Welsh Mountain receives approval as COVID testing center, thought to be first walk-up facility in county – LebTown

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5 min read1,118 views and 151 shares Posted July 13, 2020

Lebanon County has received a $300,000 federal grant to increase its COVID-19 testing capacity.

In an interview with LebTown, Welsh Mountain Health Center CEO Jackie Concepcion said a program to launch testing will begin this Tuesday and will continue Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of August.

Each event will offer free COVID-19 testing to county residents as well as the distribution of free masks, hand sanitizer and information packets concerning ways to limit the spread of the virus. In addition, two of the events will include the distribution of food donated by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Concepcion added.

Prior to receiving the funding, we had been in conversations with the PA Department of Health because Lebanon County has been a hot spot, especially in Lebanon city on the north side of town where there has been elevated levels of COVID-positive cases particularly among minorities, Concepcion said. If you remember a few weeks ago, when everyone was going yellow or green, Lebanon was being held back because it was still a hot spot.

While two of the events will be held at the health centers 920 Church Street location, including the one this Tuesday, the other six will be held at various locations around the city.

We are collaborating with Latino Connection and Aetna Better Health to use their mobile unit called CORA, Concepcion said. Between now and the end of August, CORA will allow us to get out into the greater community. Were opening up the testing to anyone in the community who has symptoms but also to anyone who has been in close contact with someone who is positive. We will also provide testing to anyone who believes they may have the virus.

Concepcion said she is grateful to have access to CORA which is short for the Spanish word corazn, or heart to increase their testing outreach within the community.

If people have barriers to get to our testing site, they dont have to worry, Concepcion said. Well be able to offer testing at that very local level of where these people live thanks to CORA.

George Fernandez, CEO, Latino Connection said his organizations participation helps fulfill their mission to bring together members of the Latino community and his clients, including those from the healthcare industry.

Latino Connection remains committed to the community and intentional in partnering with organizations providing valuable resources to underserved populations, especially amidst the current state of the world, Fernandez said in a written statement. The time is now more than ever to mobilize and improve outreach, access and increase testing in vulnerable communities, especially those areas of the state with surging COVID cases.

Concepcion said food, which has been donated by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, will be distributed this Tuesday and on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Two boxes, one filled with dry goods and one with fresh produce, will be provided per car or to those who are walk-ins to the event.

The food bank has generously donated 150 boxes of dried food and an additional 20 pounds of fresh produce, Concepcion said. So not only will they be getting fresh, wholesome foods, but we will be giving them free information on everything related to COVID on top of that.

Andy Dessel, Health Innovations Manager, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. said the food distribution is part of an ongoing effort to help people in their time of need.

As the COVID-19 situation continues to present challenges to our neighbors, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank understands the essential connection between access to nutritious foods and health, Dessel said in a written statement. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is proud to once again partner with the team at Welsh Mountain Health Center to help meet the health needs of the Lebanon community particularly those affected by the health and economic consequences of COVID-19. Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Welsh Mountain are committed to ensuring that all community members have access to nutritious foods and high quality healthcare services.

Concepcion said the testing and food distribution are part of an ongoing effort, and part of the centers mission, to address social determinants of health, which are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status.

All of our centers have social workers whose jobs are to address issues around food insecurity, housing, education needs, employment or anything that is a barrier that often prevents them from being healthy, Concepcion said. What weve found through screening our patients is that many of our clients have food insecurities.

Read more: [Photo Story] Local leaders tour Lebanon Community Health Center

Concepcion added that food insecurity is a major issue within the Latino community and the main reason they are partnering with the food bank at two of these events.

Weve found that many of our patients in Lebanon have food insecurities, Concepcion said. We have people who dont have enough food to get them through the month. Others are diabetic and have diet needs and when we speak to them about getting healthy and becoming more active, they tell us they dont have enough food to make it through the month. Or, they dont have healthy foods in their homes.

Concepcion added that this eight-day testing program, along with the food distribution, is part of an ongoing initiative with the goal of helping people improve their health. At a previous event, the local food bank distributed 200 boxes of food to about 120 cars and to walk ups.

All of the boxes were gone within 1.5 hours, Concepcion said. So there is this need, a huge need here in Lebanon County.

Testing & Food Distribution (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Lebanon Community Health Center 920 Church Street, Lebanon

Testing (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.)Webster Manor 1012 Brock Drive, Lebanon

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)River of Life Church 825 N. 7th Street, Lebanon

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Living Christian Church 370 N. 7th Street, Lebanon

Testing (10 a.m. to 12 pm.)Village Apartments 201 Village Drive, Lebanon

Testing (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)Optimist Park 1400 Elder Street, Lebanon

TENTATIVE Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)St. Benedict the Abbot Church 1300 Lehman Street, Lebanon

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Lebanon Community Library 125 N. 7th Street, Lebanon

Testing and Food Distribution (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Lebanon Community Health Center 920 Church Street, Lebanon

TENTATIVE Testing (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Free Bird Chicken Plant 2609 US 22, Fredericksburg

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Walnut Street Park 1551 Walnut Street, Lebanon

Read all of LebTowns COVID-19 coverage here.

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Welsh Mountain receives approval as COVID testing center, thought to be first walk-up facility in county - LebTown

$5 million coming for Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire with new initiative – Press-Enterprise

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For the first time, local, regional and statewide funders have committed to raising $5 million over two years to invest in Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire.

The Inland Empire Funders Alliance on Tuesday, July 14, announced its partnership with the Black Equity Initiative of the Inland Empire to launch the Black Equity Fund, a regional pooled fund, which comes with the promise of long-term investments in local Black-led organizations. The seed money for this fund is coming from The California Endowment and the Inland Empire Community Foundation with the rest of the $5 million to be raised over the next two years.

Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire in particular have been struggling because they dont get as much funding or support, said Dina Walker, president and CEO of BLU Educational Foundation in San Bernardino, which provides services for area youth.

Were excited because this is a forward-thinking plan in which we, the organizations, will be part of the decision-making process and get to decide how the funds are distributed, she said.

Walker said they are in the process of mapping out Black-led organizations across Riverside and San Bernardino counties that focus on issues crucial to the African American community including education, criminal justice, health and housing. She said she is aware of 20 Black-led organizations that currently want to be part of this initiative.

The Black Equity Fund will hopefully provide opportunities for organizations in the Inland Empire that have not been able to build themselves because of the lack of resources and investment, said the Rev. Samuel Casey, executive director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement.

I hope these Black-led groups can finally get in the game, he said. They need to be able to not just hire staff, but pay them well. I hope this will help us expand our reach.

The Black community in the Inland Empire has been expressing its needs for more than a decade, but its taken something as seismic as the death of George Floyd in the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, to really move the needle on this issue, Casey said.

Its certainly a step in the right direction, he said. Its intentional and its a long-term investment.

Funders need to repair the damage caused by decades of under-investment in Black communities, said Michelle Decker, CEO of the Inland Empire Community Foundation, a co-investor in the Black Equity Fund.

We need to come together in a manner that honors the expertise of Black-led organizations, she said in an issued statement. The economic and health challenges of COVID-19, as well as the collective trauma of the killing of Black lives, have shown us that the success of the region will rise or fall based on its progress on racial equity.

This type of investment should have occurred a long time ago, said Margarita Luna, senior program manager at The California Endowment. She said these organizations have been historically overlooked because they were viewed by funders as a risky investment.

When funders look at where to invest, they look at operating budgets, Luna said. If that budget doesnt hit a certain level, they consider it a risky investment. So, these organizations have been caught in a vicious cycle where they dont get much-needed funding because they dont have those healthy budgets.

Local organizations such as Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, which were instrumental in getting San Bernardino County to declare racism a public health crisis, should be credited for their leadership, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, director of the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside, which is also a partner in the Black Equity Fund.

George Floyds murder shocked the consciousness of the nation in ways that other killings should have, but did not, he said. Weve seen statements made by philanthropists and titans in the corporate world. Were seeing words matched by actions and investment.

People typically think of South Los Angeles or Oakland as the epicenter of Black power, not often the Inland Empire, Ramakrishnan said.

But, you saw San Bernardino County, which has not had the strongest reputation with racial equity take the kind of stance they did by declaring racism a public health crisis, he said. This shows the innovation and leadership of local Black-led organizations.

Ramakrishnan says the Black Equity Fund will be a game changer because it gives more power to the organizations by recognizing their expertise and leadership and the Center for Social Innovation will be a data partner in this initiative, helping monitor its progress and efficacy.

The older model was when these organizations had to prove themselves time and again, he said. With this initiative, the hope is that well see more consistent money for Black-led organizations.

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$5 million coming for Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire with new initiative - Press-Enterprise

What Bay Areas Black theater artists want to ask industry as nation rebuilds – San Francisco Chronicle

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Hundreds of people watch as actor Michael Gene Sullivan performs during the San Francisco Mime Troupes annual outdoor summer show in Dolores Park. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle 2018

Last month, I wrote a column posing questions to theater leaders, particularly white ones, about how our art form and industry can rebuild from the pandemic and from anti-Blackness. Now I present the promised Part II, in which I ask local Black theater artists and workers what their own questions are.

Even those who declined to participate often gave thought-provoking reasons why. One was consumed with reclaiming Black joy and time. A second wrote, I feel like the work needs to come from these theater companies. The questions have already been asked but not answered. A third, the playwright Cleavon Smith, said, Questions seem to put me in a position to be reactionary, and frankly thats not a place in which I feel comfortable right now. Its as if Im asking, What are you willing to give or give up? rather than stating clearly what it is I expect in a relationship thats mutually beneficial, a relationship where all parties are acknowledged, a relationship in which our efforts support all parties well-being and the actualization of our best selves.

Those who did participate were equally thoughtful. Here are their questions, edited for length and clarity.

Oakland actor and director

What are you doing outside of theater to dismantle white supremacy?

What would it be like if Black women theater artists were financially compensated for our emotional labor as the cultural and intellectual resource we are in our theater community? What would that world look like?

How can you make me feel safe in the room? How do we own our own stories when we cant control the rooms? How can we have more control over the rooms we work in? What support are you willing to give (labor, financial, institutional) when we do lead the room?

How do we protect our hearts and still risk? Will you back me up even if I dont ask you to? How can you make space for my full self?

Where are my stories of joy on your stages?

Oakland playwright, performer, educator, author

Can the making of anti-anti-Black art change the way we experience caricature or racism in the Black psyche?

Oakland administrator, actor, executive director, board chair, writer and DJ

How are the Bay Area theaters, predominantly those whose administrators are non-color my vanilla babies how are they protecting the psyche of the actors and administrators who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color)? What practices are they going to have in place so that we are protected, given the external conditions and the racial systemic practices that are embedded consciously and subconsciously within these institutions?

When are they going to put a BIPOC on the marketing team so that we can actually have theater exposed to the BIPOC watering holes?

Look whos on your team, especially when you have a show thats of color, and then we feel like were singing and dancing again because the audience is not of color.

Oakland social justice performer and playwright

What do the streets know that theater doesnt?

How is it that my work (turned down by most theaters that Ive approached) gains traction on the streets?

San Francisco actor, playwright and director

How do you address anti-Blackness knowing that Black people are not a homogeneous blob with the exact same backgrounds, levels of privilege and aesthetic values?

How do we disconnect from corporate values (like celebrity and marketability) that get in the way of true equity?

What does it say about theaters relevance to society when the most vocal industry responses to police violence are demands for greater recognition and compensation and not how we can use theater to push for the political change our communities so desperately need?

A theatrical director and arts educator who resides in both the East Bay and the Pacific Northwest

Are we entering the age of real change or another phase of performative anti-racist lip service?

What is your private (behind closed doors) response to Black Lives Matter? What is your plan to educate yourself, your staff, your board to create transparent equity, restorative justice, reparations and space for Black lives?

How will you consider the reality of the cost of living, the cost of real estate, health care, food, transportation and the direct impact of the latter in regard to play making?

And I ask you as I would ask anyone who lives in the whiteness mind-set: Are you ready to challenge an entire civilization?

Oakland actor, director and educator

Why now? Why has it taken you so long to step up?

Are you willing to share your funding resources with black theater companies?

How will you protect my black body in your white space or your white institution?

San Francisco actor, director, playwright and activist

The board of directors model is basically rich donors and organizations keeping an eye on the artists, making sure they dont blow the money. But if you spend all your time asking the economic aristocracy for money, eventually, you will do what they want to get it and that will include erasing any activist theater. Can theaters commit to having more economically diverse boards?

Can artistic directors recognize that their experiences, because of their skin and gender privileges, have been limited, and that unless they are willing to cede some power of representation, their position as arbiter of relevance narrows their theaters scope and importance?

Look around your office. Look at your stage. If they arent peopled about the same, you are exploiting somebodys experience. What are you going to do about that?

San Francisco theater administrator and educator

We have talked about the systemic racism within a lot of large-scale historically predominately white theaters, but are theaters and their leaders really ready to let black theater makers lead?

How do we as Black artists, makers, administrators not get burnt out when youre having a constant range of micro- and macro-aggressions, having the same conversations on why Black lives matter, having an idea stolen or making way less than your white colleagues? You begin to think, Is this worth it?

Are we as a theater community really ready for the accountability and intentional change that we keep claiming we want? I see a lot of organizations having these conversations, but are there Black people in these rooms? Are the Black people who have been having these conversations for years now are they part of these current discussions and steps of changes? Or are we still further excluded from these conversations?

And are these organizations willing to put their money where they need to, and be better, and continue to grow and challenge the organizations built on white supremacy such as by diversifying boards, mandatory DEI (diversity, equity and inclusive) trainings, inclusive hiring and renter job practices, hiring Black staff in positions of power (and not just as the DEI director), mentoring and supporting incoming Black artists and administrators, admitting their faults and making an actionable plan addressing the hurt that was caused and how they will measure success of anti-Blackness in organizations?

***

If these questions spur you to dig in your pockets for financial support, my interviewees suggest these options:

New Chitlin Circuitry: Reparations Vaudeville: House/Full of Black Women, a ritual performance group co-directed by Ellen Sebastian Chang and including Regina Y. Evans as a performer, seeks funds for its next work at http://www.gofundme.com/f/reparationsvaudeville.

Fund for Black Theatre in the U.S.: Margo Hall and actor and Santa Clara University theater Professor Aldo Billingslea, in partnership with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, created a fund whose donations will be distributed to Black theaters nationwide at http://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-for-black-theatre-in-the-us.

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What Bay Areas Black theater artists want to ask industry as nation rebuilds - San Francisco Chronicle

Being Lutheran: Exploring the Spirit at work in the world – The Lutheran World Federation

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(LWI) Thefirst in a series of monthly webinars on Being Lutheran explores the freedom to participate in the transformation of societies.

Examining a wide range of topics from Martin Luthers teachings to the lyrics of singer-songwriter Beyonc, participants from every region of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) took part in a webinar on 1 July to discuss the meaning of liberation and participation in Gods transformational work in the world.

The online discussion, moderated by the LWF Program Executive for Identity, Communion and Formation Rev. Dr ChadRimmer, was the first in a series of monthly webinars exploring the diversity of ways that Lutherans express their faith in different countries and cultures. The Being Lutheran series is part of the second phase of a study process that began with a global consultation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 2019.

Leading the discussion were Danish theologian and philosopher, Prof. Niels Henrik Gregersen and African-American pastor and professor of Congregational and Community Care, Rev. Dr Beverly Wallace. Speaking from their diverse contexts and experiences, both presenters reflected on the way Christians can discern the Holy Spirits call to participate in Gods work of healing and reconciliation.

Gregersen noted that he lives and works in a majority Lutheran country, where 75 percent of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. At the same time, he said, most people donot talkmuch about God in their daily lives and their approach to Christianity and the church is often more intuitive than doctrinal. In the context of this secular-minded society, he said the church should be attentive to the construction of a collaborative democracy, affirming governments that legislate for the common good andcriticizingthem where they fail to protect all members of society.

Referring to Luthers reflections on the family as a household of faith, Gregersen said it is important to see our churches and even our wider societies as families where we have mutual obligations to one another. As people of faith, we are also called to work together for the common good with other truth-seeking and justice-oriented communities, regardless of whether they are Christian or not, he reflected.

In the same way that we see Christ as both the personal face of God and the deep incarnation of compassion towards those around us, Gregersen said we need to develop a corresponding deep sense of the Holy Spirit in the midst of our ordinary lives, in our different households. In this way, we can discern the Spirit as a life-giver, building up communities of faith hope and love and calling us to speak out against injustice, aggression, exclusion and narrow-mindedness.

Rimmerreflected that Lutherans have always been grounded in the Word. And this conversation helped us to remember that Gods Word, or Wisdom that created the cosmos continues to reconcile, heal and transform human society and all creation, and calls us in baptism to find our place in this liberative work in the world. Through diverse communities, genders, languages, and cultures, the Spirit nurtures unique gifts in each one of us to perceive the Spirit, and participate in this reconciliation, he added.

Wallace spoke about perceiving and participating in Gods work, from the perspective of a womanist theologian living in North Carolina where there are very few African-American Lutheran congregations. As a pastor with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for the past 21 years, she said she has been engaging in the work of God in a practical way as a daughter of Africa living in the American context, focusing her pastoral work on care of the sick and dying.

Looking at the work of the Spirit through the lens of mysticism and imagination, Wallace asked what it means to affirm that God wants abundant life for his people. Grounded in the belief that I cannot know anything without the power of the Holy Spirit, she said her understanding of God at work in the world is experienced through the struggle for freedom, especially that of African-American women like herself. Citing the lyrics of Beyoncs song Freedom, she said the singers words encapsulate the experience of so many African-American women whose liberty continues to be denied. The Spirit is what moves those who experience this denial to engage in creative struggle or mystical activism, pushing us towards freedom of body, mind and spirit, she affirmed.

Since we are saved by Gods grace, Wallace concluded, we are free to pursue this conscious and intentional work of addressing injustice manifested through racism, classism and sexism. Recalling the anguished cry of George Floyd to his mother as he was being murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, she said we continue to hear the Spirit calling us to act within our own context today.

During a breakout into smaller group sessions, participants reflected on contemporary developments in their own countries, as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought both challenges and opportunities as Lutherans in their contexts. Among them was RiaPardedefromthe ProtestantChristian Batak Church (HKBP), the largest Lutheran church in the predominantly Muslim nation. She shared her experience as an active member of a minority church in a country where all religions are protected by law, yet Christians are often viewed with suspicion when they engage in social or pastoral activities.

Pardedenoted that the COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of interfaith solidarity between the Islamic majority and Lutheran minority. She said, kind deeds which were previously often suspected as an effort to convert are now welcomed with open arms. Furthermore, worship services in the home which were previously not permitted, are accepted since every faith must worship at home, she added. Assisting those forced to self-isolate in their homes is based on a community spirit where difference is no longer a priority, she noted, asking, Is this not the work of the Holy Spirit, the only one which can touch the heart?

See all the Being Lutheran - webinar series videos

The next webinar in theBeing Lutheran series will take place at 16.30 (CET) on 5 August, focusing on the theme, Forming and Informing with speakers from Brazil, Germany and Namibia discussing the differences between churches in minority and majority settings.

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Being Lutheran: Exploring the Spirit at work in the world - The Lutheran World Federation

CRE Training Group Project REAP Releases Call To Action On Strengthening Diversity At Top Firms – Bisnow

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The persistent lack of diversity across commercial real estate has long vexed the industry, despite much public acknowledgmentit needs to improve. One group is seizing on a moment of global awakening to directly call on some of the worlds biggest companies to createchange, and laying out seven actionsthey should use to make it happen.

Project REAP, which stands for Real Estate Associate Program, runs a 10-week real estate training program for multicultural talent to give them the skills and networking opportunities to establish themselves in the industry. It is the U.S. commercial real estate industry's largest racial and ethnic diversity initiative.

This week, it is issuing an urgent Call to Action to the C-suites of leading commercial real estate firms and Fortune 500 companies, outlining some of the steps it considers necessary to increase the number of people of color across the industry.

I am perhaps more hopeful than Ive ever been,Lamont Blackstone, the chairman ofProject REAP, said in an interview withBisnow.In the aftermath of the three murders Ahmaud Arbery,Breonna Taylorand George Floyd the notion of social justice, racial justice and racial inequity has really dominated much of the national conversation."

This call to action will be sent this week to more than 40 companies with real estate components, Project REAP officials toldBisnow, includingAmazon, CBRE, Related Cos.,JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Starbucks, Colliers International, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Marcus & Millichap and the Bozzuto Group.

Project REAP is also writing to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Starwood Property Trust, Simon Property Group, SVN, Walmart, McDonalds and Bank of America. Top trade associations arealso on thelist.

Any company that wants to publicly pledge to take on the initiative would be welcome to do so, and Blackstonesaid he is pushing the underlying message that diverse companies aremore profitable and successful than homogeneous ones.

"The time for action is now," states the call to action, written as an open letter."The ghosts of the past still haunt the landscape of our industry: the 1921 Tulsa, OK massacre and its destruction of Black wealth, the history of racially restrictive deed covenants, redlining and the urban densification of segregated communities. Inequity of opportunity is not sustainable. Communities of color must feel they have a real stake in the built environment."

Malaika NYC Photography/Courtesy of Project REAP

Osayamen Asemota-Bartholomew

The key initiatives of the Call to Action outlined by the organization are as follows:

Blackstone, who owns a development consulting firm, said he disputes the claimmany corporate leaders still make thatthey cannot find talent from diverse backgrounds to fill positions.

The evidence is there that when opportunities are provided to talented minority professionals, they can rise and perform, Blackstonesaid.

IKEA Group North America Real Estate Cluster President Angele Robinson-Gaylord, a Black woman, is an alumna of the Project REAP program, as is London Kemp, who is also a woman of color and the global head of corporate real estate at Netflix.

Project REAP Chief Program Officer Osayamen Asemota-Bartholomew, whose father is Nigerian and mother is from the Dominican Republic, told Bisnow that while many companies are aware of and acknowledge the importance of diversity, they still practice discrimination when they offer roles toalumni of diversity training programs.

"There is implicit bias there, it will be as if Oh, these are minority students, these are the roles we have,' then I will go on the website, see other jobs and question, Why were these other roles not provided to me? she said. "Many times over the years Ive heard from commercial real estate companies We have a hard time finding diverse talent. Well, its because the strategy is wrong."

She pointed specifically to a need for greater focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities like her alma mater, Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Since widespread demonstrations began last month, many businesses have spoken out about the need to improve their diversity and address racial injustice. Related CEO Jeff Blau last month acknowledged the lack of diversity in the industry, and said it has a lot of work to do.

Our industry has historically not been very mixed. You can go to a REBNY dinner and look at the composition of the group and I would guess it's 80% white males, maybe more, he said on a Bisnow webinar.

Walker & Dunlop, the largest Fannie Mae lender and one of the largest multifamily finance firms in the country, has set goals to improve the gender and racial diversity of its management team. Company CEO Willy Walker saidduring a Bisnow webinar last month that the firm will aim to increase the percentage of women in its top 20% earners bracket from 7% to 15% and the rate of minorities in its top earners from 4% to 15% by 2025.

So many things that have happened lately, there has been a magnifying glass on embracing diversity," Asemota-Bartholomew said. "A lot of times, when it comes to diversity, it was, like weve checked off the box, we've hired a woman.' But we cant just stop there.We are asking organizations to not only embrace diversity from a multi-gender perspective, it has to be multiracial and multi-ethnic. And you need to be intentional about diversity. Dont just do it because its a trendy thing to do right now.

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CRE Training Group Project REAP Releases Call To Action On Strengthening Diversity At Top Firms - Bisnow

Struggling Ohio small businesses need protection from COVID-19 lawsuits: Roger R. Geiger – cleveland.com

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio has almost completely reopened. There is more traffic on the roads, Ohioans are venturing out and we are seeing more customers in stores. However, the coronavirus remains with us and will for some time.

Small business owners are putting forth an enormous effort to protect the health of their customers and employees by following the safety protocols of the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without a loyal customer base and dedicated employees, there is no business.

Ohio entrepreneurs have met and will continue to respond to meet the expectations of their employees and customers alike. But, even if entrepreneurs comply with every industry-specific provision on social distancing, thorough cleanings, wearing face coverings, or putting up safety barriers, they could still face another threat -- unjustified lawsuits related to COVID-19.

There are more than 900,000 small businesses in Ohio employing more than 2 million individuals, and a single lawsuit can wipe out any one of those small businesses even if they have done all that is required during this health crisis. About 60,000 small businesses in Ohio were approved for more than $14 billion through the Paycheck Protection Program to help retain their employees during the stay-at-home period.

At this time, more than any other, business owners do not have the resources to fight a lawsuit based on a virus they did not create nor could they prevent. Unfortunately, this will not stop certain trial lawyers from trying to secure a quick payday.

Roger R. Geiger is executive director for Ohio of the National Federation of Independent Business.

As small businesses reopen and do their part to help bring Ohios economy back, financial struggles will remain with so many businesses, and for some time. These businesses deserve the assurance they will not be swallowed under by a flood of lawsuits. At the same time, we must also protect businesses that remained open, often considered essential businesses, to not have the specter of litigation hanging over their heads. A recent survey of National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) members in Ohio indicates nearly 70% are concerned about liability claim increases.

Legislation has been introduced and debated in both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate to provide businesses with appropriate liability protection, establishing a reckless or intentional conduct or willful or wanton misconduct standard for businesses concerning lawsuits filed during the pandemic period. This standard provides all Ohio small business owners with the confidence they will not face frivolous lawsuits, while ensuring there is recourse for egregious actors.

We must recognize COVID-19 is a new emergency. We must make certain that government orders or directives do not establish new exposures to potential lawsuits when small businesses are already struggling to comply with regularly changing orders and recommendations aiming to protect their employees and the public.

NFIBs goal is for all our members, and small businesses in general, to open and resume the new normal operations. However, we cant expect our members to be subjected to unchecked litigation surrounding a virus they cant prevent or control. The legislation introduced will hopefully be agreed upon, sooner rather than later. By coming together on a clean bill, the Ohio Legislature can offer some level of certainty for the small businesses that are such an integral part of their communities.

The Ohio Senate has now passed a bill, Substitute House Bill 606, solely focusing on COVID-19 liability protection. Small business owners need the Ohio House of Representatives to return promptly to the Statehouse and concur on this pro-small-business legislation.

Roger R. Geiger is executive director for Ohio of the National Federation of Independent Business.

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* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

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What About Me? Liability Considerations and Protections For Businesses Outside the Drug and Device Space in the COVID-19 Era – JD Supra

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Its been nearly six months since the HHS Secretary declared COVID-19 a public health emergency. As communities emerge from quarantine, businesses are on high alert regarding potential COVID-19 liability. Some businesses have already been afforded protectionsuppliers of so-called COVID-19 countermeasures may have immunity under the Secretarys Prep Act[1] Declaration,[2] medical providers and nursing homes may have immunity under various state laws and declarations,[3] and others may have defenses based on regulatory guidance.[4]

So what about everyone else? This article explores who else may be exposed to liability and what defenses may be available to them.

Am I Exposed?

Lawyers have consistently shown their boundless creativity when it comes to finding people to sue, and theres no reason to expect COVID-19 will be different. Therefore, the owner of any premises where transmission may be alleged to have occurred, and the maker of any product that may be alleged to have contributed to transmission, must anticipate potential COVID-19 litigation, no matter how frivolous the claims may be. The good news is that such claims will be subject to a number of legal defenses, and, in a small but growing number of states, expanded immunity legislation.

Legislation

While many states have been busy considering legislation intended to protect businesses vulnerable to COVID-19 liability, only a handful of states so far have actually passed their proposed legislation. One such state is Utah, which passed a law affording civil immunity to any person for claims of exposure to COVID-19 while on the persons premises, unless the person engaged in willful misconduct or reckless/intentional harm.[5] North Carolina passed a similar law, but limited its reach to essential businesses and claims from a customer or employee.[6] And in Oklahoma, immunity is tied to the business acting in compliance or consistent with federal or state regulations or other applicable guidance.[7]

Other states are taking a more focused approach. For example, Louisianas legislative package includes a provision specifically immunizing restaurants from suit for injury or death due to COVID-19 infection transmitted through the preparation and serving of food and beverage products by the restaurant, whether via dine-in, takeout, drive-through, or delivery, unless it occurred through gross negligence / intentional misconduct.[8] And Mississippi, the most recent state to pass COVID-19 legislation, is attempting to immunize persons who design, manufacture, sell, or otherwise distribute a qualified product in response to COVID-19 for injury related to that product.[9]

While these legislative efforts are positive steps for businesses, progress is both slow and uncertain, leaving businesses in most states still vulnerable.

Causation

A cognizable negligence claim arising from COVID-19 will require proof of both general causation, i.e. that COVID-19 can be transmitted and contracted in the manner alleged, and specific causation, i.e. that the plaintiff did in fact contract COVID-19 as pled. The substantial unknowns and conflicting information regarding the spread of COVID-19, including how long the virus survives on various surfaces or lingers in the air in different atmospheric conditions, and the incubation period between exposure and symptom onset will make a plaintiffs burden of proof especially difficult to meet.

Several cases illustrate the problems COVID-19 plaintiffs will face on causation. In Korte v. Mead Johnson & Co., 824 F. Supp. 2d 877 (S.D. Iowa 2010), the court granted summary judgment on claims alleging that bacteria in the defendants infant formula caused their child to develop bacterial meningitis. While the defendant conceded general causation, it successfully disputed specific causation based on the absence of a temporal relationship between the infants ingestion of the product and the onset of infection and the plaintiffs failure to rule out other possible sources of infection.

In Parker Land and Cattle Company, Inc. v. United States, 796 F. Supp. 477 (D. Wyo. 1992), the court granted summary judgment on a ranchers claim that its cattle died after contracting a bacterial infection from the defendants elk and bison. Although the court found the defendants were negligent in managing their herds and that some of its animals were infected with the relevant bacteria, the plaintiff failed to meet its burden of proving the defendants infected elk and bison were the actual cause of the outbreak.

Finally, in Ebaseh-Onafa v. McAllen Hospitals, L.P., 2015 WL 2452701 (Tex. Ct. App. May 21, 2015), a hospital obtained summary judgment on claims that the decedent contracted the H1N1 virus while working in the hospitals pediatric ICU. Although the plaintiffs expert testified that there were likely unconfirmed cases of H1N1 in the pediatric ICU because it was spreading in the community at the time, the plaintiff did not demonstrate that the pediatric ICU was actually the source of the decedents H1N1 rather than the community at large.

As these cases reveal, proving causation in an infection disease case is difficult. The numerous unknowns with COVID-19 will make it even more difficult for claimants to prove any one particular place or product was the source of exposure.

Foreseeability, Notice, and Product Misuse

Another prima facie element of a negligence claim, either as a component of duty or proximate cause, is foreseeability. A compelling argument exists that before the current pandemic, premises owners and non-medical product suppliers could not reasonably foresee the risk of COVID-19 transmission as a consequence of their ordinary operations or use.[10] Nor can it reasonably be said that such businesses heretofore had fair notice that they could be held liable for the transmission in a public place of an infectious disease that did not originate from them.[11]

But what if you manufacture a fingerprint scanner that is located in an assisted living facility? Are you protected if someone claims they contracted COVID-19 by placing their bare finger on the scanner to open a door? Does the CDC guidance followed by the assisted living facility shield you? As with most legal answers, it depends. If your product is on a premises with defined guidance, you may have an indemnity claim or third party claim, but the likelihood that you can directly benefit from guidance in the same manner as the premises owner is slim. More likely than not, youll need to turn elsewhere for protection.

Another consideration: what if you manufacture a non-healthcare product that is used in an unintended / unforeseen manner in a healthcare space? For example, using salon or restaurant sterilizer cabinets to sterilize masks in a walk-in clinic. Products defendants routinely raise the defense of misuse in litigation, and true misuse should provide the anticipated protection here. But the defense wont be available if the manufacturer knows of the misuse and encourages it. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the labeling and marketing of medical devices, and the known misuse of a non-healthcare product as a medical device could subject the manufacturer to FDA penalties if the misuse violates FDA regulations.[12]

Beware the Nuisance Claim

There are also emerging instances of claimants bringing common law public and private nuisance claims related to COVID-19. For example, McDonalds and Amazon are currently facing nuisance claims by workers and their family members, who claim that lax workplace safety standards put them in danger of contracting COVID-19.[13] Nuisance claims can be particularly challenging for defendants because they do not always have the same causation and other requirements that negligence claims do. While claims brought by employees against their employers will likely face significant workers compensation or OSHA-related hurdles,[14] those defenses will not be available against nuisance claims brought by non-employees like customers or even neighboring businesses.

Conclusion

The uncertainty of when the COVID-19 era will end comes with it the expectation that additional defense options for products businesses operating during the pandemic will emerge. In the meantime, stay informed, follow applicable guidance, and continue using best practices in your day-to-day operations.

[1] Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, 42 U.S.C. 247d-6d.

[2] Kat Carrington & Mitch Morris, HHS Declares Liability Immunity for Certain COVID-19 Countermeasures; Response Act Expands Protections for Mask Makers (Mar. 19, 2020), available at https://www.butlersnow.com/2020/03/hhs-liability-immunity-covid-19-countermeasures/ (last accessed July 13, 2020).

[3] See, e.g., Y. Peter Kang, 6 States With COVID-19 Medical Immunity, And 2 Without, Law360 (April 17, 2020); Matthew Santoni, Pa. Gives Civil Immunity To COVID-19 Health Care Providers, Law360 (May 6, 2020).

[4] Carrington, Kat, et al., Revisiting Is The Government Said I Could A Civil Liability Defense? During COVID-19 (May 21, 2020), available at https://www.butlersnow.com/2020/05/revisiting-is-the-government-said-i-could-a-civil-liability-defense-during-covid-19/ (last accessed July 13, 2020).

[5] Utah Code Ann. 1953 78B-4-517.

[6] N.C.G.S.A. 66-460(a)(1), (b).

[7] 76 Okla. Stat. Ann. 111.

[8] La. R.S. 29:773.

[9] S.B. 3049, available at http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2020/html/SB/3000-3099/SB3049SG.htm (last accessed July 13, 2020).

[10] See, e.g., N.N.V. v. Am. Assoc. of Blood Banks (1999) 75 Cal. App. 4th 1358 (where plaintiff contracted AIDS through blood transfusion, court held not reasonably foreseeable in 1984 that direct questioning, directed donations and surrogate testing would have reduced the risk of AIDS contaminated blood supply). But see Munn v. Hotchkiss School, 165 A.3d 1167 (Conn. 2017) (public policy did not preclude imposition of duty on school to warn about or protect against foreseeable risk of serious insect-borne disease when organizing trip abroad).

[11] See, e.g., Air & Liquid Sys. Corp. v. DeVries, 139 S. Ct. 986, 999 (2019) (Gorsuch, J., dissenting) (noting fair notice problem with newly-announced duty [defendants] could not have anticipated then and one they cannot discharge now). See also generally https://www.butlersnow.com/2019/04/justices-asbestos-decision-poses-fair-notice-problem/

[12] The penalties for violating these regulations are steep, and the government is not excusing companies during this pandemic; instead, its cracking down on regulatory violations. So far, the FDA has issued more than 80 warning letters to companies selling products that they claim may prevent, diagnose, cure, treat, or mitigate COVID-19, and attorneys general at the state and federal level are filing lawsuits when warning letters are failing to deter the misconduct. See U.S. Food & Drug Admin., Fraudulent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Products, available at https://www.fda.gov/consumers/health-fraud-scams/fraudulent-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-products#Warning%20Letter%20Table (last accessed July 7, 2020).

[13] Vin Gurrieri, Law360, COVID Suits Test Public Nuisance Claim in Workplace Cases (June 9, 2020), available at https://www.law360.com/articles/1281347/covid-suits-test-public-nuisance-claim-in-workplace-cases (last accessed July 13, 2020).

[14] See, e.g., Rural Cmty. Workers All. v. Smithfield Foods, Inc., No. 5:20-CV-06063-DGK, __ F. Supp. 3d__, 2020 WL 2145350, at *1 (W.D. Mo. May 5, 2020) (declining to entertain suit brought meat processing plant workers alleging that the plant failed to adequately protect [them] from the virus that causes COVID-19 based on the primary-jurisdiction doctrine to allow the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to consider the issues raised by this case).

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What About Me? Liability Considerations and Protections For Businesses Outside the Drug and Device Space in the COVID-19 Era - JD Supra

Fighting Systemic Racism in K-12 Education: Helping Allies Move From the Keyboard to the School Board – Center For American Progress

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The nationwide uprisings against police brutality in the past few months have led to a significant shift in conversations and attitudes about racial inequities in America. While it may be premature to say that these conversations signal an awakening, books about race and racism are topping bestseller lists; millions of posts on social media are proclaiming that Black Lives Matter; and Americans in at least 1,700 communities across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., are marching in the streets to protest generations of racial injustice.

The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and others have galvanized calls and increased support for dramatic changes to policing and criminal justice policies. Many Black leaders and Black-led groups in communities across the country have been working for these changes for decades. It is critically important for newly energized allies, especially those who are not Black, to go beyond hashtag activism and enter this work by listening to the voices of community members and educating themselves on the history, causes, and consequences of systemic racism in the United States.

Allies should also work with Black communities to support efforts to combat structural racism in education, housing, and other social policies. Their opposition, silence, or lack of engagement in these efforts can contribute to the perpetuation of inequities and further limit access to opportunities for communities that are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Because systemic racism in education is a root cause of so many other inequities that BIPOC face, it is critical that allies stand shoulder to shoulder with these communities in calling for large-scale changes to the U.S. education system. Particularly because education is often thought of as a local concern or personal matter for parents and families, it is especially important that allies lift their voices for BIPOC communities to ensure that the call for change is unified and focused. This column details three ways in which allies should leverage their influence and power beyond social media to combat systemic racism in education.

Money matters in education, with multiple studies showing that increasing funding improves outcomes while cuts hurt them. Still, the United States school funding systems remain inequitable, disproportionately shortchanging BIPOC students. More than 35 percent of public school revenue comes from property taxes that favor and stabilize funding in wealthier areas, while other communities must rely on more volatile state revenues. This is one reason why predominantly nonwhite school districts across the country annually receive $23 billion less than their predominantly white counterparts.

Black, Indigenous, and other non-Black students of color attend schools that are statistically more likely to be under-resourced, outdated, and in many cases hazardous to their health. Last month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report that estimated more than half of the nations public school districts needed to update or entirely replace multiple systems, such as HVAC or plumbing, in their school buildingsand many of these districts are concentrated in high-poverty areas. If left unaddressed, these infrastructure problems could pose significant air quality issues, contribute to exacerbating asthma and chronic absenteeism in students, and negatively affect students academic performance. Notably, higher-poverty districts have less local revenue than low-poverty districts to fund the capital construction costs of addressing these kinds of repairs.

While state funding offsets some of these local disparities, it is not enough. As a result of the Great Recession of 2008, most states significantly cut their education fundingan action shown to have disproportionately affected higher-poverty districts. A number of states still had not restored their education funding to prerecession levels years after the recession ended. Now, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, states are once again forecasting massive cuts to their education budgets because of historic shortfalls in income and sales tax revenue.

Allies have a role to play in ensuring that states use stabilization fundsfederal funding allocated to states for education purposes to offset their depleted revenueto prevent these cuts. They should call for increased investments in education as well as fairer and more transparent funding policies at the state and local levels to make sure that capital projects, programs, and overall spending are equitable in schools that serve large numbers of BIPOC students. Organizations such as Gwinnett StoPP and other members of PEER Partners, as well as the Maryland Fair Funding Coalition, include BIPOC-led organizations actively working to advance these efforts.

Within six months of the deadly 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, legislatures in 26 states allocated nearly $960 million for security upgrades and the addition of police officers to school campuses. While gun violence in schools must be prevented, there is evidence that increased policing and surveillance do not effectively address the threat of gun violence in schools. Black students in particular feel less safe in the presence of police and are more likely to be policed than they are to be protected.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights, Black, Hispanic male, and American Indian students face higher rates of school disciplinary consequences such as suspension and expulsion than white students, and they are also subject to more interactions with police in schools in the form of contraband sweeps, interrogations, physical restraints, and arrests. Black students are also more likely to be subjected to social media surveillance and the use of biased artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology.

Additionally, recent data show that approximately 1.7 million students attend schools with police officers but no counselors; 3 million students attend schools with police but no nurses; 6 million students attend schools with police but no psychologist; and 10 million students attend schools with police but no social workers. Middle and high schools with higher concentrations of law enforcement officers compared with mental health staff are more likely to be in areas that serve primarily Black students.

Allies could join one of the many youth- and parent-led BIPOC groups that are part of the Dignity in Schools Campaign to advocate for more counselors, nurses, and social workers in schools instead of increased police presence and security. They should also demand transparency about school discipline data and policies in their local communities to ensure that students civil rights are not being violated.

Sixty-six years ago, the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education decision declared school segregation unconstitutional, but many public districts and schools remain segregated by race and socioeconomic status today. In many cases, this was an intentional result of the design of school district and neighborhood school assignment boundaries. Since 2000, for example, 128 communities in states from Maine to Utah have attempted to secede from larger school districts. The secession of wealthier and whiter areas takes local tax revenue from districts and increases the number of schools that are racially segregated.

Debates about opportunity hoarding are not limited to particular regions or states. Even in areas that champion their diversity, such as Montgomery County, Marylandwhich borders Washington, D.C.the mere idea of analyzing school attendance boundaries or reassignment plans has caused an uproar. White and Asian parents have protested that any changes to school boundaries that would reduce high concentrations of students from low-income families is unfair to parents who have worked hard to live in more affluent neighborhoods. In Howard County, Maryland, a superintendents plan to reassign students to alleviate crowding and create greater socioeconomic equity resulted in fervent opposition and even a death threat. In addition, the use of screening tests and biased admissions practices for gifted and talented programs in elementary grades and selective middle and high schools have historically woefully underrepresented BIPOC students.

Allies should join with their BIPOC neighbors and show up to their local school board meetings to push for school boundaries and selection criteria that are designed with a race-equity lens. These reforms would ensure that students are not locked out of opportunities based on where they live. In Arlington, Virginia, wealthy and white parents are working with Latinx parents to protest the move of a dual-language immersion school to an area that would be more difficult for Latinx families to attend. Likewise, in Brooklyn, New York, parents of all backgrounds worked together to eliminate gifted tracking programs in favor of enrichment programs available to all students. Allies should also call on their state legislatures and local school boards to create policies that ensure equitable access to rigorous and advanced coursework for all students.

Black communities face injustices that extend beyond the horrifying examples of police killings that have led to calls for big changes to police funding, structures, and policies. Combating the pervasive and deeply rooted forms of systemic racism will require alliesincluding those in affluent communitiesto speak up and speak out.

From the lack of adequate mental health services to inequitable access to advanced and rigorous coursework to unhealthy school buildings, education systems disproportionately fail Black students. Allies can play a role in breaking down these barriers by pushing for change at both state capitols and local school board meetings. They must be vocally supportive of education funding systems that target dollars where they are needed most in order to ensure that opportunities are not restricted based on where people live.

Education budgets are statements of values and should reflect a material commitment to racial equity in schools, not just lip service to diversity. BIPOC students simply cannot afford spending cuts, particularly at a time when they are disproportionately experiencing the worst effects of COVID-19, which will require additional supports and services. Rather than enhanced police and security theater, Black students need more voices calling for equitable resources in schools. Allies must support equitable and diverse schools that improve access to opportunities for BIPOC students and students from low-income families. Parents from affluent communities would not stay silent if their childrens public schools were not equitably funded, so they should not remain silent for other children.

Roby Chatterji is a senior policy analyst for K-12 Education at the Center for American Progress.

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Fighting Systemic Racism in K-12 Education: Helping Allies Move From the Keyboard to the School Board - Center For American Progress

Vancouver Park Board hearing more on bylaw allowing camping in parks – News1130

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) The Vancouver Park Board is scheduled to hear from the public again Tuesday after a special meeting the previous day regarding camping in municipal parks was extended after more than 90 speakers signed up.

The Vancouver Park Board is looking at updating the parks control bylaw to reflect a court decision allowing people to camp overnight in parks as long as they pack up by 7 a.m.

Mondays meeting heard from two groups of speakers before it was recessed. A third group is set to speak at Wednesdays meeting, which starts at 6 p.m.

Three sections of the bylaw currently prohibit sleeping in parks: one bans people from entering parks at night; another prevents people from loitering overnight; and the third makes it illegal to erect a tent without permission.

However, the B.C. Supreme Court struck down an Abbotsford bylaw in October 2015 that prohibited homeless people from setting up temporary shelter and sleeping in municipal parks.

Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson determined not allowing homeless people to sleep in parks constitutes a violation of Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, which ensures the right to security of the person.

The ruling allows people to erect shelters and sleep in public spaces and parks between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

In 2009, another court decision involving the City of Victoria ruled homeless people have a constitutional right to erect temporary overnight shelters.

Park board staff acknowledge the court decisions and, in a report, indicate the Vancouver bylaw is not enforced.

Park rangers, according to the report, have been allowing the homeless to seek temporary overnight shelter, but requesting that tents be removed in the morning.

The report says further the bylaw must be updated to ensure it is unenforceable and that it recognizes the needs of all park users.

It also says, although encampments may provide a sense of security, they can negatively impact the health and safety of neighbourhood businesses and residents.

They also require the attention of park rangers.

Currently about eight per cent of available ranger resources are required for monitoring and managing homeless shelter activity in parks, says the report.

According to the park board, park rangers responded to 625 per cent more cases in parks from 2015 to 2019. Cases involving temporary structures rose dramatically from 2017 to 2019.

The updated bylaw would still require tents to be dismantled by 7 a.m.

In order for the board to deliver on its mission, the parks control bylaw must be updated to ensure it is enforceable and that it recognizes the needs of all park users, including those currently experiencing homelessness, says the report.

The discussion comes as the encampment at Vancouvers Strathcona Park grows to about 150 tents.

The proposed bylaw revision would include some restrictions: no tents would be allowed within a 25-metre buffer around playgrounds, near sensitive environments, in forested areas, along trails, and in gardens.

Coun. Pete Fry said at the meeting he doesnt support permanent encampments in any park.

Thats why I like this bylaw because it really gives that emphasis on the temporary side of it, he said.

Fry said hes attended a number of intentional communities and what makes them work is the scale and the rules involved.

But given its size, he doesnt see where the Strathcona Park encampment could be relocated.

Frankly, in the absence of rules for the safety of campers, and that includes around violence and around criminality and predatory behaviour, I dont think I would feel comfortable sanctioning a camp without rules that have been in place.

However, he suggested the city could work with faith-based groups to allow them to sponsor small encampments, in church parking lots for example, that are sober and had good behaviour practices, and a code of ethics and good neighbour agreements to engage in community building.

Church members coming out and building houses for people, that kind of thing.

Kareem Abrahim spoke at the meeting on behalf of UBC law students who support the decriminalization of drugs, as well as harm reduction strategies, and the Law Union of B.C. He said neither supports the proposed bylaw changes.

This bylaw amendment, it does the bare minimum to satisfying current case law, he said.

The very same charter violations that are in question that this bylaw seems to aim to circumvent still are going to be continuing despite these efforts.

He added homelessness is a policy decision.

Its not an inevitable reality, Abrahim said. I imploring you, as the Vancouver Park Board, to do more than the bare minimum.

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Voices on the Path: Coco Papy – Connect Savannah.com

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COCO PAPY is a community organizer, policy nerd, and born-and-bred Savannahian who came home to do the work.

As Deeps Director of Development and Communications, she works to shine the spotlight on the young people who are leading the way to a more just and equitable Savannah and push forward grassroots-created policy, advocacy, and legislation. She has a long history with Deep, starting out as an educator in the Young Author Project.

Papy is involved in numerous groups that work across Georgia, serving as a board member of the Planned Parenthood Southeast C4 policy team, co-founder of the Political Rascals PAC, a Highlander Education Center Greensboro Justice Fellow, and a PEN Prison Writing Fellow.

She is an acting member of the Georgia Win List, a political action committee dedicated to changing the face of power in Georgia by recruiting, training, and electing women. She was recently recruited by the People for the American Ways Front Line Leaders Academy, which gives progressive leaders the tools to ensure elected officials reflect the needs of their communities.

Papy is trained in Kingian non-violence and de-escalation practice and recently became certified as a legal observer for the National Lawyers Guild as part of their mass defense support.

When she is not busy changing the world, Coco Papy makes amazing jam, marmalade, preserves, and raises Silkie chickens at her Twickenham home.

Why does it matter that white people educate themselves?

At this point, there really is no excuse not to. The only reason you would be is that you are intentionally choosing not to. And if we are frank, that is a choice that has been easily supported given the way white supremacy functions.

When I say white supremacy, I dont mean angry racists storming the streets with tiki torches, though that is very much a function of it. I mean that we are a country, a society, a culture, with our institutions, and the very heart of what we value and decide as normal on is centered on being white and male.

Its something as small as flesh tone bandaids that are white and its as massive as the fact that black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of white people because Jim Crow and slavery were caste systems that were the template of our current system of mass incarceration. Its saying protestors dilute their message by not being civil and having more sympathy for property rather than black folks dying at the hands of white folks.

Its calling the police because a black man is walking through Ardsley Park and then boasting about it on Nextdoor. Its not speaking up in our church pews and board meetings and in our PTA meetings because we are comfortable.

We and I want to be clear, when I say we in this, I mean white people who Im specifically addressingwe have to understand what it is that has kept and keeps racism in place: institutional policies like redlining, banking policies, mortgage policies, Jim Crow black codes, the criminal justice system, especially with the misdemeanor system, etc.; restrictive laws that were and are designed to limit the freedom of Black people intentionally or simply by unintentional bias of who created them, which is still intentional.

Then there is interpersonal behavior. I find in having conversations on whiteness, white privilege, I have more difficulty talking with people who identify as liberal. If they voted for Stacey Abrams, they couldnt possibly be racist, that good people cant be racist, as opposed to how we function in a racist society that rewards that behavior. We tell ourselves that racism is only about moral values, when it is very much about the survival strategy of systemic power.

We have and live within it whether we want to or not, period.Our job is to understand and counteract on that.Not speak for the impacted.Not assume or generalize.But to address ourselves and each other.I think by owning that we have racist behaviors, that we perpetuate them, that we are rewarded for that, we can begin to do the long work on undoing it.

Why should white people not ask black people to help them learn how to not be racist?

Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote a book called Why Im No Longer Talking to White People about Race. It talks about the struggle of trying to convince a white man that what he was saying was perpetuating a white racist standard.

All the while he stared obliviously, completely confused by this pain, trivializing it, ridiculing it.It was exhausting.

Ask yourself this: Do you want to go through the experience of sharing with someone the worst pain you experience only to be told you are making it all up, that it doesnt exist, that if you did X, Y, Z, it wouldnt be like that?Because they havent done the learning needed to understand how your humanity is under assail?

No.And yet we white folks do that all the time.Its not the job of marginalized groups to educate non-marginalized people on history or their experiences. We have got to do the labor. There are endless resources.There are support circles for white people wanting to do anti-racist work.

Because many white people have never been forced to think about our whiteness, to think about the way our race identity carries power into the world, we tend to be incredibly fragile in talking about race.

The center of the harm and damage of racism should always focus on the center of those impacted. But racism, like any -ism, is a double-edged sword that dehumanizes because of participating in oppressive behavior as well.

How am I to believe that my full humanity can be intact if it is based on putting my foot on someone else to keep them down so that I may stay up?Thats not humanity. We have to reject that.I reject that.

What do you say to all lives matter folks?

The person you love most in the world dies. Your child, your spouse, whoever. At the funeral, you go to give the eulogy to talk about what this person meant to you, about the hurt and pain you are experiencing, how much they mattered. A random person grabs the mic and says well actually, all children/spouses matter.

That is what all lives matter is. It is not being able to look past your own inherent myopia and shrinking world so you dont have to understand there is suffering beyond your limited perception.

What are some of your favorite resources that white folks can use to become better people?

Support and amplify the work of black / people of color creators, authors, writers, thinkers. Ibram X. Kendi, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Layla F. Saad, Morgan Jerkins, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Christopher Emdin, Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, Adrienne Marie Brown, Ijeoma Oluo google anti-racist reading list and you will access a treasure trove.

Locally, learn about Savannahs history from the folks hereTrelanie Michelle, Amir Toure, Dr. Otis Johnson, Dr. Vaughnette Goode-Walker, Johnny Brown. Learn about Troy Davis, Henry Moore, Robbie Roberson, W.W. Law who they were in this community.

What is the most important thing that white folks can do at this time?

There is no sorry about racism care package. There is only the commitment to anti-racist work, showing up imperfectly and being humble enough to mess up and keep going. No one is born spitting bell hooks quotes off their backhand.

BUT we must, must confront our inevitable and often unaware racist patterns and assumptions. And we have to be willing to do that work with other white people, not just stay silent when someone says something or drag them on Facebook and call that the work for the day.

We have to accept that we will come to the work flawed, accepting of feedback and criticism, with humility, and with a commitment to doing it for the long haul. And we have to bring other white people along with us.

Get rid of the idea of there being a formula - this idea that if we can just figure out a way to be a good ally, to be non racist, to say the right thing, all of this is a by-product of white privilege. Its thinking there is a formula that if we figure it out, all black people will be cool with us. Black folks arent a monolith. Do you see what I mean?

I carry this sentence from Adrienne Marie Brown: Its a devastating weight to carry, to work to be fully myself, humble, and brilliant and messy and great, against a delusion of white supremacy so pervasive and invasive that it can grow within each of us without invitation. But just because something alive violates us does not mean we asked for it, does not mean we partner with it, believe it, or let it live.

cs

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In their decisions about this fall, institutions should focus on the specific needs of marginalized students (opinion) – Inside Higher Ed

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The ones that get away haunt me. Derek, a first-year student at the community college where I used to work, stands out. Sitting at a cubicle with his school supplies spread out and his head in his hands, he was in the library when I last saw him years ago.

I approached him and asked how he was doing. He said he was fine, but I didnt believe him.

Are you sure? I responded, maintaining eye contact.

Yeah, Im good. He smirked.

OK, you know where to find me.

Derek knew where to find me because I was his adviser. I sensed he would need additional help when I first met him. He was a Black, low-income student with low high school grades. I kept my eye on him and ensured that he knew I was a resource, but my concerns remained. Sure enough, I stopped seeing him around campus and later confirmed he was no longer enrolled.

Colleges and universities are preparing for how COVID-19 will impact their 2020-21 enrollment. From bracing for the worst to practicing cautious optimism, decisions concerning the upcoming academic year have been varied. The subjects of enrollment management, online learning, faculty needs, leadership, budgets, litigation and student health have dominated the discourse happening in our field.

In this discourse, we should also be addressing the devastation that our most marginalized students are vulnerable to or experiencing due to the pandemic. By acknowledging the bleak realities in America, we will have a greater understanding of how to serve students who face these facts every day:

Such truths are certain to infiltrate into higher education, especially for those of us whose work is focused on Black and Latinx students. How are we centering these students in our responses to COVID-19?

Black and Latinx students have been responding to the disparities and injustices, exacerbated by COVID-19, in their communities. What they have witnessed and endured these past few months has been deeply traumatic.

As if the aforementioned racial inequalities were not enough, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Dominique Remmie Fells and Riah Milton have sparked grief and outrage everywhere. Tensions will very likely linger into August and the fall.

Many of us will have returning students who have been organizing and protesting in various ways. We not only have to be prepared for possible COVID-19 outbreaks on our campuses but also for the trauma that our students will be bringing with them. Ensuring campus environments do not further trigger students should be included in our 2020-21 preparation. Students will be evaluating if and how their institutions address the social injustices happening across the country.

How student-centered are the decisions that are our institutions making? Are they planning services, activities and investments with the specific needs of Black and Latinx students in mind? What about the students with disabilities, multiple identity intersections, mental health needs and special health conditions, and/or those dealing with academic hardships?

The needs of marginalized students will be vast. The institutions that are intentional about meeting those needs will be successful.

Of course, the presented challenges are overwhelming, but theyre also opportunities. COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of preparation and what happens when there is none. For preparation to be effective, it needs to be specific. A student is more likely to return if they know their institution will meet their particular needs. Gathering and incorporating much more student feedback into our preparations for the fall will help students feel more connected.

If youre concerned about student retention, the last thing you want is for a student to feel disconnected. Which students are most likely to feel disconnected right now? Why would they feel disconnected? What can be done to prevent such disconnection from happening?

The pandemic is already causing low-income students to fade away. Some colleges and universities have been stepping up, such as in the case of the University of Minnesota ending its contracts with the Minneapolis Police Department. At other institutions, administrators have reached out to support students in other important ways -- for instance, helping LGBTQ students find alternative housing. Hunter Colleges counseling center started a support group for its students experiencing academic and/or personal difficulties due to COVID-19. Students will remember who was there for them during these perilous times.

To this day, I wonder if Derek was going through such times when we last talked. I reflect on what he needed to hear in those moments. I think about all the questions I could have asked, whom I could have connected him with and what information I could have shared. Maybe he had already made up his mind, so it wouldnt have mattered.

But COVID-19 has forever changed our work in student affairs. Derek forever changed how I engage with my students. If youve been working in our field long enough, you have a Derek (or Dereks) of your own. Lets be sure to prepare for those students and their possible traumas, too.

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In their decisions about this fall, institutions should focus on the specific needs of marginalized students (opinion) - Inside Higher Ed

Interclub Council: Thirty years later, a call to action – The Daily Princetonian

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Eating clubs line Prospect Avenue.

The eating clubs of Princeton have a long and convoluted history. On July 3, we commemorated the 30-year anniversary of the official New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that mandated coeducation for eating clubs that had not yet adopted the policy.

While this decision was monumental and essential for the fair treatment of womxn who wanted to join these clubs, this was just another step in a long process that began 50 years ago when the University made the decision to embrace coeducation.

It is important that we address and take responsibility for the long history of our clubs, particularly to recognize that we have so much more work to do not only on gender equity, but on equity for all students in the Princeton community. Only after we do this may we create the future of equality and acceptance that each of our members deserve.

The events that finally turned the tide for womxn in Princetons eating clubs began with the conviction of white woman Sally Frank 80, who filed a lawsuit in 1979 on the basis of gender discrimination against Tiger Inn, Ivy Club, and Cottage Club for refusing to accept womxn on the basis of gender.

While Cottage Club decided to coeducate in 1986, Ivy Club and Tiger Inn were not compelled to do so until 1991. This outcome was already 22 years after the admission of female students to Princeton and to sign-in clubs Terrace Club and Colonial Club in 1969, shortly followed by Quadrangle Club, Cloister Inn, Charter Club, Cap & Gown Club, and Tower Club by 1971.

As eating club presidents, we recognize the 30th anniversary of the coeducation of all clubs as a symbol of the struggle for acceptance within the Princeton community, and as a call to action: If we seek to create spaces where all of our members feel safe and welcome in our clubs, it is our duty to lead our members forward.

The history of social stratification in eating clubs has been integral to their existence eating clubs are reflective of Princetons enrollment, and the first people to attend colleges and universities were white men.

Once womxn were able to attend Princeton, many clubs accepted them immediately, providing a welcoming community for them. In the early days of Princetons coeducation, there were not many womxn at the University, let alone in the clubs.

As more womxn arrived on campus, Sally Frank bravely led the coeducation initiative for the remaining three clubs, ensuring that all womxn would have an equal opportunity to become a part of our club communities. Despite initial changes to club membership, we understand that there are many issues of inclusiveness that the clubs have yet to address.

All eleven eating clubs are different legal entities, and though we all have different histories to reflect upon, we hope to take advantage of our partnership as presidents to become unified in our goal for improving our club communities. We firmly believe our clubs are capable of change. Along with acknowledging our past, we recognize our need to do better.

As leaders, we aim to create inclusive communities for our clubs. In doing so, we must question what inclusivity means and how we treat everyone equitably. To establish equitable treatment includes the acknowledgement of our problematic histories and calling in and calling out injustices that have impacted and continue to impact womxn of color, particularly Black womxn.

As mentioned earlier in our Black Lives Matter statement, our position as some of the oldest and most well-established organizations on campus provides the opportunity to recognize our complex history as part of the Princeton community regarding gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Our ICC Diversity and Inclusion Task Force is in the process of developing programming and platforms to educate our members and improve the true inclusivity and awareness of our club environments.

As individual leaders, we seek to create spaces for dialogue and education about areas for improvement. We choose solidarity through actions to address social and racial stratification in eating clubs, to uphold our commitment towards inclusivity, and move beyond recognition to action. We aim to advocate for our members of color, particularly womxn of color.

To hold ourselves accountable for our privileges and power, we are committed to pushing for meaningful improvements when recognizing racialized exclusions, intentional and unintentional, in social gatherings. We seek to acknowledge racism, and movements against racism within eating clubs that were ignored, brushed aside, covered up, or lost to history. We urge our members to consider what they can do to help change these environments that have ostracized and excluded womxn and students of color from joining, participating, and belonging to our clubs for years.

The changing composition of the Interclub Council has resulted in a more diverse membership that has pushed for sexual harassment policies and advocated for more extensive financial aid programs. In the words of Black womxn author and activist Latham Thomas, who coined the term optical allyship, we cannot participate in allyship that only serves at surface level to platform the ally.

We choose to support and fight for initiatives, working for and led by womxn and people of color, that aim to break away from oppressive systems of power. If you would like to learn more about the actions that the ICC, and/or individual clubs are taking to address social and racial justice in the clubs, we encourage you to contact us for information and resources. If you have ideas that you would like to propose, please reach out to Karthik Ramesh 21 (kramesh@princeton.edu), Thea Zalabak 21 (tzalabak@princeton.edu), or Jaren McKinnie (mckinnie@princeton.edu) 21.

Coming to terms with the privileges we have is not meant to be a pleasant experience. It is natural to feel shame, anger, and guilt for the history of our institutions that we have committed ourselves to leading. Although we recognize this anniversary and celebrate Sally Frank for her bravery, we must remember to keep moving forward.

Sally Frank was not a club officer, and yet she persisted until all the clubs were coeducational. We urge all eating club members, club officers, and alumni to join us in persisting in the fight for equality, with clear intentions and meaningful actions, and as part of the Princeton community.

Signed,

Members of the Interclub Council

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Interclub Council: Thirty years later, a call to action - The Daily Princetonian

Experts deconstruct ‘defund the police’ amid Norman’s reallocation of NPD funds to mental health services – The Oklahoma Daily

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For every 100,000 people in the U.S., 698 are incarcerated, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. In Oklahoma, 1,079 people are incarcerated for every 100,000.

Statewide, 3,796 per 100,000 Black people; 1,876 per 100,000 Hispanic people; and 1,059 per 100,000 American Indian and Alaska Native people are incarcerated. Only 767 per 100,000 white Oklahomans are incarcerated, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

In our criminal justice system or our incarceration services ... Oklahoma (is) leading the nation in both male and female incarcerations, David McLeod, assistant director of research for OUs School of Social Work, said. We see those systems overwhelmed with ... people who would not have been caught up in the criminal justice system had they had appropriate mental health services.

According to a Norman Citizens for Racial Justice June 6 release, Norman has experienced incorrect responses from its police department in instances of mental distress including the dragging of Marconia Kessee across a hospital parking lot in 2018 and the killing of 17-year-old Richard Lee Sanchez in 2005.

The justice group said in the release these local events of racial injustice, along with national examples like the death of George Floyd, inspired them to deliver a list of demands to Norman Police Chief Kevin Foster, Norman Mayor Breea Clark and the Norman City Council June 6. The central theme of their demands was the defunding and demilitarization of the Norman Police Department with a call for a $4.5 million budgetary reduction.

June 16, Norman City Council voted down the groups proposal at a city budget meeting and instead cut $865,000 from the proposed increase in the NPDs budget for the 2021 fiscal year putting $235,000 toward the internal audit function and leaving $630,000 to be allocated to community services. The department experienced an overall increase of $104,000 from the 2020 fiscal year.

Clark said as decisions concerning reallocation continue to be made, she thinks the department is prepared to experience reform. She said she hopes to lead Normans government in making serious and impactful change for residents.

Government is slow by itself (and) it will take time to make sure we have the community input we need to best allocate those funds, Clark said. Weve shown were committed and not afraid to try new things in order to improve the quality of life and the profession for our police department.

Currently, Clark is meeting with a biweekly task force of various community partners to discuss how to best utilize community funds and resources in Norman. Clark said Norman is the first city in Oklahoma to mirror larger cities efforts to reform their police departments.

Norman City Council extended Clarks efforts during a July 9 oversight committee meeting in which councilmembers and other local experts discussed the pros and cons of allocating a portion of the remaining $630,000 toward a program similar to the White Bird Clinics Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets initiative in Eugene, Oregon.

Since 1987, Eugene, Oregon, has capitalized on a partnership between a medic and a crisis worker with several years of experience in mental health. The 24/7 mobile response team costs around $2.1 million a year and is estimated to save $15 million a year through emergency room and jail diversion cost savings, according to White Bird Clinic coordinator Ben Brubaker in a June 10 NPR interview.

Ward 1 councilmember Kate Bierman noted during the July 9 meeting that 30 percent of the 98,221 calls directed to the Norman Police Department in 2018 were not crimes in progress. The percentage, rather, was related to mental health crises.

Bierman said during the meeting that in 2018, the Norman Police Department received 1,056 suicide-related calls, 954 escort transport calls, 4,359 welfare check calls, 6,100 domestic disturbance calls, 787 public intoxication and drug possession calls, 825 missing children and juvenile truancy calls and 5,283 suspicious activity calls. This data, she said, illustrates the need for a system in Norman that can field calls to organizations beyond the police department.

A lot of criminal activity is driven by desperation, mental illness, substance abuse and poverty, Norman Citizens for Racial Justice said in response to the city council meeting. Police do not have the tools to solve the root causes of these issues, so we must invest in solutions that can help those in our community who are struggling and prevent the need for law enforcement.

Instead of trying to change the minds of those who are against the reallocation of funds, McLeod said it is more important to explain what reallocation means and outline the benefits. McLeod said citizens of Norman should first view this reallocation as just that a reallocation of funds.

The phrase defunding the police is one McLeod a former police detective, SWAT officer and forensic psychopathologist said carries long-lasting emotion and frustration that is worth identifying. Although the phrase is technically accurate, McLeod said it incorrectly markets the movement of funds.

Really, it's a transfer of funding you need to transfer the money we're spending on those types of criminal justice services over to prevention-based services or services that can help families break the cycles of criminal behavior, McLeod said. It's about expanding interprofessional services, (embedding) social workers and other types of helping professionals in police departments and transitioning police over into police activities as quickly as possible.

McLeod said it is crucial people critically examine data when considering the reallocation of funds and resources from the NPD into community programs.

If we really are honest with ourselves and look at the data, (it) says having the proper services for mental health mean that people are less interactive with the criminal justice system, McLeod said. That ends up saving us tons of money as taxpayers, it frees up police to do actual things that police work can help with and helps create situations for positive growth and ... community interaction.

McLeod said data-driven policing can be effective in deploying officers intelligently into what statistics deem to be "high risk" communities. This form of policing, although well-intended, is something he said has been influenced by systemic racism and diminished opportunities for minorities causing overrepresentation in communities of color.

It is such a delicate topic but one of the responses that I see far too often is super-aggression when there is an encounter with Black people, OU School of Social Work instructor Renea Butler-King said. I think that needs (to) not be.

Butler-King has contributed to conversations on race in a variety of settings, including an OU School of Social Work initiative called "Undoing Racism" which educates students on the importance of working toward on-campus change that is ethical and conscious. She said the conversations of diversity she has experienced are important, but applying them to community action is more complex than some might think.

Undoing racism is hard work (and) it has given me the ability to have conversations across cultures (and to discuss) how to bring them together, Butler-King said. We do need some immediate change (but) that particular topic (of defunding the police) is one Im not really sure how to accomplish.

Her understanding of the topic, she said, is that police are necessary, but intentional violence toward Black people must end. She said if she were asked by the department to apply her knowledge base in a law enforcement setting, she would not shy away from sharing her experience.

What I have learned in the Undoing Racism work is that the consciousness of culture works on all sides, (including) Black communities, white communities, police departments and academic departments, Butler-King said. Were talking about developing a language now. It could be as simple as that developing a language so that all people are having the same conversation, Butler-King said.

Developing this language, Butler-King said, begins in a community that is on the same page and is willing to work together.

In working as a special victims detective, McLeod said he realized the criminal justice system is only a tiny piece of the solution. To find answers beyond law enforcement, he said the notion of keeping people from hurting each other in the first place should be considered.

(I am) not saying we dont need the criminal justice system or law enforcement I think we do, McLeod said. We need them to fulfill (their) role and then we need other folks like me and all of the different players we work with to try to create a scenario so that people dont feel the despair, apathy and fear that inspires them to behave in a way that gets them involved with the criminal justice system.

From a behavioral standpoint, McLeod said he knows how the use of force works within police departments and how fear drives human behavior. When people escalate their behavior toward an officer, he said that officer is trained to escalate one step above them.

Escalation, McLeod said, is an instinct that can specifically be driven by implicit bias in situations or settings with which community members and officers are unfamiliar. He said now is the time for people to learn how to escalate situations intelligently.

I had personal experience for many years on a SWAT team, McLeod said. I wouldnt minimize that we dont need those things in some situations (but) I would say that its not the right place to deploy them to protests. (Today), we are showing that when people voice a rightful concern, theyll be met with the most fierce, intimidating response. Thats a wrong way to use those services (and) I think we have got to be smarter.

When McLeod was a detective, he said he would talk with people who had committed crimes of assault and abuse. Without even realizing it, he said he developed a script where he would get to know the person, learn about their abuse or trauma, create a way for them to use their experiences to justify their behavior in the crime they committed and, after he recorded their conversations, he would put them in jail.

McLeod said after he recognized the issues with this pattern, he was inspired to change the outlook of his career.

I thought, What if we could identify these young people when theyre in trauma and help them choose a different life? McLeod said. Then, nobody gets hurt and we can help people make the small steps needed to miss the big roadblocks in life.

In the short-term, McLeod said he desires to see investment in homeless programs, mental health, diversion programs and substance abuse programs. In the long-term, however, he believes investments in younger people will be key.

We know the vast majority of the people who are going to hurt others are people who experienced incredible trauma in their own lives, McLeod said. If we can get to those people young enough, we have the opportunity to change the direction and trajectory of their life. That is a public health service that is a crime prevention service and that is something social workers can be good at.

Although this investment will likely take 510 years to bear fruit, McLeod said it is a long-term solution worth considering. Until this service can exist, however, he said the pressure is on to make successful, short-term decisions.

Right now is a pivotal time (so) the strategy cant be soft, McLeod said. We need to make sure were doing something that can show a reduction or at least maintenance of crime rates. If we dont, then the opposition (is) going to get really loud and theyll start convincing people in the middle that they were right.

Upon being asked how she thinks a relationship between the police department and social workers could positively impact the Norman community, Butler-King, an avid foodie, said she was reminded of a dish called ceviche.

Ceviche, she said, is a Latin-American seafood dish made with raffia crab, peppers and lemons that break down the proteins in the raw fish, causing it to become an uncooked but edible component of the dish. She said parts of the dish take a minute to cook without heat, which means they have to be left to meld together with the rest of the dish.

Butler-King said, like the components of this dish, a union of people from all backgrounds is something Norman desperately needs.

When I think about all of the pieces that have to come together to do this work it can be heated and then there are going to be raw feelings, Butler-King said. The movement is made up of a bunch of different things and ideas that have to take a little time before they can all come together.

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Experts deconstruct 'defund the police' amid Norman's reallocation of NPD funds to mental health services - The Oklahoma Daily

The Tower of Bigotry | Edan Cielo Green | The Blogs – The Times of Israel

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Imagine an initiative of the entire world. Community combined and unified to defeat a bigger power than the whole? To overpower a source threatening the freedom and identity of not only oneself, but that of the communitys? A beautiful concept.

I read the news, watch the viral videos, hear personal stories and I cant remember a time when the world spoke the same language.

I have think back, back to biblical times.

The Tower of Bavel (Babel) in actuality, existed as a physical manifestation of opposition to holiness, altruism and unity. The passionate effort to defeat G!d in my opinion roots from a deep misunderstanding of spirituality and connection to higher levels of the soul and universe. I once heard a quote that to me, summarizes the miscommunication of higher power

One is not punishedfortheir disbeliefs, but ratherbythem

While reviewing this famous Torah event, I notice that the incident was not exclusive to Jewish heritage and culture, but that of the entire worldsa humanitys history.

The truth is that everything possess equal potential. So yes, if the global society had maybe re-evaluated their motivations and understanding of who their true enemies were, the Tower of Bavel would have been a very different story.

However, the painful reality of this story, is that of its eternity. The tower is constantly falling and more tragically, being rebuilt.

The world-wide punishment of the group that built a tower to overcome G!d was eternal bigotry. Eternal intolerance. Eternal racism. Eternal sexism. Eternal isolation and solidarity from a whole that was once powerful enough to speak the same language.

This weeks Torah portion provides insight and focus on the tribe of Levi, specifically the cities of refuge designated for unintentional murderers.

According toLikut Slichot, a book written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the reason why unintentional crimes retreat to the territory of Levi is because intentional murder exists as the absolute antithesis of Leviite morality and virtue. Due to the lifelong commitment and responsibility to uphold the spiritual health of the nation, the Leviites continuity of holiness must also be in protection of those who did not cause murder born of negligence.

Negligence is the catalyst of psychological, societal and spiritual demise.

Among all opinions, religions and cultures, intentional crime and murder sever a wound so deep among peoplelife and humanity deteriorate. According to Judaism, the ultimate relationship between Omnipotence and individual becomes lifeless. If we all contain a significant reality of G!d within ourselves, then hate and hurt not only infect interpersonal relationships, but also that of divine dynamics.

I see a crumbling society. I cannot help but look within my Jewish communities and feel so hurt. Pained by our choices to link and contribute to the constructed foundation that is hate. To yell, beat and betray the brotherhood. I know the roots of my nation are not planted on the fertile grounds of privilege and popularity. I know that we get comfortable, trust the nations hands that hold us. However we are punishing ourselves in the disbelief of our connection to the greater whole. We are punishing ourselves by hating another, we are robbing ourselves of respect, value and integrity.

The quaking and trembling of awareness is good, I would even say a blessing. I believe, like I believe the nations constructing a tower against G!d should have re-evaluated, that we as a nation should re-evaluate our true enemies. Is it a disbelief that I could possibly be intolerant, racist, sexist, etc.? If so, coming to the realization that one is not only punishing themselves by this disbelief and ignorance, but it is also their negligence that is just another stone to build a broken world.

I pray for not only the healing of the worlds within and beyond us, but for a re-model. A reality so shaken it crumbles, but so united the composition speaks, sings and solidifies the same language. A language of elevation and a language of courage.

The Tower of We Can Do Better.

Edan has recently finished studying as a gap year student in Israel and loved every moment growing and exploring through various experiences. She hopes to share some of the wisdom and insight she has been blessed to have witnessed and heard, as well as try to articulate and pass on moments that were most impactful for her. Edan believes in using the power of words to silence our fears, worries and doubts in order to hear our inner truths of clarity, faith and hope. Through some poetry, Torah and anecdote, she is praying to illuminate the lights that already exist in all of us.

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The Tower of Bigotry | Edan Cielo Green | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

Gambling – World Market to Reach $647.9 Billion by 2027 – ResearchAndMarkets.com – Business Wire

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Gambling - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global Gambling Market to Reach US$647.9 Billion by the Year 2027

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Gambling estimated at US$443.2 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$647.9 Billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% over the analysis period 2020-2027.

Lottery, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 9.9% CAGR to reach US$209.9 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After an early analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Casino segment is readjusted to a revised 2% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 56.1% share of the global Gambling market.

The U.S. Accounts for Over 26.8% of Global Market Size in 2020, While China is Forecast to Grow at a 12.8% CAGR for the Period of 2020-2027

The Gambling market in the U.S. is estimated at US$119 Billion in the year 2020. The country currently accounts for a 26.84% share in the global market. China, the world second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$158.8 Billion in the year 2027 trailing a CAGR of 10.7% through 2027. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 2.4% and 5.1% respectively over the 2020-2027 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 3.6% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$158.8 Billion by the year 2027.

Betting Segment Corners a 19.4% Share in 2020

In the global Betting segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 7.7% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$64.8 Billion in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$108.6 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$94.2 Billion by the year 2027, while Latin America will expand at a 9.7% CAGR through the analysis period.

The publisher brings years of research experience to this 7th edition of the report. The 280-page report presents concise insights into how the pandemic has impacted production and the buy side for 2020 and 2021. A short-term phased recovery by key geography is also addressed.

Competitors identified in this market include, among others

Total Companies Profiled: 46

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/94i6ul

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Gambling - World Market to Reach $647.9 Billion by 2027 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

LeoVegas thinks Sweden’s new gambling rules leave a lot to be desired – CalvinAyre.com

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Online gambling operator LeoVegas isnt happy with Sweden and the countrys recent mandate on the reduction of deposit limits for customers. Even gambling regulator Spelinspektionen had anticipated there would be issues with the new rules, which set a weekly deposit limit of $537, and LeoVegas wants answers now. The company sees different operators interpreting the new guidelines in different ways, and is demanding that the gambling regulator clear up the confusion to put everyone on the same page.

LeoVegas has penned an open letter to Spelinspektionen, asserting, Only a few days after the Minister of Healths temporary restrictions came into force, it is clear that the gaming companies have interpreted the new regulation in very different ways. The chaos that the gaming industry warned about has now occurred, as a result of a hasty and weakly substantiated proposal. We now appeal to the Gaming Inspectorate to clarify to the industry what applies regarding the deposit restrictions.

The company added that the rules, which just took effect on July 2, had already faced strong resistance from the countrys gaming community both private and state-run operators and that everyone had warned that the new limits would not be implemented as easily and flawlessly as government officials had expected. The only thing the new limits have done is to force gamblers to go back to finding offshore sites, resulting in less protection and less revenue for the state.

LeoVegas continued, Spelinspektionen, which is set to ensure that the regulation is followed, also had several objections. Among other things, against the extremely short time given to the gaming companies to implement the extensive changes and the risk of reduced channeling.

The chaos that the gaming industry, like other experts, warned of has now occurred. It is technically difficult to distinguish the products on a platform that intends to meet the requirements for both a good gaming experience and a high level of consumer protection. For fear of more millions in fines, most companies have been forced to deal with the new restrictions by putting a limit on all products, even though sports and horses are not covered by the regulation.

Spelinspektionen had voiced its concerns over the new rules, as well, but, ultimately, the regulator is responsible for enforcing them. As a result, it must face the frustrations voiced by gaming operators and react accordingly. LeoVegas is demanding that the entity clarify the new rules and ensure that all operators are adhering to the guidelines as the government had intended.

The companys letter concludes, Our message has always been clear; restrictions and measures must be based on well-substantiated facts and thorough impact assessments, otherwise the clock risks turning back to what it looked like before reregulation.

We are now in a situation where neither the private nor the state-controlled companies know how to act and it is obvious that different actors interpret the new regulation in different ways. The question is, who really benefits from this apart from the companies that are outside the licensing system?

In light of the above, the gaming industry is looking forward to the Swedish Gaming Inspectorates clarification regarding the interpretation of the new deposit limit.

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LeoVegas thinks Sweden's new gambling rules leave a lot to be desired - CalvinAyre.com

Ukraine moves to end ban on gambling to boost revenues – WHTC News

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Tuesday, July 14, 2020 9:07 a.m. EDT by Thomson Reuters

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday ending a decade-long ban on gambling in a move aimed at boosting budget revenues by almost $150 million a year.

Ukraine's economy has been gutted by a six-year-long military conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the east and is under additional pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.

The government expects casinos, bookmakers and slot machine operators to contribute at least four billion hryvnias (about $148 million) to the state budget annually through taxes and licence fees.

Lawmaker Oleh Marusyak, a member of the president's Servant of the People party and author of the bill, said the legislation would help Ukraine supplement state revenues after a decade of the industry operating underground.

The government said the money would be invested in health, education and sport projects.

Under the new law, which still needs to be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a specially created state regulator will issue licences to companies offering gambling services.

The companies have to be registered in Ukraine but founders of the companies can be foreigners, with the exception of Russians.

Casinos, slot machines and bookmakers will be authorised to operate in hotels with ratings ranging from three to five stars.

The law also sets the minimum gambling age at 21.

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Editing by Gabrielle Ttrault-Farber and Nick Macfie)

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Ukraine moves to end ban on gambling to boost revenues - WHTC News

Gambling Industry Announcement and Partnership Roundup – July 14, 2020 – CalvinAyre.com

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In the fast moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure youre all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, were rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Dont miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

IMG ARENA signs long-term deal withWorld Table Tennis (WTT)

IMG ARENA,a leading sports betting service and content hub, has secured a long-term, worldwide live betting streaming and data rights partnership withWorld Table Tennis (WTT).

The deal allows sports betting operators access to content across all events organised by the WTT, includingthe prestigious World Table Tennis Championships.

In January 2021, WTT will launch its new WTT Series, a totally revamped competition, designed toradically change the sport and grow fan engagement. The new partnership with IMG ARENA covers all tiers of the revamped WTT event structure: Grand Smashes, WTT Cup Finals, WTT Champions Series and WTT Contenders Series.

GrooveGaming recognised as one of the 10 Best Technology Solution Providers of 2020

AggregatorGrooveGaming has been recognised as one of the 10 Best Innovative Technology Solution Providers of 2020 by IndustryEra Review, firmly demonstrating that the aggregatorstechnology development is being acknowledged not only in the iGaming industry, but also from outside it.

IndustryEra Review is a leading global source for the latest transformative tech news, inspiration, and motivation for the worlds most pre-eminent organizations, steadfast leaders, solution providers, and budding entrepreneurs. In the last couple of years, the magazine has culminated into a paradigmatic, global brand, which has been encouraging and developing excellence through their talented editorial team, reaching more than 45,000 tech industry leaders, CIOs, CTOs, and senior IT leaders each month either physically or through the online subscription.

Footstock partners with HooYu to help more customers hit the back of the net after passing KYC

Leading KYC and customer onboarding specialist, HooYu, has announced a partnership with leading fantasy football gaming operator, Footstock.

As Covid-19 has hit sportsbook operators hard, Footstock has enjoyed a period of rapid expansion, growing eight-fold in the last three months. HooYu is now integrated into the Footstock customer sign-up process providing UI and UX tools alongside a range of KYC technology to provide Footstock customers with a smooth and easy digital journey.

Prior to using HooYu, Footstock were manually performing KYC, receiving ID documents from customers, and taking up to a day to approve customer registrations. Footstock now use HooYu to deploy identity database checks, ID document validation, proof of address matching and PEPs and Sanctions checks to verify customer age and identity. As a result, the customer sign-up journey can be completed in a few minutes instead of up to a day.

ThunderSpin announces content agreement with BetConstruct

ThunderSpin continues to expand its list of content partnerships, and we are delighted to welcome our new partner BetConstruct.

ThunderSpin integrates its portfolio of 25+ high-quality and innovative games to BetConstructs aggregation platform. We hope that joining forces with our valued industry colleagues will enable ThunderSpin to expand its presence in global markets and present our games to more players.

ThunderSpin portfolio includes games with varying complexity of plots and mechanics, created with the highest quality requirements for various categories of players. Our hits include Book of Treasures, Kingdom of Glory, Vikings: Frozen Gods and more mobile first games.

MGA Licenses SoftGamings

SoftGamings is proud to announce its latest milestone that comes in the form of the B2B Critical Supply License from the esteemed Malta Gaming Authority. This B2B service license will help SoftGamings to expand the reach of its casino and sports betting solutions further across the Malta Gaming Authority jurisdiction.

Relax Gaming teams up with Max Entertainment

Relax Gaming,iGaming aggregator and supplier of unique content, is to launch its extensive portfolio across Max Entertainments fast-growing online casino brands after signing a new content distribution deal.

Relaxs proprietary slot portfolio, including player favouritesMoney Train and Snake Arena, as well as its vast library of high-quality aggregated content, is shortly expected to launch across all the operators online casino brands as part of the agreement.

Greentube expands in the U.K. with STS partnershipGreentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, has teamed up with sportsbook and casino operator STS to launch a collection of its premium slot portfolio in the U.K., further extending its reach in the market.

The operators customers will soon be able to play Greentubes top performing games locally, including famous titles from its classics series such as Book of Ra deluxe, Lucky Ladys Charm deluxe and Sizzling Hot deluxe. Recent smash hit releases including Diamond Link: Mighty Elephant are also set to go live, equipping the operator with a diverse range of quality slots which are already popular with UK players.

EvoplayEntertainmentsigns Slotegrator deal

Innovative game development studioEvoplayEntertainmenthas continued to expand its geographical footprint after striking a deal to supply its content to online aggregator, Slotegrator.

Under the agreement, the studios groundbreaking content is set to launch with Slotegrators partnership network, covering a global range of regulated jurisdictions across major European markets and the CIS territories.

The dynamic platform provider will gain access to Evoplay Entertainments pioneering catalogue of over 90 slots, table and instant games, including the industrys firstRPG-based slot,Dungeon: Immortal Evil,launched to great acclaim at ICE London earlier this year.

BetGames.TVboosts LatAm reach with Jazz Gaming Solutions

BetGames.TV, the leading live dealerbettinggamessupplier, has continued to expand its LatAm presence in a deal with Jazz Gaming Solutions (JazzGS).

Under the agreement, JazzGS players across LatAm territories, including Argentina,Mexico and Peru, will be able to enjoy BetGames.TVs highly engaging catalogue via a direct integration with the award-winning supplier.

Popular games such asWheel of Fortune, and its innovative twist on Texas Holdem poker,6+ Pokerare already live via the operators leading juegueygane.com site, with the rollout of BetGames.TVs catalogue with JazzGSs 70+ brands expected across the coming months.

ORYX Gaming receives ISO/IEC 27001 certification

ORYX Gaming, a Bragg Gaming Group company (TSXV: BRAG, OTC:BRGGF),has been awarded with the leading international ISO/IEC 27001 certification, underlining the suppliers commitment to information security.

ISO/IEC 27001 is an information security standard published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

The certification will enable ORYX Gaming to continue its global expansion into regulated markets and to provide its extensive content portfolio to even more operator partners.

Bang Bang Games selects Yggdrasils YG Masters Programme Powered by GATI

The emerging games studio Bang Bang Games is the latest partner to join Yggdrasils YG Masters programme, selecting the GATI technology as a key enabler for its global market and business strategy.

Yggdrasils rapidly growing YG Masters programme enables best in class independent studios to design, develop and distribute content usingYggdrasils proven technology and global distribution network.

Bang Bang will have access to GATI, Yggdrasils preconfigured, regulation-ready development toolkit, which enables studios and game developers to use a standardised technology solution to design and distribute games anywhere in the world.This means YG Masters partners can crucially accelerate global reach and find new ways to increase revenues, all using one standardised interface.

Bang Bang was founded earlier this year by a team with a wealth of experience behind them. The studio aims to produce games with mechanics that are easy to understand but hard to put down. By joining the YG Masters programme, Bang Bang will be able to focus on delivering premium games, while Yggdrasil provides support around compliance, distribution, and commercialisation.

ThunderSpin and BetConstruct strike 25+ game content agreement

ThunderSpin, continues to expand its global reach following an agreement which will see the integration of its portfolio comprising more than 25 high-quality, critically acclaimed and innovative games to BetConstructs aggregation platform.

Joining forces with such a well-respected industry leader continues the ThunderSpin strategy of expanding the number of its content partnerships in order to enter more international markets and build what is a rapidly growing community of players based throughout the world.

ThunderSpin has adopted a segmented content development programme with the portfolio catering for a broad cross section of tastes and game complexities covering both plot and mechanics. Popular hits include Book of Treasures, Kingdom of Glory, Vikings: Frozen Gods as well as a range of mobile first games.

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Gambling Industry Announcement and Partnership Roundup - July 14, 2020 - CalvinAyre.com

Regional Outlook: Global Online Gambling Industry Will Be Fiercely Competitive in 2020 – 3rd Watch News

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Regional Outlook: Global Online Gambling Industry Will Be Fiercely Competitive in 2020 - 3rd Watch News

Whole family of casino brothers Enamul, Rupon involved in gambling – The Daily Star

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They owned 20 houses, 128 flats and 25 acres of land in Dhaka and nearby areas.

Besides, they have 91 accounts in different banks where around Tk 2.8 crore were deposited so far and the current balance of these accounts is around Tk 19 crore.

Following several month-long investigation, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has found details of property and cash transaction details of "casino brothers" -- Enamul Haque Enu and Rupon Bhuiyan.

CID officials said that family members of Enamul and Rupon are involved with gambling. But, they get involved in casino business with help of gold trader Joy Gopal Sarker, general secretary of Motijheel Wanderers Club.

Identifying Joy Gopal as one of the "casino masters" ("guru"), Imtiaz Ahmed, Deputy Inspector General of CID, said that they have managed to arrest Joy Gopal recently, who went into hiding after law enforcers started a drive against casino businesses last year.

While talking with reporters at CID office, DIG Imtiaz said that they have got property details while investigating the money laundering cases filed against the "casino brothers". The siblings have bought these properties through the illegal business, he said.

"We have almost completed the investigation of four money laundering cases out of five and we are hopeful to submit the charge sheet of these four cases next week," he said.

In reply to a query, DIG Imtiaz said that they are bringing charges against 51 people in these four money laundering cases, including Enamul, Rupon and family members.

"We would press charges against 16 people in the money laundering case filed with Genderia Police Station, 24 people in two cases filed with Sutrapur Police Station and 11 people in a case filed with Wari Police Station," he said.

He, however, refused to disclose details on the accused until the charge sheets were placed in court.

Asked about sending money abroad, Imtiaz said that they did not get any such information that the casino brothers sent money out of the country. "It seems that they have bought properties in the country with illegal money," he said.

CASINO STARTED AT WANDERERS CLUB IN 2014

The CID official says the casino brothers entered the realm of gambling, holding the hand of his father. In 2007, they set up a gambling board at Motijheel. At one point they joined the Wanderers Club that year and started gambling there.

In 2014, when Joy Gopal got close to them, the two brothers started a casino business in that club and earned massive wealth, said DIG Imtiaz Ahmed.

He, however, failed to give any idea how much money they earned from these casinos every day.

Imtiaz said that the casino board came to the country through ships. "We are now looking for others involved with gambling and we would file a case against them soon," he said.

WHO IS JOY GOPAL?

DIG Imtiaz Ahmed said the name Joy Gopal came to the fore during the interrogation of casino brothers and arrest of several people in the casino case.

"So far, we came to know he is a gold trader by profession. But he was one of the masterminds in the casino business in Motijheel," he said, adding they have started an investigation about his activities.

On September 16 last year, Rapid Action Battalion raided the casinos of various clubs including Wanderers. Later, on September 24, Rab raided the casino brothers' house in Gendaria and recovered Tk 5 crore, 7.5 kg of gold and firearms from their vault.

CID arrested the casino brothers from Keraniganj on January 13.

On February 26, Rab found another house in Old Dhaka and recovered Tk 26 crore. Among the cases filed in those incidents, CID is investigating five cases under the Money Laundering Act.

BAIL OF ENAMUL, RUPON AND JOY GOPAL REJECTED

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court today rejected bail petitions of Enamul, Rupon and sent them to jail in a money laundering case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Debbrata Biswas passed the order after CID Inspector Mehedi Maksud, also the investigation officer of the case, produced them before the court on expiry of a one-day remand.

Meanwhile, Joy Gopal Sarkar, general secretary of Wanderer's Club in Motijheel, was shown arrested today in another money laundering case filed with Gendaria Police Station on September 25, last year.

The same court also rejected his bail petition and sent him to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj after he was produced before the court.

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Whole family of casino brothers Enamul, Rupon involved in gambling - The Daily Star