Politics and Current
Nearly four years after the death of George Floyd, criminal justice reforms are being rolled back across the country. Critics warn the new laws could harm black communities
Politicians in Louisiana, San Francisco, Oregon and Washington hope a wave of new proposals and laws to toughen the fight on crime will prevent crime by reversing criminal justice reforms implemented years ago.
Political leaders of each major political parties consider that crime is increasing and the technique to solve this problem is to toughen the fight against crime. But experts say “tough on crime” laws are more practical at increasing the number of people serving time in prison without evidence of their effectiveness in deterring crime. This is, of course, a change of course from the dynamics that followed the police killing of George Floyd and led to criminal justice reforms.
In the wake of Floyd’s death, states have passed a whole bunch of reform bills, including chokehold bans and other use-of-force guidelines, and a number of other cities have promised to speculate in community programs and crisis response teams to help with behavioral health calls.
Currently, politicians in some states have launched efforts to provide more power to police, toughen criminal penalties, make drug treatment a condition of receiving welfare advantages, and repeal other laws that allow courts to go after younger people.
For example, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently blamed a law signed by the former governor in 2017 for “rampant crime,” based on his March 1 opinion piece published in the Shreveport Times. Lawmakers there passed laws during a special session on crime, including a measure that now allows courts to prosecute 17-year-olds as young adults, based on the Plaquemine Post South.
The Republican governor has approved efforts to expand the diversity of capital punishment methods and limit eligibility for parole and early release. Critics similar to the ACLU of Louisiana testified against the two bills, arguing they “were expensive and unlikely to reduce crime at this time,” USA Today he wrote. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Matthew Willard of New Orleans also made similar arguments, saying they will not stop crime before it happens.
Shari Stone-Mediatore, co-founder of the advocacy group Parole Illinois and a professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, told USA Today that these stringent laws aim to combat crime by stigmatizing criminals quite than addressing underlying problems.
This approach results in mass incarceration, destroys families and communities, and disproportionately affects people of color, she said. “This is not a productive way to deal with social problems” similar to drug addiction and unemployment, Stone-Mediatore said.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in San Francisco voted on two proposals giving police additional powers to pursue suspects in vehicles, expanding the use of drones and surveillance cameras and requiring addiction treatment for welfare recipients.
Such solutions were pushed for by Democratic mayor London Breed, who will run for re-election in November. As reported by the Associated Press, her opponents say she has failed to regulate drug crimes, theft and vandalism.
Likewise, based on news reports, D.C. Council members have approved a set of public safety measures that include restoring “drug-free zones” to combat drug-related loitering.
In Oregon, similar issues emerged in the state Legislature as lawmakers gained support for a bill to repeal portions of Measure 110, a 2020 voter-approved measure aimed toward decriminalizing drug possession.
Opponents say restoring criminal penalties wouldn’t only overwhelm the criminal justice system but would unfairly impact blacks and Latinos in Oregon, the Statesman Journal reported.
Many of the recent tough-on-crime laws essentially roll back some of the most controversial reforms “rather than completely rejecting a balanced approach,” Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the nonpartisan think tank Council on Criminal Justice, told USA Today.
“It’s a stunning turnaround, especially so soon after a wave of national protests against the system for being too harsh,” he said. “I think there is a very small chance that we will fully return to the idea that we can arrest and punish while keeping people safe.”
Overall, reports show that the United States stays the leader in the total number of people incarcerated worldwide, with greater than 2 million prisoners nationwide. This figure represents roughly 25 percent of the world’s total prison population.
A Republican in Tennessee is pushing a controversial bill that addresses local government regulations. While the bill could seem easy, it’s consistent with a recent Memphis City Council ordinance prohibiting law enforcement from initiating arrests just for minor offenses, News Channel 5 in Nashville reported. According to FOX 13, the Tennessee Senate passed a bill on Thursday that might repeal a city ordinance blocking pretextual traffic stops.
The move was prompted by the tragic death of Tire Nichols while being stopped by Memphis police following a routine traffic stop.
Nichols’ family, who was present in the capital on Monday, strongly opposed this bill. “I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on politics,” said RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother. “We cannot fathom how a local ordinance, supported by the community, can be questioned and undermined in this way.”
Politics and Current
Trump chooses first black cabinet member, not Byron Donalds
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen the first African-American cabinet member. Scott Turner, shall be SSecretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Trump announced Turner’s placement in a press release. Highlights Turner’s past achievements. The future HUD secretary is an NFL veteran who also supported Trump during his first term. The former House Representative from Texas served because the first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).
The release said Turner: “Put an unprecedented effort that has transformed our nation’s most vulnerable communities. These efforts, undertaken in collaboration with former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 federal agencies that implemented greater than 200 policy actions to support economic development.
Turner thanked President-elect Trump and his mentor Ben Carson in X’s post.
Thank you, Mr. President. I’m excited to proceed the nice work we began during your last administration at HUD, with an incredible team. I’m deeply honored by your confidence in my nomination.
I might also like to precise my sincerest gratitude to my mentor, Secretary… pic.twitter.com/X2ZJLSrfGI
— Scott Turner (@sturnerofficial) November 23, 2024
The nomination seems to come back at the fitting time. Many media outlets and social media users are questioning the shortage of Black representation in the subsequent administration’s cabinet. Especially since many black surrogates sided with Trump through the presidential campaign.
Trump’s most significant vocal deputy was Florida Congressman Byron Donalds. CNN’s Laura Coates spoke with Donalds and asked if Trump had really useful him for a cabinet position. Donalds denied feeling disrespected and continued to support the GOP’s election. The Congressman believes that achievement trumps diversity. He argues that the Biden administration has sacrificed progress for diversity, despite the fact that it has many victories on economic and social policy.
“The election of Donald Trump is approaching bringing competence and reality back to DC. within the White House, ensuring that the work gets done on behalf of the American people, no matter race, no matter religion or creed,” he said.
Turner’s nomination could decelerate the conversation concerning the lack of Black people entering the White House. The conversation is interesting since the Republican Party is not known for supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in any workplace. Attacks on DEI in Republican legislatures across the state may lead one to imagine that diversifying current mandates is the ultimate piece of a really broad conservative agenda.
Politics and Current
MAGA crowd criticizes Kamala Harris for taking a vacation to Hawaii as Karine Jean-Pierre shuts down a reporter who questions the vice president’s ‘downtime’
Twelve years after his complete defeat by Republican Richard Nixon in the 1972 election, former Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern was asked how long it took him to get better.
“I’ll let you know when I get there” – South Dakota Democrat he joked.
So it stands to reason that Kamala Harris, who entered Election Day with an excellent probability and finished far behind Donald Trump in vote totals, could use a vacation.
“Part of the problem is that you’re running for 18 months straight,” said former Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis, who lost decisively to George H. W. Bush in 1988. “Your time clock is screwed up. “Walter Mondale told me that after he lost to (Ronald) Reagan (in 1984), he woke up at 2 a.m. for months.”
Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, arrived on Hawaii’s Big Island on Tuesday and plan to stay there until next week. The Federal Aviation Administration imposed temporary flight restrictions for “VIP Traffic” from 7:15 p.m. Tuesday until noon Monday.
A Harris aide told NBC News that the trip had already been delayed because the vice president wanted to be certain it would not be needed to break a tie in the U.S. Senate to confirm President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees.
Critics say the trip to Hawaii, a Thanksgiving tradition for Harris and her family, was ill-timed as “Europe prepares for World War III,” as Daily Mail headline on the vice president’s suggested vacation story.
Others say it isn’t a good idea for the vice president to flee to Hawaii while Democrats try to determine how to take care of the debt related to the $1 billion spent on the Harris/Walz ticket. The Democratic National Committee has already been forced to fire employees without severance pay.
Asked Thursday during his every day briefing whether President Biden was considering “optically” about Harris leaving Washington “when so many DNC staffers are literally wondering what they’re going to do,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre he argued downtime is deserved.
“The vice president took time off to spend time with her family,” she said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. (…) She’s worked very hard over the last four years, and the fact that she’s spending a few days with her family is good for her.”
But critics say Harris has had loads of time to recover from the defeat.
After securing the Democratic nomination, the vice president took several days off from the campaign, a contrast to Trump’s breakneck pace.
“No, I can not accept it. Who the hell is leaving? Trump said in October. “You have 14 days left and she is going to take a few more days off too. Do you recognize why? She’s lazy as hell and has that popularity.
While most individuals on social media supported Harris’ decision to take a break, MAGA showed no sympathy.
“She’s going to lose her job in about two months,” said one commentator on Program X. “She could definitely wait, especially since she took some time without work for the campaign after which a whole week to get better from it. I’m glad we didn’t find yourself with that lazy woman.
Others haven’t any problem with the vacation, but agree it was poorly timed.
“I do not think ‘a few days off’ is a problem, KJP. “This is the right time” said the commentator to X. “Its boss has just approved the escalation of the war in Ukraine, for example, and it looks like there is no such thing as a one in charge in the face of Putin’s threats. So possibly it’s good for her, but not for national security.
Politics and Current
Here’s what Byron Donalds said about Trump not appointing any Black Republicans to his team
Despite campaigning heavily for Donald Trump throughout the 2024 election cycle, to the curiosity of many, Republican Byron Donalds of Florida has not yet been appointed to the president-elect’s future administration. In fact, no Black Republican has been elected among the many greater than two dozen appointments and nominations Trump has revamped the past week.
During an appearance on CNN with Laura Coates, Congressman Donalds he said He was “not surprised” that he was not chosen for a position within the Trump-Vance administration and has vocally defended President-elect Trump against criticism from Democrats reminiscent of the Rev. Al Sharpton.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t do other things in the future,” added Donalds, who’s rumored to be considering a run for Florida governor in 2026 or a run for U.S. Senate if Trump is nominated for U.S. secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio has been confirmed.
Donalds rejected criticism that Trump has not appointed any Black people to his Cabinet or administration, suggesting that Democrats are simply upset about losing the 2024 election. He argued: “They are still licking their wounds over the fact that it didn’t work out the way they thought it would.”
The 46-year-old Florida lawmaker said the subsequent Trump administration is not about race or ethnicity, but reasonably about “the people who will carry out his agenda.” In contrast, he argued, the Biden-Harris administration had “an element of every identity” but “failed to do its job.”
“Whether you’re Black or Latinx, if the border is unsafe… does it help everyday people’s lives? “No, no,” Donalds said. He continued: “The election of Donald Trump is about restoring competence and reality to Washington in the White House, making sure that the work gets done on behalf of the American people, regardless of their race, regardless of their religion or regardless of their creed.” creed.”
“This assurance that black people will not be in the highest echelons of power in this country is… representative of that,” he argued. “It actually shows what the program is about and who it is aimed at.” But no matter whether Trump chooses a Black Republican leader for his administration, Brown stressed, “That doesn’t mean it’s safe for our community as well.”
He explained, “They would still have to agree to serve in a government that is dismantling the Department of Education, that is, dismantling DEI programs that are actually opening up opportunities for Black people to access economic and career opportunities, access to education, etc.”
Brown continued: “There are two sides of the coin where yes, there is no diversity of representation and that is by design.” He added: “But people who look like us being considered for these roles wouldn’t help us. They would help Donald Trump.”
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