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Laws fighting book bans may have unintended consequences — penalties for libraries

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Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Contributor / Getty Images

If good intentions go awry, anti-book ban laws could have a potentially unintended consequence: library fines.

The American Library Association (ALA) released a brand new report last week revealing that “[t]the number of censored titles increased by 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest level ever documented by the American Library Association (ALA). New figures show efforts to censor 4,240 unique book titles in schools and libraries.” For additional perspective, this almost doubles the 2022 figure of two,571.

According to free speech, about 30% of book titles challenged in schools last yr included characters of color or discussed racism or race, and one other 30% included LGBTQ characters or themes. advocacy group PEN America. Additionally, almost half of those books contained themes of violence or insults, and a 3rd contained texts about sexual experiences between characters.

Like the GOP censorship efforts spread across the country, with Democratic lawmakers attempting to fight book ban laws. California and Illinois have already passed laws banning books, and Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington have introduced bills on the state level.

But now experts have gotten concerned because “some laws penalize school districts or withhold library funding for noncompliance, such as in Illinois and California. They argue that enforcement measures may particularly pose a threat to schools and public libraries, which are underfunded and understaffed.” NBC News reports.

Director of ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom Deborah Caldwell-Stone says: “When you risk financing for any reason, there is always a concern.”

“We would not like to see overly prescriptive bills that make it more difficult for smaller communities or rural communities to receive funding,” he added. Caldwell-Stone uninterrupted. “Our greatest concern is not to create a system that makes compliance with the Act so burdensome that it would make it more difficult for libraries with fewer resources.”

Not everyone seems to be so concerned about the potential for uncomfortable side effects. Emily Knox, associate professor on the University of University of Illinois within the Urbana-Champaign School of Information Sciences believes the funding link is a key element of the Illinois bill.

“That’s what gives the bill any teeth,” he said Knox. “Libraries and schools need more cash, but because funding is so worthwhile to public institutions, you do not need to do things that jeopardize your ability to get funding from a source just like the state. So it makes a giant difference.

Currently, targeted bills in California and Illinois still involve withholding funds libraries in the event that they don’t have specific rules and materials on the shelves. However, within the face of those growing concerns, some states have already reconsidered penalties against libraries. For example, New Jersey lawmakers have already removed financial penalty language from their proposed bill, and bills that don’t include financial penalties are being introduced in Oregon and Washington.

Either way, libraries and librarians are on the front lines of the book banning war. On the opposite side of the aisle, the Republican governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders “signed a bill that would do many things, including creating the potential for criminal liability for librarians.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Politics and Current

Watch: Lee Merritt says police reform needs to go ‘different’ way after years of federal inaction

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Political leaders discussed the importance of activating voting just weeks before the Nov. 5 election. They also talked about what voters can expect if Democrats lose control of the U.S. Senate and other vital political issues.

The Texas lawyer said that regardless of whether Kamala Harris wins the November election, the problem of policing — which he has worked on for years — will likely have to move from the federal to the local level.

Democrats have been pushing for major police reforms for years under the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

“Of course, police reform will have to go a different way. It will be a grassroots initiative,” Lee said.

However, the civil rights attorney expressed optimism about “federal voices” in Congress, reminiscent of U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat and Lee’s former law partner.

“She is leading the effort to effectively change the culture of policing, even if we fail to pass meaningful legislation,” he explained.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Missouri cop stole woman’s phone during traffic stop, then allegedly stole intimate photos for his own use until FBI uncovers disturbing pattern

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Two lawsuits have been filed against a Missouri police officer accused of stealing nude photos of ladies he stopped for alleged traffic violations.

In the most recent lawsuit, filed Friday, a pair identified as Jane and John Doe are looking for $25,000 for invasion of privacy and emotional distress after a Florissant, Missouri, police officer allegedly forcibly took her phone after a traffic stop in February 2024 for a broken tail light. The woman said she complied with the request when the officer told her she had to offer proof of insurance for the phone, in keeping with Law & Crime.com.

'Don't lie': Houston police believe drunk driving of black ex-cop who reported crash and chased fleeing driver, sends him to jail instead
Emergency lights on an American police automobile – stock photo (Photo: Getty Images)

After unlocking the device, the officer, identified in court documents by the pseudonym “Joe Smith,” “suddenly” grabbed it without her consent and retreated to his patrol automobile, the lawsuit alleges. He stayed within the automobile for 10 minutes before returning the phone. She was not charged with the broken light.

In July, the girl was visited by FBI agents who asked her to discover a printed, enlarged photograph of a nude woman. She was “shocked” to search out that the photo was of herself and was intended for her husband’s eyes only. Agents told her that the Florissant officer had kept other nude photos of the girl.

The officer, who has since been fired, “peeked at nude photos of her and her husband,” the criticism alleges, then used his own phone to take photos of Doe.

The victims are likely a married couple and a minor. separate suit making similar accusations against the officer. The criticism alleges that “Florissant had received complaints of inappropriate conduct by Officer Smith in the past and decided to retain him.”

In an announcement, the Florissant Police Department said it was “deeply troubled by these allegations and wants to assure the community that we take all claims of officer misconduct very seriously. The safety of all members of our community remains our highest priority. We hold our employees to a high standard of integrity and expect them to treat every member of our community with dignity and respect.”

The FBI and the St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the officer’s actions. Police say he’s the one Florissant officer involved within the alleged crimes.

“Nobody expects this to happen. Nobody should have to go through this, to suffer this humiliation,” said attorney Rick Voytas, in keeping with First Alert 4. “It was important for Jane to take the matter to court because she felt very intimidated.”

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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CNN’s Ashley Allison Talks New Venture and Need to Protect Kamala Harris

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Ashley Allison, Watering Hole Media, theGrio.com

For Ashley Allison, community is all the pieces. The CNN political analyst and former Obama alum had Black and brown communities in mind when conceptualizing her recent media company, Watering Hole Media.

Much just like the hundreds of campaign employees and volunteers who worked together to elect America’s first black president, Barack Obama — knocking on countless doors and talking to neighbors — her recent effort, outreach to black, brown and indigenous people, goals to unite everyone for the common good.

The political pundit initially launched Watering Hole as a news and opinion blog when President Obama took office in 2009. However, due to his law school background and lack of entrepreneurial experience on the time, the enterprise didn’t pan out. But after recording a live segment on CNN in August 2023 in regards to the Montgomery Riverboat Brawl, Allison decided to revisit her desire to create a media company for marginalized voices.

In an incident in Alabama last summer, a bunch of white men physically attacked a black boat crewman who informed them their dinghy was docked improperly. A gaggle of black men stepped in to defend the employee, leading to a viral brawl that reignited a national conversation in regards to the South’s dark history of racism.

CNN panelist Allison described the Montgomery brawl as a case of lynching. But Allison understood the incident to be far more visceral and cultural — as any scroll through black Twitter on the time showed.

“This isn’t a lynching issue. This is a protection issue,” Allison explained to her friend, sharing the reactions of black people on social media platforms. “The conversation on CNN that night was different because people were using the microphones that they had on social media.”

Now, Allison takes the conversations happening on Timelines and amplifies them with Watering Hole Media, an organization that gives curated digital content led by voices that higher reflect the various voices of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

“Wait a Minute” hosted by Ashley Allison, political strategist Alencia Johnson, and comedian and actress Joyelle Nicole Johnson. Produced by Watering Hole Media. (Photo: Watering Hole Media/YouTube)

“We wanted to create something that was rooted in the community so that people would feel comfortable bringing it to their communities,” said Allison, who worked for Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, the Obama White House and the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign.

“You don’t take things with you to your community that you don’t think are rich, that don’t have integrity, that aren’t helpful,” she added. Allison said it’s about “getting the information and then taking that information and… talking to your neighbors.”

To date, Watering Hole Media has launched three programmes, each aimed toward a unique audience.

Hosted by Allison, political strategist Alencia Johnson, and comedian and actress Joyelle Nicole Johnson, “Wait a Minute” is a living room-style conversation from the angle of a Black woman.

“Tap In” contains a panel of black men gathered around a poker table to discuss politics and social issues, like mental health, which can be often under-talked about amongst black men.

“Everything’s Fine,” a series aimed toward Gen Z, brings together a various range of cultures, including attorney and activist Preston Mitchum, journalists Sylvia Obell and Josie Duffy Rice, and communications expert Annie Wu Henry.

Tap In, Watering Hole Media, Ashley Allison, theGrio.com
“Tap In” contains a group of black men gathered around a poker table to discuss politics and social issues, similar to mental health, which can be rarely discussed amongst black men. (Photo: Watering Hole Media/YouTube)

“We built our programming around specific types of audiences and people and their practices,” said Allison, who added that she and her team relied on research to determine “audience segmentation to really make sure we were creating content that would resonate with people.”

It was necessary to create an area where participants could freely express their opinions and “counter” one another when needed.

Allison has also been known to occasionally resist appearances on CNN.

“When people say things on TV, sometimes they say it like it’s a fact, and it’s not always a fact,” she said. “I say, ‘Wait a minute, this is what you think. I’ll tell you what I think. And so do 15 of my friends.”

Allison recognizes it’s her privilege to sit on CNN as a Black woman, but she makes it clear she doesn’t speak for all Black people.

“I think I am part of the representation of black people on TV and I have a responsibility to be part of the representation, but not as a representative,” she explained.

While she doesn’t speak for all black people, she has repeatedly defended Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, from racist and misogynist attacks by her political opponents.

Kamala Harris, theGriio.com
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions during a moderated conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists hosted by WHYY on September 17, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Since Harris became a presidential candidate, her opponents, former President Donald Trump, and his Republican allies have called her a “DEI worker,” “stupid” and even questioned her identity as a Black woman.

“I think it’s the media’s responsibility. I think it’s the elected officials’ responsibility. I think it’s the responsibility of anyone who wants to consider themselves a leader to not allow for bad behavior, bad faith attacks, and just unequal standards to be applied to her,” Allison said.

“Telling someone to go to hell” and wanting to lead the country is “inappropriate,” she said. “We shouldn’t tolerate that.”

Allison said she was “completely leaning” toward having a Black woman at the highest of the presidential ticket.

“As a country, we should have had a woman president a long time ago,” she said. “I pinch myself every day that this is happening.”

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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