Category Archives: BIPOC

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local, National

Biden signs $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, what it means for Washingtonians

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The sweeping measure provides a wide range of support to states and municipalities, businesses, and individuals impacted by COVID-related hardship.

The bill provides sweeping measures that will provide benefits for many in Washington state. Individuals tax filers who earned less than $75,000 and households that earned less than $150,000 can expect to receive their $1,400 stimulus check by the end of March. A household of four that made under $150,000 could receive as much as $5,600 in stimulus money. A reduced benefit is provided for individuals who earned up to $80,000 and households that earned up to $160,000.

For the unemployed, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) have been extended to September 6, 2021. For Washington state residents, the extension will end on September 4, 2021. Also, the $300 federal boost to unemployment will continue through the same period. The Washington Employment Security website indicates that most recipients will not have a gap in benefits. However, those that are on extended unemployment benefits will need to apply for PUA or PEUC. A spokesperson for the state indicated that PUA is the last resort for those who don’t qualify for PEUC.

The first $10,200 of unemployment compensation paid in 2020 and 2021 is tax-exempt. Individuals that have already filed their 2020 tax return will have to make an amended return.

Another benefit for Washingtonians will provide financial relief to those buying health insurance through the federal health exchange or state marketplace. The amount paid is capped for the next two years at 8.5% of income, significantly reducing healthcare premiums for hundreds of thousands.

If you’re paying for health insurance through COBRA, and your job loss was COVID-related, the government will pay 100% of the premiums from April 1 to September 30, 2021.

For government, healthcare, and direct COVID response

  • $219.8 billion available through December 31, 2024, for states, US territories, and tribal governments to mitigate the fiscal impact from COVID response
    • $195.3 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to states and districts
    • $4.5 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam
    • $20 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to tribal governments
    • $130.2 billion is set aside for direct federal aid to cities, towns, and counties
  • $91 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to accelerate the production of COVID vaccines and fund continued research while expanding testing and contact tracing
  • $47.8 billion to HHS to diagnose, trace, and monitor COVID infections, directing HHS to implement a national, coordinated strategy, including the use and distribution of testing kits, adding lab capacity, and creating mobile test capacity to support rural communities
  • $7.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control for tracking vaccination nationally and monitor efficacy long term
  • $7.6 billion to assist Community Health Centers in rural and poor regions of the country to provide vaccinations and COVID related medical services
  • $7.7 billion to HHS to rehire and expand staffing that was cut by the prior administration
  • $58.5 billion to be set aside to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster fund through FY2025, to reimburse states for COVID related expenses, and to help states fund rural health care, providers

For individuals

  • $,1400 in direct payments to individual US social security number holders who filed a tax return or were claimed on a tax return and made $75,000 or less in 2020, or $150,000 or less per household – the direct payments represent 21% of the entire cost of the bill
    • The direct payment phases out for individuals tax filers making $80,000 or more and households making $160,000 or more
  • Removes the income gap for two years for health insurance premium tax credits for individuals and families using the federal health exchange or Washington state marketplace for health insurance
    • The amount paid out of pocket is limited to 8.5% of income, as measured by the exchange
    • Any taxpayer who received too much tax credit during the 2020 tax season won’t have to pay back the excess to the IRS
  • Extends Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation until September 6, 2021, providing extended unemployment payments for those out of work due to COVID related shutdowns or slowdowns
  • Extends Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) which supports 1099, gig workers, and the self-employed who have lost work due to COVID related shutdowns or can’t work due to being in a vulnerable group
  • Extends the additional $300 federal unemployment increase through September 6, 2021, for anyone drawing unemployment
  • Exempts the first $10,200 collected through unemployment compensation in 2020 and 2021 from federal taxes
  • Expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from $2000 to $3000, and to $3600 for children under the age of 6
  • Expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit increasing the credit to $4,000 for one child and $8,000 for two or more children
  • $21.5 billion in Emergency Federal Rental Assistance to aid those facing eviction for unpaid rent
  • $5 billion to support community efforts to provide support services and housing solutions to the homeless
  • $10 billion through the Department of Treasury to provide direct assistance to homeowners and small landlords facing foreclosure due to job loss or uncollected rent

For businesses

  • $28.6 billion in relief to small and midsized restaurants, expanding money available in the Restaurants Revitalization Fund
  • $1.25 billion added to the Shuttered Venture Operator Grant program to help live music venues, performing arts centers, independent movie theaters, and museums
  • $15 billion in new funds for the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan grant
  • $7 billion added to the existing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is expanded to support 501(c)(5) non-profits
  • $10 billion to aid the creation of state-led programs which utilize private capital for low-interest loans and other investment to support entrepreneurs
  • Extends the Employee Retention Tax Credit through December 31, 2021
  • Restores Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) tax credits providing payroll tax credits to employers who voluntarily provide paid sick leave through the end of September 2021 to those infected with COVID, or have to care for an FMLA qualified relative who has COVID

Controversial pork projects were largely removed from the bill as it was reconciled in the Senate. Not a single Republican voted in favor of the bill.

BIPOC, Local

Accused International District attacker has a violent past

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[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Noriko Nasu was with her boyfriend in the International District of Seattle when a random man attacked her with a sock laden with a rock. He beat her so badly in what appeared to be a random attack she is now suffering from shattered teeth and multiple facial fractures. In a report with KOMO news, Michael Poffenbarger reported he was also struck in the head. “I truly believe he was trying to kill us,” he stated. On Thursday, Seattle Police arrested 41 years old Sean Holdip for the crime. He is being held on unspecified charges as prosecutors mull bias crime charges.

A review of records shows that Holdip has a lengthy history of bizarre and violent behavior spanning across the United States. Holdip graduated from Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in 1997, a public college preparatory secondary school in Lower Manhattan. His promising start brought him to the New York City Fire Department where he was employed as an EMT.

In 2010, the first complaint against Holdip was filed by a coworker. According to the New York Post and public court records, the coworker claimed that Holdip had swung a broom handle at them aggressively because he had insulted his driving ability. There was a misogynist incident with a female coworker and then in 2012, he was accused of pulling a knife on another coworker. In 2014 he told a judge he was going to use the knife to, “clean his nails.” While the case against him dragged through the system for three years, Holdip was assigned to work in a supply room and not interact with patients. He was fired in September 2014 and exhausted his appeals in February 2015.

Public records indicated Holdip has moved between New York and California. His current address is indicated to be in New York, and there is no record of him having an address in Washington.

Nasu is home and recovering from her injuries. Poffenbarger reports he brandished a pocket knife in an effort to deter Holdip, but that he kept coming. Good Samaritans stepped in and broke up the assault, and Holdip fled. There has been a significant increase of violent crime bias attacks against minorities in Seattle through 2020, with a significant increase against people of Asian descent.

BIPOC, Editorial, Five Facts, Health and Lifestyle, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: March 1, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from March 1, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • White Nationalist hatred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
  • Update on the Seattle Police shooting of a suicidal man
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expecting their second child
    • Amazon sued for racial discrimination against Black and Latinx employees
    • Deb Haaland confirmation turns contentious
    • Woman arrested when Cheetos dust gives away her crime
    • Largest Protestant adoption agency in nation now open to LGBTQ parents
    • Texas AG sues utility companies over sky-high electric bills
    • Florida man makes wedding proposal using stolen wedding ring
    • Teen collects 30,000 pairs of shoes to donate to the unhomed
    • New York Governor Cuomo sexual harassment scandal
    • Mormon church reaffirms support for LGBTQ equality and religious freedom legislation
  • $15 minimum wage dies in the Senate, and the reasons are complicated
  • COVID-19 Fast Five Update
    • COVID cases are increasing just as the United States is letting its guard down
    • Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine receives emergency approval by the FDA
    • Seattle to open mass vaccination site at Lumen Field (formerly Century Link Field)
    • Black community lagging behind in vaccination in all but 5 states
    • A year later, Washington state is approaching 5,000 COVID deaths
  • Women History Month

BIPOC, Local

Black Restaurant Week comes to Puget Sound

Running from February 19 through February 28, Black Restaurant Week is launching its inaugural campaign for the Northwest Region, highlighting Black-owned culinary businesses in our community.

A surge of societal upheaval was building in 2016 as American culture grasped for a suitable response to the highly publicized deaths of Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and so many others. Warren Luckett was working as a wholesale wine distributor in Houston, Texas, at the time, and his thoughts returned to the visceral realities of those deaths.

For Luckett, the family dinner table was the space he could explore his feelings and ideas about issues larger than himself, and he noticed growing angst among young Black millennials like him, wanting to have a conversation about the reality they saw around them. What better place to hold that conversation than a dinner table?

Pairing his love of food and his background in business, the dream of Black Restaurant Week was conceived—a solid seven days dedicated to celebrating the flavors of African-American, African, and Caribbean cuisine through a series of events and promotional campaigns intended to introduce Black culinary businesses and professionals to the community. Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson, then cochairs of PR and marketing for the Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals, responded to his request for help. In April of 2016, the trio launched the first Black Restaurant Week in Houston, providing a metaphorical table for the community to gather around. Since those local beginnings, Black Restaurant Week has grown with regular events across the country.

This is the first year that the event has been in the Pacific Northwest. Participating restaurants receive marketing and promotional support aimed at highlighting the diverse cuisine of these eateries. This support comes during a time when a University of California, Santa Cruz study revealed that Black-owned businesses are suffering on a disproportionate scale. Since the pandemic began, 41% of Black-owned businesses have closed, compared to 17% of white-owned businesses.

The organization recognizes that a week of marketing and promotions isn’t always enough to compete with larger, better-funded chains. They have introduced a series of events to support the restaurant beyond the specified week, with business panels, catering showcases, and food truck festivals. This year, they hosted virtual town hall discussions with access to video of those panels and a summary of tips and ideas from them. Further services include a plethora of operational and financial resources for running a culinary business in the modern market.

Results for the event have been impressive. In 2020, Black Restaurant Week supported 670 Black-owned culinary businesses and helped them to realize an average sales increase of 34%.

There are plenty of incentives for diners to “follow your fork” in support of community favorites. The event hosts special deals, prizes, and games like Black Restaurant Week Bingo, which rewards diners for multiple purchases. They have also opened participation beyond traditional dine-in restaurants and now include food trucks, sweets, and more.

Beyond the original mission, Black Restaurant Week is also promoting the campaign to support the Texas Emergency Restaurant Relief Fund to aid Black-owned and Latin-owned businesses affected by the winter storm.

Luckett’s original mission intended to support Black-owned culinary businesses and help establish an environment to have discussions about racial disparities. The event is designed to introduce local customers to a variety of culinary options, and organically provides a starting point for conversations about racial disparities in our community. Just as Black history doesn’t disappear on March 1, these restaurants continue to exist beyond the week of events and benefit from continued patronage, and can hopefully serve as that family dinner table—providing a space and foundation to discuss those larger issues.

For more information, you can visit BlackRestaurantWeeks.com.

BIPOC, National

New video of Rochester, New York PD pepper spraying Black child emerges

Video

From Malcontentment Happy Hour, February 22, 2021

Warning: This story contains video of police activity that some may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

Rochester, New York Police released another 86 minutes of video of the before, during, and after of a 9-year-old girl in crisis being pepper-sprayed. The disturbing video shows that the mother of the child did not call 911 about her having suicidal ideation or being in a mental health crisis. Instead, the mother is seen chatting with officers about her former significant other having a warrant for his arrest, and that he stole one of her cars.

The video goes on to show the child waits 19 minutes for treatment after being pepper-sprayed, and the EMTs request the cuffs are loosened for being too tight. An NPR report indicates the mother requested a social worker or mental health specialist to come to the call, and officers refused. Hospital officials also denied the child a mental health evaluation.

The mother is now suing the city while three officers are suspended, one without pay over the incident.

BIPOC, National

Merrick Garland: Nominee for U.S. Attorney General

During the Judicial Committee hearing yesterday, Merrick Garland told Senators that he was shocked by videos of Black Americans being killed, but also pointed out that the eye-opening coverage and resulting protests could serve as a catalyst for finding remedies.

Biden’s nomination for US attorney general weathered questions from the Judicial Committee on Monday, including pointed, leading, and barbed questions from some of the hyperpartisan members. Merrick Garland is currently the chief judge of the D.C. Circuit and was famously nominated by President Obama to the Supreme Court, although Senator Mitch McConnell refused to allow that nomination a vote in the Senate—blocking the nomination. He has also previously worked within the Department of Justice, including a role as deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division. In that role, he oversaw the high-profile domestic terrorism cases including the Oklahoma City bombing, Ted Kaczynski, and the bombing at the Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) questioned Judge Garland on racial issues from several directions during the hearing. Throughout, Garland maintained a firm stance, stating that he believes “discrimination is morally wrong. Absolutely.” Cotton continually returned to questions about racial issues. “Are you aware President Biden has signed an executive order stating his administration will affirmatively advance racial equity,” Cotton asked. “Not racial equality, but racial equity?”

Garland’s reply: “Yes. And I read the opening of that executive order, which defines equity as the fair and impartial treatment of every person, without regard to their status, and including individuals who are in underserved communities where they were not afforded that before.”

Cotton appeared preoccupied with a Trump-era case against Yale University, alleging admissions discrimination against white and Asian American students, which was dropped earlier this month by the current Department of Justice. Garland replied by stating, several times, that the statistics Cotton repeated could not be interpreted without the context and facts of the case.

Ted Cruz (R-TX), possibly seeking to find a positive sound bite for conservative audiences criticizing his ill-timed Cancun vacation, asked Garland about keeping the Department of Justice, something that the nominee has prioritized since being nominated. Cruz used his time to raise debunked conspiracy theories related to Eric Holder and already disproven allegations of the Department of Justice being used for political purposes under the Obama administration. Cruz did set aside some time to praise previous attorney general, William Barr while ignoring the fact that under Barr’s direction the Department of Justice was found to be directly used by the previous administration as a weapon against political opponents and to insulate Donald Trump and his allies.

In an exchange that Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) likely didn’t expect, Garland responded to the question of defunding the police. “As you, no doubt know,” the nominee said, “President Biden has said he doesn’t support defunding the police, and neither do I.” The nominee went on to cite the horrors of the January 6 insurrection attempt and the attacks on officers during the violence as a reason to support law enforcement. More than 140 Capitol Police officers were injured during the assault on Congress that Hawley helped to incite.

“I do believe,” Garland continued, “that we do need to put resources into alternative ways of confronting some actors, particularly those who are mentally ill and those who are suicidal.”

Not all of the hearing was spent on partisan attacks, however, and some highlights did appear. Judge Garland:

  • Pledged to protect the Justice Department from political pressure
  • Vows the DOJ will pursue all leads in the investigation of the Capitol attack
  • Has reservations about the death penalty
  • Sees no reason to discontinue the Durham probe at this time
  • Highlights the mission of the Division of Civil Rights to protect the rights of the “most vulnerable members of our society.”

In an emotional moment during the hearing, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) asked the nominee to share a private conversation they had about his family history involving hate and discrimination. Garland, clearly emotional and fighting back tears, related a brief anecdote. “I come from a family where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution. The country took us in and protected us. I feel an obligation to pay the country back.”

Garland stated in his remarks prior to the hearing, that equity and fairness are important to him. He went on to say, “that mission remains urgent because we do not yet have equal justice. Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment, and the criminal justice system; and bear the brunt of the harm caused by the pandemic, pollution, and climate change.”

BIPOC, Editorial, LGBTQIA, Local, National

Malcontentment Happy Hour: February 22, 2021

Video

Our live webcast from the Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from February 22, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Most Tacoma Police Department officers will have body cams by end of the week
  • UW students suspended from attending in-person classes after a snowstorm kegger
  • Rochester, New York Police release 86 more minutes of video of 9-years-old girl pepper sprayed
  • Justice for Elijah McClain inches closer
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • Ohio bomb squad is called on Sprinkles the cat
    • Mashpee-Wampanoag First Nation will keep their tribal lands
    • Mariners president resigns after telling the awful truth about baseball
    • Lake Travis residents in Texas help each other in face of winter disaster
    • Catholic League leaders say Joe Biden’s LGBT obsession is hurting Christians
    • LGBTQ virtual spaces help keep college students connected to combat isolation and depression
    • U.S. shelters for migrant children near-maximum capacity as Biden Administration struggles with “kids in cages’
    • A mariachi band from Houston serenades Ted Cruz outside his home to bring a bit of Mexico vacation to him
    • Mancin Music on TikTok video absolutely shreds Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
    • Kayne West and Kim Kardashian are calling it quits
  • Chad Wheeler arrest video and audio released by Kent Police
  • Walking while Black incident in Plano, Texas
  • Insurrection Update
  • The tale of three vehicular assaults and three different forms of justice in the United States

BIPOC, Five Facts, National

Charges dropped against Plano, Texas Black man walking in street during snowstorm

Five Fast Facts

  • Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested on February 16 for walking in the road in Plano, Texas
  • Someone called 911 to report a Black man stumbling along in the middle of a snow-covered street wearing a short-sleeve shirt and they requested a welfare check
  • Reese repeatedly told officers he was fine and he was walking home from work, police continued to follow him for two-minutes despite denying any aid and then told him he would be detained
  • Officers accuse Reese of resisting arrest but elected not to charge him, and instead charged him with a misdemeanor, being a pedestrian walking in the roadway and arrested him
  • The acting police chief had the charges dropped, saying officers had no cause to stop or detain Reese based on the reason for the call and his response.

PLANO, Texas — A misdemeanor charge has been dropped against a Black man who was arrested last week for walking home on a street during a snowstorm in Texas.

Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested Feb. 16 in Plano and charged with being a pedestrian in the roadway, news outlets reported.

Keep reading at ABC News

BIPOC, Breaking News, Local

Superior Court Judge Ramsmeyer upholds protesters’ claims of discrimination

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Superior Court Judge Judith H. Ramseyer rejected the City of Seattle’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit for wrongful death, personal injuries, and civil rights violations. Attorneys from Stritmatter, Kessler, Koehler, and Moore, and co-counsel Cedar Law PLLC filed the suit last fall on behalf of more than 60 plaintiffs who participated in Black Lives Matter protests. The plaintiffs, including the survivors of Summer Taylor, claim that policing decisions were based on discriminatory practices and negligence causing injuries and death.

In court today, lawyers representing the city argued that the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) is only applicable for employer-employee law. Lawyers representing the city stated that applying WLAD to this case would be a “radical departure of the law” and represented a new legal theory. “We’ve seen the difference between how the police have handled other protests such as the women’s march and blue lives matters protests versus those for Black lives,” said attorney Sarah Lippek of Cedar Law, PLLC. “We think the differences in treatment are discriminatory.”

The city’s argument was, in part, that since protesters are not city employees, the protesters were not protected by WLAD even if the city behaved in a discriminatory way. Karen Koehler argued that protesters of all races advocating on behalf of Black lives and then brutalized by police due to their advocacy should be covered under the non-discrimination law.

Judge Ramseyer sided with the plaintiffs and upheld the claim that authorities’ actions over the summer could be considered discriminatory under WLAD. “The judge upheld our cause of action that protesters of all races advocating for Black lives could bring discrimination claims against the police for their brutal and disproportionate response,” said attorney Lara Hruska.

Another finding in today’s case is that the streets are “places of public accommodation” protected under WLAD. In 2019 the Washington State Supreme Court found that places of public accommodation are broadly defined as facilities or businesses used by or open to the public. Judge Ramseyer’s decision expands that protection. “The court decided that the streets are an area of public accommodation, and the police can’t discriminate against protesters on those streets,” said Lippek. “I mean, what is more public than the streets?”

DISCLOSURE: Renee Raketty, field editor for Malcontent News is a plaintiff in this case.

BIPOC, Local

Memorial at NAAM honors Anais Valencia

Video

From Malcontentment Happy Hour, February 18, 2021

Anais Valencia was murdered in the NAAM parking lot on February 5, 2021

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Black, religious, and community leaders from across the spectrum came together in a call for an end to violence, being bright in the world, and honoring Anais Valencia. Valencia, just 23-years old, was murdered by Gregory Taylor while he was in a mental health crisis on February 5 in the parking lot of the Northwest African American Museum. During a cool, dry evening with the moon above, religious and community leaders, along with family, remembered Valencia and discussed the tragedy of BIPOC families burying their children due to gun violence.

LaNesha Barber of NAAM, started the words of comfort, “This is a turning point for our community, turning toward the light and a turning toward love. Your presence here tonight begins this turning point.” Seven members of the clergy from Christian and Jewish faith addressed the small crowd as they held candles in the cool evening breeze.

“I think about the power of the cry,” said Reverend Mary Bogan, of the Damascus International Fellowship Baptist Church. “I think about my savior Jesus and his last seven words, and how important it was for him to message the freedom of acknowledging the pain. The freedom of being able to sit with something that is more about the presence of an absence, or the absence of a presence. I thought about what it means to get a call. Deep bonds of love have been torn apart and a community once again feels the stain of violence.”

Reverend Rick Rouse of the Lutheran Church quoted Jimi Hendrix saying, “Jimi Hendrix once said when the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will have peace again.” Controversial figure Virginia Beach of the African American Community Advisory Council spoke of being “exhausted,” from the continued violence, and fighting the sense to quit against the continued strain the Black and Person of Color community faces.

As darkness fell, family and friends gathered around a small memorial in the parking lot of NAAM, just steps from where Valencia lost her life. Later that same night, LaNesha Barber’s words of turning toward the light and love fell hollow on the ground as police shot and killed a man having a mental health crisis on the Seattle waterfront.