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Recent stats show it may be hard for Gandy-Golden to help in 2020 – NBC Sports Washington

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

There were already some decent expectations placed on Antonio Gandy-Golden for 2020 and then Kelvin Harmon went down. Now, the Day 3 selection is being labeled as someone who needs to really contribute to theWashington Football Team.

But is that too much to ask for a rookie who went on Saturday in the draft? Recent numbers indicate that answer may be yes.

From 2015 to 2019, 25 wide receivers were chosen in the fourth round, which is where Washington nabbed Gandy-Golden a few months ago. Here are some takeaways from looking back on how all of those guys performed in their first professional seasons:

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So, judging solely off of that data, it would appear that Washington shouldn't be prepared to lean heavily Gandy-Golden. Andonce you combine that history with other factors, such as the huge transition he's about to make from Libery to the NFL and the very limited offseason he's had thus far, then the outlook for Gandy-Golden becomes even dimmer.

There is a super simple counter argument, however, at least when it comes to comparing him to his past fourth-round peers, and it has to do with his potential playing time.

While the 22-year-old has to fight througha pandemic, something none of the above rookies can relate to and something that could be detrimental to his early career, he also may be in line for a massive share of snaps right away. Most players who go off the board where Gandy-Golden did are usually worried about simply making the team; he, on the other hand, very well could be a starter across from Terry McLaurin in Week 1.

That alone means Gandy-Golden could end up having enough involvement in the offense to come up with a Crowder-like, impactful debut. In 2019, McLaurin far surpassed other third-round rookie receivers due largely to the amount of opportunity he got with Washington (his ridiculous talent was a bonus of course, too). Gandy-Golden is tracking on a similar path.

A fairly general rule for any franchise is that it's not exactly prudent to need a Day 3 pass catcher to immediately act as one of your primary weapons. Stats from 2015 to 2019 seem to back up that general rule.

Every rule has an exception here or there, though. MaybeGandy-Golden, with his outstanding physical traits and possibly featured role in 2020, will be that next exception and make all this math and comparing a totally moot issue.

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Recent stats show it may be hard for Gandy-Golden to help in 2020 - NBC Sports Washington

Here is the Best Time of Day to Save on Ethereum Gas Prices – Cryptonews

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

Source: Adobe/bogdandimages

The Ethereum (ETH) blockchain doesn't sleep, but people do - and this means that the time of day can be used to one's advantage to pay lower transaction fees.

"In order to save on gas prices, the best time is to submit our transaction is the early weekend morning Singapore time and the worst time is on Thursdays at around 8 PM [12 PM UTC] , Singapore time," according to Marco Marchioro, chief scientist at blockchain startup DEXTF.

Marchioro noted that there are more transactions during the Asian daytime, meaning that one can save on gas prices if they wait for the very early morning in Asia. The author particularly mentioned Singapore as "one of the most vibrant places for companies in the DeFi space."

Therefore, on average, the best time to save on fees is to submit transactions between 2 AM (18:00 UTC) and 8 AM (12 AM UTC) Singapore time. Furthermore, "the worst time during the week for gas prices is observed on Thursdays at UTC noon, or 8 PM in Singapore."

The report stated that there is a positive average surplus during the weekdays, while the gas-price surplus stays negative for most of the weekend, with small positive peaks at 14:00 and 15:00 UTC on both days. "This means that in order to save on gas, on average, it is better to wait for the weekend to submit transactions to the Ethereum blockchain."

"With the growing presence of sleepless and unfaltering bots, and the fast evolution of artificial intelligence, we expect to observe in the years to come less and less hourly or weekly periodicity on transactions in all blockchains," DEXTF's Marchioro said.

Meanwhile, crypto entrepreneur George Harrap added that "Crypto's rise has been dependent on Asia since the beginning of Mtgox in Japan."

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Learn more:Coinbase Blames Performance Issues on Ethereum Fee SpikeMedian Ethereum Fee Up Almost 1,300% Since April, Bitcoin Fees Jump Too

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Here is the Best Time of Day to Save on Ethereum Gas Prices - Cryptonews

Penn Researchers Identify New Genetic Cause of a Form of Inherited Neuropathy – Newswise

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

Newswise PHILADELPHIAInherited mutations in a gene that keeps nerve cells intact was shown, for the first time, to be a driver of a neuropathy known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. This finding is detailed in a study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which published in Neurology Genetics, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The findings, thanks to siblings treated at Penn since the late 1980s, present a clearer picture of the diseases genetic underpinnings that could inform the development of gene therapies to correct it.

The mutations in the gene known as dystonin (DST) add to a growing list of malfunctions found to cause their type of CMT, known as CMT2, which is defined by the loss of the nerve fibers, or axons, in the peripheral nerve cells. The researchers also showed that these mutations affect two key protein isoforms, BPAG1-a2 and BPAG1-b2, that are involved in nerve fiber function. Mutations in other isoforms of the same protein were previously tied to a blistering skin disease.

Neuropathies are common, occurring in nearly half of all diabetic patients, while hereditary neuropathies affect nearly one of out of 2,000 people. CMT is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that usually strikes in the second or third decade of life, and leaves patients with numbness and weakness in the hands and feet, among other neurological-related conditions.

There are more than 100 mutations found to be associated with CMT, with likely many more out there. Past studies from Penn researchers have identified some of these mutations by studying patients treated at Penn Medicine.

We are determined to fill in the blanks of this giant jigsaw puzzle, said senior author Steven S. Scherer, MD, PhD, a professor of Neurology. This latest paper is but one of many examples of where breakthroughs have happened between patients and the doctors at Penn and the support of different organizations and institutions to bring it all together."

The researchers applied whole exome sequencing to analyze the more than 30 million base pairs of DNA that encode the 20,000 proteins in humans. By examining three siblingstwo affected and one unaffectedthe researchers were able to deduce the genetic basis of mutations that caused the two siblings to be affected.

Backed by a mouse model from past studies showing a role of dystonin in neuropathies, the researchers identified two recessive mutations on the DST gene, each received from a biological parent, as the culprit. Together, the two mutations in the affected siblings disrupt the BPAG1-a2 and BPAG1-b2 isoforms, the researchers found, which weakened their axonal health. The DST gene gives rise to proteins that regulate the organization and stability of the microtubule network of sensory neurons to allow for transport of different cellular material along the nerve fibers.

We have collaborated with this family for 30 years, and now we finally have an answer, Scherer said, and the answer was a new genetic cause of neuropathy.

The findings put the field steps closer to developing new targeted therapeutics as well as CMT gene therapies designed to replace missing genes or correct mutations driving the disease. Clinical trials to investigate these latest mutations and others are not far off in the future, the researchers believe, particularly at an institution like Penn, which is home to the second largest clinic for CMT patients in the country and well-known for its gene therapy program.

We are in the era where treatments for genetic diseases are possible, Scherer said. This brother and sister stand to benefit from that approach because we know the gene that is missing, and if we could replace it, that should at least prevent their progression.

Co-authors of the study include William Motley, MD, DPhil, a former medical student at Penn and now of Third Rock Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in biotechnology, and Stephan Zuchner, MD, PhD, of the department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami.

This work was supported by the Judy Seltzer Levenson Memorial Fund for CMT Research, the INC (U54NS065712), which is a part of the NCATS Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, an initiative of the Office of Rare Diseases Research, and in part by the National Institutes of Health (R25NS065729).

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Penn Medicineis one of the worlds leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of theRaymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nations first medical school) and theUniversity of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $8.6 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according toU.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $494 million awarded in the 2019 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health Systems patient care facilities include: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Centerwhich are recognized as one of the nations top Honor Roll hospitals byU.S. News & World ReportChester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nations first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is powered by a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 43,900 people. The organization also has alliances with top community health systems across both Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, creating more options for patients no matter where they live.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2019, Penn Medicine provided more than $583 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Researchers Identify New Genetic Cause of a Form of Inherited Neuropathy - Newswise

Genetic Variant in Persons of African Descent Linked with Stroke: Analysis – DocWire News

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

A new meta-analysis tries to shed light on why strokes hit the black population harder than other groups.

Published in Stroke, the COMPASS (Consortium of Minority Population Genome-Wide Association Studies of Stroke) included more than 22,000 individuals of African ancestry from 13 different cohorts (3,734 cases and 18,317 controls).

Stroke is a complex disease with multiple genetic and environmental risk factors, the authors wrote. Blacks endure a nearly 2-fold greater risk of stroke and are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from stroke than European Americans.

The authors identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs55931441) near HNF1A gene that they reported had genome-wide significance (P=4.62108) along with at least 29 other polymorphisms at 24 unique loci that they said showed evidence of an association (P<1106). The authors compared this to other populations by performing a look-up analysis in Europeans and Hispanics (in the Stroke Genetics Network). Sixteen of 24 loci across multiple populations validated the findings for individuals of African descent. They also wrote that variants in the SFXN4andTMEM108 genes represented potential novel ischemic stroke loci.

Despite its limitations, the authors noted that genetic studies like COMPASS that include minority populations present potential for identifying underlying stroke disparities. The upshot, they said, was potential advances in precision medicine that would lead to better stroke risk stratification in diverse populations.

Given the undue burden that people of African ancestry endure from stroke and other cerebrovascular disease, the lack of investigation of risk factors in this group has been a substantial gap, said researcher Bradford B. Worrall, MD, a neurologist at UVA Health, in a press release. Our work is an important step toward filling that gap, albeit with much more work to be done. These findings will provide greater insight into ethnic-specific and global risk factors to reduce the second leading cause of death worldwide.

Genetic Variant in Persons of African Descent Linked with Stroke: Analysis - DocWire News

Invitae Reports $46.2 Million in Revenue Driven by More Than 120000 Samples Accessioned in the Second Quarter of 2020 – Monterey County Weekly

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020.

"While we experienced significant disruptions in the healthcare system due to the pandemic, we quickly established a solid recovery during the quarter. Our results highlight the strength of our operations and the benefits of our diversified menu, investments in telehealth capabilities and longstanding customer relationships, all of which position us to adapt and meet the changing needs of our customers," said Sean George, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Invitae. "We exited the quarter with a strong footing and increasing momentum. We remain confident in our ability to continue to deliver on our mission to bring genetic information into mainstream medicine."

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Total operating expense, excluding cost of revenue, for the second quarter of 2020 was $145.3 million. Non-GAAP operating expense was $105.7 million in the second quarter of 2020.

Net loss for the second quarter of 2020 was $166.4 million, or $1.29 net loss per share, compared to a net loss of $48.7 million in the second quarter of 2019, or $0.54 net loss per share. Non-GAAP net loss was $99.2 million, or $0.77 non-GAAP net loss per share, in the second quarter of 2020.

At June 30, 2020, cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities totaled $428.5 million. Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for the quarter was $78.0 million. Cash burn, including various acquisition-related expenses, was $89.2 million for the quarter and $63.8 million when excluding the $25.4 million cash paid to acquire YouScript and Genelex.

Early in the quarter, in response to impacts of the pandemic, the company took actions to significantly scale back operational expenditures. The result of these changes is expected to decrease the discretionary spend in cost of revenue and operating expense beginning in the third quarter.

"We continue to see a solid recovery in volume, improvement in our operating leverage and ability to improve revenue generation. As a result, we are well positioned with sufficient capital to execute our strategy in the coming years," continued Dr. George. "We have added or will be adding important capabilities to our platform through the acquisitions we announced this quarter and our ongoing product development efforts. With our mission clearly in focus, we can continue to navigate these unprecedented times."

Corporate and Scientific Highlights

Webcast and Conference Call DetailsManagement will host a conference call and webcast today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern / 1:30 p.m. Pacific to discuss financial results and recent developments. To register for the conference call and webcast, please use one of the methods below. Upon registering, each participant will be provided with call details and a registrant ID.

Online registration: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/5882896

Phone registration: (888) 869-1189 or (706) 643-5902

The live webcast of the call and slide deck may be accessedhere or by visiting the investors section of the company's website atir.invitae.com. A replay of the webcast and conference call will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company's website.

About InvitaeInvitae Corporation(NYSE: NVTA)is a leading medical genetics company whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com.

Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the company's belief that it is well-positioned to adapt and meet the changing needs of its customers; the company's belief regarding the momentum of its business and ability to continue to deliver on its mission to bring genetic information into mainstream medicine; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company's business, and the measures it has taken or may take in the future with respect thereto; the impact of the company's acquisitions, including its proposed merger with ArcherDX, as well as its partnerships and product offerings; and the company's beliefs regarding the growth of its business, its position and impact on the genetic testing industry, its success in executing on its mission and strategy, and the benefits of genetic testing. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company, and the effectiveness of the efforts it has taken or may take in the future in response thereto; the company's ability to continue to grow its business, including internationally; the company's history of losses; the company's ability to compete; the company's failure to manage growth effectively; the company's need to scale its infrastructure in advance of demand for its tests and to increase demand for its tests; the risk that the company may not obtain or maintain sufficient levels of reimbursement for its tests; the ability of Invitae and ArcherDX to obtain the approval of Invitae's and ArcherDX's stockholders, and to satisfy the other conditions to the closing of the acquisition and related financing transactions on a timely basis or at all; the occurrence of events that may give rise to a right of one or both of Invitae and ArcherDX to terminate the merger agreement; the company's failure to successfully integrate or fully realize the anticipated benefits of acquired businesses; the company's ability to use rapidly changing genetic data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions; laws and regulations applicable to the company's business; and the other risks set forth in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresTo supplement Invitae's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), the company is providing several non-GAAP measures, including non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP cost of revenue, non-GAAP operating expense, including non-GAAP research and development, non-GAAP selling and marketing, non-GAAP general and administrative and non-GAAP other income (expense), net, as well as non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP net loss per share and non-GAAP cash burn. These non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP and are not necessarily comparable to similarly-titled measures presented by other companies. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in evaluating the company's ongoing operating results and trends.

Management is excluding from some or all of its non-GAAP operating results (1) amortization of acquired intangible assets, (2) acquisition-related stock-based compensation related to inducement grants, (3) post-combination expense related to the acceleration of equity grants or bonus payments in connection with the company's business combinations, (4) adjustments to the fair value of our acquisition-related liabilities and (5) acquisition-related income tax benefits. These non-GAAP financial measures are limited in value because they exclude certain items that may have a material impact on the reported financial results. Management accounts for this limitation by analyzing results on a GAAP basis as well as a non-GAAP basis and also by providing GAAP measures in the company's public disclosures.

Cash burn excludes (1) changes in marketable securities, (2) cash received from equity financings and (3) cash received from exercises of warrants. Management believes cash burn is a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash consumed by the operations of the business. A limitation of using this non-GAAP measure is that cash burn does not represent the total change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash for the period because it excludes cash provided by or used for other operating, investing or financing activities. Management accounts for this limitation by providing information about the company's operating, investing and financing activities in the statements of cash flows in the consolidated financial statements in the company's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K and by presenting net cash provided by (used in) operating, investing and financing activities as well as the net increase or decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in its reconciliation of cash burn.

In addition, other companies, including companies in the same industry, may not use the same non-GAAP measures or may calculate these metrics in a different manner than management or may use other financial measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of these non-GAAP measures as comparative measures. Because of these limitations, the company's non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the non-GAAP reconciliations provided in the tables below.

INVITAE CORPORATION

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

June 30,2020

December 31,2019

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

168,203

151,389

Marketable securities

253,933

240,436

Accounts receivable

27,905

32,541

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

21,081

18,032

Total current assets

471,122

442,398

Property and equipment, net

43,381

37,747

Operating lease assets

38,239

36,640

Restricted cash

6,343

6,183

Intangible assets, net

192,644

125,175

Goodwill

211,225

126,777

Other assets

6,921

6,681

Total assets

969,875

781,601

Liabilities and stockholders' equity

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

20,091

10,321

Accrued liabilities

99,490

64,814

Operating lease obligations

6,339

4,870

Finance lease obligations

977

1,855

Total current liabilities

126,897

81,860

Operating lease obligations, net of current portion

42,134

42,191

Finance lease obligations, net of current portion

879

1,155

Convertible senior notes, net

276,092

268,755

Deferred tax liability

10,250

Other long-term liabilities

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Invitae Reports $46.2 Million in Revenue Driven by More Than 120000 Samples Accessioned in the Second Quarter of 2020 - Monterey County Weekly

Noel R. Rose, widely regarded as the father of autoimmune disease research, dies at 92 – The Hub at Johns Hopkins

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

ByCarly Kempler

Noel R. Rose, a longtime Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty member and researcher widely recognized as a father of autoimmune disease research, died Thursday at home in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was 92.

"Noel was an extraordinary scientist and an exceptionally kind and humble human beingalways looking out for the well-being of faculty and students," said Ellen J. MacKenzie, the current dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "I admired his steadfast commitment to excellence coupled with his dry sense of humor. He was always good at listening to different sides of an argument and reaching a decision that everyone felt good about."

Rose served from 1951 to 1973 on the faculty of SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine, where he and his mentor Ernest Witebsky discovered in 1956 that Hashimoto's diseasechronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, or hypothyroidismcould be reproduced in experimental animals by immunization with thyroglobulin, which revealed that animals produced an immune response that inflamed and destroyed their own thyroid glands. This landmark discovery of autoimmunity led to the creation of a whole new class of disease and opened the door for research for treatments and cures.

Image caption: Noel R. Rose

He then discovered the genetic basis of autoimmune disease. His lab showed for the first time that the major histocompatibility complex contains the main genes that determine the risk for all autoimmune disease. From 1973 to 1982, he was professor and chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Rose joined Johns Hopkins in 1982 as chair of what was then known as the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases and is now the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School. He held a full-time joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Department of Pathology, where he directed the Pathobiology Graduate Program.

After stepping down as chair in 1993, Rose directed the Department of Pathology Division of Immunology for five years and served as president of the Bloomberg School Faculty Senate. He also directed the Johns Hopkins Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, which he founded in 1999.

"As his successor as department chair, I benefitted greatly from Noel's perspective and advice. In his own quiet and considerate way, he contributed to science and the School of Public Health in multiple ways," recalled Diane Griffin, University Distinguished Service Professor at the Bloomberg School who served as chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from 1994 through 2014. "He was a founding contributor to the field of autoimmunity and continued to make pioneering contributions to our understanding of these diseases."

Rose was born in Stamford, Connecticut, on December 3, 1927. His mother was a homemaker and his father a physician. He received his bachelor's degree in zoology in 1948 from Yale University, a PhD in medical microbiology from University of Pennsylvania in 1951, and his MD in 1964 from the State University of New York, Buffalo.

His numerous accolades include the Abbot Award, Professional Recognition Award, and Founder's Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Microbiology; Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Bloomberg School's most prestigious award; Nikolaus Copernicus Medal from the Polish Academy of Sciences; Presidential Award from the Clinical Immunology Society, and Golden Goose Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His prominent national and global leadership roles included director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Autoimmune Disorders and chair of the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee at the National Institutes of Health. Rose was editor or co-editor of 23 books, most notably the textbook The Autoimmune Diseases, and published more than 880 articles and chapters in the fields of immunology, immunopathology, autoimmunity, and autoimmune diseases.

In 1991, Rose and Virginia T. Ladd founded the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, the primary research and advocacy group for autoimmune diseases. For 20 years, Rose chaired the organization's scientific committee and spearheaded the biannual Noel R. Rose Scientific Colloquium, which convenes the nation's leading researchers in autoimmune and related diseases.

Rose is survived by his wife of 69 years, Deborah H. Rose; children Alison Rose Weinstock, David Richard Rose, Bethany Rose Kramer, and Jonathan Richard Rose; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

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Noel R. Rose, widely regarded as the father of autoimmune disease research, dies at 92 - The Hub at Johns Hopkins

Atsena Therapeutics acquires exclusive rights to Gene Therapy for GUCY2D-associated Leber Congenital Amaurosis – GlobeNewswire

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

DURHAM, N.C., July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atsena Therapeutics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on bringing the life-changing power of genetic medicine to reverse or prevent blindness, today announced that it has acquired exclusive rights to a gene therapy targeting GUCY2D-associated Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA1), a genetic eye disease that affects the retina and is a leading cause of blindness in children, from Sanofi, which originally licensed it from the University of Florida. The therapy was created in the laboratory of Atsena Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Shannon Boye, Ph.D., and Founder and Chief Technology Officer Sanford Boye, M.Sc., at the University of Florida.

We are thrilled that our gene therapy for LCA1 is coming home to Atsena and that we will have the opportunity to further its development, said Shannon Boye. Atsena was founded to advance treatments for inherited retinal diseases and believes in centering patients perspectives and needs in all we do. We are honored to continue to work with LCA1 patients and their families as we strive to treat this debilitating disease.

LCA is the most common cause of blindness in children, impacting two to three per 100,000. LCA1 is caused by mutations in the GUCY2D gene and results in early and severe vision impairment or blindness. GUCY2D-LCA1 is one of the most common forms of LCA, affecting roughly 20 percent of patients who live with this inherited retinal disease.

Atsena has an ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating this gene therapy in LCA1 patients. The second cohort in the trial is expected to be dosed in the fall of 2020.

Atsenas gene therapy has the potential to be a major advance in treating blindness in both children and adults affected by this inherited retinal disease, said Benjamin Yerxa, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and Atsena board director. The foundation was instrumental in supporting proof of concept studies in the founders labs over the last 15 years. Now, via investment in Atsena through our Retinal Degeneration (RD) Fund, we are excited to support this potential breakthrough treatment for LCA1.

Atsena closed a Series 1 funding of $8.15 million in April 2020, led by founding investors Hatteras Venture Partners and the Foundation Fighting Blindness RD Fund with participation by Osage University Partners, PBM Capital and the University of Florida. Patrick Ritschel, M.B.A., co-founder and former President of gene therapy company StrideBio, serves as Atsenas Chief Executive Officer.

Atsena is pleased to have the support of an enthusiastic investor base that shares our dedication to bringing the life-changing power of genetic medicine to patients living with LCA1 and other forms of blindness, said Ritschel. We look forward to working closely with our investors and patients as we continue to grow, and expect to announce additional milestones later this year.

About Atsena Therapeutics

Atsena Therapeutics is a clinical-stage gene therapy company, focused on bringing the life-changing power of genetic medicine to reverse or prevent blindness. The company has an ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating a potential therapy for one of the most common causes of blindness in children. Its additional pipeline of leading preclinical assets is powered by an adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology platform tailored to overcome the hurdles presented by inherited retinal disease, and its approach is guided by the specific needs of each patient condition. Founded by pioneers in ocular gene therapy, Atsena has a licensing, research and manufacturing collaboration with the University of Florida and is headquartered in North Carolinas Research Triangle, an environment rich in gene therapy expertise. For more information, please visit atsenatx.com.

Media Contact:Tony Plohoros6 Degrees(908) 591-2839tplohoros@6degreespr.com

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Atsena Therapeutics acquires exclusive rights to Gene Therapy for GUCY2D-associated Leber Congenital Amaurosis - GlobeNewswire

Seragon Announces GenomeScore, the First AI Platform to Measure Rate of Aging and Physiological Changes – PRNewswire

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced GenomeScore, the first artificial intelligence platform combining epigenetic and transcriptome analyses to predict a person's aging speed and assess different aspects of physiological function.

"How you age depends on how you lived your life up to this point, and GenomeScore looks into what's currently occurring in your body at the molecular level," said Lead Scientist Aake Vaestermark of Seragon Pharmaceuticals. While traditional genetic tests reveal genetic predisposition, the company's new platform allows individuals to understand how well their biological system is performing over time. "Conventional genetic tests are like comparing the cars that haven't been used, but our new platform is like comparing used cars to see if all the components are up and running after all those years."

Unlike existing epigenetic age tests that only provides an overall body age, GenomeScore's neural network-trained algorithms paint a more detailed and complete picture of the body's age in different areas. The platform shows both the individual's biological age and predicts one's body aging rate. By combining transcriptome analysis, an assessment of gene expression, the platform can also predict the "age" of other physiological functions such as the immune and endocrine systems.

"The platform could act like a warning sign if one of your organs is growing old particularly fast," said Dr. Vaestermark. "It can be a way of finding your weakest point physically, and people want to know that."

Traditionally, people estimate their age through chronological years, the number that one celebrates on their birthday each year. However, individuals age in different paces due to factors like genetics and lifestyles. Based on a set of proprietary epigenetic, metabolic and gene expression markers, GenomeScore platform can predict an individual's speed of aging and physiological changes.

GenomeScore provides a novel way of measuring health parameters that may translate to clinical applications for consumers to better predict how lifestyles and other factors impact their process of aging. For scientists and physicians, a better understanding of how individual ages may provide the opportunity to develop personalized medicine to target patients' medical needs in the future.

Through Seragon Pharmaceuticals' dedication to innovation and technology advancement, the company has developed a set of microarray chips based on the GenomeScore algorithms to make the platform more accessible. The technology further expands the company's bioinformatics research and product portfolio, fulfilling its commitment to creating healthier communities through advancing science and product development.

About Seragon PharmaceuticalsSeragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California, is a research-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving human and animal health through innovative science. Seragon Pharmaceuticals is committed to applying cutting-edge scientific and technological advancements to the fields of metabolism, gene therapy and bioinformatics. From the research end to consumer products and clinical applications, Seragon strives to bring people access to the most significant breakthroughs in medicine. For more information, please visit http://www.seragon.com.

Media Contact: Tiffany Chen [emailprotected]

SOURCE Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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Vaccine ‘durability’: COVID-19 immunizations coming soon but will they last? – Genetic Literacy Project

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

As the days unfold with a seeming sameness in this odd summer of the pandemic, news of vaccine clinical trials begins to trickle in, and another buzzword from epidemiology is entering the everyday lexicon: durability.

To be successful, a vaccines protection must last or booster shots periodically restore it. Some vaccines lose efficacy over time, including those for yellow fever, pertussis, and of course influenza.

For some vaccines, antibodies and the B cells that make them persist and protect for a long time. For other infectious diseases, like TB and malaria, T cells are needed in vaccines too. B and T cells (lymphocytes) are types of white blood cells, which are part of the immune system.

Give amanafishand you feedhimfor a day.Teach himhow tofishand you feedhimfor a lifetime, said Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism.

Tzu might have been referring metaphorically to the immune systems response to viral infection: an initial rush of antibodies that fades as a longer-lasting cell-based memory builds that primes the body to rapidly release antibodies upon a future encounter with the pathogen.

Antibodies are proteins, so they dont make more of themselves as cells might. Thats why antibodies collected from plasma from a person whos recovered from COVID-19 lasts a few weeks. Its also why an antibody medicine like Regenerons dual-antibody REGN-COV2 provides only short-term protection, a bridge until a vaccine becomes available.

To remain effective over a reasonable period of time, a vaccine must mimic the memory component of an immune response, which arises from B and T cells and is therefore called the cellular immune response. The shorter-term release of antibodies into the bloodstream is the humoral immune response (humor means fluid).

A strong antibody response to a vaccine may be a harbinger of lasting B and T cell protection, but vaccines may be marketed before their durability is known a complete understanding of how long a vaccines protection lasts can take years. The vaccine against the mumps, for example, went on the market in 1967, but in 2006, several colleges had outbreaks, among students whose childhood mumps vaccine had worn off. A booster extends the coverage.

Clues to a COVID-19 vaccines durability come from natural immunity from past coronavirus infections. The antibody response to SARS and MERS persisted less than a year. But so far, the cellular immune response to SARS, the older of the two, has lasted eleven years.

Clinical trials to evaluate COVID-19 vaccines in people consider both antibody production and the building of cellular immunity. And a vaccine can be even more protective than natural immunity.

A vaccine elicits memory B and T cells so the immune system remembers how to fight the disease in the future. Natural infection is not likely to produce durable immunity and vaccination will be essential to produce herd immunity to reduce the probability of viral transmission, said Arlene Sharpe MD PhD co-director of the Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital on a recent zoom that MassCPR, a group of Boston-area institutions that formed in early March in response to the pandemic, held.

The immune system isnt as easy to visualize as a skeleton splayed out in a Halloween decoration, the flattened entrails of a roadkill, or the circulatory system, which even Groucho Marx in the film Horse Feathers could easily explain. (Let us follow a corpuscle on its journey through the body.)

Instead, the immune system is an army of billions of cells and their secretions that stand ready to attack newly encountered pathogens, remember old ones, and at the same time recognize self, protecting the bodys own tissues. The cells travel in clear lymph fluid, passing through lymph nodes that filter out debris.

The immune system reacts in three stages. First, physical barriers keep pathogens out: skin, earwax, waving cilia in the throat, stomach acid, diarrhea. Next, innate immunity unleashes a bath of inflammatory molecules that are a generalized response to infection.

Finally comes adaptive immunity, which is specific and provides the memory that a vaccine emulates. In addition to T and B cells, innate immunity includes the wandering, blobby macrophages, which engulf pathogens and are festooned with bits of a pathogens surface antigens that alert other immune defenses.

Antibody production begins when a stimulated B cell divides in the bone marrow, giving rise to two types of cells. One, a plasma cell, has a clear oblong area that is a ginormous Golgi apparatus, which processes 2,000 antibodies per second that enter the circulation.

The second daughter cell of a dividing B cell is a memory B cell. Like the name suggests, a memory B cell hangs around, and if the pathogen shows up again, jumps into action and pumps out more antibodies, cutting off the new infection fast.

An important part of the antibody response is that its polyclonal differently-shaped antibodies are produced, each recognizing and binding to a different part of a pathogen, like using different weapons to tackle different parts of an enemys body.

Some antibodies just bind to a pathogen, but others neutralize it, and those are the ones that make a vaccine or immune response effective. Yet certain other antibodies actually enhance infection; vaccines are designed to block this from happening.

T cells come in several varieties and exert complex effects.

Tracking T cells is important in evaluating potential vaccine durability. And although we only have a half-year of data, the natural infection suggests that antibody responses may be short-lived or not strong enough.

Investigators are reporting the antibody response in humans infected with COVID who recover tends to drop relatively quickly. To some people thats an alarm bell and they guess that a vaccine will show little durability. But following recovery from an acute infection, a decline in antibodies is normal B cell biology and is exactly what we predict, said Daniel Barouch, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and director, Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

One of the first reports showed antibodies decreasing by half in just 37 days among a small sample of people who had mild cases. Thats similar to SARS and MERS, in which antibodies fade away within a year. But so far, reports of phase 1 clinical trial results for two COVID vaccines are encouraging.

The first interim report, published in The New England Journal of MedicineJuly 14, found that all 45 participants who received one of three doses of Modernas mRNA-1273 vaccine made antibodies, more with the higher dose. Binding antibodies appeared by day 15 and neutralizing antibodies after a second dose on day 28. Neutralizing antibodies are a biomarker of vaccine protection for other respiratory viruses, so thats good news.

Responses are comparable to what occurs with natural infection, and perhaps a little higher. Data are encouraging; the strategy elicits immune responses that are targeted against the virus, said Lindsey R. Baden, MD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and director of clinical research, Brigham and Womens Hospital. The study used antibodies in plasma from recovered patients as a control for the natural immune response, and the vaccine exceeded that comparison.

Even better news: participants made T cells. Helpers appear first, which pump out a specific soup of cytokines, and then after the second dose of vaccine, killers appear, making sure that any remaining viruses cant replicate.

The phase 1 trial showed that the middle of three doses is best for tempering efficacy with side effects. Phase 2 began in May and phase 3, began on July 27. Overall, depending on the number of trials that progress, hundreds of thousands of people may participate.

Modernas vaccine (mRNA-1273) is designed to enhance visibility to the immune system. The target cell translates it into an engineered version of the viruss spike protein that tames the inflammatory response. The spike is also tweaked to be more stable than the natural one.

On July 20 the second clinical trial report came from the Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Groups candidate ChAdOx1, in The Lancet. That vaccine consists of the genetic instructions for the spike protein delivered in a chimpanzee virus.

Like the mRNA vaccine, Oxfords candidate is given in doses 28 days apart. And it, too, evokes both a humoral (antibody) and cellular (T cell) response.

So far, the numbers of vaccinated people are small, but the reports are optimistic.

With clever variationson the clinical trial theme, like overlapping phases and designing spike proteins to be more visible to the immune system, it may indeed be possible to barrel through phase 3 clinical trials that test a statistically significant number of people. But post-marketing surveillance, a normal part of drug development, is going to be critical.

The participants in the MassCPR zoom marveled that vaccine development for COVID-19 is so far taking 5 to 10 months, compared to the historical 5 to 10 years.

We are only months into knowing about this virus, so any longevity of the immune response we have to interpret with care because our understanding of the biology and durability of the biology will take time. The virus will evolve and we have to take that into consideration, said Baden. He showed data from monkeys that suggest a long-lasting effect is possible.

Practically speaking, the phase 3 trials will take time because the participants arent being injected with virus, for ethical reasons. Instead, investigators must wait for the volunteers to encounter the virus in their communities, to see if a smaller percentage of vaccinated people become infected than the unvaccinated control groups. And thats why a vaccine by the end of the year would be quite a surprise for many of us, said Ken Mayer, MD, of the Fenway Institute.

Well have increasing clarity as the next 3 to 6 months proceed with a suite of clinical trials underway or soon to be. Most optimistic is late fall for first availability for an Emergency Use Authorization. But a tremendous number of things would have to go perfectly to achieve that. Early 2021 is more realistic, said Barouch. An EUA brought COVID-19 treatment remdesivir to patients before the official FDA approval.

Baden agreed that early 2021 is more feasible. He points out the potential savings of 6 to 12 months from beginning to manufacture candidate vaccines before their clinical trials conclude, well before. Financial risks are acceptable, safety not, and thats why it will take at least 3 to 6 months more.

Once a vaccine is out there, attention will turn to epidemiology. What percentage of the population must be vaccinated or have natural immunity to induce herd immunity? And how many people will actually take a vaccine?

If several vaccines make it to the finish line, how will people be assigned to them? People over age 65, for example, would benefit most from a vaccine that includes an adjuvant, which is a chemical that affects the immune response. A vaccine candidate from Australian biotech company Vaxine Pty Limited, for example, includes a complex sugar that lowers the risk of the vaccine triggering an excessive immune response. The sugar adjuvant has worked well in vaccines against influenza, hepatitis B, and West Nile virus, according to Nikolai Petrovsky, PhD, research director at the company.

Assessing the all-important T cell response will take time, too, because thats the way the cellular immune response unfurls in nature. Gradually. A full immune response is a finely-tuned process that is a consequence of millennia of evolution not of politics, PR, potential profits, or wishful thinking.

Ricki Lewis has a PhD in genetics and is a genetics counselor, science writer and author of Human Genetics: The Basics. Follow her at her website or Twitter @rickilewis.

Vaccine 'durability': COVID-19 immunizations coming soon but will they last? - Genetic Literacy Project

Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces a Second Clinical Trial with Funding from MTEC to Evaluate Razuprotafib for the Prevention and Treatment of…

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

CINCINNATI, Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Aerpio) (Nasdaq: ARPO) and The U.S. Government operating through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) announced today that an agreement has been reached to evaluate razuprotafib in a new randomized, investigational trial for the prevention and treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in adult patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 as part of MTEC-20-09-COVID-19 Treatment Military Infectious Disease Research Program (MIDRP) Development of Treatments for COVID-19. MTEC will provide up to $5.1 million in funding toward the clinical trial. Aerpio will support the trial with in kind spending in the amount of $2.8 million. MTEC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization constructed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC). The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) was established as an enterprise partnership including industry and academia to facilitate research and development activities. Protecting U.S. forces from COVID-19 is a key priority for the U.S. military. The partnership between Aerpio and MTEC will provide resources to support a second COVID-19 Phase 2 clinical trial with razuprotafib, a drug candidate being investigated for its potential to prevent and treat the severe respiratory distress observed in COVID-19 patients.

Aerpio Pharmaceuticals is developing a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), razuprotafib (AKB-9778), that restores Tie2 pathway activation in endothelial cells to stabilize blood vessels during vascular injury and inflammation. Emerging data indicate that SARS-Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may attack vascular endothelium and destabilize blood vessels in multiple organs including the lung, kidneys and heart leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Based on these findings, Aerpio and a distinguished team of clinical investigators have developed a plan to investigate the therapeutic potential of subcutaneous razuprotafib for the prevention and treatment of ARDS in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19.

Wesley H. Self, MD, MPH Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Aerpio COVID-19 Steering Committee stated, A Tie2 activator that can be administered without an IV to stabilize the pulmonary vasculature would be a breakthrough for reducing the devastating effects of COVID19 associated pulmonary pathology. This therapeutic could result in fewer COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation, earlier recovery with decreased time in the hospital and ICU and an overall reduction in morbidity and mortality.

Jeff Sabados MPP MBA, member of Aerpios COVID-19 Steering Committee, who served for 20 years in both Active and Reserve Duty in the U.S. Navy, commented, The subcutaneous administration of razuprotafib to activate Tie2 makes this particularly attractive to active duty military personnel around the globe because razuprotafib has the potential to save lives in the next pandemic and return soldiers back to the front lines. I am very proud to be a part of this effort.

About the MTEC TrialWe hypothesize that razuprotafib, a first-in-class Tie2 activating compound, will exhibit an acceptable safety profile and show efficacy for treatment of ARDS in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 and be a life-saving therapeutic for service members in the field suffering from the devasting respiratory and vascular effects of COVID-19. Aerpio, through the support of MTEC will conduct a Phase 2 clinical trial of subcutaneous razuprotafib for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. The Phase 2 trial will be conducted at approximately 10 clinical sites and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

About MTECThe Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) is a 501(c)(3) biomedical technology consortium collaborating under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) that serves those who serve our nation.

About Razuprotafib (previously AKB-9778)Razuprotafib binds to and inhibits vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), an important negative regulator of Tie2. Decreased Tie2 activity contributes to vascular instability in many diseases including diabetes. Razuprotafib activates the Tie2 receptor irrespective of extracellular levels of its binding ligands, angiopoietin-1 (agonist) or angiopoietin-2 (antagonist) and may be the most efficient pharmacologic approach to maintain normal Tie2 activation. As seen preclinically, activation of Tie2 by razuprotafib stabilizes vasculature which may have beneficial effects in a variety of disease states, including COVID-19.

About Aerpio PharmaceuticalsAerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing compounds that activate Tie2 to treat ocular diseases and diabetic complications. Recently published mouse and human genetic data implicate the Angpt/Tie2 pathway in maintenance of Schlemms canal, a critical component of the conventional outflow tract. The Companys lead compound, razuprotafib (formerly AKB-9778), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), is being developed as a potential treatment for open angle glaucoma, and the Company intends to investigate the therapeutic potential of razuprotafib in other indications. The Company is also evaluating development options for ARP-1536, a humanized monoclonal antibody, for its therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic vascular complications including nephropathy and diabetic macular edema (DME). The Companys third asset is a bispecific antibody that binds both VEGF and VE-PTP which is designed to inhibit VEGF activation and activate Tie2. This bispecific antibody has the potential to be an improved treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration and DME via intravitreal injection. Finally, the Company has exclusively out-licensed AKB-4924 (now called GB004), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF). GB004 is being developed by AKB-4924s exclusive licensor, Gossamer Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOSS). For more information, please visit http://www.aerpio.com.

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the Companys product candidates, including razuprotafib, ARP-1536 and the bispecific antibody asset, the clinical development plan therefor and the therapeutic potential thereof, the Companys plans and expectations with respect to razuprotafib and the development therefor and therapeutic potential thereof in addressing COVID-19 and the intended benefits from the Companys collaboration with Gossamer Bio for GB004, including the continued development of GB004 and the milestone and royalty payments related to the collaboration. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to several risk factors. Such factors include, among others, the continued development of GB004 and maintaining and deriving the intended benefits of the Companys collaboration with Gossamer Bio; ability to continue to develop razuprotafib or other product candidates, including in indications related to COVID-19; the inherent uncertainties associated with the drug development process, including uncertainties in regulatory interactions, the design of planned or future clinical trials, commencing clinical trials and enrollment of patients in clinical trials; obtaining any necessary regulatory clearances in order to commence and conduct planned or future clinical trials; the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys business operations, including research and development efforts and the ability of the Company to commence, conduct and complete its planned clinical activities; and competition in the industry in which the Company operates and overall market conditions; and the additional factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our other subsequent filings with the SEC.

These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investors should consult all the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factor disclosure set forth in the reports and other documents the Company files with the SEC available at http://www.sec.gov.

Contacts for Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc:Investors & Media:

Gina MarekVP Financegmarek@aerpio.comOrInvestors:Irina KofflerLifeSci Advisorsikoffler@lifesciadvisors.com

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Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces a Second Clinical Trial with Funding from MTEC to Evaluate Razuprotafib for the Prevention and Treatment of...

When the First Amendment meets the Second Amendment | Our Columnists – Aitkin Independent Age

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

The First Amendment met the Second Amendment in June when a Missouri couple were confronted with protestors over police brutality in the wake of the George Floyd murder on May 25 in Minneapolis.

The couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, drew firearms on the crowd to defend their home, they said. This happened after the large group of protestors marched past their front gates, proceeded to their mansion, and made threats, according to the McCloskeys in a Fox News interview.

Patricia McCloskey stated that member(s) from the protest group said they were going to kill them, live in their house after they were dead (while pointing to different rooms they would live in), burn down their home, and that threats were made against their dog which was outside the home.

No shootings from the rifle or the handgun that the couple was wielding occurred.

But what did occur were felony charges made by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner against the McCloskeys, citing unlawful use of a weapon.

The couples attorney, Joel J. Schwartz, was quoted in a July 20 Washington Post article saying the charges were disheartening, and he believes, unequivocally, that no crime was committed. He went on to say that he supports the First Amendment right of every citizen to have their voice but that the First Amendment must be balanced with the Second Amendment and Missouri law which entitles people to protect their home and family from potential threat under the Castle Doctrine Law.

The prosecutor went one step further beyond the charges; the McCloskeys had their firearms seized. A search warrant was obtained and the guns were seized by law enforcement.

Situations like the one the McCloskeys found themselves in are perhaps why a large group of Second Amendment supporters attended the Mille Lacs County Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolution public hearing at the Historic Courthouse last Tuesday, July 21. Their voices were heard as they exercised their First Amendment rights in defense, or in one case, against, the proposed resolution.

Both Amendments, First and Second, have come under attack as of late. Some reason that hate speech incites violence and believe the First Amendment must be revisited. And were now in a cancel culture where if a group of individuals deems certain words as hateful, their livelihoods are canceled.

Of course we know terroristic threats must never be tolerated, but as Americans, we must reject this new form of attack on personal liberties. Whether its sending someone to jail over lawfully exercising their Second Amendment rights or canceling someone for disagreement over the choice of their words, we must reject this and stand for liberties.

The group Human Rights Watch, in their fight against all forms of repression of speech in the media and around the globe, states: How any society tolerates those with minority, disfavored, or even obnoxious views will often speak to its performance on human rights more generally.

The press must remain free to exercise independence, uncontrolled by a government, a political force or social system. This needs to happen in order to maintain transparency for those very entities which the people should dictate, not the powers given within those institutions. In the same manner, individuals must remain free in speech as liberation depends on such. And when our Second Amendment doesnt exist, weve lost our ability to protect ourselves against the most lethal of threats.

I was pleased to see the First Amendment exercised last Tuesday at the Courthouse in a respectful, non-violent way. We dont know that the outcome would have been the same for the McCloskeys had they not been able to exercise their Second Amendment right.

Traci LeBrun is the editor of the Messenger.

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When the First Amendment meets the Second Amendment | Our Columnists - Aitkin Independent Age

Help Us Safeguard the Second Amendment – National Review

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

A man inspects a handgun at the National Rifle Association annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., April 28, 2019.(Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Youre not paranoid: Democrats do want to take your guns away.

There are many great reasons to contribute to the National Reviewwebathon, but I believe that none is more important than the publications steadfast defense of the Second Amendment.

After the outbreak of the coronavirus, millions of Americans, feeling helpless and besieged by forces outside their control, began purchasing firearms to protect their families, property, and community. Once the lawlessness and fanaticism of the Antifa protests began spreading across the country, the number of gun owners continued to climb. When Democrats began embracing the notion of defunding the police, even more citizens saw gun ownership as a necessity of contemporary life.

All of this has added up to the largest surge in gun ownership in American history. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, gun sales have nearly doubled in the first six months of 2020 compared with sales a year ago. If gun manufacturers could keep up with demand, there would probably be an even bigger buying spree.

The spike in gun ownership has occurred within diverse populations, creating millions of first-time gun owners, many of them women and minorities. All of which means that making the philosophical, legal, and historical case for the Second Amendment a right that undergirds all our other liberties has never been more important.

No one does it as well as National Review. And were busy. Attacks on the Second Amendment have been coming from all sides. As Mairead McArdle recently reported, it is likely that conservative justices declined to take up an important Second Amendment case after John Roberts signaled he would side with the left-wing faction of the court. Even before the pandemic broke out, David B. Kopel, one of the nations leading intellectuals on gun issues, warned that District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed the Second Amendment as an individual right, was in a precarious legal situation, as courts abdicate their responsibility to uphold the rights of gun owners around the country.

As the pandemic spread, and states began using COVID-19 as a pretext to shutter gun shops, attorney Howard Slugh made the case that such intrusions were unconstitutional, especially given that Americans had an even greater need to protect themselves in the middle of a national emergency.

The gun historian and lawyer Stephen P. Halbrook warned that history has proven that tyrannical government diktats, like the ones being signed by governors and mayors in many municipalities, might long outlast the crisis that inspired them.

Second Amendment champion and editor of NRO, Charles C. W. Cooke, argued that only the cops need guns and cops are racist and will kill you are irreconcilable positions. The right to defend your life and property, whether you are abandoned by the authorities or not, should be nonnegotiable.

One of most vital ways that National Reviewfights against gun restrictionists is by exposing the torrent of misleading coverage from the corporate media. As I recently noted in a piece about Politicos coverage of background checks, there is no issue in political life that is covered as poorly and dishonestly as guns, with the possible exception of religion. Reporters might let the mayor of Chicago deflect from her incompetence by blaming law-abiding gun owners. We dont.

If we dont debunk the New York Times 1619 Project fabulists, who now claim that the Second Amendment was adopted only so that Southerners could use guns to subdue slaves, who will?

With an election coming, its also crucial to point out the increasingly radical position that Democrats have staked out on the guns issue. At National Review, we understand that Joe Bidens often hysterical and inaccurate rhetoric on firearms is merely a warning sign for the type of harmful policies he and his party would support if Biden were to become president.

Since National Reviewhas no sugar daddy, no giant corporate sponsors, we rely on your generosity to keep doing our work. Please support us here, knowing you have our deep appreciation.

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Help Us Safeguard the Second Amendment - National Review

Militias’ warning of excessive federal power comes true but where are they? – The Conversation US

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

Militias and many other Second Amendment advocates have long argued that their primary desire to own firearms often, many of them is rooted in a need to protect themselves and their families from a tyrannical federal government, or to discourage the government from becoming tyrannical in the first place.

But with the mayor of a major U.S. city warning that tyranny and dictatorship have already arrived on the streets in the shape of unidentified federal troops using questionable tactics militia groups appear reluctant to throw their lot in with protesters. In fact, many have been supporting government action to suppress peaceful demonstrators.

Certainly the scenes in Portland have alarmed civil liberties groups:Heavily armed and camouflaged federal officers, wearing no name tags or other insignia, are on the streets of Portland, Oregon, and have teargassed and arrested seemingly peaceful protesters with little or no provocation. President Donald Trump has said similar forces are coming to other cities many run by Democrats.

To some, it may look exactly like what the militias have been warning of.

As a scholar of the U.S. domestic militia movement, I have seen in recent months a new divide emerging in these groups.

Some, often calling themselves the boogaloo movement, see the current political unrest as an opportunity to wrest power from an overbearing federal government. Others support police and their enforcement of strict law and order, even if that means authorities using powerful weapons and overwhelming force.

Assessing what these groups are doing, and how they are discussing recent events, has become more difficult for observers like me in recent weeks. On June 30, Facebook announced it had removed hundreds of accounts and groups allegedly related to the boogaloo movement.

The move came in the wake of several arrests of alleged boogaloo adherents across the country, including three in Nevada accused of plotting to firebomb federal land and one in Texas accused of killing one police officer and critically injuring another.

Boogaloo groups still have a social media presence and, until recently when the portion of the site they used was closed, a large presence on the Reddit discussion site, where comments are loosely regulated and people can post anonymously.

Now the movements public face is smaller and harder to find without insider knowledge. For instance, until recently it was common to see groups with the words big igloo in their names, a play on the word boogaloo. After Facebooks crackdown, some groups are using the word icehouse or other synonyms that may not be as obvious. They are therefore harder for algorithms to find, but also for people to find whether to observe or to join in.

The groups who back the boogaloo imply, or even outright declare, that the U.S. is no longer a free country, and generally call for supporters to oppose, violently if necessary, federal forces and the government they represent.

In the days after George Floyds death, I saw some of these groups call for members to participate in protests opposing police violence. But I have not seen similar calls in response to federal officers violence in Portland.

That may change if federal forces do appear in other places, especially areas geographically closer to active back the boog supporters. It is also possible that the groups are discussing protests or other actions in less public ways, in private messages or on platforms like Parler, that have marketed themselves as friendlier toward a variety of conservative views.

There are still militia members who support police, often called back the blue groups. Commentators have observed that silence from them and other Second Amendment supporters certainly seems to be hypocritical, at best, and possibly supportive of tyranny in the current context.

Thats not the way they see it. They argue that one of the few legitimate functions of the federal government is to protect citizens from others who might infringe on their rights or safety. They support police who say that Portland authorities have failed to protect regular people from violent protesters.

Thats also what these groups claimed happened in Seattles autonomous zone though they rely on news sources that describe the protesters as inherently dangerous and hampering business and free association. They seemingly ignore or discount other reports that these characterizations are exaggerated. In my research, I found that militia members were likely to exclusively trust sources like Fox News or even more conservative sites for their information, and recent data confirms that such sources may strongly shape viewers understanding of political and other events.

This view of protesters as violent is amplified by some back the blue members belief that the demonstrators are Marxist members of antifa, a mostly nonviolent leaderless collective movement generally opposing fascism.

For example, one Facebook group shared a video of Christopher David, the Navy veteran beaten by federal officers in Portland, talking about his experience. A commentator responded, The end of the video tell[s] the tale, hes going to raise money for [Black Lives Matter]! He is a liar he went there to stand with his commie comrades.

Scholarship on conservative groups argues that they use anti-communist language to cast political opponents as not real Americans who have thus have forfeited any protections U.S. citizens should have.

Some other back the blue members see hypocrisy in liberals, noting that few, if any, on the left objected when federal officers killed LaVoy Finicum during the 2016 standoff between federal officials and armed supporters of rancher Cliven Bundy during a land dispute elsewhere in Oregon.

There are sharing pages like one on a well-known conservative satire site that suggests the same Oregon authorities opposing federal officers tolerate violent behavior from protesters because of identity politics the idea that certain groups favored by liberals, in this case, Black people, are held to a different and more lax standard.

Several Facebook pages shared an image of a modified Gadsden flag, with a Black Lives Matter fist and promising we will tread as proof that Portland protesters would take away others rights, including the right to bear arms, if given the chance and thus do not deserve protection themselves. One comment in support of such a post read, I[m] glad to see Im not the only person happy to see these commies being snatched up and dragged away. Yes, I know that this could just as easily be turned around and that we could also be dragged away in broad daylight. But if they arent stopped now, and they do somehow manage to gain complete power, well get dragged away anyways. Better them than us, before its too late.

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Federal intervention has not stopped the Portland protests from growing, but some analysts expect Trump to increase the response in an attempt to appeal to his supporters as the country heads into the November election. Many people fear that move would spark violence.

The back the blue militia members generally respect law and order enough to not fulfill their threats of violence or criminal action but the back the boog groups may not be so restrained. The back the blue groups may also act if federal action escalates, and members believe they are needed or useful to help defend the interests of average citizens.

Excerpt from:

Militias' warning of excessive federal power comes true but where are they? - The Conversation US

Ron Rivera will stand for anthem, but fully supports First Amendment rights – Yahoo Sports

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

When the regular season begins (and hopefully it will), the head coach of The Washington Football Team will be standing for The National Anthem. But Ron Rivera will not question the decision of players to use the anthem as a platform for protest.

Well, the truth of the matter is again, lets go back to our Constitution, to our Bill of Rights, the amendment, Rivera recently told TheAthletic.com. Lets go back to the oath of office to serve and protect. Part of the Constitution is the First Amendment. Theres a lot of people out there that support the Second Amendment vehemently. Well, if you support the Second Amendment vehemently, why wouldnt you support the first one, which is freedom of expression, freedom of speech? And thats all that is. Thats an extension of one of our unalienable rights, one of our God-given rights, one of the things written into the Constitution. So, again, lets at least applaud that. Lets celebrate that as well.

Rivera said hell stand because his father served in the military, his brother was a first responder, and his wifes family has a history of military service.

My dad had brothers that served in World War II, Rivera added. So to me, standing at attention is what Im going to do. Thats how Im going to honor them. I might kneel during the coin toss because I do support Black Lives Matter. I do support the movement to help correct the policing. But at the same time, I think everybody has to celebrate what the Constitution of the United States entitles us to do as Americans. Thats the thing that everybodys got to understand. We got to get past all this other stuff and quit making this a political fight. Theres nothing political about the Constitution. Its clear cut the Supreme Court rules on it, follow it, and then were supposed to defend it.

As the pandemic continues to consume so much of footballs focus, issues regarding the anthem will become front and center if/when games are played. Given the uncertainty created by COVID-19, criticism and controversy over players not standing for the anthem should be regarded as the proverbial good problem to have, because it will mean that games are being played.

Ron Rivera will stand for anthem, but fully supports First Amendment rights originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

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Ron Rivera will stand for anthem, but fully supports First Amendment rights - Yahoo Sports

OICCI concerned over rollback on Companies Ordinance amendments – The Express Tribune

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

KARACHI:

The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) has expressed concern over the abrupt rollback of amendments to the Companies Ordinance without any prior warning or consultation with key stakeholders.

Members of the OICCI have expressed surprise over the Companies (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2020, issued on July 7, 2020 in which some amendments promulgated as recently as May 2020 vide Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 and appreciated by the OICCI, were rolled back without any prior warning or consultation with key stakeholders, wrote OICCI Secretary General Abdul Aleem in a letter to Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

What has surprised OICCI members is that, against the norm and past practice, we were not consulted in respect of the second amendment, especially in relation to Section 452 parameters and learnt about reversals from the media, which obviously creates quite a stir in all the international chambers and headquarters of our member companies about the policymaking procedures in Pakistan, he said.

The key concern of foreign investors relates to reverting back to the original wording of Section 452 - Companies Global Register of Beneficial Ownership - which requires the declaration of all shareholdings in foreign companies, irrespective of the quantum being very minor, he said.

During discussions the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) had with the stakeholders in 2018, the OICCI had recommended that Section 452 should be deleted entirely from the Companies Act as the matter fell within the domain of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and there was no global precedence of such a law being included in the Companies Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2020.

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OICCI concerned over rollback on Companies Ordinance amendments - The Express Tribune

Grants offered to artists responding to Black Lives Matter – AroundtheO

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

Oregon artists will have the opportunity to share their creative visions of the Black Lives Matter movement through a new grant program established by Jordan Schnitzer in partnership with the University of Oregons Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center.

The museums Artist Grant Program in Response to Black Lives Matter will distribute $2,500 grants to 20 artists across Oregon, excluding Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia and Washington counties. Artists will be asked to use their voices, experiences and artistic expression to reflect on social justice efforts in response to systemic racism.

I have often said artists are chroniclers of our time. We all feel anguish about the death of George Floyd and many others at the hands of racial oppression, said Schnitzer, president of The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. We, more than ever, need artists to help us understand this issue and help us heal.

The call for grant applications is part of a broader $150,000 effort funded by Schnitzer that funds a total of 60 grants across two states. Jordan Schnitzer museums of art at Washington State University and Portland State University will also administer grant programs. Oregon artists from Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia and Washington counties will apply to the PSU program.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the UO will work in partnership with the Lyllye-Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center to determine grant recipients in Oregon, excluding Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia and Washington counties, responding to the Black Lives Matter movement. The Artist Grant Program is funded through a generous donation of $50,000 from The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation.

We believe museums and cultural centers have a responsibility to educate and teach from an anti-racist and equity lens through our cultural and education programs, and to amplify the voices of artists engaging in this critical work, said John Weber, the UO museums executive director. I want to thank Jordan for establishing this program. When words are not enough, art can move people to change. Art can be a powerful tool for social justice. We need to do more, we can and we must. The museum stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

Artists residing in Oregon, excluding Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia and Washington counties, are encouraged to submit proposals for new work or projects or recently created work directly responding to the current Black Lives Matter movement;responding to marginalized communities; experiences with systemic racism and inequality; and artists whose work thematically connects to those experiences. Artists working in all mediums are invited to apply.

Interested artists should submit their applications no later than Sept. 30. Submission instructions are on the art museums website.

Artist submissions will be reviewed by a panel that will include Weber; Aris Hall, coordinator of the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center; Sabrina Madison-Cannon, Phyllis and Andrew Berwick Dean of the School of Music and Dance; Jamar Bean, program director at the Multicultural Center; and Jovencio de la Paz, an assistant professor in the Department of Art. Grantees will be notified by Oct. 31.

This grant provided by Jordan Schnitzer will allow for artists to display the pain and hurt that is felt within the Black community and mark a time in history that will forever remind the UO and Eugene-Springfield community of the importance to why Black Lives Matter, Hall said. Lyllye Reynolds-Parker embodies what activism in our community is, and the works of art will be an ongoing display of activism for the Black community.

The exhibition history at the UOs Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art includes Carrie Mae Weems The Usual Suspects and a companion exhibition to the universitys common reading of Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me. The latter featured contemporary artists Mark Bradford, Theaster Gates, Mildred Howard, Chris Johnson, Rashid Johnson, Glenn Ligon, Hank Willis Thomas, Kara Walker and Kehinde Wiley.

In 2014, the museum exhibited Emancipating the Past: Kara Walkers Tales of Slavery and Power from the Collections of Jordan Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. Other exhibitions from Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation collections featuring artists of color include Mirror, Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar, Beyond Mammy, Jezebel & Sapphire: Reclaiming Images of Black Women, Second Look, Twice; Social Space, and Witness: Themes of Social Justice in Contemporary Printmaking and Photography.

The museums Artist Grant Program in response to Black Lives Matter is made possible by the generous donation from the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, which is committed to fostering greater equity, inclusion and diversity in the Northwest.

By Debbie Williamson Smith, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

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Beyond the Paint in Worcester to showcase Black Lives Matter mural artists – Worcester Telegram

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

WORCESTER - The work of 17 local artists who contributed their time, talent and support to the Black Lives Matter mural on Major Taylor Boulevard will be featured in an ArtsWorcester exhibition called Beyond the Paint.

Beyond the Paint will be on view from Aug. 14 to Sept. 13 in the North Corridor, directly next to ArtsWorcesters main galleries, at 44 Portland St.

A team of artists and hundreds of volunteers painted the Black Lives Matter mural on the pavement near the DCU Center on July 15. Each letter in the slogan has a unique design.

The exhibit is really to highlight the artists that helped with the mural, said Em Quiles, president of PaLante Latinx Moving Forward, a co-organizer of the Black Lives Matter mural, and the curator of the exhibit. When we organized the Black Lives Matter mural, we assigned one artist per letter, and each artist came up with their own design, and a lot of volunteers came out to help them bring their vision to life. Among those volunteers were artists, so this exhibit is to showcase those artists who helped the lead artists do their letters.

Seventeen items, one from each artist, will be showcased in the exhibit. Quiles said Monday that she didnt yet have specifics about the mediums.

The Black Lives Matter mural is a powerful artwork made by many artists working in solidarity, and this partnership is a way for us to thank them for their gift to this city, said Juliet Feibel, executive director of ArtsWorcester, in a news release. The anti-racism of the Black Lives Matter movement challenges ArtsWorcester to be more intentional about how we reach and work with artists, and we thank Ms. Quiles for the opportunity to do so.

The artists featured in Beyond the Paint are Amora Andino, Mr. Boom, Jennessa Burks, Joshua Croke, Slim Dawg, Narvicto DeJesus, Brian Denahy, Fogger, Alexandria Marie, Olivia Melendez, Emma Mesa-Melendez, Arli Ortiz, Edmy Ortiz, Jailene Ramos, Edgardo Rodriguez, Laura Steinman and Amber Totorelli.

We wanted to really highlight their experiences and what it meant to them to be part of such a historic event here in Worcester, Quiles said, and what it meant for them not only to be part of the mural, but of the whole Black Lives Matter movement as an artist.

Also, Quiles continued, this exhibit is going to help with ArtsWorcester and build the bridges, the relationships, with local artists. The majority of the lead artists for the mural were Black and the majority of the supporting artists were Latino, so when working with ArtsWorcester we wanted to make sure Black and brown artists have a space in their galleries as well and they feel welcomed. This is a way for them to get their feet wet with the gallery and for ArtsWorcester to show their appreciation for these artists.

All visitors to ArtsWorcester must wear masks. No appointments are required, but only five people are allowed to be in the North Corridor at any one time. ArtsWorcester gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

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Beyond the Paint in Worcester to showcase Black Lives Matter mural artists - Worcester Telegram

Portlands Wall of Moms is now Moms United for Black Lives – Vox.com

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

Last Wednesday, the Wall of Moms Facebook group descended into chaos. One woman said a group of Black moms was left unprotected at a rally in downtown Portland, Oregon. Another claimed that group leader Bev Barnum had co-opted Black Lives Matter for her own gain. There were endless threads of comments from women disappointed that the protest group made up of mothers and grandmothers who had gained international recognition for standing on the front line of the citys protests seemed to have lost its way.

The Wall of Moms, at least the original version, was collapsing. It had lasted for all of 10 days.

When the group assembled on July 18 through a call to action from Barnum on Facebook, the mission was simple: Be physically present for Black lives. Last month, federal agents descended on the city to protect federal buildings, which only intensified the protests that have been ongoing since the police killing of George Floyd. Portland mothers, most of them non-Black, were called on to act as a shield against the tear gas and excessive force that police officers used to terrorize protesters.

But by the middle of last week, many of the mothers in the private Wall of Moms Facebook group, which had garnered nearly 20,000 members, were questioning the direction of the organization, disappointed that it no longer seemed to center Black lives. A number of the moms accused Barnum, who is Mexican American, of only being interested in pressuring federal troops to leave Portland, not in the greater issue of justice for Black lives; Barnum had tried to register Wall of Moms as a business without the approval of fellow Black leaders. (Barnum has not responded to Voxs request for comment.)

In response, longtime activist Teressa Raiford, who had been providing guidance to Wall of Moms and is the founder of the nonprofit Dont Shoot Portland along with two other Black mothers and activists, Demetria Hester and Danialle James organized under another group: Mothers United for Black Lives. The new group has made it clear that its mission is to address the problems plaguing Portlands Black communities, like the number of Black teens recently slain, the damage done by the coronavirus, and a police department that reportedly isnt working to investigate gun violence.

We are fighting for liberation, but [Barnum] ended up using Black bodies when she centered herself as an individual and incorporated the Wall of Moms through three agencies. That is violence and doesnt liberate Black people, Raiford told Vox.

Raiford, who started Dont Shoot Portland in 2016 after police arrested her amid the Michael Brown uprisings, was careful to explain that many if not most of the moms in the group have not tried to co-opt the movement.

However, the Wall of Moms is ultimately a cautionary tale of what happens when Black people arent centered in a movement thats about the fight for their lives: People who are interested in getting involved must realize that they have to take directives from Black leaders and show up through the mutual aid response system, Raiford said. That means creating not just a wall of bodies but a wall of resources, financial and otherwise, to bolster activists who will put their lives on the line long after Portland is out of the national spotlight.

Wall of Moms began as a response to the federal law enforcement officers who began patrolling the streets of Portland in early July, forcibly snatching anti-racism protesters off the street and detaining them in unmarked vehicles. The incidents, sometimes recorded on video, caused much confusion across the country before the Trump administration announced that it had deployed officers from Border Patrol and other agencies to protect federal buildings amid ongoing protests.

As Voxs Alex Ward reported, Trump administration officials defended the aggressive tactics, claiming they were necessary to dispel protests led by a violent mob of lawless anarchists. But demonstrators, who had been on the streets protesting for Black lives for more than 50 days, recognized the presence of the federal officers as a further impingement on their civil liberties. Portlanders, many of whom had never protested before, took to the streets to push back against the federal troops. It was during this moment that the Wall of Moms was born.

By July 19, a group of a few dozen mothers, most of them white and wearing white, were seen being tear-gassed by federal officers.

By July 21, the group of mothers would grow to include thousands of women who showed up at downtown protests clad in yellow shirts and masks, helmets, and goggles, and carrying yellow roses and sunflowers. In videos, the women can be seen marching toward Portlands Justice Center chanting in favor of Black Lives Matter. In one early video of the group, the women proclaimed, No cops, no KKK, no racist USA.

Around the same time, news stories poured out with headlines that read Wall of Moms shields protesters from federal agents in Portland and Wall of Moms Protects Portland BLM Protesters, with photos that showed overwhelmingly non-Black women standing in formation linked by the arms. Many of the stories characterized the women as selfless citizens who were eager to stand up and use their bodies to protect the less privileged. Stories characterized the activation as novel, something that would really send a fresh message to the Trump administration.

While most of the mothers were well-intentioned, critics were quick to point out how the women managed to gain international acclaim because of the very privilege they were able to exercise while out on the front lines: whiteness. While whiteness was part of the tactic of getting noticed many of the mothers were aware that their white bodies would yield attention and were intentional about their positioning at the protests Black mothers, who have been losing their children to police violence at an alarming rate for decades, have received little attention for their activism.

Keisha N. Blain, an associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, told Vox there are many factors that go into what images capture the publics interest and attention during social unrest and that it is not uncommon for white activists to receive greater attention for their work, particularly in Black spaces.

Because many people are still struggling to get people to accept Black Lives Matter, the media often privileges the appearance of white protesters in these spaces. Part of this has to do with the perceived novelty of white participation, Blain told Vox. We must also acknowledge that anti-Black racism helps to explain why members of the general public are often more enthralled with white activists in social justice movements even when Black people are at the forefront of these movements. We should also be mindful of the way the media fuels these racist narratives when journalists choose to focus on the efforts of some and not others.

According to Blain, groups like Mothers of the Movement, a collective of Black moms whose children have been killed by police officers or by gun violence, are constantly pursuing this work but dont receive the same kind of visibility and certainly not for a sustained period of time. In Chicago, for example, Black moms formed Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings in 2015 to build community through violence prevention and other measures like food security and housing, but have not received the national attention in five years that Wall of Moms did in 10 days.

Wall of Moms organizer Barnum, meanwhile, seemed more interested in marketing the group (at one protest, she told the women to get on their knees for a photo, according to Demetria Hester, a mom leading Moms United for Black Lives; Barnum was also called out for doing too many interviews and not passing the mic to women like Raiford) than solely focusing on Black Lives Matter. Despite publicly announcing that the groups administration would cede control to Black moms on July 24, five days later, Barnum had announced in the group that Wall of Moms was now a 501(c)3 and would be partnering with leaders across the nation.

Backlash against Barnum was quick, with moms alleging that she co-opted Black Lives Matter for her own profit. Many called on her to step down immediately. In response, Barnum wrote that she didnt intend to hurt anyone, and that the group will be led by a board made up of Black, Indigenous, and people of color and a BIPOC advisory committee. However, WOM is a group that supports BLM, but it is not a BLM group, she wrote. If that is not good enough for you, please feel free to leave this group. And if you currently volunteer your time, feel free to leave your positions. Again, I am so sorry the 501c3 hurt some of you.

A number of moms in the group immediately said they were out, citing dissatisfaction with how non-Black women failed to listen to Black leaders. The groups impromptu communications director, Emma Pattee, when explaining her reason for stepping away, wrote in a Facebook post:

I have been working 20 hours a day for nearly two weeks, unpaid, and going out at night to protest leaving an infant at home because I was under the impression we were in support of Black Lives Matter, and that Black leadership would be brought in ASAP. It has become clear that that is not the plan for Wall of Moms and so I can no longer volunteer my time here and need to find other ways to support BLM. True racial equity depends on non-Black people relinquishing power and control.

That day, as Wall of Mom chapters launched in cities including Los Angeles and Chicago, Black organizers unveiled Moms United for Black Lives, a space that would keep Black Lives Matter at the forefront and direct the thousands of moms on how to best leverage their privilege. Organizer Danialle James welcomed the moms to the new group with a message: Hi, everyone Thanks for coming over. This is a trying time. I encourage you all to keep your chins up, stay steadfast and moving forward. Be the change you wish to seek. Love to you all.

The private Facebook group for Moms United for Black Lives grew quickly as women abandoned Wall of Moms. The page has almost 12,000 followers and is very active with moms sharing resources for safety, protest locations, and grim stories about the latest Portland killings. Meanwhile, the Wall of Moms Facebook group is still up, though posts are mostly to clear up misinformation and offer articles about effective allyship.

Blain noted that this kind of fallout is not uncommon with social movements that have advocated for equity. With the Womens March, for example, organizers were called out for how it excluded women of color and initially boasted an agenda that largely advanced the goals of cisgender white women. The founders eventually needed to cede the floor to women of color and broaden its objectives to support intersectionality. Meanwhile, with Black Lives Matter, early coverage of the movement hardly mentioned that it was founded by three Black women.

Whenever money enters into social movements, it can cause all sorts of tension, Blain said. And with Wall of Moms, in particular, she said that multiracial organizing can only work effectively when there is clear communication and full transparency. Without communication and transparency, perceptions of anti-Black behavior whether they are intentional or not can bubble up to the surface and undermine the work.

In other words, for there to be progress, all leaders, especially those organizing across racial lines, must be on the same page about the movements objectives.

Once the media cameras focused their lenses on the line of white mothers and grandmothers, Raiford knew it could jeopardize the kind of infrastructure that she and other Portland activists had been establishing for years. More worrisome was the fact that no one was talking about what was truly impacting Portlands Black communities from killings that were going uninvestigated to the coronavirus that was getting residents evicted to poverty that prevented students from participating in school due to a lack of technology. In the predominantly white city less than 6 percent of the population is Black the inequities facing Black communities and other communities of color are often overlooked.

While there are people at the protests getting hit with rubber bullets and theyre getting banged on with the tear gas, weve been getting murdered in our communities and there is literally zero response, Raiford said. In our community since July 1, weve had over 40 shootings.

Raiford has been calling for action in the case of 18-year-old ShaiIndia Harris, a recent high school graduate who was fatally shot in broad daylight on July 10; police recently named a suspect in the case. According to the Oregonian, Harriss death is one of 15 reported homicides in Portland in July, which recorded the highest rate of homicide in more than 30 years. Last week, 32-year-old Black trans woman Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears was fatally stabbed at a vigil for Tyrell Penney, who was recently killed in a shooting.

Raiford sees the collective of moms as a welcome addition to the movement but wants leaders to proceed with transparency, accountability, and deference to the mothers who laid the groundwork. Mutual aid through the ambitious movement of the moms, and having them cater to the needs of our community by sharing Cash App, setting up vigils, ordering flowers, or Postmating these are the resources and things that Black families literally cannot get or do because of inequity, not having money to sustain this movement during the coronavirus crisis, she said.

Hester, a mom leading Moms United for Black Lives, says shes protested every day for the past two months in an effort to dismantle a generational cycle of inequity thats affected her family and Portlands Black communities. In 2017, Hester was attacked by white supremacist Jeremy Christian, who was recently sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing two people and injuring another on the MAX train. The day before the murders, Christian had assaulted Hester on the train. The incident has left Hester traumatized but invigorated to fight for justice.

That is what brought me to this revolution, Hester told Vox. We need strong Black people in charge of these movements. Were making our own team of people that we can trust and know are for the cause. And the moms are finding their niche of how to help because there are different ways that white people can help but they dont yet know it, whether its fundraising or using their connections to order computers for Black kids so they can have computers.

As far as how long the moms will keep organizing, Hester says theres no deadline: until we get everything we want.

Right now, Moms United for Black Lives is keeping busy with members answering the calls of Black mothers in need and building a supply chain to provide gear and supplies for activists who are protesting. And theyre still showing up at protests to hold the line and chant, following Hesters lead. Once Black communities are on point, we need to teach other countries to do the same thing for Black communities, as other cities across the country are already on it, Hester said. Its about uniting.

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Portlands Wall of Moms is now Moms United for Black Lives - Vox.com

From Black Lives Matter to Bleak House: David Lammy picks the best books about justice – The Guardian

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

In 2016, the writer and lawyer Michelle Alexander said the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, would come to be seen as a critical turning point. If it winds up not being a turning point, it will be because we did not do our job.

Nearly two months on since the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter has become one of the largest demonstrations in history, but it is still not clear whether a turning point has been reached.

If I have one reason to be optimistic, it is that hundreds of people have written to me asking: what can I do? There is a renewed awareness of racial disproportionality in criminal justice systems, a subject Alexander explores in The New Jim Crow. She makes a chilling comparison between the Jim Crow laws in the United States following the civil war, which segregated the newly emancipated black population, and the countrys system of mass incarceration today, in which one in three black men are sent to prison.

The US is often cited as the centre of racial injustice, but the relationship between criminal justice and racial injustice is global. Edited by Justin Healey, Indigenous People and Criminal Justice examines the disproportionality of indigenous imprisonment in Australia. Healeys research is a vital piece of work on decolonising a criminal justice system in which the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island population account for 27% of Australias prisoners, despite making up less than 3% of the total population.

During the coronavirus crisis, prisoners have been subject to an emergency lockdown regime that has seen offenders in England and Wales spending 23 hours a day in their cells, without access to education, rehabilitation or visits. Measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 are vital, but without a comprehensive plan to relax these extreme policies, prisons could start to resemble Bleak House. Charles Dickens published the first instalment of this satirical portrait of a decaying British judicial system in 1852. Today, Bleak House reads less like satire and more like an omen. After cuts to the Ministry of Justice of a quarter in real terms over the past decade, our outdated system is starting to look dystopian even by Dickensian standards.

As cuts deepen, the backlog of criminal cases grows, leaving defendants sitting in their cells waiting for a trial. Defendants such as Walter McMillian, who was sentenced to death in Alabama in 1988 for killing a white woman, serving six years before his conviction was overturned. In his powerful memoir, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson tells McMillians story and recalls his own struggles against injustice as a young lawyer. Thankfully, we do not have the death penalty in the UK. But our backlog of 41,000 criminal cases means some people are being held on remand for an even longer period than they would serve if convicted of their alleged offence.

Our system is creaking because its foundations have been weakened by a decade of underfunding. In The Secret Barrister, an anonymous criminal advocate exposes deep faults in our legal system. As a former barrister myself, I know that junior professionals working on legal aid cases come from a variety of backgrounds, and often work in impossible conditions. If we fail to support these people, we fail to support those who rely on them the most. In the wake of Black Lives Matter, no prizes will be awarded for guessing which defendants, victims and communities will end up paying the price.

Tribes by David Lammy is published by Constable (20). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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From Black Lives Matter to Bleak House: David Lammy picks the best books about justice - The Guardian

De Blasio didnt submit application for Black Lives Matter street murals but asks others to apply – SILive.com

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Danzig

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio appears to not have gone through the citys application process for street art when he commissioned Black Lives Matter street murals across the city but is asking groups wishing to paint messages of their own on city streets to do so.

De Blasio previously indicated he would not allow Blue Lives Matter and other groups to paint similar messages on city streets.

And City Hall also confirmed it would specifically not allow pro-police group Blue Lives Matter to paint their message near the NYPD headquarters.

However, de Blasio walked back his decision Monday, claiming he never said no to people, only that there is a process for applying.

What I decided to do with the Black Lives Matter murals ... this came out of a meeting at Gracie Mansion weeks ago with community leaders and activists who said this would be such an important thing for this city to declare officially, that is something again, transcends all normal realities because we are in a moment of history where this had to be said and done, de Blasio told reporters during a press conference with reporters Monday.

Thats a decision I made, but the normal process continues for anyone who wants to apply, he said.

Last month, de Blasio announced the city would paint Black Lives Matter street murals in every borough and rename streets to match the message on the heels of nationwide racial injustice protests following the death of George Floyd.

But his decision opened him up to scrutiny when he prevented others from painting messages of their own on city streets. His administration said groups would need to submit a Department of Transportation application in order for their public art request to be considered.

Civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel, who previously served as the head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told the Advance/SiLive.com that once the government allows one message on a public street theyre opening the door for other groups or individuals to want the same equal right.

Siegel also pointed out that it becomes problematic if the mayor did not submit an application to paint his Black Lives Matter street murals but is asking other groups to apply.

If you have a position that no expression [can be] on the public streets, thats one thing, but the government cant pick and choose which messages, which expression they approve of and which they reject based on the content of the message, Siegel said.

De Blasio said he would not allow police advocacy group Blue Lives Matter to paint their own message near the NYPD headquarters, prompting the group to threaten to sue the city to allow them to do so.

A conservative womens group has sued the city for blocking them from painting a mural of their slogan Engaging, Inspiring and Empowering Women to Make a Difference! the New York Post reported.

And the city recently sent Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido a cease and desist letter asking him to remove a bright blue line he painted along a divider on Hylan Boulevard outside of the 122nd precinct or face getting hit with summonses or legal actions.

LoBaido painted the line without city approval, arguing the mayor never got a permit to do that street art, so I guess its fair game.

City Hall and DOT had repeatedly avoided elaborating on its criteria for approving public street art and whether the mayor submitted an application before he proceeded with his street murals

Asked to elaborate on its approval process Monday, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg was vague about the departments criteria.

Anyone can apply through our public art program but I think as the mayor has said the city does have discretion on those projects, Trottenberg said.

Officials In Redwood City, California ran into a similar problem when they allowed a local resident to paint Black Lives Matter on a downtown street.

The city decided to wash the street mural away after being contacted by a local real estate attorney who asked to paint MAGA 2020 on a street, KPIX reported.

The attorney argued that the street was now a public forum.

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De Blasio didnt submit application for Black Lives Matter street murals but asks others to apply - SILive.com

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