Since the September 7, 2020, SPOG Rally, where Seattle Police used flashbangs, blast balls, pepper spray, and sponge-tipped rounds almost indiscriminately, the department has shifted tactics. By early October, they have modified how they use bike officers and have virtually eliminated the use of explosives. This shift in tactics has resulted in targeted arrests.
Previously, when engaged with protesters, officers would standoff, then move in force at an entire group due to a single protester’s action. Officers on bicycles would typically lead these charges supported by officers on foot. These tactics created a stronger response from protesters and injured more people. Sweeping arrests occurred with suspects misidentified, credential press and medics arrested, and charges filed with no supporting evidence.
Local news affiliate KOMO reported that Mayor Durkan praised police officials for their change in tactics. “The Seattle Police Department is getting better now at being able to target arrests, to isolate people in the crowd that are [sic] doing the destructive things. We will continue to arrest people for that [criminal acts during demonstrations],” Durkan said.
November 30, 2020, the 21st anniversary of the WTO riots protest, highlights how SPD has changed tactics. Protesters broke windows at a Starbucks on 12th Avenue while SPD officers observed at a distance. As recently as October, this kind of action would have created an immediate response by police. Instead, officers followed protesters for a half-mile while controlling their route through a residential neighborhood. When the protesters tried to move off of 16th, SPD blocked their direction and kept them northbound using a dispersal order.
As the protesters continued to march, Seattle Police moved to within arms reach at times. Bike officers stayed on the street, and officers on foot walked on the sidewalk. Tactical support was provided by a vehicle equipped with LRAD, additional officers in two vans, and a SWAT unit in the Bearcat.
Radio communications and discussion from officers indicated they were planning a targeted arrest. SPD moved protesters toward the intersection of 16th Ave, E Madison Street, and E Pine Street. This intersection provided a broad paved area, bright lighting, and multiple routes of access. Additionally, it is a pocket of commercial businesses.
When the protesters reached East Pike Street, SPD moved back while confirming their target for arrest. They started to clear the street of medics and press, who usually follow behind direct action groups, to create an exact route. The officers on foot moved ahead of bike officers while staying on the sidewalk. When the protest group entered the intersection, Seattle Police moved quickly.
Officers ran on foot into the group of protesters, tackling three individuals. Officers on bicycles operated in a supporting role and created a protective circle. While making the bike barricade, they separated the protesters into two groups. Although officers have frequently used bikes as barricades, this appeared to be a secondary action.
After the arrests and another dispersal order to move up 16th, Seattle police bike officers made several false charges, stopping short just inches from the protesters. Police used a small amount of pepper spray, with a couple of protesters impacted, but made no additional arrests.
Two tactics that haven’t changed? First, Seattle police continue to give dispersal orders while not allowing protesters to disperse. Second, dispersal orders continue to drive protesters back to the protest starting point, where officers disengage.
These changes started to form almost immediately after the retirement of Chief Carmen Best. Under Best’s leadership, Seattle Police seemed to use tactics that inflamed protesters and the public. The actions have resulted in multiple civil lawsuits for injuries and property damage at the hand of SPD.
Back on June 1, protesters were met with OC, tear gas, and flashbang grenades when the Seattle Police department erected the Western Barricade in Capitol Hill. The asymmetrical tactics by the Seattle Police resulted in more protesters assembling at the Western Barricade daily. An estimated 2,000 on June 2 swelled to 60,000 by June 6. Protesters faced escalating violence each day, reaching an apex on June 7. The Seattle Police Department controversially abandoned the East Precinct on June 8.
The Seattle City Council stepped in and banned tear gas use. Additionally, a federal judge also established a protection order on August 10. These orders didn’t stop the general use of force against protesters by the Seattle Police. According to the ACLU, there was disproportionate use of force on August 16, August 25, and September 7. The federal courts issued an order on August 10 as a result of SPDs actions on July 25. Those tactics now seem to be part of the past, even with large groups of protesters.
To observers and experts on civil unrest, the broad targeting of all protesters creates a vicious cycle. For every peaceful protester exposed to police violence, several more take their place. It also reinforces the Black Lives Matter message of police violence against people who aren’t breaking any laws.
No other city demonstrated this better than Portland, Oregon. When federal officers arrived and escalated the situation, the number of protesters swelled from around 100 to as many as 10,000. The area around the federal courthouse became a hotbed of civil unrest, receiving international news coverage. When federal officers left the city, the number of protesters dropped off quickly.
Whether these changes are due to the direction of Chief Diaz or the result of pressure from court orders, OPA investigations, and lawsuits, public interest in protests is declining. Unfortunately, the racial inequality that impacts the BIPOC community has not changed.
Eleven years ago, French-born Khalid Kaskou had a dream of bringing authentic French pastries to the Pacific Northwest. With his wife, Andrea Yao, Kaskou founded Belle Pastry nine years ago, and it has grown into a successful small business in old town Bellevue. The year brought COVID-related shutdowns, civil unrest, and economic hard times, but Kaskou met those challenges head-on. Going beyond keeping the doors open, he has kept his staff employed, aided other small businesses, and honored the first responder community.
When the first round of lockdowns happened, business dropped 70%. “To be honest, we were terrified and panicked a little bit,” said Yao, “but like any challenges in life, we wanted to meet the crisis head-on.” To date, the bakery has not closed a single day, not even during the civil unrest in Bellevue on May 31, and they have not had to reduce staff.
“A couple of our customers reached out to us pretty early on during COVID, saying they wanted to buy pastries. They would like for us to deliver them to hospitals and clinics. That gave me the idea, why don’t we make it easier for people to participate in a pastry donation like this,” Yao explained. Since they started the program, over 3,300 pastries have flowed into the hands of hospitals and clinics throughout Puget Sound.
Open from 7 AM to 6 PM, Belle Pastry is more than baked goods, offering a full-service menu with lunch and dinner items. They recently started a program where individuals can donate to fight local food insecurity. In less than a week, they raised over $3,700 – enough to feed more than 200 people.
Kaskou’s support of the community goes beyond feeding tired and hungry mouths and includes feeding wearing souls. In May, Yao learned about the plight of Hmong flower growers, displaced from Pike Place Market due to COVID business restrictions. She had an idea. With her husband’s support, they opened up the area in front of their bakery to the Hmong Association of Washington to use as a pick-up point and a place to collect donations. Kaskou also helped Homemake Gardens of Carnation, Washington, expand their business to the eastside by allowing customers to pick up their purchases at Belle Pastry.
Another way Kaskou is helping is breaking down the barriers of social distancing for businesses and familes. Belle Pastry offers virtual parties, where each participant gets a cake or pastry delivered to their location. That way, in a virtual meeting, everyone can have their cake and literally eat it too.
You can order for yourself, make a donation for first responders and those in need via their website, or visit Belle Pastry at 10373 Main Street, Bellevue.
Kesha Rodgers started The Ally League with her friend Sara So to help promote and support Black businesses and dismantle systemic racism. The events of 2020, including the resurgent Black Lives Matter movement and the disproportionate impact of COVID on the BIPOC community, created opportunity and hardship. As working moms, Rodgers and So realized that people wanted to support the Black community but didn’t have the time or resources to engage actively. The mission of The Ally League is to promote and support Black-owned businesses while enabling allies to learn about the available products.
![The Ally League creates Black Box to support local Black-owned businesses [short version]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2vvmiU6Jfb4/hqdefault.jpg)
“We wanted to move people from performative things like changing your square black on Instagram,” said Rodgers. “What are things that can actively and meaningfully make a difference? [Things] that will engage people who are less likely, and maybe unable to protest so that anyone can be actively anti-racist.”
“We had so many ideas on how to help,” Rodgers continued, “but the fact that so many businesses are failing, a lot of it has to do with exposure. There is an assumption that if a product has a Black person on the front of it, it is only for Black people. There are so many products that if they were in someone’s hands, they would buy them over and over again.“
On November 29, The Ally League launched Black Box, two different priced boxes filled with products created by Black-owned businesses. Some featured items include Hunni Water, sparkling water infused with honey, AH Lip & Body Butter skincare products, Sukie’s Candles, and Boon Boona Coffee sourced from Africa. All boxes come with a “compassionist” key chain, so allies are reminded to be compassionate and open-minded. “We really want people to put the compassionist mindset front and center,” said So.
You can place your order for a $25 Mini Black Box or a $75 Premier Black Box at The Ally League. Although supplies are limited, So indicated they would do a second run in early 2021. As an additional service that supports the Black community, The Ally League can create custom and co-branded boxes with items from Black-owned companies for corporate giving and events.
On Monday, Seattle Police Officer’s Guild President Mike Solan addressed area realtors during a webinar hosted by Seattle King County Realtors. During his presentation, Solan stated that race wasn’t an issue in King County and that Black Lives Matter activists were hurting Seattle property values.
Despite Solan’s claims, a review of the Seattle King County Realtors Twitter feed paints a different picture. On November 6, 2020, the trade organization linked to a Windermere Economics Report that indicated the King County real estate market is in excellent condition. The report cited the high price of land as a factor restricting construction, stating “New construction permit activity is lagging due to expensive land prices and challenging regulatory fees. Builders are starting to adapt to meet demand by adjusting their products.“
For existing homes, the report indicates that a lack of homes for sale continues to create a challenging market, “Overall sales activity for single-family resale homes has increased despite low supply and home prices having [sic] more than doubled in eight years. 2020 sales are expected to exceed 2019 but are still being limited by supply.” In a forecast by Matthew Gardner in the same report, reasons cited for departure from the Seattle-Bellevue core included heading to “cheaper markets” and “renters…[turning] into buyers as more people who can work remotely can relocate further from work for cheaper homes.“
Further in the report, Gardner writes, “new and existing condos are troubling.” In a Seattle Times report in 2018, a study indicated that 88% of 2017 new residential construction in Seattle was high-density units – the same properties that have become undesirable due to COVID.
The COVID era has created a new generation of tech employees flush with cash. An Amazon employee who started in January of 2018 has seen their stock options grow 274%. For a Microsoft employee, the growth is 243%. With interest rates at historic lows, employees at both tech giants are no longer beholden to the South Lake Union or Redmond campuses.
According to Redfin, the median home price in King County has swollen to $690K, a 10.8% increase over last year. The average time on the market is 23 days, with the listing going for 1.6% over the asking price. According to Windermere, the median sale price in Seattle is $800K, an increase of 6.5% over the previous year.
In support of Gardner’s market observations, SeaTac, Kent, and Sammamish have seen home prices grow by 14.7% or more. Despite Solan’s claims that BLM activists are depressing Seattle home prices, Shoreline, Kirkland, Burien, Renton, Federal Way, and Snoqualmie also have seen prices grow by single digits. Gardner calls out Boeing specifically as an economic black spot. Boeing has recently made announcements that put the Renton factory’s future in question, creating uncertainly in the market.
In October, a survey of 400 area residents by Crosscut/Elway showed significant citizen support for Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Seattle and King County. Seventy-five-percent of Seattle respondents said they supported or mostly supported the protests. Another Redfin study indicated that 30% of Americans want to move from cities or changed plans to move to a city due to civil unrest. The same survey also revealed that 23% of respondents liked where they lived even more, despite the turmoil.
The Redfin story cites a condo that went for sale just a block from the former CHOP that even had windows smashed during the summer unrest. The unit sold in five days, beating the average time on the market by 18 days. Daryl Fairweather wrote, “For some families, the protests, curfews, and looting that have taken place in 2020 may have played a role in the decision to leave big-city life behind, but remote work and record-low mortgage rates were likely the driving factors.“
Unless Congress takes action in the next 29 days, a looming explosion of foreclosures and evictions will start this winter. In Washington state, over 200,000 families could lose their homes in 2021, creating another wave of wealth transfer. Despite Solan’s claims of Black Lives Matter impacting the real estate market, area real estate data, and studies from experts in the field don’t support his position.
Seattle King County Realtors did not respond to a request for a statement.
Approximately 75 to 100 protesters marched through the Capitol Hill area on Monday to recognize the 21st anniversary of the WTO riots. The march also marked 180 days of continuous protest in Seattle. The protesters, dressed mostly in black, gathered in Cal Anderson Park before moving over five miles.
With Lt. Diamond on LRAD, Seattle Police arrived within minutes of the marchers moving onto Broadway. The protest continued down Broadway before turning into Seattle University outside of Swedish Hospital. Seattle police declared that protesters were blocking hospital access over the LRAD system, while nearby SPD officers mocked COVID restrictions.
A couple of protesters broke windows at a Starbucks on 12th Ave, while the smell of fresh spray paint hung in the air. Shortly after, Seattle police bike officers started to follow the protest, while a squad of approximately ten officers moved on foot. Seattle police discussed targeted arrests as they closed in on the protesters.
At East Madison Street and 16th Ave, Seattle police took three into custody during the night’s first arrests. During the arrest, someone threw a glass bottle at officers. Using their LRAD, a warning was issued to disperse immediately. SPD claims that multiple bottles and rocks were thrown during the arrests on the Seattle Police Twitter feed. Video taken during the arrests by numerous journalists and streamers do not support their version of events.
The protest snaked through residential areas that Seattle police were pushing the protest group through. Despite moving protesters into neighborhoods, the Seattle police were issuing “apologies” via LRAD for the disruption. Protesters moved dumpsters, construction barricades, rental scooters, and recycle bins into the road to slow SPD officers’ advance.
During the march, Seattle police deployed pepper spray on several protesters, who were seen being treated by medics. There was an additional arrest, however, it was a couple of blocks from the leading protest group. The Seattle Police blotter states the arrest was for property damage.
The protest moved north toward Volunteer Park, passing Uncle Ike’s on 15th Ave East. The group paused only briefly at the controversial cannabis store, where there were sounds of windows being struck. There did not appear to be any broken windows at the store, and the Seattle Police blotter made no mention of any damage.
Seattle Police officers caught up to the protest group and declared the march an unlawful assembly. As the group moved north, SPD maintained less than a 20-foot gap between themselves and the protesters, often only being a few feet away.
During this push by Seattle Police, multiple protesters claim an officer used a racial slur against protesters, calling one of them a n****r. During this same time, we could hear Seattle Police officers disparaging Seattle Public Schools and COVID restrictions in response to a protester chant to the tune of A-B-C-D.
Protesters took a return route to Cal Anderson Park, with significant amounts of graffiti in their wake. Seattle police made one more charge into the protest group, grabbing one individual on the sidewalk and immediately releasing them back into the protest group. The final charge appeared to be an act of unprovoked aggression by officers as the protest was winding down.
Police assets involved included the previously mentioned LRAD system, two vans, several police vehicles, and the SWAT team Bearcat. Protesters returned to Cal Anderson Park around 10:30 PM, and Seattle Police disengaged the protesters.
On September 7, 2020, 300 to 400 people marched from the International District to the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild (SPOG) offices in SODO. At 6:20 PM, Seattle Police took direct action against a mostly peaceful group, rushing in with over 100 officers in two directions. When the smoke cleared, Seattle Police and the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild claimed they moved on the group due to intelligence that an individual had Molotov cocktails. They advanced to arrest that person. Our investigation indicates the official version of the events that happened that day doesn’t stand up.
From September to November, both SPOG and SPD have released videos of events during the protest. The videos they released included security cameras, body cameras, and scraped content from journalists. We analyzed their video in combination with over nine hours of video Malcontent News captured on September 7.
The Seattle Police Officer’s Guild released a video on September 11, 2020, which highlighted an individual carrying a Corona beer box as the known suspect with the Molotov cocktails. SPOG accused the person of wanting to burn down their offices and that it was the march’s broader purpose. SPOG, in their video, states that was the reason police advanced on protesters.
In November, the Seattle Police Department released over an hour of security camera and officer’s body camera video from September 7. The SPD video also claims that police moved in on protesters due to an individual with Molotov cocktails. An SPD statement reads, “During the march, SPD received information that a suspect in the crowd had and was readying Molotov cocktails. members of the crowd began to gather outside SPOG, gathering and placing combustible material in front of the fence.“
We interviewed protesters from that day, and one of our cameras captured a person throwing trash over the fence. Protesters told us they had picked up trash during the march from the International District and had planned to toss the garbage over the fence but had no plan or intent on lighting it on fire. SPD’s own story of a lone operative with Molotov cocktails morphs into a coordinated effort as their statement continues. “Others in the crowd began to take those same materials, throwing them over the fence in a coordinated effort.“
Our video analysis shows that the man with the Corona beer box walks past the people leaving trash bags at the northeast corner of the SPOG fence. He continues to walk southbound past the SPOG building and into the main body of protesters adjacent to the SPOG parking lot. Just as Seattle Police move in, an individual throws one bag of garbage over the fence. The video doesn’t support the premise of a coordinated effort with the trash, nor coordination with the man carrying the box.
An investigation that reviewed the officer’s statements, SPOG press release, videos, and the SPD released videos created more questions than providing answers. Our review shows that the Seattle Police had multiple opportunities to arrest the person allegedly with Molotov cocktails, yet took no action.
Video recorded by journalists on September 7 shows the person of interest standing mere feet from officers, directing protesters to head north. Seattle Police Department body camera video shows the individual in front of multiple Seattle police and SWAT officers. Another video shows the person of interest about an hour later, marching back with protesters.
The man holding the Corona beer box has been a point of controversy from all sides since September 7. Some people in the protest community have told us he is a “stupid protester” operating independently. Others have accused the individual of being part of the extreme-right, there to discredit the movement. Some suggested the individual seen later in videos is a different person from the one carrying the Corona beer box.
Our analysis discovered that the man carrying the Corona beer box had a red shirt under his darker shirt. A camera caught a glimpse of the red shirt sticking out from under his sweat jacket about 30 minutes before the protest group arrived at SPOG headquarters. SPD body camera video, which shows SPD officers ignoring the man, also shows the same red undershirt.
Part of SPD’s claims is that on September 7, people inside SPOG headquarters smelled gasoline. The claim being, they could smell the Molotov cocktails outside. On the same day, the SPD Twitter released a photo of the opened beer box showing the contents inside. However, the bottles appear to be empty or near empty, and nothing in the contents has the color of gasoline.
SPD’s statement from the day declares, “Lt. Brooks ordered the arrest of the suspect with the Molotov cocktail and at 6:20 PM SPD made its first contact with the crowd…” The wording is essential. Like the SPOG video of September 11, the SPD statement establishes they knew who the suspect was. That person is the man carrying the Corona beer box. Not only is he never captured, he stands feet away from police on multiple occasions where arresting him would have been safe for officers.
Our investigation concludes that the Seattle Police Department’s claim that they advanced on protesters to arrest an individual they knew to have Molotov cocktails is highly questionable. The Seattle Police Officer’s Guild identifies the person in their video on September 11. In the videos released by the Seattle Police Department in November, the same individual goes ignored in their analysis.
Black Lives Matter activist Frank Sensabaugh, known as Frank Nitty, has been released from a Milwaukee jail without charges. Police arrested Nitty last week without incident after being accused of sexual assault by a 39-year old woman. Nitty and his friends live-streamed the arrest.
The District Attorney’s office stated that Nitty was released without charges but that the investigation is ongoing. During Nitty’s arrest, Arthur Von Morgan, better known as Sino, punched a Milwaukee police officer and was also arrested. Sino’s alleged assault and subsequent arrest were live-streamed, with associates begging him to stop. Von Morgan is facing felony battery to a law enforcement officer charges from the incident. Bail has not been set and Von Morgan remains in custody.
Nitty is best known for his walk from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. I had a Dream speech. Nitty and his group faced harassment, arrest, and Sino was shot in Pennsylvania. John and Terry Myers, the shooters in the August 25, 2020 incident in Bedford County, have gone uncharged. According to an investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer on September 30, 2020, the Pennsylvania State Police have changed the story of the events three times. None of the versions align with three live-streams and one video shot at the time.
Washington state continues to add to grim milestones in the battle against COVID, with 762 patients now in hospital, a state record. Despite only 1,440 new cases logged on November 21, 2020, the weekend typically produces lower numbers with delays in reporting and testing. The number is an improvement from the record-breaking 3,327 new cases identified on November 16.
Late last week, at Swedish First Hill, they admitted ten new COVID patients in five hours. In Kirkland, Evergreen Hospital, once ground zero in the United States for COVID, has held steady with 25 patients hospitalized through the week. UW Medicine has seen an expanding number of patients, including several on ECMO, a last line of defense where an infected person’s lungs have essentially failed.
In Auburn, MultiCare Auburn Medical Center is suffering a COVID outbreak on the fourth-floor unit that has sickened over two-dozen. A patient died on November 10, and another died on November 16. In October, Harborview Medical Center experienced an outbreak resulting in one patient death. Providence Hospital in Everett also reported an outbreak on November 11 but did not provide specific information on the number of infections.
In eastern Washington, the situation isn’t much better. Deaconess and Valley Hospitals, Sacred Heart and Holy Family Hospitals, and Pullman Regional Hospital did not comment on how many patients were under their care. All spokespersons made similar statements around expanding patient load but available capacity. In the Idaho panhandle, Kootenai Health reported 54 patients in their care on Thursday, up from 46, with 10 requiring critical care.
In southwest Washington, Clark County reports 75% ICU utilization as of mid-week, while overall COVID patient numbers are low. Legacy Salmon Creek and PeaceHealth Southwest have a combined 56 patients in the hospital.
As wait times for COVID tests in the Puget Sound region expanded to hours, doctors started advising people not to test unless they are displaying symptoms. A lack of available tests and lab capacity continues to plague the nation, and UW Medicine reports their testing systems are overwhelmed. Last week, the University of Washington started canceling booked tests due to a lack of capacity and resources.
In western Washington, UW Medicine and Swedish are reporting they are deferring surgeries to provide capacity for a growing caseload of COVID patients. In eastern Washington, Deaconess and Valley Hospitals are under similar conditions, and Pullman Regional Hospital implemented their surge plan.
The regional healthcare system is also straining due to a shortage of PPE, therapeutic drugs, and staffing shortages. Officials report the question isn’t hospital beds, but the staff to support critically ill patients, who can require three to four full-time caregivers to keep them stabilized. Additionally, states such as Idaho send their sickest patients to Seattle and Portland, Oregon, for advanced treatment.
By the numbers, COVID in Washington state continues to be brutal on the BIPOC community. Hispanic communities have seen the worst numbers, representing 36% of cases and 27% of hospitalizations while representing 13% of the total state population. In south King County, the Black and persons of color communities report over a 300% increase in detected infections over the more white communities north of Seattle.
There are some silver linings. The mortality rate in Washington is drifting downward, now at 1.9%. By age group, 83% of cases discovered are now people 59 and younger. The younger age groups tend to have lower mortality.
Detected cases are a leading indicator of hospitalizations and deaths. Peak hospitalization will likely come in the next two weeks if the number of new cases can stabilize and start to drop. Peak deaths would follow two to four weeks after peak hospitalizations.
Update: An edit was made to reflect that the SBA estimates one-third of all small businesses will fail by June of 2021.
With growing signs that the economic recovering is stalling out and a fresh set of COVID-based lockdowns across the United States, federal benefits will end on December 26 with no extension in sight. The Federal CARES Act provided additional unemployment benefits in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). For thousands of Washingtonians depending on these lifelines, the looming deadline is a body blow.
PUA provides for an additional 13 weeks of unemployment compensation above and beyond state benefits. PEUC provides unemployment compensation for gig workers, the self-employed, and others who rely upon 1099 pay. Recipients of PEUC typically would not be eligible for traditional unemployment compensation, with millions of Americans dependent on the “gig economy” for work.
Congressional leaders, the White House, and the Federal Reserve have been bickering over a new COVID stimulus package since the summer with no progress. The White House has favored a $2.4 trillion package, including small business and individual relief, which the House has supported. The Senate prefers a far smaller package of $500 billion, which provides almost no individual relief and corporate protections that are a non-starter for the House.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell issued a very rare rebuke to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, who ordered the Fed to wind down CARES Act programs and return all unspent funds to Treasury. Chairman Powell indicated that the economy is still fragile, and ending these programs prematurely as COVID surges could extend the ongoing recession. Despite the public dust-up, the Fed agreed to wind down these programs over the weekend in a letter to Mnuchin.
The unemployment rate has dropped to 6.9% in October. However, the U3 unemployment figure doesn’t include people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. The broader U6 unemployment figure consists of those who have used up unemployment compensation, given up looking for work, or, most critically, are underemployed. The U6 for October was 12.1%, down from a high of 18% earlier in the year.
White House and GOP leaders are distracted, attacking the national election results with baseless fraud claims, indicating they have no interest in focusing on economic security. The Small Business Association estimates one-third of all small businesses will fail by June of 2021. So far, in 2020, 40% of all black-owned small businesses have collapsed.
Also looming in early 2021 is the end of eviction, foreclosure, and energy bill deferments. Over 12 million American households are $5,000 or more behind on rent or mortgage payments.
