Democrats Introduce Right to Vote Act to Beat GOP Voter Suppression Blitz

The Right to Vote Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and in the upper chamber by Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), would for the first time establish a statutory right to vote in federal elections, shielding Americans from laws making it harder to cast ballots.

If passed, the bill would allow Americans to mount legal challenges to any policies that restrict ballot access, and would counter governments' efforts to suppress the franchise by compelling them to prove claims of voter fraud—a statistically insignificant occurrence.

"The right to vote is foundational in our democracy, and must be protected as such," Jones said in a statement. "But in recent years, states like Georgia have launched an all-out assault on our democracy. The Right to Vote Act would stop this attack and prevent a new era of Jim Crow by requiring states to prove that any proposed restrictions on the right to vote advance an important interest in the least restrictive way possible."

"In this defining moment for our country, I'm proud to introduce this important legislation to secure the sacred right of every American to make their voice heard in our democracy," he added.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/05/democrats-introduce-right-vote-act-beat-gop-voter-suppression-blitz?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1628189878

Homes -- Not "Sanctioned Encampments" -- Are the Solution to Homelessness

BY
Tyler Walicek, Truthout
PUBLISHED
August 2, 2021

The crisis of homelessness, already disastrous before March 2020, has been aggravated by the widespread unemployment, evictions and shelter closures resulting from the pandemic. The COVID-19 recession dealt enormous damage to the most precarious layers of the working class, and the July 31 expiration of the federal eviction moratorium promises to inflict yet more destitution. According to some projections, COVID will eventually produce homelessness rates double those of 2008’s Great Recession — with disproportionate impacts on people of color. Compounding the issue are disasters like the fires attributed to climate change that have struck the West Coast, which can rapidly render large populations unhoused and destroy already sparse housing stock. Individual causes of homelessness vary, yet, in all cases, the catalyst of the crisis has been the severe nationwide deficit of affordable housing and social services.

These compounding breakdowns have compelled local governments to explore alternative means of addressing homelessness. Some have extended a measure of tolerance toward select street camps, tacitly accepting their presence, and, on occasion, supplying basic provisions and services. At the same time, authorities have warmed to the concept of “sanctioned encampments”: small-scale communities of tiny homes, fenced-in tent cities or other unconventional shelters that make services and infrastructure available to residents, usually administrated by a public agency or nonprofit.

It’s true that such projects and policies have offered genuine (if marginal) relief, but the sanctioned encampment model is founded on restrictions that can replicate the same shortcomings that limit the effectiveness of traditional shelters. Just as concerning, local governments have been able to point to sanctioned camps as proof of their benevolence, while, outside camp borders, they pursue the same punitive methods they have long favored. Criminalization, punishment and forcible displacement (a.k.a. “sweeps”) are many authorities’ preferred means of appeasing businesses and homeowning constituents who find unhoused people distasteful, a nuisance or a threat to profits. However, these practices can generate public controversy and organized resistance. Sanctioned encampments can represent a way to thread this needle: doing something to placate homeless advocates, while maintaining social control of unhoused people.

Sanctioned encampments might appear at first glance to represent a reasonably humane middle route between guaranteed housing and full-blown rugged individualism. They can house (though some would say “warehouse”) people with relative speed, at low cost. The intentions of those who institute and operate them can be sincere and beneficent. However, in some contexts, we may find more nuanced motivations behind local governments’ rapid embrace of the model.

https://truthout.org/articles/homes-not-sanctioned-encampments-are-the-solution-to-homelessness/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=252bb7b8-e2c8-4a6c-9b2f-b31d7d452b39

The For the People Act would prevent gerrymandering this cycle

Yes, the For the People Act would prevent gerrymandering this cycle. However, deadlines are fast approaching.

A recent Fulcrum column made the argument that, if passed, the For the People Act’s redistricting reforms wouldn’t take effect until 2030. The piece also chastised voting rights and pro-democracy groups for misleading their members and supporters about the bill’s impact on this cycle.

The reason RepresentUs and our allies are not telling people this “fact” is because it’s not true. The bill dedicates 28 pages exclusively to 2020 redistricting.

It’s important that we clear this up because a deadline is fast approaching and the public has to be aware of the stakes. Aug. 16 is the Census Bureau deadline for delivering local-level population data to states — and the date on which gerrymandering can begin.

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/08/01/opinion/contributors/the-for-the-people-act-would-prevent-gerrymandering-this-cycle/

Pelosi, Schumer call on Congress to take bold action on climate change issues

Warnock invokes Martin Luther King in remarks on health care on the Senate floor (The Hill)

Tlaib endorses REVOLUTIONARY banking legislation (The Hill)

Oregon GOP Lawmaker Faces Criminal Charges for Letting Rioters Into State Capitol

A Republican lawmaker in the Oregon House of Representatives is facing two criminal charges for letting rioters into the state Capitol in December. State Rep. Mike Nearman was charged Friday with official misconduct in the first degree, which is a class A misdemeanor, and criminal trespass in the second degree, which is a class C misdemeanor. The charges came after months of investigation into what happened on Dec. 21, when rioters got into the Capitol at a time when it was closed to the public and lawmakers held an emergency session on COVID-19 relief. Surveillance footage showed Nearman leaving the Capitol into a group of protesters trying to get inside. The move appeared designed to allow the demonstrators, who were demanding an end to virus-related restrictions, into the building.

Shortly after they were able to go inside the demonstrators attacked law enforcement officers, with one even spraying bear mace. That allowed the rioters to push their way further inside the Capitol until they were finally pushed out. After he appeared to leave the path open to protesters, Nearman walked around the building and entered again on the other side.

Nearman had already been under fire from his colleagues after the surveillance video made clear he played a key role in allowing the demonstrators inside. House Speaker Tina Kotek called for his resignation saying that he “put every person in the Capitol in serious danger” and stripped him of his committee assignments. After the charges, Oregon House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner also called for Nearman’s resignation. “Nearman should have resigned in January, the moment that security footage confirmed his involvement and assistance in the attack,” Smith Warner said in a statement. “Given today’s charges, it’s clear that he’s got to go. I urge every one of my colleagues, in every caucus, to call this out for what it is and join me in demanding that Nearman resign immediately.”

Nearman now has to appear in court on May 11 or face arrest.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/05/nearman-oregon-lawmaker-charges-rioters-state-capitol.html

Vanessa Guillen's sisters say Fort Hood memorial gate is a 'step in the right direction'

A gate at Fort Hood, Texas, leading to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment area where Spc. Vanessa Guillén was killed by a fellow soldier last spring, now bears her name and picture.

Guillén’s two sisters, who spoke after the dedication ceremony Monday, called the gate a reminder of the progress made so far. But the sisters added that more needs to be done to change how the Army prevents sexual harassment in the ranks.

Before she was killed, Guillén told her family she was a victim of sexual harassment but had not reported it to her chain of command for fear of repercussions.

“This is an honor for Vanessa … this is a step in the right direction,” said Mayra Guillen, the older sister. “For me, I try to see things in a positive way. This gate will [remind] all those soldiers who go in day and night that what happened shouldn’t happen ever again.”

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2021/04/20/vanessa-guillens-sisters-say-fort-hood-memorial-gate-is-a-step-in-the-right-direction/

CDC Director Declares Racism A 'Serious Public Health Threat'

Racism is a scourge in American society. It's also a serious public health threat, according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a statement released Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky pointed to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, as seen in case numbers, deaths and social consequence.

"Yet, the disparities seen over the past year were not a result of COVID-19," Walensky said. "Instead, the pandemic illuminated inequities that have existed for generations and revealed for all of America a known, but often unaddressed, epidemic impacting public health: racism."

"What we know is this: racism is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans," she added. "As a result, it affects the health of our entire nation. Racism is not just the discrimination against one group based on the color of their skin or their race or ethnicity, but the structural barriers that impact racial and ethnic groups differently to influence where a person lives, where they work, where their children play, and where they worship and gather in community. These social determinants of health have life-long negative effects on the mental and physical health of individuals in communities of color."

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/08/985524494/cdc-director-declares-racism-a-serious-public-health-threat

Metro Phoenix's Asian American community marches in Mesa to protest anti-Asian attacks

Hundreds of people holding signs, toting coolers of snacks and wearing masks marched in Mesa on Saturday to support Asian American communities victimized by harassment and hate.

Some signs had statements like, "Love us like you love our food," "Not your model minority, not your fetish, not another hate crime." Others wore shirts that said, "Stop Asian hate." Children were among the crowd.

Nora Kish, who is half Korean, says the support of people who came here paints a more accurate version of the solidarity of the Asian community. Kish's mother, who immigrated in the 1980s, has been afraid since she was confronted by a group of men a few weeks ago.

“Really, it’s white supremacy that is at the root of it all," she said. "Just like a Black Matter Lives activist said, they will keep pitching us against each other until we get on the same page and unite against hate.”

https://amp.azcentral.com/amp/7009799002