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Vol. 63 No. 41 | Thursday, October 12, 2023
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Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 63 Years
CONTROVERSIAL FORMER SHERIFF APPOINTED TO ETHICS BOARD
Retired Sheriff Bill Gore’s appointment to the San Diego ethics board triggers community backlash.
SDSU HOSTS BANNED BOOK EVENT
WALK FOR LITERACY AT CHOLLAS LAK
SEE PAGE 9
Michael Serna, Father of Elisa Serna a twenty-four year old women who died in San Diego Jail under Sheriff Bill Gore’s tenure. PHOTO: Macy Meinhardt/Voice & Viewpoint
By Macy Meinhardt VOICE AND VIEWPOINT STAFF WRITER Following a recent appointment made by Mayor Todd Gloria, the San Diego Ethics Board may have a seat filled by a former sheriff with a reputation marred by controversy. The appointment would last four years and expire in June 2027. While the rest of the council needs to vote on the approval, his consideration by the mayor has left many San Diegans in shock, especially due to the nature of the commission to which he is being appointed. During his twelve-year tenure as sheriff, Gore’s department came under significant scrutiny for racial profiling, deputy misconduct, and most notably, the highest number of jail deaths recorded throughout the state. From 2006 to 2020, 185 people died in the jail system run by Gore, according to a California State Auditor report. Gore ended up retiring in February of 2022— the same day that the audit report was released.
“Is this a person who accepts responsibility and accountability in an ethical way? Absolutely not. I think this person ran away from accountability,” said Yusef Miller, with North County Equity and Justice Coalition. Furthermore, the report found that the high death rate and other incidentals under Gore’s management pointed to “underlying systemic issues with the sheriff ’s department’s policies and practices.”
SEE PAGE 11
MT. VIEW BLACK FAMILY STATUE UPDATE SEE PAGE 4
BLACK AMERICA DIVIDED OVER HAMAS’ ATTACK ON ISRAEL,
RAISES QUESTIONS ON SOLIDARITY
In response to the appointment, residents took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to air out a variety of criticisms of the mayor’s selection. “Mayor Todd Gloria is so out of touch he nominated Bill Gore to represent the values of integrity for an appointment to the City Ethics Commission.” said Dave Myers, who spent 35 years in San Diego Law Enforcement. See SHERIFF page 5
SAN DIEGO GRAPPLES WITH
ESCALATING HOMELESSNESS CRISIS
Amidst Calls for Improved Support By Shawn Smith-Hill CONTRIBUTING WRITER In a candid and, at times, impassioned discussion during the Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Community Forum for Council District 4, held Saturday morning, it became evident that the issue of homelessness in San Diego has reached an alarming juncture. Residents and advocates expressed concerns over the city’s response to the growing crisis and the evident lack of support for its homeless population. One major topic of discussion was the allocation of resources for safe sleeping spaces. While the city has budgeted for such facilities, questions arose about the effectiveness of these spaces. A striking revelation was the shortage of data, particularly concerning minorities’ needs for shelter. Advocates raised concerns about the lack See HOMELESSNESS page 5
PHOTO: NNPA
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA NEWSWIRE SR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT
PHOTO: Timur Weber/Pexels
Black Americans have expressed a range of emotions regarding Hamas’ recent and deadly attack on Israel, with many taking to social media to highlight what they perceive as a lack of support from Israel and some members of the Jewish community for the Black
Lives Matter Movement. The sentiment was especially pronounced after George Floyd’s assassination in Minnesota in 2020. Numerous posts on social media platforms feature hashtags like #BLM and #PLM, underscoring the perceived parallels between the struggles of Palestinians and African Americans in their fight against systemic racism. See ISRAEL page 5
CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA POLITICAL PLAYBACK
News You Might Have Missed
By Antonio Ray Harvey, Lila Brown and Joe W. Bowers Jr. CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and 41 other Members. “@CAgovernor signed #AB1, #CALeg staff finally have the same right to form a union as all other workers,” California Labor Federation posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter after the Governor signed AB 1.
Gov. Newsom Passes Bill Allowing Legislative Staff to Unionize On Oct. 7, Gov. Newsom’s office announced that he has signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1, legislation that permits legislative staff to unionize and collectively bargain. Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus authored the bill, which was
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood). PHOTO: CBM
See PLAYBACK page 5
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