SB American News Week Ending 3/1

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)

Clark Atlanta University President Attends The 14th Annual Scholarship

Fundraiser Event ‘Closing The Gap’ Fundraiser (corrections from week of 2/16/23)

Kenneth White the first Black Fire Captain to promote through the ranks for San Bernardino County Department

55th San Bernardino County Black

Awareness Month

Parade and Expo,

Saturday February

25th, 10am on Citrus

Ave. north of the 210 followed by the Expo on the Home Depot parking lot on Sierra Lakes parkway. This is a photo opportunity for young and old to have a picture taken with First Black Fire Captain in San Bernardino County. Kenneth White married for 15 years to Sharon, and have two daughters Rhay (14) and Taelyn(12). In 2005 he began his fantastic journey of becoming a firefighter. In 2010, he was hired as a full time firefighter paramedic for San Bernardino County Fire Department. In 2015, Mr. White was promoted to Engineer and transferred to the city of San Bernardino during the transition to County. For many years he has invested

Home Town Grand Marshal Kenneth White his career in servicing his community. Captain White brought dedication and success to the Spark of Love toy drive which is an honor each year to be a part of such an incredible organization. You can also find him drumming for the Local 935 Professional Pipes and Drums. Kenneth said that "My passion is to give great service both internally to my peers and externally to the community we serve. After 18 years of dedication to this department, I am the first Black Fire Captain to promote through the ranks for San Bernardino County Department. I am honored to have this opportunity to help inspire the next generation of firefighters. My new role as captain will be at station in 161 in the city of Upland."

Young Scholars of Excellence

Showcase Talent at APhiA and AKA 35th Oratorical Contest

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Mu Xi Lambda Chapter, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Eta Nu Omega Chapter hosted the 35th Annual Oratorical Contest at the Riverside County Office of Education, Riverside, California on Saturday, February 18, 2023. Young scholars demonstrated their public speaking skills in three different categories: Grade School, Middle School, and High School. Over 30 participants took part in the speech competition. This year’s theme was “Overcoming

Stereotypes.” Young scholars shared some stereotypes and prejudices they have faced and what they have done to overcome them. Participants also shared what they can do to change other people’s prejudices, stereotypes, and discriminatory practices.

Audience included parents, family members, friends, and Riverside County Office of Education executives. All scholars were provided with a certificate of recognition from organizers and from Assembly Member Corey Jackson, 60th

L/R: Dr. Charles Brown (A Phi A, Mu Xi Lambda Vice President), Twillea Evans-Carthen (AKA Eta Nu Omega Chair), James Kennedy, David Eoff V, Xavier Buffong, Wanda Khan, Sophia Barrett, Lauren Stewart, Isaiah Buffong, BrookeMonae Westbrook, Natalie Castro, Ruth Rembert (AKA Eta Nu Omega President), and Dar’rell Jones (A Phi A Chair).

District.

Winners in each category received a monetary award.

Elementary Xavier Buffong - 1st place -

$200.00

David Eoff V- 2nd Place-

$100.00

James Kennedy - 3rd Place$75.00

George T. French, Jr., Ph.D. President of Clark Atlanta University, and Clifton L. Harris, Publisher of the San Bernardino American News at the ‘Closing The Gap’ Scholarship Fundraiser at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in Henderson, Nevada.

George T. French, Jr., Ph.D.

President of Clark Atlanta University, and Clifton L. Harris, Publisher of the San Bernardino American News attend the Annual William E. Shack Jr. Clark University Fundraiser in Henderson, NV.

In its 14th year, this year’s event was held at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. The event was titled Closing the Gap Scholarship Tournament combined with Mr. Shacks 80th birthday. Sponsors include Charles Barkley $100,000, Toyota-Alva Mason $30,000, MBZ of Buckhead $10,000,

NAMAD-Damon Lester $10,000, Bill & Jin Jin Shack $15,000, Waverer Inc. (David Rosen) $5,000, New Faze Realty (Allen Warren) $5000, Luxvoni (Dakoda Buford) $5000, Morgan Stanley (Ralph Jackson) $$5000, Beverly & Leon Davis $2500, Al Reid 2500, Elzye Epps $2500, Jim Colon $2500. All proceeds directly benefit the Closing the Gap Scholarship Fund established to provide scholarships to hundreds of young men and women who are struggling to complete their college education.

Young Scholars of Excellence

Showcase Talent at APhiA and AKA 35th Oratorical Contest...continued

Oratorical Contest Committee Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Mu Xi Lambda Chapter and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Nu Omega Chapter

Middle School Lauren Stewart - 1st Place-

$300.00

Sophia Barrett - 2nd Place-

$200.00

Warda Khan - 3rd Place- $100.00

High School Natalia Castro - 1st Place-

$500.00

BrookeMonae Westbrook -

$300.00

Isaiah Buffong- 3rd Place-

$150.00

We are proud of these young scholars and look forward in their participation next year as we celebrate the 36th year of the Oratorical Contest offered to students in the Inland Empire. Students who will be attending college in the fall of 2023, we wish them much success in their educational and career goals.

Florida Is Just the Latest Battlefield in Right’s War on Education

By Svante Myrick

Making Public Transit Safer — A ‘Massive Intersection of Crises’...continued

It Shouldn't Take a Fiery Crash and Toxic Spill to Push Action on Railroad Safety

AP African American Studies course, and I will give them credit for publicly pointing out the ignorance and political motivations on display at the Florida Department of Education. Regardless, the Board played right into DeSantis’s hands. And their decision to remove important material from the core portion of the course had the same effect in the end: kids don’t get exposed to it and their freedom to learn is shortchanged.

Svante Myrick, President, People For the American Way

It’s been a few weeks since a mess started boiling over in Florida with the rollout of the new AP African American Studies course, and no one involved is looking good: not the state Department of Education, not the College Board, and definitely not Gov. Ron DeSantis, who blasted the course publicly and pressured the College Board to water it down. Now DeSantis, pumped up by what he thinks is his victory over educators, is making noise about going after all AP courses in the state.

It’s sad and infuriating to see the adults behaving like bullies and cowards, pointing fingers and trading accusations, while the ones being hurt are kids. Not just Black kids, who have waited years for a college-level course like this, but all kids – who will be deprived of a chance to learn foundational concepts in modern Black history if these adults have their way.

The new course omits many contemporary Black thinkers and writers. The core program doesn’t cover essential issues like structural marginalization, intersectionality, mass incarceration, reparations or the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s impossible to say students are well-versed in African American studies if these topics are considered optional. It’s even more absurd to say these students have attained collegelevel mastery of the subject, which is what AP credit is all about.

And what gets erased next?

Do we teach kids about Martin Luther King, Jr., and not Malcolm X? Do we sideline Jesse Jackson?

How about erasing Ruby Bridges, the little girl who was the first to integrate New Orleans schools? Ridiculous? Not at all: the farright group Moms for Liberty really did try to ban a book about Ruby from classrooms, claiming it was too upsetting for kids to read about the white mob that harassed 6-year-old Ruby on her way to school.

College Board officials insist that Ron DeSantis’s pressure did not force them to make the changes they made in the

All of us should demand that the College Board revise the curriculum to more accurately reflect the contemporary Black experience.

And at the same time, we should set our sights on removing politicians like DeSantis. Because he is hell-bent on building his right-wing political brand, today’s battlefield in the Far Right’s war on education is Florida; but it won’t stop there. It will be fought in Virginia, and Texas, and states across the country. Ambitious politicians like DeSantis in Florida and Glenn Youngkin in Virginia smell opportunity in this environment. It’s up to us to use the power vested in us by our representative democracy to stop them.

Maybe because I have served in office myself and have spent many years mentoring young elected officials, I will always have an unshakable faith in the power of representative democracy to solve problems and improve lives. I really believe that whatever mess elected officials have gotten us into, voters and true public servants can get us out. Those of us who care about threats to education need to wield our power at the ballot box against anti-education politicians. Or run for office ourselves. It might be a seat on the school board, or a local legislature, or a state office. Or higher.

That’s what I hope will come out of this disaster in Florida: not just the ultimate defeat of truly terrible officeholders but the elevation of truly good ones, who get into public service because they see a wrong to right. People we can count on to make inclusive education and opportunity a reality for all students, because all students have that right.

Svante Myrick is President of People For the American Way. Previously, he served as executive director of People For and led campaigns focused on transforming public safety, racial equity, voting rights, and empowering young elected officials. Myrick garnered national attention as the youngest-ever mayor in New York State history.

Making Public Transit Safer — A ‘Massive Intersection of Crises’

By Peter White

The rash of hate crimes, growing numbers of homeless and mentally ill, and a lack of trust in law enforcement have led to more unsafe conditions on public transit.

there was no evidence of a hate crime. However, two months later a Civilian Review Panel saw the video and labeled Lee’s case a hate crime. Then she went public to a local TV station.

“If cases like mine were not being labeled as a hate crime, that meant that many more similar incidents were being mislabeled and dismissed,” Lee said.

Peter Kerre founded Safe Walks NYC in January 2021. He created an Instagram page, setting up a program of volunteers to walk with people to and from transit stops in Brooklyn. In May 2021 Safe Walks expanded to cover Manhattan below 59th St.

Esther Lee, who was attacked on the New York subway system, details her experience and the police department’s failure to appropriately handle her case.

“Communities were eager for public safety solutions that did not involve law enforcement. Safe Walks was a great fit, especially for women of color, many of whom reported having negative interactions with the New York Police Department,” Kerre said.

During an Ethnic Media Services press call last week, Kerre told reporters that in most cases victims were alone. “Not only in the subway but walking from the subway or walking elsewhere in the city,” he said.

“So simply having an extra person with you will make a very big difference.” Kerre said if people feel unsafe, a volunteer can ride with them on the subway.

However, it has not solved “the

massive intersection of crises” that are at the root of the problem and ever-present on New York subways, says Kerre.

First of those: all the hate crimes mainly targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander community (AAPI).

Second, all the mentally ill people on the street. Third, all the homeless who are in crisis due to unemployment and financial hardships, and then there is the “elephant in the room”: a breakdown in trust between law enforcement and the community.

“They’ve been flooding the New York subways with a massive police presence, increasing surveillance cameras and extracting the unhoused and unwell folks from the transit system but there’s been no indication of what’s being done with them. Many times they end up back within the subway system.”

Collecting data on ridership, ethnicity, and gender would help define the problem but so far New York officials haven’t done that like in California.

“What Senate Bill 434 would do is require that California’s top 10 largest public transit systems collect data from their passengers on the problem of harassment and uncomfortable behavior,” says California State Senator David Min. Min, the only Kirean American in the California Senate, is Vice Chair of the California Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus

continued on page 4

By Ben Jealous

flammable liquid; other cars carried butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and isobutylene. The spills from the wreck have left a long chemical plume moving down the Ohio River at about a mile an hour. The result has been at least 3,500 fish killed. The train’s owner Norfolk Southern said it is removing contaminated soil at the crash site, which can leach toxic chemicals into the water and air, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raised questions.

People around East Palestine, Ohio, have been warned not to run their vacuum cleaners.

That was the reality two weeks after a train derailment in the village of about 4,700 people near the border with Pennsylvania that damaged public health and the environment in ways that still aren’t fully known.

Pennsylvania’s health department has told residents that data from its air quality monitoring “do not indicate a potential for long-term health effects,” but if people choose to vacuum after their evacuation they should do so “small amounts at a time and take frequent breaks by walking outdoors.” As confusing as those messages may be, Ohioans have gotten even less information from that state’s government.

Five of the derailed cars contained nearly 1 million pounds of vinyl chloride, a toxic

The immediate need is to respond to make sure that harm to people, wildlife, and waters now and in the future are limited to the extent we are able. As a starting point, residents need clear, understandable answers about risks they face and support to which they are entitled. While federal authorities generally defer to state officials in disasters, the simmering mistrust caused by the strange odors residents say they smell, the soreness of their throats, and the aching in their heads seems to cry out for a different response.

The EPA and Transportation Department must ensure that Norfolk Southern meets its obligation to make things right. The Sierra Club’s Ohio director Ericka Copeland captured it – “East Palestine and the surrounding communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania deserve full transparency from the EPA,

continued on page 6

Black History is Our [Filipino] History

Black History Month News

THE FILIPINO AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Carter G. Woodson & Thomasite Pedagogy

[Published 2003 in the Filipino American Herald. Black History is Our History by Freedom Allah Siyam]

In February of 1926, the 'Father of Black History' Carter Godwin Woodson organized the first Negro History Week in Washington, D.C., which would later become national 'Black History Month' in the 1960’s.

The Filipino people were hoodwinked while America raped and pillaged the Philippines for its bountiful natural resources to fuel America’s industries.

process in the Philippines that led him to his understanding of the miseducation of black communities in America. And even though it was the miseducation of Blacks, Natives and poor whites in America that provided the framework for the miseducation of Filipinos, it took Woodson a journey 8,000 miles outside of the racist conditions of America, to see how the education system cultivated the cultural training and conditioning – not the education – of non-people who have suffered the exploitive and oppressive conditions of slavery, colonization and imperialism.

signify conquest. As long as feelings of resistance remain in the hearts of the vanquished, no conqueror is secure….Education therefore, serves as a weapon in wars of colonial conquest (2)." And closed his short but powerful essay with: "We must now think of ourselves, of our salvation, of our future. And unless we prepare the minds of the young for this endeavor, we shall always be a pathetic people with no definite goals and no assurance of preservation (19).”

People don’t want to ride public transit for fear of being harassed like Esther Lee was on a New York subway October 21, 2021. Lee, 41, is a Korean American. She was insulted, spit on, and called “a f***g carrier.” She filmed 57-seconds of the ugly encounter on her cell phone. Nobody came to her aid

and at 42nd St. Lee got out and switched cars. Lee reported the incident to New York’s Hate Crime Unit, but Deputy Inspector Jessica Corey told her she had escalated the situation by filming it and since the man didn’t use an Asian slur,

An interesting fact about Woodson’s achievements is that upon completion of his Bachelors degree he taught and served as a supervisor in the Philippine public schools between 1903 and 1907. This means that Carter G. Woodson was of the 600 U.S. teachers shipped to the Philippines to indoctrinate Filipinos through a curriculum established to miseducate Filipinos. The curriculum consisted of teaching American history, about American heroes, American patriotic songs, and the teaching of English which would further divide the population of the Philippines along the lines of the learned and the un-learned. Above all, the curriculum placed an emphasis on White Supremacy and nonwhite inferiority by propagating the fallacy that Filipinos were unfit for self-government and that the Americans were there to civilize them reach that degree of intelligence and ability.

Through his travels and experiences Woodson developed an enhanced philosophy of History. He understood that History is not just a mere collection of facts, but must be developed to a higher understanding of the social conditions and contexts of those facts. And with the observation of those conditions an historian must arrive at a reasonable interpretation of those facts. After assessing his life and developing his research on Black history, Carter G. Woodson wrote 'The Mis-Education of the Negro' (1933). In which he stated: “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his ‘proper place’ and will stay in it.”

Although this fact cannot be traced in the works of Woodson, it can be hypothesized that it was Woodson’s direct participation and observation in the American miseducation

Woodson saw that America’s legacy of domination facilitated a psychology of slavery in the descendants of enslaved Africans here in America.

The Miseducation of the Filipino

Filipino historian Professor Renato Constantino

Woodson’s remarkable book was obviously an inspiration to Filipino historian Renato Constantino when he wrote 'The Miseducation of the Filipino' (1982), in which Constantino stated: “The most effective means of subjugating a people is to capture their minds. Military victory does not necessarily

Carter G. Woodson and Renato Constantino insightfully recognized that while the physical chains have been removed, it is the chain on the brain – slave mentality or colonial mentality –that remained a primary obstacle in the way to genuine freedom. Additionally, both Woodson and Constantino would conclude that the unfinished task is to decolonize our minds, remove the chain from our brains and make our way to genuine freedom and self-determination. Self-determination is a degree of power exhibited when a people reclaim their culture and history and work towards the maintenance of their identity and dignity in a society that has marginalized their culture and history for the purpose of exploitation.

About Renato Constantino: His contribution to the field of history is the reexamination of our colonial history. In his book 'The Philippines: A past revisited' he said that:“History is the recorded struggle of people for ever increasing freedom and for newer and higher realization of human person” (Village Pipol).

Ben Jealous

Carter G. Woodson Courtesy West Virginia State Archives, Ancella Bickley Collection

Asm. Lori Wilson Picks Up Baton to Remove

California's Constitution

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Slavery

Language

From

local jails and prisons to work.”

“I feel like this is something that not only needs to get done but must get done,” Parthas said during the Abolition Today podcast. “How can you talk about freedom, reparations, economic equity, equality in law and education while state slavery is still legal?”

Brown wrote the language in ACA 3 while he was in prison. He was released in 2021 after serving a 24-year sentence. The language of the bill was brought to the attention of Kamlager by Sacramento activist Jamilia Land.

New Assembly Bill Would Ban Use of Police Canines for Arrests, Crowd Control...continued

President of the CA/HI NAACP. “With this bill, we can begin to shift and sever ties with the terrorizing past.”

AB 742 does not call for banning the use of police canines for search and rescue, explosives detection, and narcotics detection – all activities that do not involve biting.

gonna land. Once you use your gun, it's gone,” he said. “Once you use a taser, it's on its way. You're not stopping it. The only thing you can stop is a K-9."

Samual Nathaniel Brown said he is not surprised that Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) picked up the baton to carry on the fight to eradicate the phrase “involuntary servitude except as a punishment to crime” from California’s Constitution.

Brown, who contributed to writing Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 3, the California Abolition Act, while he was incarcerated in prison, stood on the west steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento with Wilson when she reintroduced a new iteration of the legislation that failed to pass in the State Senate last year.

This time around, Brown, Wilson and other supporters of the End Slavery in California Act say they are determined to retire the constitutional clause that allows labor imposed on felons as criminal punishment in California prisons.

“To be honest, we didn’t have to lure her in at all. She was a more-than-willing participant to pick up the baton,” Brown said on the Feb.19 edition of Abolition Today. “Championing the causes of Black people is something she has been doing for a long time and has done in almost every position she has held. It’s a no-brainer for her to continue this fight.”

Abolition Today is a weekly online radio program with specific focus on “modern-day slavery” as it is practiced through

the 13th Amendment of the US constitution. It is hosted by Max Parthas and Yusuf Hassan.

California is among 16 states with an “exception clause” for involuntary servitude in its state constitution, Wilson said. Should the state legislature pass the End Slavery in California Act, voters will decide during the 2024 General Elections if it will become state law.

Three states — Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska – have voted to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude. Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont have approved similar ballot measures.

“I am introducing this legislation because in every position of leadership (I’ve held) from (parks) commission to councilmember, from vice mayor to mayor, and now a state legislator; one of my responsibilities was, and is, to end systematic racism and root out discrimination,” Wilson said on Feb. 15 at the State Capitol.

Wilson added, “We only make up 6% of the overall (California) Black population but we make up 28% of our incarceration population. The allowance of slavery in our prisons disproportionately impacts Black people.”

Article 1, Section 6 of the California Constitution currently allows involuntary servitude as a means of punishing crime.

U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager (D-CA-37) authored ACA 3

in 2020 as a California State Assemblymember.

Kamlager said involuntary servitude is “forced labor.”

“By removing this language from our Constitution, we are moving our state into the 21st century and taking steps to ensure that no Californian is ever put in a position of involuntary servitude again,” Kamlager said last year.

On June 23, the California Senate rejected ACA 3 with a 21-6 vote. It fell short of the twothirds vote requirement, 27 or more, needed to move the bill to the ballot as a proposition for Californians to decide its fate.

June 30, 2022 was the last day ACA 3 could have gained the votes it needed to have been placed on the 2022 November General Election ballot. It was not heard on the Senate floor that day. Five Republicans and one Democrat, Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), voted against the amendment.

“Slavery was an evil that will forever be a stain on the history of our great country.

We eliminated it through the Civil War and the adoption of the 13th Amendment,” Glazer said in a statement. “Involuntary servitude – though lesser known – also had a shameful past. ACA 3 is not even about involuntary servitude – at least of the kind that was practiced 150 years ago. The question this measure raises is whether or not California should require felons in state or

Land is a member of the Anti-Violence Safety, and Accountability Project (ASAP), an organization that advocates for prisoners’ rights. Wilson said she was “proud to carry on the work” of Brown and Kamlager and ensured that she is committed to striking the word slavery out of the United States constitution.

“This constitutional amendment is now a national movement,” Wilson said.

The chairperson of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), Wilson was the first Black female Mayor to serve in Solano County. First elected to the Suisun City Council in 2012, she served as Vice-Mayor for six years before winning the mayoral race in 2018.

Wilson was sworn into office to represent the 11th Assembly District after a special election last April following the resignation of former Assemblymember Jim Frazier. She serves as the assistant Majority Whip and is chair of the Select Committee on Transportation and Emergency Preparedness.

Wilson’s has the support of several statewide organizations in favor of removing the involuntary servitude clause: the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Legal Services With Prisoners With Children, All Of Us Or None Of Us and the Anti-Violence, Safety, and Accountability Project. Sisters Warriors Freedom Coalition, and Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice are sponsors.

“California was founded as a free state,” Wilson said. “There is no room for slavery in our constitution. It is not consistent with our values.”

New Assembly Bill Would Ban Use of Police Canines for Arrests, Crowd Control

Edward Henderson | California Black Media

California Action. “It's time for California to take a stand and end this inhumane practice.”

“The use of a canine is sending a dog out that will inflict injury on a person before that person has been accused of a crime or formally convicted of one,” said Kat Carell, a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the ACLU. “So, you end up with lifelong disfigurement, or mental problems, or you could be killed before you have ever been in a court of law and proven guilty of anything.”

Reaction to the introduction of the bill by police dog handlers and some law enforcement organizations -- including the Western States Canine Association -- was swift, charactering the bill as misguided and going too far.

Ron Cloward, President for the Western States Police Canine Association and a veteran of the Modesto Police Department, said Jackson’s bill does not “make sense.” He argued that if AB 742 passes, it would take away one more non-lethal weapon law enforcement relies on to fight crime.

Cloward, who owns a canine training business, told ABC news affiliate in Bakersfield that while dog bites can be harmful and “disfiguring,” they do not cause death.

"Once you've deployed pepper spray, it's been deployed. It's

Jackson was elected in November of 2022 to represent the 60th Assembly District. Before that, he served on the Riverside County Board of Education in 2020 and represented portions of the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris, and the unincorporated community of Mead Valley.

Supporters say Jackson’s background in social work gives him a keen awareness and understanding of the microaggressions Black and Brown communities face. AB 742 is one of many pieces of legislation Jackson has introduced (or plans to) that holds individuals and institutions accountable, creating room for even larger victories towards dismantling systematic racism. He calls the effort the ‘Antiracism Bill Package.’

Another bill in the package is AB 11. That bill would authorize the creation of a commission to identify sustainable solutions to reduce the cost of living in California. The commission would consist of 11 members, including nine members appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the President pro Tempore of the Senate. Also, one member each from the Assembly and the Senate would serve as ex officio non-voting members. The bill would require the commission to complete reports describing the commission's findings and recommendations.

CFPB seeks rule on junk fees to put $9 billion back in consumers’ pockets

By Charlene Crowell

Assemblymember Cory Jackson (D-Riverside) speaks at press conference at the State Capitol announce the End K9 Force. Photo By Felicia Rule/CBM

Last week, Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson (D-Riverside) introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 742, legislation that would prohibit the use of police canines for arrests, apprehensions and crowd control.

The use of police canines, supporters of the legislation say, is a throwback to the darkest days of legal slavery, Jim Crow segregation – and a reminder of America's history of racial bias, aggression and violence against Blacks and people of color. Jackson says he wants to end the “deeply racialized, traumatic and harmful practice.”

“Since their inception, police canines have been used to inflict

brutal violence and lifelong trauma on Black Americans and communities of color,” said Jackson at a press conference held to announce the bill. “It's time to end this cruel and inhumane practice and instead work towards building trust between the police and the communities they serve.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) California Action, a co-sponsor of AB 742, echoed Jackson's concerns.

“The use of police canines has severe and potentially deadly consequences for bite victims, especially communities of color,” said Carlos Marquez III, Executive Director of ACLU

Jackson says his stance on the use of canines in law enforcement is backed up by data. For him, it’s a “moral issue” as well. “I let the data take me to where I need to go. And the data is clear that in some of the most consequential issues of our time right now – especially when it comes to the relationship between law enforcement and the African American community,” Jackson told California Black Media (CBM). “This was a no brainer for me. This is not a gotcha bill. Our own data in California shows that we have

it wrong, and we have to fix it.”

“The fact that canines are harming people more than batons and tasers is astonishing to me. I would never have guessed that” added Jackson who says he has already read three reports on the topic.

The California/Hawaii (CA/HI) Conference of the NAACP, another co-sponsor, acknowledges the bill’s historical importance. “Police canines have

Amid still-rising interest rates, most families remain financially challenged to make household needs fit into their budgets. For Black Americans whose wealth amounts to 25 cents for every $1 of white family wealth, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, the challenge is especially daunting.

So, it is particularly encouraging to Blacks, and others of modest means for a sitting president to speak to the average person’s concerns in the annual State of the Union Address.

“Junk fees may not matter to the very wealthy, but they matter to most folks in homes like the one I grew up in,” said President Joe Biden on February 7. “They add up to hundreds of dollars a month…I know how unfair it feels when a company overcharges you and gets away with it.”

“Not anymore.”

Junk fees are hidden and unexpected charges that are often not included in the initial or listed price of a transaction but are added on at the time of the payment.

Many consumers are unaware of how junk fees bloat the costs of a variety of goods and services. As a result, the actual costs consumers pay are much larger than expected or advertised.

a section of its website dedicated to explaining the varying types of junk fees and their respective charges. To learn more about this growing consumer issue, visit https://www.consumerfinance. gov/rules-policy/junk-fees/.

Further, as the consumer’s financial cop-on-the beat, the CFPB has begun the rulemaking process to rein in the financial harms caused by a myriad of fees affecting at least 85 percent of consumers, according to a 2019 survey by Consumer Reports.

The proposed CFPB rule change would make exorbitant late fees illegal. Based on the agency’s estimates, the proposal could reduce credit card late fees by as much as $9 billion per year -- even though no additional collection costs are incurred.

“In markets across the economy, junk fees have unfortunately become the norm,” noted Rohit Chopra, CFPB Director in announcing the proposed rule. “These junk fees aren’t subject to the normal forces of competition. They’re often charged for so-called services that a consumer never wanted and are set at levels far beyond the true cost. Junk fees inflate prices and chip away at monthly budgets by obscuring part of the price from comparison shopping, making it difficult for Americans to shop around.”

historical roots in slavery and have continued to be used as tools of oppression for Black, Brown, and other communities of color,” said Rick L. Callender,

Prepaid card fees, convenience fees, overdraft fees, and late fees are among the myriad of add-on charges that consumers often learn about after or during transactions.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has

“When we asked people to submit their comments on and experiences with junk fees, we were inundated with stories from thousands of individuals about being charged fees for things that

Asm. Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), third from right in front row, attended Asm. Lori Wilson's announcement at the state capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 15, 2023.

No Tolerance for Intolerance: Law Enforcement Vets Explore Strategies to Combat Hate Crimes

By Mark Hedin

The ACT Against Hate Alliance brought together some heavy hitters from law enforcement to discuss strategies for combatting the recent rise in hate crimes.

specifics about individual crimes.

“We have a relatively small number of people in our society who would engage in this type of behavior,” he said. “So, it’s important that those in law enforcement be aware of who those individuals are, what groups they’re affiliated with, and how they operate.”

Commentary: Media Attacks on Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s Committee Chair Appointment Is Not Responsible Journalism...continued

As the United States experiences an escalating wave of hate crimes, particularly victimizing Asian Americans, ACT Against Hate Alliance brought together some heavy hitters from law enforcement to discuss strategies for combatting this alarming trend.

“The core mission of the ACT Against Hate Alliance is to identify the root causes behind hate crimes, and propose solutions to stop them,” co-host Bob Huff, former California state senate minority leader, said in introducing the Feb. 8 panel, the sixth in a monthly series the organization is hosting while also opening chapters on campuses throughout the state.

“We’re all stakeholders,” said Domingo Herraiz, of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “When an incident or hate crime occurs, it truly rocks the community and the credibility of government and policing agencies. The sense of safety for all in the community is badly damaged.

“If the investigation falls apart, if there’s no prosecution, no charges, we have longterm, long-lasting effects and devastation to the community.

“We need to speak up, because we are the majority and we cannot tolerate this. We weren’t raised this way. Very, very few people were.”

Inflammatory political, online rhetoric

Jim McDonnell, whose decades in law enforcement included stints as Long Beach police chief after almost 30 years with LAPD, and as LA County sheriff from 2014-18, overseeing 18,000 employees and a $3.3 billion budget, attributed some of the near-doubling of hate crime reports in the past decade to inflammatory leaders and unchecked social media that “encourages people who can hide in the dark” to anonymously spew hate encouraging and rewarding like-minded others for “something very hurtful to our community.”

“That lack of accountability, I think, separates where we are today from where we were 20 years ago, as it relates to hate crimes in particular, but other crimes and aberrant behavior as well,” he said.

He cited improvements in data collection thanks to a new “NIBR” (National Incident Based Reporting) system that will improve coordination between various law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions. Besides leading to a more complete picture of what is widely believed to be an underreported crime phenomenon, he said, NIBR is expected to make it easier to identify trends and capture

“We dedicate a ton of resources to hate crimes,” said FBI Special Agent Brian Gilhooly, who oversees criminal investigations across seven southern California counties, dealing with gangs, narcotics, violent crime, hate crime, public corruption, crimes against children and fraud.

“It’s not only an attack on a victim. It has a huge impact on the entire community, which is why it’s a priority for the FBI.”

Reporting hate crimes

“It’ll take a team to really make an impact on this threat,” the former Navy SEAL officer in the Middle East and Pacific regions said, “and here in Los Angeles, we are one of the only field offices that has an entire squad dedicated to investigating hate crimes.”

There is “is a button for tips and leads” on the FBI website, Gilhooly said. “We can use that information to better prepare our law enforcement or intelligence analysts, our victim specialists or our language specialists to address these important issues.”

“Most people set the bar relatively high for reaching out to law enforcement,” Gilhooly added, “thinking that they might need to actually have some physical violence.” But, to enable better understanding of community dynamics and to target investigations on the worst offenders, he said, “Harassment and other forms should also be reported to law enforcement.”

And perhaps “not commonly known,” he said, are other resources available, primarily to

victims, that include community outreach specialists “who speak all manners of foreign languages.

For cultural understanding, he said, “being able to communicate in someone’s first language makes it a little bit easier to talk about some difficult problems.”

More accountability for perpetrators of hate crimes

Walt Allen, Covina mayor pro-tem and a 46-year law enforcement veteran, who helps oversee police training for police recruits throughout southern California, also described a need to do more to hold people accountable for their actions, something he felt has diminished in recent years.

“If people are not held accountable, you’re going to have continuous behavior. We need to set an example for those people who do wrong and hold them to the letter of the law.”

He described a new emphasis in police training on investigating hate crimes and dealing empathetically with its victims, and said he has high hopes for the recently enacted CARE act, state Senate Bill 1338, that begins to address the needs of people diagnosed as severely mentally ill.

“Severe mental health issues are a driving force behind violent crime in California,” he stated.

“If you tolerate it, you encourage it,” said Denton Carlson, police chief in the northern California city of San Ramon, whose department was able to rapidly respond to and defuse some incidents over the holidays late last year.

“If you don’t take actions to stop it, it’s just going to keep occurring and flourish.”

“You often hear people say that ‘hey, somebody should do something about that,” Herraiz said. “Well, we’re all somebody who can step up and play a role in our own way in affecting what happens in the future.”

Commentary: Media Attacks on Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s Committee Chair Appointment Is Not Responsible Journalism

Paul Cobb | Special to California Black Media Partners

have every right to investigate and expose those actions.

However, it is equally important to exercise caution and avoid making unfounded accusations that could damage the reputation of public officials.

Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland)

As the publisher of the Oakland Post, I am disappointed with recent mainstream media coverage and editorials trying to make tabloid news out of the appointment of Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) to be chair of the California Assembly Budget Subcommittee #5 on Public Safety. Bonta a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, was recently appointed chair by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and some reporters and newspaper editors around California have baselessly made the case that the assignment is a conflict of interest because she is married to Attorney General Rob Bonta and her committee oversees funding for the state Department of Justice.

As journalists, we have a responsibility to report on conflicts of interest and hold public officials accountable for any improprieties. If, along the way, Bonta engages in activities that betray the voters' trust, reporters covering her office

Speaker Rendon has stated that the Legislature’s budget process is designed with checks and balances to ensure that the best possible budget is passed.

According to him, no elected official can ever personally or financially benefit from the budget process. The legislature does not set salaries or benefits for state constitutional officers such as Rob Bonta.

Bonta’s appointment to chair is recognition that she has the skills and experience necessary to fulfill her role effectively and impartially.

Rendon has expressed confidence that she will be independent in her legislative judgment.

The work of Budget Subcommittee #5 consists of hearing, reviewing, and making recommendations to the full Budget Committee concerning the Governor’s budget proposals for the courts, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Department of Justice, the Military Department, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and other public safety departments.

Instead of fabricating baseless claims of conflicts of interest where there are none, responsible news reporters should be covering real news

events occurring around the state. There are countless issues that require our investigation, from the ongoing homelessness crisis to the urgent need for criminal justice reform.

The press should be covering the important work that Bonta is doing to promote public safety and reduce recidivism in her district, where sadly gun violence currently disproportionately ravages communities of color.

These are her constituents' legislative priorities, and Bonta has a strong track record of fighting for their needs.

There is real news occurring around the priorities Attorney General Bonta set for his office that merits press coverage.

Among his priorities are combating hate crimes and protecting civil rights, advancing criminal justice reform, protecting consumers, defending California’s environment, and enhancing public safety. These are important issues that deserve our attention, and it is disappointing to see them being overshadowed by baseless allegations of conflict of interest.

Mia Bonta has made it clear that the suggestion of a conflict of interest shows a lack of understanding about the legislative budgeting process.

The Assembly budget process starts with the Governor’s proposed budget bill, introduced by the full Budget Committee chair as required by the Constitution. There are five Assembly budget subcommittees that recommend amendments to

pertaining to the Department of Justice including budget change proposals, proposed trailer bills, and legislative proposals that pertain to the DOJ to ensure that the body may focus on the important work before us.”

Rob Bonta, who held the same Assembly seat before being appointed Attorney General by Gov. Newsom and winning election to the office last November, also serves his office with integrity.

The media focus should be on covering both of their efforts to promote public safety and make California a better place for all citizens.

I urge all reporters and editors to uphold the principles of responsible journalism and prioritize the truth and accuracy of their reporting over sensationalism and clickbait. The public deserves better than to be

misled by unfounded innuendo. The Black press has a responsibility to step up and do its part to foster a more informed and engaged public and not allow mainstream media and newspapers to marginalize Black leaders without pushing back especially when their reporting shows ignorance and fails to uphold the principles of responsible journalism.

About Paul Cobb

Paul Cobb is the Publisher of the Oakland Post Newspaper in Alameda County, which is part of the Post News Group. He is known as a West Oakland community organizer who once led the Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal and served as a mayoral appointee on the Oakland Board of Education.

Making Public Transit Safer — A ‘Massive Intersection of Crises’...continued from page 2

Min named the bill ʻPublic Transit for All: Improving Safety & Increasing Ridership’ and introduced it February 13. A former law professor who specialized in banking and housing policy, Min has testified six times before Congress on these issues.

Safe Walks NYC founder Peter Kerre says that by simply accompanying a person who would otherwise be alone, Safe Walks has already made a big difference in keeping New York City transit riders safe.

“There’s a saying in academia that the plural of anecdote is data, and so we need hard data at this point if we want to develop solutions. What this would do is to give a voice to the millions of transit riders throughout the State of California,” he said.

Once we have that data, then we can start to develop solutions, Min says.

Janice Li is Board President of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART). Her day job is with Chinese for Affirmative Action, a San Francisco-based organization that has led Asian American civil rights advocacy for more than 50 years.

the budget bill as the principal focus of their agendas.

The Governor’s chief fiscal advisor, the Department of Finance leads budget matters for the executive branch. Finance and departmental officials, as well as staff of the Legislative Analyst’s Office advocates and members of the public, appear at public hearings to answer questions.

Budget subcommittees focus on specific issues in their agendas, such as how much more or less funding a division of a department needs to perform a specific function.

The state’s budget is finalized by negotiations on thousands of budget items led by the Governor, the Senate Pro Tem, and the Assembly Speaker (a.k.a. the “Big Three”), on behalf of their branches of government. The staff of the Governor, the Senate, and the Assembly carry out these negotiations at the three leaders’ direction.

The Department of Justice - as a separate constitutional officeis not directly involved in those concluding negotiations. The executive branch in those talks is represented by the Governor.

Mia Bonta is an outstanding Assemblymember and public servant who has proven that she is committed to representing her constituents with integrity.

Proving her integrity, Bonta has announced, “I will recuse myself from Budget Subcommittee 5 matters directly

Li says BART’s pre-COVID riders made 430,000 trips on an average weekday and made up 70% of Bart’s operating costs, about $1 billion/yr. But during the lockdowns ridership dropped to four percent and has since rebounded to just 40% of what it was.

“We will not continue to exist if we cannot find new revenue streams,” Li says.

BART’s average rider has changed. Two-thirds are nonwhite, one third are in households with incomes under $50,000, and

44% don’t own cars. For the working poor of the Bay Area, BART is an essential mode of transportation.

“BART knows that in order to bring back riders, we must continue to prioritize safety.

I am proud of the many new initiatives that we launched over the past three years, including our BART ambassador program, bathroom attendants, elevator attendants, and crisis intervention specialists,” Li said.

Making people feel safe means putting more BART personnel in our stations, at our platforms, and riding trains throughout our 50-station system spanning five Bay Area counties, she says.

BART has two new initiatives — Not One More Girl, which is a youth-led campaign to address gender-based harassment and violence on BART, and Let’s Talk About Us, an art campaign to bring visibility to domestic violence in AAPI communities.

“These campaigns are creative and engaging ways for our riders to learn what they can do if they witness these situations happening and resources if they are victims or survivors themselves,” Li said.

Crime on BART trains is down to 7.45 crimes per 1 million trips. There were two homicides at the 24th St. Mission station last year. “Both times they were conflicts that happened in the neighborhood at the street level, where the victims ended up escaping into our underground system,” Li said.

She says what’s needed is more community-based resources to address homelessness, drug addiction, and mental health crises.

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A legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation on September 30, 1971, case number 15313 by the Superior Court of San Bernardino County.

The San Bernardino AMERICAN News subscription rate is $59.00 per year.

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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

by Dwight Brown film critic for DwightBrownInk.com and NNPA News Wire

Jay-Z Signs Huge Deal...continued

as his future and earlier musical works. Roc Nation's deal with Warner Chappell allowed the publisher to manage copyrights for the management company's all-star roster of songwriters.

According to ASCAP, a performance-rights organization, a worldwide administrative deal gives an artist 100 percent ownership of their publishing and allows a third party (in this case, Warner Chappell) to manage their songs, including collecting foreign income, copyright registration, and more. The publisher might also pitch artists' songs for commercials, television, and film placements.

Harm Reduction Healing...continued

Prevention Ministries!

The thrill is gone. The Marvel Universe shoots a blank. A tiny one.

Arguably, the itty-bitty AntMan and The Wasp aren’t the most impressive superheroes. So, any new adventure for the selfpromoting, mildly amusing Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), aka Ant-Man, and his sidekick/lover Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), aka The Wasp, has got to be a blast. Otherwise, both will continue to be pesty bugs barely worth a swat.

After being tasked to make a big deal out of small things, co-writers Jack Kirby and Jeff Loveness don’t rise to the occasion. Their feeble, generic script’s main idea is to export the two insects and their extended families into a wondrous Quantum Realm. (A premise similar to November’s animated film Strange World). The dialogue is anemic too, as “Get to the Ship” and “Don’t’ be a dick” are the screenplay’s most poignant lines.

That’s the narrative director Peyton Reed, who helmed the two previous Ant-Man movies, must work with. To build momentum for this franchise and other MU movies, as they intend to expand into a “Phase 5” level, he needed to reach deep into his bag of tricks to make this film a standout. He didn’t.

Scott’s teen daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), a science and technology buff, has been messing around with an invention. Egged on by Hope’s father Hank (Michael Douglas), a physicist, but cautioned by his mate Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), she continues. Presto! the device sucks Ant-Man, The Wasp and their clan into the Quantum Realm.

They’re stuck in a time and place far off. An exotic sphere filled with weird creatures in need of saving. Toying with them, like evil villains do, Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco) is ready to manipulate and use the bug family to unleash a power that can destroy worlds, realms and universes. He’s a bad dude. They’re in trouble.

Face it, action/fantasy/ adventure/comedy fans aren’t that picky. They want what they want when they want it. And it feels like the entire production team is content to just meet genre fans’ bare minimums. Everyone and anyone connected to the unspecial special effects should take a remedial SFX course. There isn’t a laser, explosion

or freefall that looks remotely innovative. Fight scenes are dull and poorly choregraphed. Nearly all action sequences are immemorable. And when the characters run from or into danger, the CGI screens are so obvious it’s embarrassing. The one visual that lingers is AntMan climbing a mountain of his clones. It’s eerie.

The costumes (Sammy Sheldon) look like Toys R Us plastic pieces attached to old drapes. Sets, production design and overall art direction lack a distinct style. That blandness doesn’t give cinematographer Bill Pope much to work with. Even Christophe Becks blaring musical score, with horn sections blasting louder than the speakers at a Metallica concert, don’t add an ounce of energy.

That puts a lot of stress on the cast to make the movie more than what it is. A dud. Rudd’s comic charm is fun, but it wears thin quick. Newton’s innocence and spirit give Cassie spunk, not much more. Katy M. O’Brien (The Walking Dead) as a warrior queen fights like an MMA champ and William Jackson Harper (The Underground Railroad), as her sidekick, exhibits a natural charm. It’s rare that an antagonist outshines the hero, but Majors’ brooding, blasé villainy gives the film some cred: “Have I killed you before? It’s all a blur.” Kang may have a date with destiny and infamy.

For those who can sit through 2h 5m (editors Adam Gerstel and Laura Jennings) of a missed opportunity, the good news is that the finale features a nice surprise that brings the story and series full circle. That may make some of the targeted teen audience happy.

In a candid interview, veteran director Martin Scorsese expressed his view of MU films: “…they seem to me to be closer to theme parks than they are to movies … I don’t think they’re cinema.” The very thoughtful Black Panther and extremely debauched Deadpool beg to differ. But junky, formulaic MU movies like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania make Scorsese’s case.

This teeny-weeny, derivative and short-on-thrills venture gives superhero movies a bad name.

In theaters February 17th.

Trailer: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=5WfTEZJnv_8

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.

Jay-Z Signs Huge Deal

do the talking. Hov recently took care of his biggest investment: his music catalog. The hip-hop billionaire secured a publishing deal that would make his catalog generate even more income.

Ten years ago, Jay-Z and his Roc Nation company signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group. The deal gave Warner Chappell the right to manage Jay's catalog dating back to 2008—which would include The Blueprint 3 and Watch the Throne—as well

In short, Warner Chappell does the heavy lifting, while Jay-Z sits back and reaps the financial rewards.

What makes the deal so sweet for the Brooklyn rhymer is that he now owns all his master recordings of his 13 studio albums, and has full control of his publishing rights—meaning when someone buys one of his albums, streams one of his songs, or licenses his tracks for a movie, he'll get paid. Not surprisingly, a week after his publishing deal in 2013, Jay's wife, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, also inked a worldwide music publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. Together, the hip-hop couple has established generational wealth for their children for years to come. Jay-Z is not a businessman, he's a business, man. - Content Curated By Trent Fitzgerald

“Stones of Remembrance!”

By: Lou K. Coleman Lou K. Coleman

As the celebration of “Black History Month” narrows to an end, let us remember as a chosen people of God, the things of God. Let us remember what He has done, how He has rescued us, how He has provided for us, and the way He has saved us. For the stones shall be a memorial forever. [Exodus 13:3–6; 24:4; Deuteronomy 27:1–8; Joshua 22:9–12; 24:24–28; 1 Samuel 7:12]. So let us keep telling the stories so that we will never lose our own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done for us. Because “Black Lives” have always mattered to God. For it is not by power nor by might but by the spirit of God—the wisdom, authority, power, and presence of the Lord—that freedom, equality, and justice will come.

So, remember, no matter how dark our dark places have been, or how fierce the battle is today, know that all things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. [Romans 8:28]. “I brought you out,” is His reminder to us. He doesn’t want us to forget where we came from. He wants us to be able to look back

and testify to His faithfulness, His goodness, and His loving kindness toward us. So as the celebration of “Black History Month” narrows to an end, let us praise Him for being a God of restoration, transformation, recovery, and hope! Because we are, as a chosen people of God, a living testimony to the true statement that “God is able.” [Ephesians 3:20]. For when we look at our life from where we came from to where we are today, we should be proclaiming aloud “look where God has brought us from.” For it is His grace and mercy that has carried us through.

So, when your sons and daughters ask you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ Tell them, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh and all his household, but He brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that He swore to our fathers.

Stones of Remembrance!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be Glory throughout all generations, Forever and ever! Amen.” [Ephesians 3:20-21].

WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1139

Harm Reduction Healing

Erica Poellot

It has been 7,349 days since I last used illicit opioids. Truthfully, at this point in my journey, I rarely count days anymore. A ritual that once held immense importance for me has given way to different ways of measuring the trajectory of healing in my life. However, this January 3rd, the annual marker of freedom from the hold of my problematic relationship with drugs felt quite different.

I am certain that the difference I felt has little to do with the twenty years that have passed since the day I reached out for help, but more so with the freedom I am growing into to share this part of my story publicly and to tell the truth about what my path to recovery has looked like.

My pathway to healing has evolved over time and has looked different from season to season.

It has included abstinence in twelve-step fellowships, moderated use, medication for substance use disorder, and spiritual and trauma care. In every season, it has included and prioritized connection in community and harm reduction.

deaths increased 65% among adolescents during a similar time period and are now a leading cause of death among pregnant and postpartum people. All the while, only 1 in 10 people with substance use disorder are able to access treatment, with even greater barriers to access experienced by people of color, rural communities, and LGBTQ+ persons.

My healing from substance use disorder has been integrally connected to my personal and professional work to dismantle the stigma of drug use, which foregrounds the leadership of people with lived experience and elevates awareness about the many valid pathways to healing, including harm reduction. My success has been found in the embrace and wisdom of others with lived experience of SUD and overdose, within a church that was and is unafraid to make space for truth telling and bold community ministry. My successful healing is rooted in connection and community in the harm reduction movement. We can be faith communities of compassionate embrace, justice seeking spaces where people who use drugs are seen, valued, and invited to lead. We can mobilize love to end overdose and the stigmatization of people who use drugs. Join me in inviting others out of the shadows and celebrating healing in all of its forms!

Join us in putting love into action with people who use drugs at Harm Reduction and Overdose

God of Compassion, draw ever close to us now!

We call upon your divine justice and your fierce love to hold us. We gather in solidarity with the community of the beloved, those of us whose lives are touched by substance use disorder and overdose.

That your love, your healing, your power free us from the webs of stigma and shame. That the weapons of bias and criminalization against the most vulnerable among us be put away. We claim the fullness of our humanity and dignity which are our birthrights.

Strengthen us, Loving God, as we continue to dismantle the many barriers to compassionate care, grant us the courage to claim our own paths to recovery, and sustain us when hope is hard to come by.

Unleash your Holy Spirit among us, that we can continue to mobilize justice and love in your name and create communities of wellness where all are called by name, Beloved.

Amen.

Rev. Erica M. Poellot is the Minister of Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention Ministries for the United Church of Christ, Executive Director of Faith In Harm Reduction, and Senior Ministry Innovator at Judson Memorial Church in NYC.

It Shouldn't Take a Fiery Crash and Toxic Spill to Push Action on Railroad Safety...continued from page 2

When I think about the barriers to accessing care and healing that I experienced, the stigmatization and criminalization of people who use drugs were ever present forces. Stigma manifested for me as deep shame, fear of punishment and coercion, separation from community support, and ultimately in a planned, yet thankfully prevented, suicide.

Drug-related stigma also manifests systemically and is powerfully expressed by policies that limit access to evidencebased treatment and healthcare including harm reduction, punish individuals and their families through separation, deportation, and incarceration, and draw on dehumanizing moral narratives about people who use drugs, taking the heaviest toll on people who are marginalized.

As a result of stigma and criminalization, rates of overdose fatalities have skyrocketed, surpassing 110,000 deaths in a single year while disproportionately impacting Black and Indigenous communities. Overdose

Norfolk Southern, and state leadership…Residents deserve to be able to safely return to their homes and access drinking water without the risk of everyday activities like vacuuming exposing them further to these chemicals.”

Moving forward, we need to do more to protect people and places from hazardous materials that move in more than 2 million freight cars each year. To be fair, reports show that freight rail spills happen less often than spills from trucks or planes. But we know those trains don’t run through posh suburbs. They run through places like East Palestine, a working-class White village where median household income is about two-thirds the Ohio average. They are places that historically get overlooked.

The best news is we already know what to do. While the cause of the Ohio derailment hasn’t been determined officially, reports indicate a wheel bearing in the car that caused the accident overheated; there are sensors for that we can require. Similarly, we can replace braking technology that dates back more than a century with newer brakes that even Norfolk Southern said cuts stopping distances by 60 percent.

Anyone who saw videos of the burning cars after the crash or the huge cloud of smoke when vinyl chloride was burned off

to prevent an explosion may shocked to learn that the wrecked train wasn’t designated a “highhazard flammable train,” which would trigger additional safety steps and more notice to state and local officials. This is an easy step to take.

These remedies have been proposed before. The railroad industry calls them too costly. But that claim must be weighed against nearly $200 billion in stock buybacks and dividends for the nation’s biggest rail companies since 2010 as they also cut their workforces.

We can start by restoring brake system and other safety rules rescinded during the Trump administration. Once we push for all these common-sense measures to protect ourselves and our neighborhoods, we should start asking another question –what was going to happen to all those toxic chemicals once they reached the railyard where they were headed?

Ben Jealous is incoming executive director of the Sierra Club, the oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

Throughout his career, Jay-Z has made a variety of successful business moves that have proven lucrative for him. From investing in the spirits industry to the cannabis industry to streaming, the veteran rhymer lets his money

Global Mogul Jay-Z

10 Signs You Need To Get Screened For ADHD

are typically more obvious in children because they haven’t yet learned how to navigate their daily lives with them. Over time, people who have undiagnosed ADHD can develop techniques known as ‘masking’ to function while coping with the condition’s symptoms. When combined with the fact that some issues caused by ADHD can resolve as you get older, it means you might not have all the symptoms that the disorder is known for. Additionally, women might present with different symptoms than men.

Some people might think that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) only affects children but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, studies show that approximately 3% of the adult population is affected by the condition. Worse yet, that number typically represents those who have been officially diagnosed. The numbers could be much higher when you account for the adults who are living with the daily issues caused by ADHD. Fortunately, knowing the symptoms to look for can help you to identify if you need to be checked.

10 Common Signs Of ADHD

In Adults

1. You’re Easily Distracted

People with ADHD often have trouble focusing, which can affect how well they pay attention during conversations, how well they perform tasks, and whether or not they retain intricate details.

2. You Have Trouble With Relationships

ADHD can come with certain issues such as talking over others in a conversation, not paying attention to others, and getting bored easily. When in a relationship, these can be interpreted as a lack of interest.

Unless your partner can navigate these issues, your relationship might not last. These traits can also affect professional and platonic connections.

3. You Can’t Find Motivation

The lack of motivation can mean that you don’t start the tasks you need to. It’s even worse if the projects require hours of focus.

4. You’re Disorganized

When you have ADHD, it can be hard to prioritize your tasks in a logical way or keep track of what you’ve already done. This disorganization can affect how well you do your job or manage your personal goals.

5. You’re Plagued With Anxiety

Restlessness is a characteristic of ADHD. While some people experience fidgeting, others describe having an internal restlessness that gives them racing thoughts. In either case, it can be accompanied by anxiety.

6. Your Emotions Are All Over The Place Research shows that those with ADHD can have trouble managing seemingly small frustrations. This can result in rapid shifts in your moods throughout the day.

7. You Lose Track Of Time

Though you may have trouble focusing, you can also have the opposite issue when you have ADHD. Those with the condition may have the ability to pay attention to one task for a long time. Aptly called hyperfocus, the result is that you lose track of time and don’t accomplish the other things on your to-do list.

8. You Always Procrastinate

If you often ignore tasks that seem boring or put off the ones you don’t feel able to handle, you’ll find yourself procrastinating a lot. It doesn’t help that you’re likely to forget many things as well. The end result is poor time management.

9. You’re Impulsive ADHD can cause poor impulse control so you may interrupt others during conversations, rush through your assigned tasks, and do or say things without thinking of the consequences first.

10. You Have A Negative SelfImage

On top of dealing with all the above-mentioned symptoms, those with ADHD tend to be overly critical of themselves. When this happens, it’s hard to maintain a positive self-image.

Why The Symptoms Differ From Those In Children

The symptoms of ADHD

CFPB seeks rule on junk fees to put $9 billion back in consumers’ pockets...continued from

page 3

weren’t in their control, like in the case of surprise overdraft fees,” continued Chopra. “Many Americans believe these fees are just plain wrong.”

The proposed rulemaking is based on earlier CFPB research released last year that found that in only one year, 2020, credit card companies charged $12 billion in late fees alone. Card interest rates generate a separate revenue stream.

Why Black Americans Need To Pay Attention Studies show that Black children go undiagnosed regularly. When the research was done, it was found that while white children were being diagnosed at a rate of 11.5%, Black children were being diagnosed at a rate of 8.9%.

From as early as kindergarten, Black children were 70% less likely to be diagnosed than other ethnicities. Unfortunately, there is rarely any follow-up so these children are never re-assessed.

Without this diagnosis, the typical symptoms of ADHD are usually treated as disciplinary issues and this negatively affects the child’s overall education. While these symptoms can resolve over time, that’s not the case for everyone and quite a few adults struggle with ADHD. The good news is that it’s never too late to receive a diagnosis and start an effective treatment program. Some people will need medication to manage the condition but others can do well with the right coping mechanisms. ADHD can significantly disrupt your life when you aren’t given the tools to manage it. If you’re having any of the symptoms that are listed here, it’s essential for you to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Anthony Anderson Wants People to “Get Real About Diabetes”

Roker is a good friend of mine and he recommended his nutritionist to me. She helped me cut out unnecessary carbs and gave me an action plan to eat healthier and cleaner. To be active, I started biking. Almost everywhere I went, I either walked or biked.

I loved Manhattan, so biking around it was something I could enjoy while also being active,” Anderson adds.

It’s been over 20 years since Anthony Anderson was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

“I had all the classic symptoms, excessive thirst, constantly going to the bathroom, etc. At one point I drank an absurd amount of water over a couple hours and I knew there was something going on,” Anderson recalls. At the time, Anderson admits that he didn’t take the diagnosis as serious as he should have.

“I took the medicine my health care provider first prescribed, but I didn’t commit to eating healthy and being active like I needed to. I kept telling myself that ‘Everything is good in moderation,’ which was just an excuse to keep eating what I wanted,” Anderson shares.

Today, the “Law and Order” actor has a different attitude. For Anderson, diabetes awareness is important (not just because he has it), but because both of his parents were diagnosed with it. He also lost his father due to complications from the disease.

“That was really tough, especially knowing that if my dad had taken better care of himself, he might still be here,” the actor adds. “My dad just didn’t know what happens when

you don’t take control of your diabetes. That was a real wakeup call for me. I didn’t want to just be a memory for my family, I wanted to be there. So, I vowed right then and there that things would be different, that I would get serious about managing my diabetes.”

Keeping true to this, the 52-year-old has partnered with Novo Nordisk to bring awareness and tools about the disease to those in need.

“We have a great campaign GetRealAboutDiabetes.com where people can go to the website and learn how to live with diabetes and not die from it,” he explains.

How Anderson manages his diabetes

To get his diabetes under control, Anderson began making lifestyle changes, which includes things like eating better and exercising.

“…I changed a lot. For me, I kind of needed a fresh start, to leave all my old ways behind. I had just moved to New York for a new gig and I decided, ‘Ok, this is it. It’s time for the new me.'” Anderson shares.

“I started with my diet. Al

Making these lifestyle changes and keeping up with his medications made a huge difference for the actor.

“I lost a bunch of weight. So much that I had to get a whole new wardrobe. I felt so much better, and the eating healthy and being active got easier over time. It all just became routine,” Anderson shares. “And my blood sugar level was under control, probably for the first time since I was diagnosed. For the first time, I really felt like, ‘I can do this.’ It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be to change my lifestyle how I did.”

The link between heart disease and type 2 diabetes Anderson also hopes to bring awareness to the link between heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“It’s some scary stuff! As if diabetes isn’t tough enough, you also have to worry about getting heart disease, which can lead to death way before you’re ready to go. I, for one, am not ready to go yet. I don’t want to be just a memory or a picture on the wall,” Anderson says. “I prioritize seeing my diabetes care team regularly, so they can keep an eye on my heart, and talk to

Other key findings from this report found that cardholders in majority-Black areas paid more in late fees for each card they held with major credit card issuers in 2019. People in areas with the lowest rates of economic mobility paid nearly $10 more in late fee charges per account compared to people in areas with the highest rates of economic mobility;

While acknowledging the Bureau’s earlier efforts to rein in high-cost overdraft fees, Nadine Chabrier, a Senior Policy Counsel with the Center for Responsible Lending says more must be done to protect consumers from other costly junk fees.

“These charges wreak havoc on household budgets,” said Chabrier. “We applaud President Biden for highlighting their harm… We are encouraged that

the consumer bureau announced it will take additional steps, and we urge the bureau to place strong limits on the size and frequency of these fees.”

More support for eliminating these budget-busting fees came from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the current Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, and its former Chair.

“I was pleased to hear President Biden call out junk fees by name, and double down on the Administration’s commitment to limit hidden fees and surcharges in a number of industries,” stated Waters on February 8, the day after the State of the Union Address. “[W]e have long helped lead the fight to shine a bright light on these types of harmful junk fees and have advanced legislation to ensure consumers are not nickel and dimed out of savings that could go towards buying a new home or starting a small business.”

“Thanks to the leadership of Director Chopra, the CFPB is helping to advance these efforts to put more money back into consumers’ pockets. I, and consumers across the country, can’t wait for this rule to be finalized as soon as possible”, Waters added.

Is your eye doctor violating the Contact Lens Rule?

By Colleen Tressler FTC, Division of Consumer and Business Education February 21, 2023

The FTC recently sent 24 cease and desist letters to eye doctors after getting reports they may have violated the Contact Lens Rule by ignoring important rights of patients. That includes the requirement that eye doctors must give you a copy of your contact lens prescription at the end of a lens fitting — whether you ask for it or not — at no extra charge. This means you don’t have to buy your lenses from your eye doctor and lets you use your prescription to comparison shop among contact lens sellers for the best deal.

What’s more, your eye doctor:

*should ask you to sign a confirmation that you got your prescription

*can’t make you pay for your prescription, although they may require you to pay for the contact lens examination and fitting fee or show proof of insurance, which is considered payment

*can’t say you have to buy contact lenses from them or tell you to sign a waiver or release in order to get your prescription

them about what I can do.”

Advice for others

Although Anderson says “there’s no secret to managing diabetes”, he does offer some advice to others.

“One thing I would say is to not to wait. Get real now. I’ve learned that you’re either managing your diabetes, or it’s hurting you. That’s just how diabetes works. Find your motivation and run with it. Whether it’s being there for your family, the things you still want to accomplish in life, the places you want to go—focus on all those things and let them drive you,” Anderson says.”Changing what food you eat, consistently being active, and taking an injectable medicine may seem a bit daunting at first, but just give it a shot, pun intended. It all gets so much easier over time, as it all turns to habit. Believe me, if I can do it, you can, too.”

If you have any of the following diabetes symptoms, see your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested:

Urinate (pee) a lot, often at night

Are very thirsty

Lose weight without trying

Are very hungry

Have blurry vision

Have numb or tingling hands or feet

Feel very tired

Have very dry skin

Have sores that heal slowly

Have more infections than usual

Here’s how the process is supposed to work. If your eye doctor is willing to sell you lenses, that means your fitting is complete and you should get a copy of your prescription. Just know that a fitting may take more than one appointment and often involves a fee that’s separate from the eye exam charge.

If you think an eye doctor is violating the Contact Lens Rule, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Watch and share this video about your eyewear prescription rights: For more information, see Buying Prescription Glasses or Contact Lenses: Your Rights.

This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie

Lou Hamer

D.C.- based filmmaker streams documentary short about civil rights icon

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Director Robin N. Hamilton re-releases the documentary about an extraordinary woman who went from picking cotton at age 6 to becoming an indomitable civil rights leader. Capturing a snapshot in time from her historic speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer packs power into 30 minutes.

Follow the story of an incredible civil rights icon, Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer reveals the power of the human spirit and proves that every voice matters.

This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer reveals the power of the human spirit.

Born one of 20 children on a cotton plantation in Ruleville, Mississippi, Hamer had no education beyond sixth grade. At 44, she was sterilized by a white doctor without her

knowledge. That devastating abuse pushed her to join the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which had actively begun voting registration drives in Mississippi.

During Freedom Summer of 1963, Mrs. Hamer was arrested with her group after a voter registration drive. She suffered a horrible beating in a Winona, Mississippi jail by southern officers, angered by her activism. Her testimony during the 1964 Democratic National Convention Credentials Committee recounted that beating, making national headlines – and played a part in charting the course of the Civil Rights Movement.

"Though her body was battered, her spirit didn't break. Mrs. Hamer was unwavering and unapologetic for demanding a basic human right every citizen deserves," says Hamilton. Now available to the public, the film streams throughout February and early March. Go to www.fannielou.com to watch.

2022 San Bernardino County Grand Jury concluded San Bernardino County Children & Family Services is too broken to fix

Gail Fry - Contributor

year, there were no proactive measures in place, the problem was ongoing, the measures CFS took ineffective, concluding the problem had not been solved.

After a series of critical grand jury reports about the San Bernardino County Children & Family Services, the 2022 Grand Jury Report, obtained by The San Bernardino American News, concluded San Bernardino County Children & Family Services is too broken to fix strongly recommending the department be abolished, and a new community-based system be created to help raise and parent our foster children in the county.

“The bureaucracy that permeates the San Bernardino County CFS is so extensive, complicated, secretive, and inefficient,” the 2022 Grand Jury found determining that the department is too broken to fix and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

“The investigation revealed to the GJ that foster children in SB County were still being abused in foster settings in alarming numbers,” the 2022 Grand Jury Report revealed.

Despite new laws and changes since 2018, at San Bernardino County Children & Family Services (CFS), the 2022 Grand Jury questioned whether the changes were enough to keep foster children safe.

The grand jury notes that CFS assumes the role of parenting traumatized children when they

are removed from their biological families and has attempted to provide for their safety, however, does not have significant preventative measures to stop the abuse or minimize it leaving foster children at significant and unacceptable risk for continued abuse within their care.

After interviewing CFS employees, directors, and social workers, reviewing its Policies and Procedures Manual, the grand jury found that all the measures and positive policies initiated since 2018 were reactive, not proactive, addressing the abuse after it happens, describing its actions taken as mere rebranding of CFS.

The grand jury detailed finding no measures taken to prevent foster children from being placed into potentially abusive Resource Family Homes (RFH), no evidence of effective and ongoing checks or monitoring of abuse, no proactive or effective measures to prevent foster children removed from one RFH for placement in another RFH from being again placed in a potentially abusive situation.

In reviewing data of substantiated abuse cases from 2019 through the first half of 2022, the grand jury found substantiated abuse cases had significantly increased every

Further, the grand jury questioned citizen complainants, medical personnel, Foster Family Agency (FFA) employees, experts on foster care systems, and a former foster care child, now an adult and visited CFS offices, a Children’s Assessment Center (CAC), group settings, and an out-of-county temporary care facility for foster children.

The grand jury reported, “[S] ome interviewees were reluctant to, and refused to, answer or claimed they had no knowledge in specific divisions even though they had been working in these particular areas for years.”

The 2022 Grand Jury obtained a court order authorizing the release of confidential information regarding substantiated cases of abuse to foster children within CFS’ care with appropriate redactions, citing the legal authorities for the redactions, for the years of 20192021 and through May of 2022.

The cases involved sexual abuse, physical abuse, and deaths, which were substantiated by the CFS Open Case Investigations (OCI) unit finding sufficient evidence to support and prove the allegations occurred. The grand jury reported in almost all the cases, the appropriate law enforcement agency with jurisdiction was notified.

The grand jury determined there were 307 foster children who had been physically or sexually abused from January 1, 2019 through May 31, 2022, finding these numbers to be eye-opening, significant and

alarming for a system that was created to protect children already traumatized only to have these children further physically or sexually abused while under the care of CFS.

According to the data CFS provided to the grand jury, 67 of the most vulnerable children from newborn to four years old suffered abuse under the care of CFS, 100 were five to nine years old, 75 were ten to fourteen years old, 46 were fifteen to eighteen years old, and 19 were of unknown age.

204 were physically abused and 103 were sexually abused, 134 were male, 160 were females, and 13 were of unknown gender.

According to the California Child Welfare Indicators Project during year 2021, 28,734 children in San Bernardino County alleged they were maltreated, of that amount 4,853 were Black, 5,669 were white, 16,148 were Hispanic, 547 were Asian, 95 were Native American, and 1,422 did not report their race.

One physical abuse case resulted in the death of a child was investigated in 2022. While the grand jury only received data through May for 2022, they noted the 2022 data was trending toward a potential annual decrease.

The grand jury credited CFS with the creation of Risk Assessment Meetings (RAMs) and the OCI unit in 2018, measures they find as reactive.

RAMs include two CFS supervisors, one social worker, CFS management, and sometimes law enforcement, and/ or the foster child, if appropriate, to discuss what went wrong, find

solutions and plan a path forward.

The OCI unit investigates ‘open cases’ of alleged abused foster children generated by complaints from the hotline, social workers, teachers, other adults, children, law enforcement, medical personnel and others.

The OCI unit removes social workers from investigating their own cases, providing more eyes on the alleged abuses, and a higher level of assessment and effectiveness.

CFS conducts criminal background checks, carries out interviews, completes a DMV check once per year on prospective resource foster parents, and conducts physical inspections of prospective settings, but those measures, the grand jury noted do not extend to visitors to the home, risk factors found to have contributed to many of the substantiated sexual and physical abuse cases.

Another concern of the grand jury was learning that there are no temporary shelter facilities in San Bernardino County where already traumatized children could go to have a place to feel safe, instead foster children are housed at the offices of CFS during the search for placement.

The grand jury examined the role of several other public/ private agencies involved in the foster care system such as The Children’s Assessment Center, the Foster Family Agency, the Children’s Network, the Children’s Fund, and Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

The grand jury spoke of the lack of an integrated virtual environment where data collection systems kept by CFS and law enforcement would have the inter-department ability to reflect and statistically track every foster child abuse allegation and investigation. Another concern

of the grand jury was the lack of a statewide database of similar information to make it less likely that foster children would be placed in abusive settings.

The grand jury discovered that the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department does not separately identify or differentiate foster children abuse cases from other types of child abuse cases and as a result cannot determine how many instances of actual abuse of foster children has occurred in San Bernardino County.

“Law enforcement needs to classify reports indicating that these reports are part of the foster children care system so they can be tracked and evaluated,” the grand jury recommended as well as quarterly meetings between CFS and SBCSD to review foster child abuse cases.

The grand jury found CFS has no local accountability, operates behind an air of confidentiality, and that there is a critical need for an independent ‘checks and balances’ system to oversee CFS, and without such oversight any accountability for their actions is extremely difficult. The grand jury recommended the county form, authorize and empower such an independent oversight commission to ensure that foster children are provided the level of care expected by the people of San Bernardino County. The grand jury reported evidence established that foster children in San Bernardino County are vulnerable to significant risks that in an alarming number of instances have led to abuses and further traumatization. The Grand jury found that most actions taken were reactive not proactive, concluding children are still vulnerable to abuse.

Erickson-Hall Breaks Ground on Public Safety Training Center at Crafton Hills College near San Bernardino, CA

BUILD SKILLS HELP OTHERS EARN MONEY

Escondido, CA, February 21, 2023 – On January 20, 2023, Erickson-Hall Construction Co. joined more than 150 members of Crafton Hills College leadership, elected officials, fire chiefs, and other stakeholders to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Public Safety Training Center at Crafton Hills College. The new specialized fire training structure is located at 1171 San Canyon Road in Yucaipa, CA, about 15 miles east of San Bernardino. The development was made possible by Measure CC, a bond approved by voters in 2018 to fund upgrades in the San Bernardino Community College District. The new stateof-the-art Public Safety Training Center leverages Erickson-Hall’s experience building numerous fire stations and educational facilities throughout Southern California.

As one of the premier public safety academies in the nation, the highly regarded Public Safety Program at Crafton Hills College has been preparing

students for employment with fire departments and emergency medical response teams since 1982. The new facilities were designed specifically to accommodate the fire academy requirements for cadets seeking their certification as fire fighters, and will train students in conditions that replicate real-life emergency situations. The new Public Safety Training Center is expected to be complete in December 2023. This facility completes the advanced Public Safety and Allied Health Facilities constructed in 2015 on the campus.

Mat Gates, CCM, LEED AP, President of Erickson-Hall, states, “We’re thrilled to join our designbuild partner, WLC Architects, to enhance Crafton Hills’ top-tier Public Safety Program. It’s very rewarding to use our expertise to help our future first responders pursue their passion—a career of service.”

About Erickson-Hall Construction Co.

Erickson-Hall is a recognized industry leader and has completed over $2 billion in successful construction projects, of which $1.5 billion has been for K-12 and higher education developments. The employee-owned company has been serving the Southern California markets of San Diego, Imperial, Orange, South LA, and Riverside Counties since 1998. Services include preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, design-build, design assist-build, leaseleaseback and program management for educational, fire, essential services, civic, parks, recreation, faith-based, office and healthcare facilities. The company has an awardwinning portfolio of completed projects and has received numerous awards for safety. For more information, visit www. ericksonhall.com and find us on LinkedIn at https://www. linkedin.com/company/ericksonhall-construction-company.

2022 San Bernardino County Grand Jury concluded San Bernardino County Children & Family Services is too broken to fix...continued