THE SAN BERNARDINO
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AMERICAN
“A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” -Emerson
NEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties Volume 51 No. 48
March 18, 2021- March 24, 2021
Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393
Office: (909) 889-7677
Email: Mary @Sb-American.com
Website: www.SB-American.com
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)
Your 2021 Stimulus Cash: Differences Between Your Federal and State Checks Thirty years ago, I watched Rodney King beaten...We thought our fight was finally over
Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media
By Rep. Karen Bass Texas Metro News
Direct cash relief is coming to Californians soon. Both the state and federal government have begun issuing stimulus c h e c k s t o A m e r ic a n s . The American Rescue Plan, which includes the third and largest round of federal COVID-19 stimulus of the pandemic so far, was signed into law by President Biden on March 12. According to several reports direct deposits began hitting peoples’ bank accounts as soon as March 14, with paper checks and pre-paid debit cards expected to follow soon. Low-income Californians can also expect a state-specific Golden State Stimulus check, which will be distributed over the course of 2021. Though both stimulus payments are dispensed automatically, they do have big differences when it comes to qualifications. For the federal stimulus payment, the full $1,400 amount will be distributed to individuals
with an adjusted gross income less than $75,000, heads of households earning less than $112,500 and married couples earning less than $150,000. Payments will gradually lower for people earning more than those amounts, with the cutoffs for payments being $80,000 for individuals, $120,000 for heads of households and $160,000 for married couples. This stimulus round will also include an additional $1,400 payment per dependent. Unlike previous rounds, this round will also include payments for dependents age 17 and above. The maximum amount possible is $5,600, for a couple with two adult children. The income thresholds for this federal stimulus round are based on the most recent tax return filed. Like the previous rounds, the money will be automatically distributed to people who have their tax information filed with
the IRS. All eligible recipients, including those who don’t typically file taxes, can use the IRS’ “Get My Payment” website to request a payment or check its status. California’s Golden State Stimulus relief package was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on Feb. 23. The package includes onetime stimulus payments for Californians 18 years or over who receive the California Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) or file with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). An individual who is claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax filing is ineligible to receive a payment. The California stimulus payment will be either $600 or $1,200, based on the recipient’s eligibility. Californians who either receive the CalEITC, meaning they make under $30,000 in taxable income along with other qualifications, or file with an ITIN
and earn $75,000 or less will receive $600. Californians who meet both of these conditions will receive $1,200. For couples filing jointly, the ITIN requirement will count if at least one person in the couple files with an ITIN. The biggest difference between the Golden State Stimulus and the rounds of federal stimulus checks that have been issued so far is that eligibility in California is based on 2020 tax returns. The payments will be determined by tax returns filed by October 15, 2021, which is the deadline for filers who request an extension on the original Apr. 15 deadline. The payment itself expires on November 15, 2021. The Golden State Stimulus will go out automatically after 2020 tax returns are filed. The $1400 federal stimulus checks are based either on 2019 or 2020 tax returns.
Two African Americans on Team Advising Gov. Newsom on “Inclusive” Reopening Bo Tefu | California Black Media
Last week, Gov. Newsom appointed former Stockton Mayor Michael D. Tubbs, who is African American, as his Special Advisor for Mobility and Opportunity. In this role, Tubbs becomes one of two African Americans on the governor’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) -- a group Newsom has charged to help California recover from the economic downturn the coronavirus pandemic has caused. The other Black gubernatorial advisor is Renee Bowen, an
associate professor of economics at the University of California San Diego. Tubbs and Brown are serving along with 11 other experts Newsom says will help offer guidance on how to rebuild a state economy that is more sustainable and inclusive. The CEA team will help to build political will, championing policy changes that aim to promote equitable economic opportunities and fight poverty for all Californians, according to the governor’s office.
“As we fight the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and economic insecurity, I am honored to work with the Newsom Administration to bring forward innovative solutions that will lead to inclusive economic recovery for all Californians,” said Tubbs. On Friday, President Biden signed Congressional Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The federal economic package includes $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals nationwide. In his third State of the State Address, Gov. Newsom recapped the state’s plans to support small businesses, reopen schools, promote equitable vaccine distribution, and provide state stimulus funds. The recently appointed CEA will advise California lawmakers on directing state and federal funds toward programs and investments that soften the pandemic’s economic blow. Although the advisers are
not compensated for their roles, they will leverage their areas of expertise as well as their familiarity with business and industry in California to ensure that California families “have the opportunity to not just survive but thrive,” during the pandemic, state officials said. As a special advisor, Tubbs plans to recommend best-practices gleaned from various external stakeholders, including economic experts and business leaders to reform state policies that will benefit all Californians. “As I always say, poverty is a choice: a policy one,” Tubbs said. “I can think of no greater calling than to build upon my work with Mayors and community leaders across our state and nation to help advance big, bold policy solutions that are rooted in economic fairness, racial equity, and recognize the dignity of all continued on page7
March 3, 2021 when I first saw the tape of Rodney King being beaten in the middle of the street on March 3, 1991, I was not horrified or surprised. I was hopeful. I believed that now, finally, the public would believe what Black and Latino activists had been saying: that police brutality is real and continues a long history of treating Black people like their lives do not matter, while simultaneously attempting to hide that reality in plain sight. Activists had fought for years to get elected leaders to see and act on what was happening in Black communities across America. But officers who killed or brutalized Black people could say that they did it because they had been in fear for their life, whether or not the person was armed. But then, 30 years ago as we watched that video, we were convinced that justice would finally be served, and the truth would be exposed to the world. We were right to an extent. VIDEOS A MER ICA CAN’T IGNORE People across the country felt outraged at what they saw on the tape, but that anger did not translate into large-scale change. Los Angeles amended its city charter to rein in the largely unchecked chief of police, who around that time suggested that Black people were dying from chokeholds at the hands of police at disproportionate rates because our neck veins were different from “normal people’s” neck veins. While these local actions were significant at the time, the reforms pretty much stopped there. There had been a moment of understanding and an opportunity for change, but it passed. In what could now be viewed as a rigged trial (due to changed venue and a jury with no Black people on it), the jury didn’t convict any of the four police officers involved in the assault. After that verdict, I drove through the intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Los Angeles on my way to a meeting with other activists and saw our community begin to burn in anger and despair. Black and Brown people in this country have now endured 30 years of police brutality and violence since Rodney King was beaten. On May 25, 2020, the world witnessed yet another video, this time of the slow killing of George Floyd. Tens of thousands took to the streets demanding change, not
only in Minneapolis but in nearly every major U.S. city and in cities around the world. Thirty years later, I stand hopeful yet again. There is a systemic problem with policing in the United States. By enacting transformative reform on a national level, we have a chance to address it. W H AT R EA L POLICE R EFOR M LOOKS LIK E Though named in his honor, Congress must not pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to honor one man — but to honor all the unarmed people who have been brutalized or killed by police since his death and the many more who were brutalized or killed prior. Last year I introduced this bill to act on these long overdue reforms. I developed it carefully in consultation with many stakeholders, including some police officials. The bill would introduce common sense reforms such as: requiring police officer accreditation; promulgating best practices; maintaining a registry of officers dismissed for excessive use of force; providing grants for communities to reinvasion public safety; and banning the chokeholds and no-knock warrants in federal drug cases, which have been at the root of recent high-profile tragedies. The House passed the bill last year, but it never got a vote in the Senate. The 117th Congress will take up the bill again this week with the opportunity to set us on a path towards finally addressing the issue of police brutality in a transformative way. This is a moment of understanding and an opportunity for change yet again and we cannot let it pass. When the police officers were acquitted at their trial for the beating of Rodney King, I felt hopeless and defeated. It felt like his life did not matter. That’s the feeling we will continue to have until we act. We cannot afford to wait another 30 years. Next week, Derek Chauvin will stand trial for second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. At some point, our nation needs to make a decision about how many more instances of police brutality do we need to witness before. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., represents Culver City and parts of Lost Angeles in the United States House of Representatives and is the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Follow her on Twitter: @RepKarenBass