July 09, 2020
By Betti Halsell
Contributing writer
Wednesday July 8, Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti provided update on the uphill turn the spread of COVID-19 has taken. A report was released earlier by the L.A. County, it disclosed the latest numbers surrounding the outbreak. The reflected numbers are warranted for concern, showing a rise in hospitalization and community transmission. According to collected data, more people are contracting the virus. Local public officials stress the caution that is needed in order to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.
The alert is felt around the city as the country surpassed a threshold of 3-million positive cases. Local businesses that just reopened and outdoor life has taken a step back over the course of this month.
Restaurants regressed business to only allow pick-up or delivery services and beaches along with other recreational activities met restricting limitations over the holiday weekend. The Mayor described the halt in activity as a “hard pause” and disclosed there will be no more firms or sectors opening until the numbers return to a stable or declined condition.
Mayor Garcetti addressed the dangers in social gatherings, there are too many group activities happening and it’s putting the city at risk. The spike is rearing its head within younger demographics between the ages of 18-40.
There is frequent communication with the county’s public health department and the California state governor to find a way back to flattening the curve.
Testing capacity is the strongest protection the city has against COVID-19. The mayor addressed the imbalance of infection with vulnerable communities, he encouraged more residents to get tested for coronavirus. Mayor Garcetti joined Councilmember Curren Price and actor and activist Anthony Anderson at the Kedren Community Clinic in South Los Angeles.
Stated within the press release about the event, the mayor said, “Testing saves lives, and we have to deliver more testing to the people hardest-hit by COVID-19: communities of color and vulnerable Angelenos,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We can only defeat this virus if everyone does their part and if we tackle the deep racial inequities baked into our health system.
We have tests prioritized for you if you have symptoms or think you have been exposed, and we need everyone to wear a face covering, stay home when you can, and avoid gatherings with anyone outside your home.”
Data pulled from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, reflects Black and LatinX communities twice as likely to die from COVID-19 compared to White Angelenos. The event was hosted at the walk-up testing site at the Kedren Community Health Center.
Other local testing locations include Inglewood, Charles Drew University in Willowbrook, and the Crenshaw Christian Center, they look to test 3,000 people per day. The city Los Angeles has used a budget over one-million dollars to provide free testing to Angelenos and continues to keep strong connections with public and private sectors to build more testing sites.
As of July 7, over 20,000 people were tested, that was the largest capacity of tests seen in a single day.
The mayor reiterated the safest way to prevent the spread of the virus, is to stay home. 1 out of 140 people are infectious, to maintain control over the spread of COVID-19 Los Angeles leaders took a “hard pause” and closed down beaches, piers, bike trails, and outdoor dining in order to limit access to large gatherings.
The necessities for flattening the curve was emphasized, there has been a temporarily closure of indoor operations at restaurants, wineries and tasting rooms, card rooms, zoos, aquariums and museums.
L.A. County officials continue to stress wearing face coverings, hand washing, and social distancing. The numbers reflect hospitalization is on the rise, the pressure to prevent increased measurements of COVID-19 continues to grow. The city is now in code orange and if it shifts to red, there will be a mandated safer at home order put in place.
July 09, 2020
By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media
Last week, several California social and criminal justice organizations, as well as community-based groups, gathered for a rally at the state Capitol titled “Stop Killing Us.”
Oakland-based All of Us or None (AOUON) organized the event — with the help of other partners across the state — to condemn police violence against African Americans.
AOUON is a project of Legal Service for Prisoners With Children (LSPC), a nonprofit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of formerly and currently incarcerated people and their families.
Their demonstration was peaceful — done with official permission — and less spontaneous than recent explosive protests and riots triggered by the brutal murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minnesota, at the hands of police officers.
But it was charged with strong convictions and a solemn sense of grief, much like those protests.
“You mess with our children, I'll come running,” said Yolanda Banks, the mother of Sahleem Tindle, who a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officer killed on Jan. 3, 2018. He was 28.
“I have to march,” Banks continued. “We fight together.”
Banks frequently joins other grieving African American families from around California who have lost loved ones to police violence for rallies and vigils like the one AOUON held in Sacramento.
Participants arrived from Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Vallejo, Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco, and other places in the state. Most of the people in attendance were people who have been impacted by police violence.
On the front steps of the State Capitol, large black-and-white photos of people of color who have been victims of police deadly force were on display. According to AOUON, police violence has claimed the lives of 600 people in California over the last five years
Asale-Haquekyah Chandler (pronounced “Ah-SAH-lah”) made the trip east to Sacramento from San Francisco to support Banks and the other families involved with “Stop Killing Us.” Chandler is hosting the “One Life Walk: A Silent Walk Parade Protest” in downtown San Francisco July 28.
Chandler, who ran unsuccessfully for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 10 seat in 2018, has also been affected by violence, but not at the hands of law enforcement. Her 19-year-old son Yalani Chinyamurindi, while on a lunch break in San Francisco, was shot and killed, along with three individuals he knew.
The young men 20, 21, and 22 years of age were giving her son a ride back to his job when four gunmen surrounded the car they were in and opened fire.
Locally, around the Bay Area, the crime, which took place on Jan. 9, 2015, has been dubbed the “San Francisco 4.” Chandler said she and Banks (the two women knew each other well before their sons died) attended the event because see themselves as “fighters of justice and equality for all of our lives,” she said.
“We were fighting way before these children were murdered,” Chandler said. “So, the uniqueness we’re bringing to the table was meant to be. Though I hate to say it — because we lost (our children). My child was killed by the community and her child was killed by the police. We didn’t want to be in this club (mothers of children violently killed). But we are the right ones to be in this club.”
Banks, who lives on a rural farm in Calaveras County, told California Black Media (CBM) that the events that AOUON stage are “painful but therapeutic.”
The pain and passion expressed by Banks, Chandler, and other participants (who each read aloud the names of the departed) was evident. Several lawmakers emerged from the State Capitol to support the event and stand with the families. They included African American legislators: Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), Sen. Steven Bradford (D- Los Angeles), and Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento).
McCarty authored a constitutional amendment, ACA 6, which will be on the general election ballot in November. Known as the “Free the Vote Act,” ACA 6 will seek voters’ approval to restore voting rights to former inmates on parole.
AOUON and LSPC’s policy director Ken Oliver said the prison inmate-support organizations side with ACA 6.
“Yes, we support ACA 6,” Oliver told the large crowd at the rally. “We have 40 thousand people out here who can’t vote. So, understand when we talk policy. I have 80 thousand sitting behind the wall right now, I have eight million in California that have felony convictions, I have neighborhoods that are suffering. People can’t get jobs, and I have people out here getting killed by the police. That’s going to change.”
July 09, 2020
By Betti Halsell
Contributing Writer
Los Angeles took immediate action to crucial national disparities, such as COVID-19 testing capacity and racial uprisings stemming from the death of George Floyd. The Synergy behind a global pandemic and social awakening created a strong impetus, changing the course of life for all Angelenos. Kacie Strategies Media Relations invited Los Angeles Executive Director of the Civil and Human Rights Department Capri Maddox to discuss the physical changes within city government that looks to bring equality and justice for all residents of L.A.; in addition to being the pioneer in meaningful steps towards equality for other cities to follow.
There is now a local establishment that addresses direct hate crimes within commerce and community sanctions , the Civil and Human Rights Department is here to “Protect Angelenos and anyone who works or visits the City of Los Angeles, from discrimination that denies equal treatment in private employment, housing, education, or commerce.”
The disparities that come to light will be met with critical investigation and with the intent to enforce the L.A. Civil and Human Rights Ordinance.
Kacie Strategies has a mission to “keep all communities informed and engaged,” The CEO and Founder Cindy Shin has been hosting virtual meetings inviting local and diversified publication to report the transparent conversation with city officials and industry experts; there are discussions about the social climate that is currently being scorched with the effects of COVID-19 and massive attention in racial discrimination within the Black Community. One of the measurements Shin planted her company in is to promote more partnerships between government and community organizations, in order to have a tighter grip on diverse groups all over the city.
On July 8, Shin hosted a virtual roundtable with Attorney Maddox that covered the goals and initiatives within the newly established Civil and Human Rights Branch of local government. Additionally, the conversation touched on the action taken place in response to groups of residents that are feeling the affects of COVID-19 in multiple areas of their livelihoods. Maddox also holds the title of Chief officer of the Equity Response Team, she described the steps and measurements being taken on behalf of impoverished communities.
Within the newly founded department, Maddox broke down the sectors that live in this branch. It includes Status of Women, Human Relations, and Civil and Human Rights Commissions. In addition to those forces, there is a transgender advisory team to have a hands-on and inclusive approach to all levels of discrimination and inequality.
The complaint process is still underway, seeing how the department just came online in the last two weeks, Maddox ensured that there will be a in-take system operation soon. Its starts with a report of parties involved and the action that occurred, the report will then be categorized to the right jurisdiction within the branch to look into the incident further, lastly the case will supersede into hands of authority to judge and reprimand any imbalanced acts. For “snap shot” moments that are recorded on a pedestrian’s phone such as the murder of George Floyd, Maddox explained that those will be addressed as well, but to build a case around the incident, a police report must be filed.
The CHRD department looks to hold private sectors accountable. Studies and Research conducted by the Civil and Human Rights Department will find the gaps in equal opportunity across industries, there will be a level of transparency from all firms within their representation. Other studies on the radar to conduct include food distribution and business development, this will empower the audience to be mindful of what is being supported.
Maddox stated, “We are not just going to stop with preventing hate crimes or making sure we have equity in commerce, employment, education, and housing. We want to be sure that we have a platform to empower people, to allow them to go into the middle class and beyond.” The Executive Director laid out blueprints to empowerment events through the Office Racial Equity which will also be a part of CHRD operations.
The CHRD is looking to bridge local government with the true needs of the city, Maddox shared that the goal is to be a solution to the hard inquiries of discrimination that lives within the community. The Civil and Human Rights Department is looking to be a physical place of leverage for those who experienced an imbalance in attainable resources. There is a strong ubiquitous gap that divides people by race and income, Maddox emphasized that the battle is not only for equality in resources, but it is also for equity in financial growth and commerce.
Touching on the effects of the global pandemic, the executive director also holds the position of Chief Officer of the COVID-19 Response Equity Team. Black Angelenos have been seeing higher rates of death and impoverished means than any other ethnicity during this global crisis, Maddox is serving as the nation’s first equity chief addressing the disproportionate transitions happening amid the coronavirus outbreak. She explained that testing has been a key factor in seeing how the virus travels, in that light she stood behind the mayors decision to allocate testing sites where they were needed the most, highly compacted, and greatly susceptible to the spread of the virus.
Coronavirus revealed the true threat of inequality among people, the lack of resources and opportunity has caused particular lives to be in grave danger and the term survival has a whole new definition for people of color. Maddox has proven to have an endogenous form of passion to uplift the people around her, through her roles she has constructed a pathway for the cries for justice to be met with meaningful solutions.
July 09, 2020
By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media
Seven out of 10 African American youth between ages 12 and 17 who smoke use menthol cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
And a higher percentage of Black adults who smoke began using menthol cigarettes (93%) — that’s more than two times higher than the number of White adults who did the same (44%), according to the CDC.
The two top-selling mentholated cigarette brands in the United States are Newport and Kool.
Anti-Tobacco advocates say these numbers are alarming. So, two of the nation’s top organizations committed to decreasing the use of tobacco in the United States are taking legal action to end the consumption of menthol by African Americans, calling them chemically unhealthy and deadly. They want it eliminated from all tobacco products.
The two groups, the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) formally announced their joint lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during a ZOOM news conference on June 17.
“We are suing the United States’ Food and Drug Administration for their failure to enact public health policy that protects the health and welfare of African Americans,” said Carol McGruder, co-chair of AATCLC.
Represented by Pollock Cohen, LLP, a New York City-based firm, the complaint requests that the court compel the FDA to act on the organization’s own conclusion that it would benefit the public health to add menthol to the list of prohibited cigarette flavors in the United States.
The AATCLC and ASH’s lawsuit also asks the court to carry out its duties under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. That action would also result in the removal of menthol-flavored tobacco products from the marketplace.
In California, there is no statewide ban on the sale or possession of flavored tobacco products. However, a growing number of communities in the state are banning the sale of them. So far, more than 30 jurisdictions have placed restrictions on the sale of mentholated cigarettes. San Francisco County was the first county in the state to ban menthol cigarettes in the summer of 2017.
In an effort to protect the public and design a healthier future for all Americans, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act), was signed into law on June 22, 2009, by President Barack Obama.
“When the Tobacco Act was signed, all characterizing flavors were banned from cigarettes. All except menthol,” McGruder said. “Menthol was inexplicably given a pass. Characterizing flavors are the building blocks to nicotine addiction. As we witnessed last year with the nicotine baby epidemic, flavors seduce children (and) nicotine hooks them.”
The Tobacco Control act gives the FDA authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products, including:
• Restricting Tobacco Marketing and Sales to Youth
• Requiring Smokeless Tobacco Product Warning Labels
• Ensuring “Modified Risk” Claims are Supported by Scientific Evidence
• Requiring Disclosure of Ingredients in Tobacco Products
• Preserving State, Local, and Tribal Authority.
Pollock Cohen law firm’s Christopher Leung, an attorney representing AATCLC and ASH, said he hopes the lawsuit “saves tens of thousands lives” and that it would correct “a terrible wrong perpetrated against the Black community.”
“Over 10 years ago, U.S. Congress directed the FDA and the Department of Health to quickly address the harm caused by menthol cigarettes,” said Leung, who specializes in public-interest litigations. “In that time the FDA and the Department of Health have done nothing. Our lawsuit compels these agencies to do what congress directed them to do.”
Tobaccofreekids.org has reported that 45,000 African Americans die each year from a smoking-related disease.
African American and Latino smokers —76.8% of whom smoke menthol cigarettes — likely prefer brands with menthol because the tobacco industry markets those products to young people and Black people, according to the FDA’s “Preliminary Scientific Evaluation of the Possible Public Health Effects of Menthol Versus Nonmenthol Cigarettes” study of 2013.
Several studies have documented how major tobacco companies have target-marketed menthol cigarettes to African Americans, beginning in the 1950s.
“By continuing to delay, the FDA and the U.S. government are failing to protect the health of U.S. Citizens, particularly, African Americans,” Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, ASH’s managing attorney said during the virtual press conference. “The U.S. is also falling behind the global trend as countries around the world are increasingly banning menthol.”
Some African American leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, have cautioned that making menthol cigarettes illegal will only create room for an underground market, which could expose Blacks to more criminal convictions and increase law enforcement surveillance — particularly in neighborhoods where there are more cases of police use of excessive force. Sharpton opposed a ban on menthol cigarettes in New York City last year that did not pass.
Menthol has been laced in tobacco products for almost 100 years. It is a substance naturally found in mint plants such as peppermint and spearmint, according to smokefree.gov. A synthetic version of the compound can also be manufactured.
Smokefree.gov is a website operated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smokefree.gov’s main objective is to assist efforts to reduce smoking rates in the United States, significantly among (certain) populations.
AATCLC educates the African American community about tobacco use and cessation, partners with community stakeholders, and public health agencies to inform and affect the direction of tobacco policy, practices, and priorities, as it affects the lives of Black people.
Founded in 1967 and based in Washington, D.C., ASH is the country’s oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to reducing tobacco-related deaths down to zero. ASH does not attack smokers. Its vision is to combat tobacco.
AATCLC and ASH are non-profit entities. The Public Health Law Center, an organization that collaborates with other groups to reduce and eliminate the use of tobacco, supports AATCLC and ASH’s lawsuit.
“This landmark litigation is the culmination of a decade of pioneering work by the health champions of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership and other Black-led organizations,” Doug Blanke, the Executive Director of Public Health Law Center, said in a written statement. “It has the potential to reverse the leading cause of death in the Black community.”
July 02, 2020
LAWT News Service
Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Budget Act of 2020. This Budget is a joint effort from both houses and the Governor, taking into account the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our current economy.
With this challenge at hand, the official 2020-2021 Budget aims to get California on solid footing as the state enters difficult economic times, all while prioritizing values and the most vulnerable populations.
“Although we worked with an abbreviated timeframe the integrity and responsibility of our proposal has been maintained throughout the process. We all had a tough job, working with a $54 billion shortfall but everyone has stepped up to the plate to make sure we do not make conditions worse.
We know we will continue to work on Budget actions throughout the year due to the ongoing devastating impacts of COVID-19.”
The Budget protects critical safety net programs for childcare providers, service providers for the developmentally disabled, IHSS providers, health and dental care services for the poor, CalWORKS, stable funding for k-12 education and affordable housing.
As Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Senator Mitchell personally blocked cuts to Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles.
“South LA relies on MLKCH to keep them alive. I know if the proposed cuts were made, it would result in advanced disease, poor outcomes and higher mortality rates throughout South LA.”
Additional details regarding the 2020 Budget Act can be found in the Department of Finance’s Enacted Budget Summary, located at www.ebudget.ca.gov.