19 minute read
From The Editor Dark Days
The recent slaughter of Black people at the TOPS Grocery Store in Buffalo, New York carries a number of messages for those who are paying attention, even in our grief.
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First, we see another young white male, convinced that it's okay to arm himself and seek out people of color to kill for no reason other than who they are. We saw this at Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina where a young white male entered a Black Church and killed nine people in a Bible study. We saw a white male in Texas drive several hours to a Walmart Store and target and kill Mexican shoppers for no reason other than their ethnicity. We saw a young white in San Diego County go to a Jewish Synagogue with the intent of killing many and killing one worshiper.
We have seen another church in Texas, at a different time, have 27 worshipers killed on a Sunday morning, without race or ethnicity being a factor. They were all White. We also saw that the very next day, six people were shot while at church in Laguna Woods, California with one fatality. We are told there have been more than 200 mass shootings so far this year. Hate Crimes are on the rise.
Now, the real question is: “What do we do about it.?”
The answer depends on who you are, not where you live. There are no safe places left. If you are Black, one of the first things you notice is that White mass shooters appear to be taken alive, even with guns in their hands. While Black men seem to get shot for the slightest police encounter such as an air freshener hanging from a rearview mirror or a simple traffic stop. The White teenager in Michigan who shot and killed classmates was taken alive.
The killer of the worshipers at Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina was taken to a McDonald’s during his extradition back to South Carolina because he was hungry. The Buffalo shooter had been to the store the day before and a Black man bought him a soda because he was thirsty. His response to that person: ‘Will you be here tomorrow?’
We saw white supremacists rally support around Rittenhouse after he killed two people during the Minnesota protest and we saw the judge manipulate the jury so that he was acquitted. Now, what is the point of all this? A reminder so that you will begin to think seriously about the Racial Violence, Hate Crimes, and how this affects each of us, as well as our options.
Second, let us realize that there is a connection between whether or not we vote and the attention, funding, and respect we receive as members of the national community. We can’t stop those who are elected to office or hold the public trust with badges and uniforms from being racist, but we can stop them from gaining and holding office and we can vote them out of office. But we have to care enough to focus on the long-term outcome which will remove such people if we vote and let it be known that we will be voters from now on.
Third, we must come to grips with the fact that we are targets at all times, whether shopping, praying, or just going about our daily lives. This does not mean we live in fear, but in awareness for ourselves and those around us. We must discuss, develop and teach “active shooter plans”; start observing those who are observing us and consider arming our households, not carrying weapons so as to fuel the violence and efforts on the part of some to start a race war. We must rethink how and where we spend our money. We don’t have to accept “redlining” and targeted zip codes when we can question and avoid doing business with those who use such tactics against us, even if we have to be inconvenienced in our spending.
The political primary season is upon us and those who are against us are stacking the ballots and preparing for what they hope will be a political future that gives them more power. Last month’s key primary was in Pennsylvania and on June 7, 2022, it will be California’s turn. “Us” can make a difference now and change the national mood which is encouraging racial violence and hate crimes.
Where are you on this?
John Warren is a pastor and the publisher of the San Diege Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper.
From the Editor
“Dark Days"
They say money can’t buy everything, but Rick Caruso is hoping it will make him mayor of Los Angeles and the $30-plus million he’s spent so far to drown the media in TV commercials has placed him first in the running heading into the June 7 primary.
One would think that we might have learned some lessons from the 2016 election when another businessman spouting change leveraged his millions into a successful White House bid.
The takeaway: that which is shiny, new and rich isn’t always the answer.
A little disclaimer here: I don’t know Rick Caruso, but what I believe should give us all pause is the smear campaign he’s running against a woman who has spent a lifetime creating the kind of track record that in 2020 landed her on Biden’s short list for vice-president.
What it leads me to believe is that Caruso can’t win on his own merits and that is pretty scary. In its endorsement of Karen Bass, the L.A. Times editorial board wrote, “In a climate of fear and discontent, politics can turn ugly. Opportunistic politicians pander to people’s emotions, offering themselves as the strongman to bring order… We’d like to think that
Los Angeles has recognized the mistakes of the past.”
Describing her as extraordinarily qualified, battletested and mission-driven, the editorial board went on to write: “Bass brings nearly two decades of governing experience, including helping lead the state through extremely difficult times as the Assembly speaker during the Great Recession and state budget crisis. She has a reputation as a thoughtful, pragmatic, collaborative leader who never loses focus on the core reasons she entered public service –ensuring that no segment of society falls through the cracks.”
But none of this matters if you don’t vote. Truth is at a time when our numbers in Los Angeles have dwindled to under 10%, we have to make our voices and votes count now more than ever. And there should be no excuses, given the many ways voting has been made convenient–whether by mail or in person.
Keep in mind that by not voting you are submitting yourself to the choices of others not just in this mayor’s race on critical national issues like gun control as well and with the blood shed at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas which left 19 fourth graders dead, nothing is more timely.
We must appeal to politicians who give more credence to an unborn fetus than a classroom of fourth graders being mowed down by a teen who’s gained easy access to a weapon of war in a nation where baby formula is harder to secure.
Horrifying to think that for a full 77 minutes, tenyear-olds were left to fend for themselves, with some playing dead to live through the nightmare. It’s hard to imagine what terror those children must have been feeling as they appealed again and again for help from 9-1-1 only to have 19 law enforcement officers standing in a hallway just outside the door.
Much has been said about the Uvalde massacre but none more heartfelt and on point than this thoughtful statement from Matt McConaughey:
“As you all are aware”, McConaughey writes, “there was another mass shooting today, this time in my hometown of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.
The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?” We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as status quo. As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue. This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured. L.A. Focus/ June 2022 And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now is the time for you to show up, be prayerful in your action and in the words of John Lewis, “make good trouble”. Keep the faith. 4
LISA COLLINS Publisher
UpFront
Blacks Lag Behind in Early Voting in L.A. Races
CHEZ HADLEY
Staff
AAs of Tuesday, May 24, 5% of the mail-in ballots for the City of Los Angeles had been returned and according to the tracking, African Americans are returning ballots at a much lower rate than other groups.
“In fact”, said public policy expert Kerman Maddox, “people need to understand the election is happening now, it ends on June 7th, but people can mail in their ballots or drop them off at a location that’s convenient for them now.
“At this stage other groups are returning their ballots at a higher rate and thus outperforming African American Voters, but there is time to reverse this trend, particularly for African Americans seeking office in this election cycle.”
Maddox isn’t the only one concerned.
Pastor Norman Johnson, who works with the South Los Angeles Clergy for Public Accountability, a coalition of some of the city’s leading African American pastors, is working with other pastors to encourage early voting.
“One of the things that we did was to send a message out to members of our coalition that this Sunday and the next, that they stress the importance of having their congregants mail their ballots in early. Secondly, we’re organizing to get some boots on the ground and have some of our people canvassing neighborhoods to encourage people to get their ballots in.” Johnson noted that with the demographics shifting and Blacks moving out of the city that it was more important than ever to have Black voters turn out in higher numbers.
“In past elections we had the benefit of African American Voter Registration, Education, and Participation Project (AAVREP) and it made a huge difference in helping to turn out the Black vote.”
Founded in 2002 by Mark RidleyThomas, the African American Voter Registration, Education, and Participation (AAVREP)’s mission was to increase African American and urban voter registration, education, and civic participation, and served to train more than 2,500 community-based team members in voter registration and mobilization while registering upwards of 200,000 voters. Additionally, the group conducted extensive focus groups and polling of African American voters in state and local elections and strategically deployed volunteers to hundreds of precincts and polling places to help educate, persuade and turn out African American voters in local and state elections.
In its absence, groups like SCLC have tried to fill the void. “Here in L.A.–and around the country, there are critical issues and races we–as Black people–need to be on top of and because of it we are doing all we can to encourage early voting from social media messaging to actually getting out into the community,” said Rev. William Smart, president of SCLC’s L.A. chapter.
“The early numbers aren’t good insofar as turnout,” Smart continued. “What normally motivates us is someone running or a policy instigated against us, but we have to make that transition for our people to not wait until election day and instead to vote now. The urgency for voting has begun. Doubling the black vote would transform the attention we get at City Hall and at the state house.”
On the ballot are candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate and Assembly, as well as candidates for local elected positions like the much publicized L.A. Mayor’s race.
Mail-in ballot voting has been underway since the second week in May with the election concluding on June 7.
Pres. Biden, V.P. Harris Praise Rep. Bass for Leadership on George Floyd Policing Act
ALDON THOMAS STILES
CA Black Media
TLast week on the second anniversary of George Floyd's murder, President Joe Biden signed an executive order inspired by police reform legislation introduced in Congress called the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37), who is running for Mayor of Los Angeles, introduced the legislation that passed in the House of Representatives but has stalled in the Senate.
“When the Senate failed to act, [Sen. Cory Booker] and I went to the President and asked him to act,” Bass tweeted the day Biden signed the order.
“We worked closely with the White House and came up with an executive order that will help bring transparency and accountability to law enforcement,” she said.
The executive order establishes a new database for federal law enforcement officers, such as FBI or DEA agents, who have been fired for misconduct.
While state and local law enforcement agencies are not required to contribute to this database, there will be an avenue for them to participate in this process if they decide to do so.
“It will enhance accountability, improve transparency, and raise policing standards in an effort to help end the horrific incidents of violence that we often witness, like the murder of George Floyd," Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said in a statement. “That the families of those impacted by police violence, law enforcement groups representing our nation’s officers, and civil rights groups are standing with the administration in solidarity to embrace this executive order shows that positive change is possible.”
Los Angeles-based activist Kelli Todd Griffin, Convener of the California Black Women's Collective, believes that this executive order is “a step in the right direction,” but that there is still more work to be done to reduce violent police encounters.
“The executive order cannot do what Congress can do, but it can still address some of the critical issues,” Griffin said. “There's got to be change in order to progress.”
Biden made a similar assertion during the signing event at the White House, where Bass was present.
“Members of Congress, including many here today like Senator Cory Booker and Congresswoman Karen Bass … spent countless hours on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to find a better answer to that question [of public trust and public safety]. I sincerely thank you all for your tireless efforts. But they're not over,” Biden said.
Bass's work on the bill has gained support from community leaders like Griffin.
“I want to make sure that I applaud Congressmember Karen Bass who stayed committed to ensuring this sea change moment happened,” Griffin stated. “She spent countless hours working with her colleagues, civil rights organizations and the Administration to develop an executive order that had substantial, systemic actions that can be taken. We needed her leadership and vision in this work.”
On the day of the signing, Booker took to Twitter to share a message of remembrance for George Floyd.
“He was a son, a father, a brother,” Booker said. “We all bear responsibility for a system that has allowed what happened to George Floyd to happen with such frequency. Changes are coming at the local, state, and national level. But more change is needed.”
Millions of Kids Would Lose Health Care if Covid Emergency Coverage Ends
Some 40 million children currently enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) nationwide are at risk of losing their health insurance once the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires. Declared in early 2020, the PHE provides a federal guarantee of continuous Medicaid coverage during the pandemic.
Initially set to expire on July 15, the Biden administration extended the declaration to October 15. Of the 5.7 million children covered by Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid health care program) in the state, between 800,000 to 1.2 million kids will lose their coverage once the PHE expires. States, meanwhile, will have to once again verify eligibility for those in Medicaid, including kids.
“This will disproportionately impact children of color, who are more likely to rely on Medicaid for coverage,” said Mayra Alvarez, president of The Children’s Partnership.
“75% of the more than five million kids covered are kids of color who will miss out on critical preventive and primary care services that are especially important for our youngest children.”
Under the PHE, families could stay enrolled in health care coverage through Medicaid without additional administrative renewals or having to prove their eligibility. Free COVID testing and treatments, vaccinations, telehealth access and other public programs were also available.
The Los Angeles City Council Bans the Sale of Flavored Tobacco
On June 1, the L.A. City Council voted to ban the sale of flavored tobacco within the city limit, with the exception of certain hookah lounges The ordinance–which passed in a unanimous 12-0 vote–will go into effect on January 1. The ban does not include the possession or use of flavored tobacco for people 21 and over. Instead, L.A.-based tobacco retailers will no longer be able to see either flavored or hookah tobacco. Smoke lounges, however, will be able to sell hookah products for on-site or off-site consumption. “Our hearts are full as we stand with the great city of Los Angeles to get on record that we will no longer sell these deadly products in our communities to our children, particularly the African American community that has been so perniciously and racistly targeted by the tobacco industry for decades," said Carol McGruder, of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council and Black Leaders Against Tobacco Injustice. McGruder has tirelessly advocated against the tobacco industry that she says has aggressively targeted young people and African Americans. In November, Californians will vote on whether or not a statewide ban on the sale of flavored tobacco should be repealed. Meanwhile, a similar plan to ban menthol cigarettes is reportedly in the works from the Food and Drug Administration. 7
UpFront
L.A. City Council Moves to Address Disproportionate Number of Missing and Murdered Black Women
It's been 136 days since the lifeless body of Tioni Theus was left discarded on the side of the 110 Freeway, but for the Theus family it has been an eternal nightmare they will never wake up from,” said Councilmember Price. “The cries of the community have called us to be the voice for a child who had her life stolen away in the most horrific way possible.”
To that end, the L.A. City Council unanimously passed a motion seeking an equity analysis on violence facing Black women and girls, while citing the disproportionate number of missing and murdered of Black women and girls in the United States.
The motion was introduced by Councilmembers Curren Price and Marqueece Harris-Dawson following the still unsolved brutal murder of Tioni Theus, a 16-year-old Black girl whose body was found alongside the Manchester Avenue onramp to the 110 Freeway. It seeks an equity analysis from the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights) and LAPD.
“All too often we don’t see the cases of missing or murdered Black women and girls publicized in mainstream media. Interviews with family members, law enforcement or potential witnesses are seldom broadcast. This erasure reinforces the racist notion that the lives of Black women and girls are of lesser value–or don’t matter–in our society,” said Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson.
“The people living in the neighborhoods I represent know and feel the rates of crimes against Black mothers, sisters, and daughters,” Councilmember HarrisDawson continued. “We see it firsthand. This motion is an attempt to make other people quantify the stories and experiences we live. My hope is that once people understand the depth of this problem then we can start moving toward justice, including justice for Tioni Theus and her family."
The motion instructs the LA Civil Rights Department, with the assistance of the LAPD, to publish an equity analysis on violence and crime facing Black women and girls in the City of Los Angeles, the rate at which homicides and violent crimes against them are solved, how missing persons cases involving Black women and girls are handled, and policy recommendations for providing equity and justice for these victims and their families.
“Black women and girls face some of the highest rates of violence of anyone in our community, and they are suffering in silence,” said LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox. “These women deserve justice, and they deserve to have their stories told. We are grateful to Councilmember Price and Councilmember Harris-Dawson for championing this issue and look forward to providing an equity analysis on the injustice facing Black women and girls.”
Said Price, “I am pleased to see all of the collective forces in government standing united in the name of Tioni Theus and all of the other unnamed Black girls who have fallen victim to senseless acts of violence.”
In 2020, Black women and girls faced the highest murder rate of any ethnic group in the United States, according to the FBI. Approximately 33 percent of people reported missing each year are Black, according to the Our Black Girls project, which tracks and reports on missing and murdered Black women.
Meanwhile, national news coverage of missing and murdered women and girls underrepresents the issue. A 2016 study published in the Northwestern Law Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology revealed that while Black Americans make up more than a third of all missing persons reported to the FBI, they make up approximately one-fifth of the missing persons reported in the mainstream media. By comparison, the study showed that white missing persons received slightly more media coverage than their actual share of the total missing persons population.
The LA Civil Rights Department and LAPD will publish its findings in the coming months, with recommendations for policy & other changes the city can make to ensure equity and justice for Black women and girls.
KEITH DELAWDER
Contributor
