been struck chased Jori back to his home and kicked the door down. “When Arleen’s landlord found out about that, she decided to evict Arleen and her boy for damaging property,” Desmond said. Arleen and her two sons found another home. The water frequently did not work, but Desmond said Arleen called it her “favorite place” because it was quiet and had low rent. “So if we want to know why some kids live with lead paint and exposed wires, no heat and no water, one reason is their families accept those kinds of conditions in the period after eviction,” Desmond said. Arleen’s home was soon declared unfit for habitation. She moved to an inner-city housing unit, where she worried for her sons’ safety in a neighborhood riddled with drug usage. The Bell family moved again, and Arleen began directing 88 percent of her income towards rent for a dilapidated home, Desmond said. “There was no lock, so you had to lock the door with a plank you slid into the brackets,” he added. One day, 14-year-old Jori, who had
Columnist Urvashi Uberoy critiques Indian cliques on campus, and Head Design Editor challenges readers with a crossword: “Bird Names.” PAGE 4
been acting out at his new school, kicked a teacher in the shin. The teacher called the police, who sent officers to Arleen’s home. When the landlord discovered the visit, Desmond said, Arleen was evicted again. “Kids are a big part of this story,” said Desmond. “They can prolong the period you’re evicted and they can be part of the reason you’re evicted.” Arleen’s story highlights several of Desmond’s statistical findings. “Once we control for eviction we find that low-income families don’t move more than anyone else,” Desmond said. “I think what we’re learning is that low-income families are moving so much simply because they’re forced to.” “For years there’s been a consensus in America that we should spend 30 percent of our income on housing. That leaves enough left over to eat, for transportation,” said Desmond. “But times have changed.” The question, Desmond added, becomes how to address the problem of eviction — which he believes is deeply entrenched — through policy. “Anyone want to take over?” he jokingly asked the audience. But Desmond did have a policy recommendation in mind: a voucher system which would cap housing payments at 30 percent of income. “We know from previous research that when families finally receive a housing voucher after years and years on the waiting list — when they finally receive this ticket that allows them to spend 30 percent of their income on housing instead of 70 or 80, they do one thing consistently with that money,” Desmond said. “They take it to their grocery store. They buy more food.” The lecture, titled “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” was held in Robertson Hall on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
ON CAMPUS
Jerkins ’14 talks book, identity, U. experience By Neha Chauhan and Allie Spensley Contributor and Associate News Editor
Morgan Jerkins ’14 read selections from her book, This Will Be My Undoing, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. at the Princeton University Art Museum. In advance of her lecture, the ‘Prince’ spoke with Jerkins. When Morgan Jerkins ’14 drove into campus on Wednesday, she looked out the window at Elm Drive and was reminded of long evening talks in the Rocky-Mathey dining hall and morning brunches with friends in Wilcox. Much has changed in Jerkins’ life since she spent her days racing back and forth between Princeton Faith in Action meetings near McCosh Hall and her dorm in Buyers Hall. In the five years since her graduation, Jerkins has secured a position as contributing editor at the literary magazine Catapult. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone. Most recently, she published a New York Times bestselling essay collection entitled “This Will Be My Undoing.” “A lot of times I’ll sit back and think, ‘How did that happen?’” Jerkins said. “It felt like a whirlwind.” Jerkins’ identity as a feminist black woman is at the heart of her new book. The essays in “This Will Be My Undoing” recount her personal experiences within broad contexts of historical oppression and modern pop culture. Published in January, the book
Today on Campus 8:00 p.m.: The Vagina Monologues. Written by Eve Ensler, this hilarious, devastating, essential play calls for an end to violence against women and girls. Theater Intime
generated significant buzz in the literary world. It was named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2018 by publications ranging from Vogue to the Huffington Post, and was praised by authors including Roxane Gay and Alana Massey. Jerkins takes on a wide range of topics in the book, including therapy, the “Black Girl Magic” movement, dating, travel, and black female sexuality. Stories from college make an appearance as well. “I had to talk about Princeton because it was so vital for me,” said Jerkins. “I couldn’t forget about the college experience.” When Jerkins was accepted to University, her life was soon struck by tragedy. Her stepfather — her family’s primary breadwinner — died. Jerkins expressed gratitude for the financial aid package that allowed her to pursue her education, which included a free MacBook Pro that she still uses today. As an undergraduate, she studied comparative literature, specializing in both the postwar modern Japanese era and nineteenth century Russian literature. She went on to earn an MFA from Bennington Writing Seminar, becoming fluent in six languages along the way. “[Comparative literature] has helped me to remind myself that everything has a different side; there is no one objective truth. Depending on which location you’re in, which language you’re in, reality can shapeshift,” said Jerkins. “That See JERKINS page 3
WEATHER
Esteemed U. Sociologist Matt Desmond explains his explosive book “Evicted.”
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