thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins Loses Seat To Jake LaTurner After Facing Criminal Charges

State Treasurer Jake LaTurner unseated Watkins after arguing that the criminal charges against Watkins made an already vulnerable incumbent an even worse bet with Democrats sensing an opportunity to pick up the 2nd District seat in eastern Kansas despite its Republican leanings .
Watkins had largely toed the conservative line and vocally supported President Donald Trump in Congress .
Watkins told reporters he called LaTurner to congratulate him and to wish him well in November , adding he personally would like to be part of Republican unity this November .
“ I will continue to work to the best of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day that I serve , ” Watkins said .
The charges against Watkins were filed in state district court his home of Shawnee County just three weeks before the election and arose from his listing a postal box at a UPS Inc. store as his residence on a state voter registration form .
Watkins and LaTurner battled for the GOP nomination with Dennis Taylor , a Topeka lawyer and businessman with a long career in state and local government that has included heading several state agencies .
Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Windholz , a University of Kansas graduate student and instructor .
“ It doesn ’ t take a lot of brains to actually use your real address , ” she said after voting at a church .
“ So there had to have been something intentional occur.
” Watkins is accused of voting illegally in a Topeka City Council race in November 2019 and of trying to mislead a sheriff ’ s detective who was investigating whether he broke state election laws by listing the UPS postal box as his residence last yerar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corrected his residential address — twice — so that it ’ s now an apartment that lies outside the City Council district that includes the UPS store .
Watkins has said he made a mistake and corrected it .
He ’ s called the criminal charges “ bogus ” and has accused the local district attorney , Mike Kagay , of colluding with LaTurner because both share a direct mail services firm .
He acknowledged during a Kansas City Star interview last week that he voted in the wrong City Council district but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law .
He suggested the voter registration resulted from “ collegial ” work with his staff but denied an allegation that he tried to mislead the detective by blaming the voter registration problem on his staff .
“ They want to keep this seat in Republican hands and I think they spoke with a loud voice saying that tonight , ” LaTurner said .
“ We are very pleased with the results and again look forward to uniting this party.
” Democrats and some Republicans already saw Watkins as vulnerable this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by less than a percentage point after emerging from a crowded GOP primary with less than 27 % of the vote .
He is a former Army officer and military contractor .
Kris Miller , a 47-year-old financial planner based in Topeka , said he voted for Watkins because he liked how the congressman ’ s voting record matched Trump ’ s policies .
He said he didn ’ t think the “ intent was there ” when Watkins listed the postal box as his address .
LaTurner is a former state senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 .
De La Isla is the first Latina and single mother to serve as Topeka mayor , winning the office in 2017 after serving on the City Council .

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Freshman Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins lost his Republican primary Tuesday after being charged with felony election fraud and other crimes.
State Treasurer Jake LaTurner unseated Watkins after arguing that the criminal charges against Watkins made an already vulnerable incumbent an even worse bet with Democrats sensing an opportunity to pick up the 2nd District seat in eastern Kansas despite its Republican leanings. Watkins had largely toed the conservative line and vocally supported President Donald Trump in Congress.
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“It’s time to look to the future,” LaTurner told his supporters at a Topeka hotel. “It’s time to unite this party.”
Watkins told reporters he called LaTurner to congratulate him and to wish him well in November, adding he personally would like to be part of Republican unity this November.
“I will continue to work to the best of my ability ’til the very last day that I serve,” Watkins said.
The charges against Watkins were filed in state district court his home of Shawnee County just three weeks before the election and arose from his listing a postal box at a UPS Inc. store as his residence on a state voter registration form.
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Watkins and LaTurner battled for the GOP nomination with Dennis Taylor, a Topeka lawyer and businessman with a long career in state and local government that has included heading several state agencies. Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla won the Democratic nomination easily over James Windholz, a University of Kansas graduate student and instructor.
Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner talks with members of the 2nd congressional district during meeting at the annual GOP convention in Topeka, Kansas, on Feb. 16, 2019. Mark Reinstein via Getty Images
Jeanie Schuler, a 65-year-old retired health insurance director from Topeka, voted for LaTurner, saying that he’s “more trustworthy” than Watkins. The felony charges against Watkins influenced her vote, she said.
“It doesn’t take a lot of brains to actually use your real address,” she said after voting at a church. “So there had to have been something intentional occur.”
Watkins is accused of voting illegally in a Topeka City Council race in November 2019 and of trying to mislead a sheriff’s detective who was investigating whether he broke state election laws by listing the UPS postal box as his residence last yerar for voter registration purposes. Watkins later corrected his residential address — twice — so that it’s now an apartment that lies outside the City Council district that includes the UPS store.
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Watkins has said he made a mistake and corrected it. He’s called the criminal charges “bogus” and has accused the local district attorney, Mike Kagay, of colluding with LaTurner because both share a direct mail services firm. He acknowledged during a Kansas City Star interview last week that he voted in the wrong City Council district but said he did not intend to break the law. He suggested the voter registration resulted from “collegial” work with his staff but denied an allegation that he tried to mislead the detective by blaming the voter registration problem on his staff.
LaTurner told reporters voters want somebody who is consistent representing them.
“They want to keep this seat in Republican hands and I think they spoke with a loud voice saying that tonight,” LaTurner said. “We are very pleased with the results and again look forward to uniting this party.”
Democrats and some Republicans already saw Watkins as vulnerable this year because he won the November 2018 election by less than a percentage point after emerging from a crowded GOP primary with less than 27% of the vote. He is a former Army officer and military contractor.
Kris Miller, a 47-year-old financial planner based in Topeka, said he voted for Watkins because he liked how the congressman’s voting record matched Trump’s policies. He said he didn’t think the “intent was there” when Watkins listed the postal box as his address.
“As a business person, I know that stuff can get confusing,” Miller said.
LaTurner is a former state senator who has served as state treasurer since 2017. De La Isla is the first Latina and single mother to serve as Topeka mayor, winning the office in 2017 after serving on the City Council.
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De La Isla told KSNT-TV that among her top priorities is preserving the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act championed by former Democratic President Barack Obama.
“Here’s my message to anybody who puts (up) negative messages in order to win: That’s the swamp,” she said.
____


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-04--WNBA Players Back Kelly Loeffler's Senate Opponent With 'Vote Warnock' Shirts

Players are wearing “ Vote Warnock ” T-shirts to games this week to support the Rev .
Raphael Warnock , a Democrat who is challenging the Georgia Republican for her Senate seat in November .
Current and former players have called for Loeffler ’ s ouster from the WNBA following a string of controversial actions since she was appointed to her Senate seat last December .
A supporter of President Donald Trump and former Wall Street executive , Loeffler ’ s views are at odds with many of the values espoused by the progressive basketball league .
Last month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensified after she voiced her opposition to Black Lives Matter in a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and called on the league to abandon its support of the anti-racism movement .
She claimed it “ sends a message of exclusion ” for a sport to subscribe to a political agenda and expressed concerns it would drive fans away .
Engelbert has said that there are no plans to force Loeffler to sell her share of the team .
She also reaffirmed that this season will be dedicated to advocating for social justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Atlanta Dream , told ESPN that the “ Vote Warnock ” shirt idea was proposed as a response to Loeffler ’ s statements in an effort to effect change at a policy level .
“ If we ’ re going to sit here and talk about wanting justice reform , part of that is making sure that we have officials in office that understand that , ” she told the sports network .
She said the Dream and other WNBA players were making a coordinated effort not to address Loeffler in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting their focus on supporting a candidate that better represents their views .
“ We wanted to make sure we could still keep the focus on our social justice movement , and , funny enough , Rev .
Warnock is somebody who supports everything that we support and just happens to be running in that seat , ” Williams said .
“ So it just worked out really well.
” We are @ wnba players , but like the late , great John Lewis said , we are also ordinary people with extraordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life fighting for the people and we need him in Washington .
Join the movement for a better Georgia at https : //t.co/hC8iF9urak pic.twitter.com/mvN5e9m4oO — Elizabeth Williams ( @ E_Williams_1 ) August 4 , 2020 On Tuesday , as WNBA players in teams including the Chicago Sky , Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury donned “ Vote Warnock ” and “ Black Lives Matter ” shirts before their games , Warnock said he was humbled by their support .
“ This movement gives us the opportunity to fight for what we believe in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social justice on and off the court , ” Warnock tweeted I am honored and humbled by the overwhelming support from the @ WNBA players .
This movement gives us the opportunity to fight for what we believe in , and I stand by all athletes promoting social justice on and off the court .
# BlackLivesMatter — Reverend Raphael Warnock ( @ ReverendWarnock ) August 4 , 2020 A statement from Loeffler ’ s office provided to HuffPost said : “ This is just more proof that the out of control cancel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disagrees with them .
It ’ s clear that the league is more concerned with playing politics than basketball.
” “ We come together around sports , but promoting a political agenda divides us rather than unites us .
The lives of every African American matter , and there ’ s no place for racism in our country .
But I oppose the BLM political organization due to its radical ideas and Marxist foundations , which include defunding the police and eroding the nuclear family .
On the other hand , our flag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all .
If we can ’ t unite behind our flag , much less the national anthem during this struggle , then what keeps us together ?
” The Black Lives Matter website calls for defunding the police by reducing funding to police departments and investing that money in community services , such as education , health care and housing .
It also calls for a disruption of the “ Western-prescribed nuclear family structure ” and to replace it with a collective care and support system .
The WNBA announced last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jerseys that read “ Black Lives Matter ” and “ Say Her Name , ” a reference to Black women and girls who have been killed at the hands of police and in episodes of racial violence .
The uniforms are part of a larger effort by the league to address inequality and systemic racism in America via their new Social Justice Council , which will promote conversations around those and other issues , including voting rights , LGBTQ advocacy and gun control .

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WNBA players want Atlanta Dream co-owner Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) out of their league ― and out of the Senate.
Players are wearing “Vote Warnock” T-shirts to games this week to support the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat who is challenging the Georgia Republican for her Senate seat in November.
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Current and former players have called for Loeffler’s ouster from the WNBA following a string of controversial actions since she was appointed to her Senate seat last December. A supporter of President Donald Trump and former Wall Street executive, Loeffler’s views are at odds with many of the values espoused by the progressive basketball league.
THIS is what’s up! @ReverendWarnock is the real deal. 🗳 These @WNBA players are organized, relentless, fearless, and this is just next level you 👏🏼 love 👏🏼 to 👏🏼 see 👏🏼 it 👏🏼 https://t.co/5aAzQxv5J4 — Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) August 4, 2020
Last month, calls for Loeffler to sell her stake intensified after she voiced her opposition to Black Lives Matter in a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and called on the league to abandon its support of the anti-racism movement. She claimed it “sends a message of exclusion” for a sport to subscribe to a political agenda and expressed concerns it would drive fans away.
Engelbert has said that there are no plans to force Loeffler to sell her share of the team. She also reaffirmed that this season will be dedicated to advocating for social justice issues.
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Elizabeth Williams, a forward on the Atlanta Dream, told ESPN that the “Vote Warnock” shirt idea was proposed as a response to Loeffler’s statements in an effort to effect change at a policy level.
“If we’re going to sit here and talk about wanting justice reform, part of that is making sure that we have officials in office that understand that,” she told the sports network.
She said the Dream and other WNBA players were making a coordinated effort not to address Loeffler in recent weeks. Instead, they are putting their focus on supporting a candidate that better represents their views.
“We wanted to make sure we could still keep the focus on our social justice movement, and, funny enough, Rev. Warnock is somebody who supports everything that we support and just happens to be running in that seat,” Williams said. “So it just worked out really well.”
We are @wnba players, but like the late, great John Lewis said, we are also ordinary people with extraordinary vision. @ReverendWarnock has spent his life fighting for the people and we need him in Washington. Join the movement for a better Georgia at https://t.co/hC8iF9urak pic.twitter.com/mvN5e9m4oO — Elizabeth Williams (@E_Williams_1) August 4, 2020
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Warnock is the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the historic Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached. He’s staked out his major issues as health care and voting rights.
New York Liberty player Layshia Clarendon, a former Dream player and vocal critic of Loeffler, tweeted that Warnock is a “senate candidate with our leagues values.”
“Warnock is for criminal justice reform, LGBT+ rights and reproductive rights,” she told ESPN. “Those are the kind of people we want representing us.”
On Tuesday, as WNBA players in teams including the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury donned “Vote Warnock” and “Black Lives Matter” shirts before their games, Warnock said he was humbled by their support.
“This movement gives us the opportunity to fight for what we believe in, and I stand by all athletes promoting social justice on and off the court,” Warnock tweeted
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I am honored and humbled by the overwhelming support from the @WNBA players. This movement gives us the opportunity to fight for what we believe in, and I stand by all athletes promoting social justice on and off the court. #BlackLivesMatter — Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) August 4, 2020
A statement from Loeffler’s office provided to HuffPost said: “This is just more proof that the out of control cancel culture wants to shut out anyone who disagrees with them. It’s clear that the league is more concerned with playing politics than basketball.”
The statement said that Loeffler stood by her previous comments. Specifically:
“We come together around sports, but promoting a political agenda divides us rather than unites us. The lives of every African American matter, and there’s no place for racism in our country. But I oppose the BLM political organization due to its radical ideas and Marxist foundations, which include defunding the police and eroding the nuclear family. On the other hand, our flag represents our values of freedom and equality for all. If we can’t unite behind our flag, much less the national anthem during this struggle, then what keeps us together?”
The Black Lives Matter website calls for defunding the police by reducing funding to police departments and investing that money in community services, such as education, health care and housing. It also calls for a disruption of the “Western-prescribed nuclear family structure” and to replace it with a collective care and support system.
The WNBA announced last month that players this season will wear warmup jerseys that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name,” a reference to Black women and girls who have been killed at the hands of police and in episodes of racial violence.
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The uniforms are part of a larger effort by the league to address inequality and systemic racism in America via their new Social Justice Council, which will promote conversations around those and other issues, including voting rights, LGBTQ advocacy and gun control.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Tucker Carlson Says We Know Little About How George Floyd Died

Fox News personality Tucker Carlson on Tuesday attempted to cast doubt on what caused George Floyd ’ s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis , setting off protests against racism and police brutality .
( See the clip below . )
Bystander videos show a police officer kneeling on Floyd ’ s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest .
That cop , Derek Chauvin , has been charged with second-degree murder , and three others are charged with aiding and abetting murder .
All four have been fired .
Despite an array of evidence supporting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a newly leaked police bodycam video showing Floyd begging officers not to shoot him as somehow raising doubt .
“ The short answer is , we ’ re still not precisely sure how George Floyd died , ” he said .
Carlson , who has repeatedly attacked Black Lives Matter protests with fearmongering hyperbole , said the media and politicians have echoed the “ official storyline ” that Floyd was murdered by police .
An independent autopsy by New York City ’ s former chief medical examiner determined that Floyd ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain.
” “ There is no other health issue that could cause or contribute to the death , ” Dr. Michael Baden wrote .
“ Floyd ’ s death has been used to justify a nationwide convulsion of violence , destruction , looting , and in some cases killing .
And all of that in addition to unprecedented levels of political upheaval , the wholesale reordering of our most basic institutions .
Floyd ’ s death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point in American history .
No matter what side you ’ re on , that is very clear at this point .
So with all of that in mind , the significance of the event in mind , it ’ s striking how little we really know months later about how exactly George Floyd died .
”

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Fox News personality Tucker Carlson on Tuesday attempted to cast doubt on what caused George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, setting off protests against racism and police brutality. (See the clip below.)
Bystander videos show a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. That cop, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder, and three others are charged with aiding and abetting murder. All four have been fired.
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Despite an array of evidence supporting the charges, Carlson seized on the release of a newly leaked police bodycam video showing Floyd begging officers not to shoot him as somehow raising doubt.
“The short answer is, we’re still not precisely sure how George Floyd died,” he said.
Carlson, who has repeatedly attacked Black Lives Matter protests with fearmongering hyperbole, said the media and politicians have echoed the “official storyline” that Floyd was murdered by police.
An independent autopsy by New York City’s former chief medical examiner determined that Floyd’s death was a “homicide caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain.”
“There is no other health issue that could cause or contribute to the death,” Dr. Michael Baden wrote.
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The Hennepin County medical examiner also ruled Floyd’s death a homicide attributed to “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
That’s not enough for Carlson:
“Floyd’s death has been used to justify a nationwide convulsion of violence, destruction, looting, and in some cases killing. And all of that in addition to unprecedented levels of political upheaval, the wholesale reordering of our most basic institutions. Floyd’s death changed everything. It was a pivot point in American history. No matter what side you’re on, that is very clear at this point. So with all of that in mind, the significance of the event in mind, it’s striking how little we really know months later about how exactly George Floyd died.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--My Mom Secretly Made Pot Brownies For AIDS Patients And It Changed My Life

A family of deer exploded out of the forest .
I must have been 6 , squatting in the dirt driveway with my model horses as the animals dodged around me , eyes bulging .
Then a helicopter emerged from behind the trees , its body like a giant insect , loud as a machine gun .
It hovered low overhead , sending debris whirling into my face .
My mom rushed out of the house and pulled me close to her body .
The chopper moved on toward the next ranch .
The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1983 , CAMP employed disused military equipment — U-2 spy planes , infrared cameras , flash-bang grenades , and battering rams — to hunt marijuana growers in California .
Over the years , this equipment would increasingly be mobilized against urban communities of color throughout the United States .
Reagan fired some of the first experimental salvos in his war on drugs against rural pot growers in his home state .
Every month , my mom loaded our Datsun hatchback with home-baked cannabis brownies and drove three hours to San Francisco .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we never had much money ; this was how we survived .
The sale of any amount of marijuana was a felony in those days .
But like many hippies , my parents saw the plant as wholesome — a gift from Mother Earth .
Our town was part of the tri-county area nicknamed the “ Emerald Triangle ” for the potent sinsemilla grown in the hills .
I ’ m sure I wasn ’ t the only kid at my Waldorf school whose parents had to check her sweater for pot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lie to protect my family before I could spell my own name .
Our secret was a kind of enchantment , a magic spell .
I grew up in a vibrant world that could only exist if it remained invisible .
This defined my childhood .
Some family secrets must be terrible to carry — fraught with deceit and shame .
My burden was made lighter by openness at home .
No topic was taboo between my mom and me .
Even as our secret distanced me from outsiders , it made us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother-daughter bond that persists to this day .
My mom called her oversized bed “ the barge.
” After my parents divorced when I was 9 , it became the heart of our home .
I can still see her sprawled out sideways , blue-green-amber eyes gleaming with the punchline of a funny story .
The barge was where we ate Chinese takeout and watched “ ALF , ” where I suffered through math homework , where we argued and made up .
Whenever the waters of prepuberty got choppy , I headed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became more like sisters than mother and daughter — a dynamic that suited us .
If my mom brought the poison , she also provided the antidote .
She strove to instill confidence .
There were dance lessons , horseback lessons , and crafts .
When other kids put me down , she built me up with salon dates , road trips , sunny afternoons on paddle boats in Golden Gate Park , and foggy afternoons at the penny arcade .
Mom came into a small inheritance when I was 10 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : a six-week trip to Mexico , where I did my schoolwork on the beach .
We crashed resort pools in Ixtapa and sunbathed side-by-side , sipping virgin piña coladas with our pinkies in the air .
Cops terrified me .
If I encountered a policeman on the street , I held my breath like people do when passing a graveyard .
One day in 1987 , the entire fourth grade was ushered into the cafeteria where a uniformed cop was waiting .
My heart pinballed in my ribcage .
The policeman explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of time together .
Looking back , I wonder how much coded racism was hidden in those lessons .
Congress had recently passed the first mandatory minimum sentencing for certain drug crimes , laws that would be unjustly wielded against people of color .
This was the dawn of mass incarceration .
At 9 , I was ignorant of these factors but keenly aware of the giant garbage bags of illicit cannabis straining the closet door of our spare bedroom .
I had begun helping my mom bake after school and on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliveries .
My mom relied on hippie magic — particularly an ancient Chinese oracle called the I Ching — to guide her through risky situations .
She ’ d roll special brass coins in her palm and cast them onto her comforter .
The results corresponded with passages in a leather-bound book .
She followed the advice assiduously .
The I Ching gave her confidence — and that confidence trickled down to me .
My mom ’ s role had changed by the late 80s .
Cannabis was as illegal as ever — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealing mattered in a different way .
HIV/AIDS was devastating our communit .
Lifesaving protease inhibitors wouldn ’ t hit the market until 1996 .
Diagnosis was considered a death sentence .
With few treatment options , marijuana emerged as helpful with common symptoms — notably nausea , appetite loss , pain and depression .
Dealers became healers .
It was during those days that I learned to listen and speak with my heart .
Other kids intimidated me , but my mom and her friends made me feel welcome .
I remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how sturdy it felt when you were down and needed reassurance .
Equal parts therapist ’ s couch , ladies lounge and executive boardroom , it was a place for solace and intimacy .
A friend recently compared my mom sharing her secret with me to giving a child a gas can and matches and telling them not to burn the house down .
Perhaps she ’ s right .
But there was another factor at play : My mom created a space that I would never want to see burn .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t let her down .
My mom stopped dealing in 1998 , two years after the first medical marijuana legislation passed in California .
Once HIV/AIDS patients could access cannabis legally , she felt she could move on .
She ’ s a law-abiding citizen now — an artist and popular art teacher .
There are no secrets left to hide .
Yet the bond forged during my outlaw childhood remains strong .
Though we live in different parts of California , we talk on the phone every day .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a big bed and float together , letting the current we share carry us softly through the hours .

The author (front) and her mother, Meridy Volz, in San Francisco, circa 1983. Courtesy of Alia Volz
A family of deer exploded out of the forest. I must have been 6, squatting in the dirt driveway with my model horses as the animals dodged around me, eyes bulging. Then a helicopter emerged from behind the trees, its body like a giant insect, loud as a machine gun. It hovered low overhead, sending debris whirling into my face. My mom rushed out of the house and pulled me close to her body. The chopper moved on toward the next ranch.
The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting was a creature of the Reagan Administration. Launched in 1983, CAMP employed disused military equipment — U-2 spy planes, infrared cameras, flash-bang grenades, and battering rams — to hunt marijuana growers in California. Over the years, this equipment would increasingly be mobilized against urban communities of color throughout the United States. Reagan fired some of the first experimental salvos in his war on drugs against rural pot growers in his home state.
Advertisement
Every month, my mom loaded our Datsun hatchback with home-baked cannabis brownies and drove three hours to San Francisco. My dad was often out of work and we never had much money; this was how we survived. The sale of any amount of marijuana was a felony in those days. But like many hippies, my parents saw the plant as wholesome — a gift from Mother Earth.
Our town was part of the tri-county area nicknamed the “Emerald Triangle” for the potent sinsemilla grown in the hills. I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid at my Waldorf school whose parents had to check her sweater for pot leaves before school. I learned to lie to protect my family before I could spell my own name.
My parents eventually divorced, and Mom and I moved back to San Francisco, where she distributed her edibles to people with AIDS at the dawn of the medical marijuana movement. The specifics changed over time, but one fact remained constant: telling the truth could send my mom to prison.
Our secret was a kind of enchantment, a magic spell. I grew up in a vibrant world that could only exist if it remained invisible. This defined my childhood. Some family secrets must be terrible to carry — fraught with deceit and shame. My burden was made lighter by openness at home. No topic was taboo between my mom and me. Even as our secret distanced me from outsiders, it made us closer, creating an intimate, trusting mother-daughter bond that persists to this day.
Advertisement
My mom called her oversized bed “the barge.” After my parents divorced when I was 9, it became the heart of our home. I can still see her sprawled out sideways, blue-green-amber eyes gleaming with the punchline of a funny story. The barge was where we ate Chinese takeout and watched “ALF,” where I suffered through math homework, where we argued and made up. Whenever the waters of prepuberty got choppy, I headed for the barge. Mom and I became more like sisters than mother and daughter — a dynamic that suited us.
At school, I struggled to make friends. I got bullied, eventually volunteering in the administrative office during recess to avoid other kids. Looking back, I wonder how much of my social awkwardness grew from the secrecy. There was so much I couldn’t share.
If my mom brought the poison, she also provided the antidote. She strove to instill confidence. There were dance lessons, horseback lessons, and crafts. When other kids put me down, she built me up with salon dates, road trips, sunny afternoons on paddle boats in Golden Gate Park, and foggy afternoons at the penny arcade. Mom came into a small inheritance when I was 10, and we decided together how to spend it: a six-week trip to Mexico, where I did my schoolwork on the beach. We crashed resort pools in Ixtapa and sunbathed side-by-side, sipping virgin piña coladas with our pinkies in the air.
The author during the D.A.R.E. phase, circa 1987. Courtesy of Lorene Warwick
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Cops terrified me. If I encountered a policeman on the street, I held my breath like people do when passing a graveyard. One day in 1987, the entire fourth grade was ushered into the cafeteria where a uniformed cop was waiting. My heart pinballed in my ribcage. The policeman explained that we’d be spending a lot of time together.
We were going to learn how to “Just Say No” to drugs.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education — better known by its slogan, “D.A.R.E. to keep kids off drugs!” — was the crowning jewel of Nancy Reagan’s FLOTUS project. Throughout that semester, I fidgeted through lectures on how to recognize and report dealers. I remember noticing that the drug dealers the policeman described didn’t sound like my mom ― a pretty white woman.
Looking back, I wonder how much coded racism was hidden in those lessons. Congress had recently passed the first mandatory minimum sentencing for certain drug crimes, laws that would be unjustly wielded against people of color. This was the dawn of mass incarceration. At 9, I was ignorant of these factors but keenly aware of the giant garbage bags of illicit cannabis straining the closet door of our spare bedroom. I had begun helping my mom bake after school and on weekends. Sometimes I tagged along on deliveries.
I faked my way through D.A.R.E., acing quizzes to win bookmarks and notebooks. But I never saw the lecturing policeman as anything other than my sworn enemy. I still remembered the helicopters thundering over our house in the woods.
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My mom relied on hippie magic — particularly an ancient Chinese oracle called the I Ching — to guide her through risky situations. She’d roll special brass coins in her palm and cast them onto her comforter. The results corresponded with passages in a leather-bound book. She followed the advice assiduously. The I Ching gave her confidence — and that confidence trickled down to me.
It was always like that with me: If my mom was cool, I was cool. And the cops never did knock on our door.
My mom’s role had changed by the late 80s. Cannabis was as illegal as ever — our secret just as dangerous — but dealing mattered in a different way. HIV/AIDS was devastating our communit. Lifesaving protease inhibitors wouldn’t hit the market until 1996. Diagnosis was considered a death sentence. With few treatment options, marijuana emerged as helpful with common symptoms — notably nausea, appetite loss, pain and depression. Dealers became healers.
My mom had a knack for putting people at ease. Longtime customers would climb aboard the barge and stay for hours, reminiscing, talking through difficulties, mourning.
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It was during those days that I learned to listen and speak with my heart. Other kids intimidated me, but my mom and her friends made me feel welcome. I remember how the barge trembled with laughter and how sturdy it felt when you were down and needed reassurance. Equal parts therapist’s couch, ladies lounge and executive boardroom, it was a place for solace and intimacy.
The author (left) and her mother, Meridy Volz, standing with two oil paintings by Meridy Volz in Palm Springs, California, in 2017. Courtesy of Novem Cabios
Looking back, I’m surprised I didn’t suffer more anxiety over my mom’s illegal work. I was terrified of AIDS but didn’t lose sleep over the real possibility of a bust. It’s only now, decades later, that I worry for the safety of the child I used to be.
Our lives could have taken a tragic turn at any time.
What if my mom’s oracles had failed and the cops had come for us?
Or what if I had failed? What if I’d let our secret slip out in the wrong company?
A friend recently compared my mom sharing her secret with me to giving a child a gas can and matches and telling them not to burn the house down. Perhaps she’s right. But there was another factor at play: My mom created a space that I would never want to see burn. She trusted me with her freedom. I didn’t let her down.
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My mom stopped dealing in 1998, two years after the first medical marijuana legislation passed in California. Once HIV/AIDS patients could access cannabis legally, she felt she could move on. She’s a law-abiding citizen now — an artist and popular art teacher. There are no secrets left to hide. Yet the bond forged during my outlaw childhood remains strong. Though we live in different parts of California, we talk on the phone every day. During visits, we’ll climb onto a big bed and float together, letting the current we share carry us softly through the hours.
Alia Volz is the author of “Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020). Her work has appeared in The Best American Essays, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Salon, Guernica, The Threepenny Reivew, and many other publications. Her unusual family story has also been featured on Snap Judgment, Criminal and NPR’s Fresh Air.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Judge Orders Trial Tied To Discovery Of Missing Idaho Kids' Bodies

BOISE , Idaho ( AP ) — A judge ruled Tuesday there ’ s enough evidence for a man to go to trial after the bodies of his new wife ’ s two children were found buried on his Idaho property .
The bizarre case involving doomsday beliefs and the deaths of several people linked to the couple has attracted national headlines .
Chad Daybell , 52 , has pleaded not guilty to charges related to hiding the remains of 7-year-old Joshua “ JJ ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan .
Investigators found their bodies during a search in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in September .
Daybell last year married Lori Vallow Daybell , who has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to help him keep the bodies of her children hidden .
Authorities have yet to file charges related to the deaths of the children .
Chad Daybell is seen during his preliminary hearing in St. Anthony , Idaho , on Tuesday .
He and his wife face charges related to the hiding of the remains of his two step-children .
They also have yet to say how or when the children died , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called both deaths homicides based on the condition of the bodies .
An FBI analyst who reviewed cellphone records testified that on Sept. 9 Chad Daybell sent a text to his then wife , Tammy Daybell , saying he was burning debris and that he had also shot and buried a large raccoon on his property .
The analyst said that was notable because Tylee Ryan was last seen alive on Sept. 8 in Yellowstone National Park .
Prosecutors also said cellphone location records indicated that the day after Joshua “ JJ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September , Lori Daybell ’ s brother , Alex Cox , showed up at Chad Daybell ’ s property just as he had shown up at Tylee Ryan ’ s grave site the day after she disappeared .
Investigators said they found the bodies by tracking Cox ’ s cellphone movements .
Police said Cox was involved in the conspiracy to hide the children ’ s remains .
He died of an apparent blood clot in his lung at his Arizona home last December Court documents in Lori Daybell ’ s criminal case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spirits , or “ zombies , ” would possess people .
Gibb said Lori Daybell told her at different times last year that both children had become zombies and that the couple believed the only way to rid a person of a dark spirit was by killing them .
Much of Gibb ’ s testimony revolving around a phone conversation she recorded with the couple after she became suspicious and confronted them about the missing children and accused them of multiple lies .
Gibb acknowledged to Chad Daybell ’ s attorney , John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police about having Joshua “ JJ ” Vallow with her .
She said she was persuaded to lie by Lori Daybell .
Gibb said she became concerned that she could be blamed for the children ’ s disappearance , leading her to call the couple and record the conversation , which she shared with police .
The strange case also includes the shooting death of Lori Daybell ’ s estranged husband , Charles Vallow , in suburban Phoenix by Cox .
He asserted the shooting was in self-defense .
Vallow had been seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had become a god-like figure who was responsible for ushering in the biblical end times .
A short time later , she and the children moved to Idaho .
Daybell ran a small publishing company there and had written many books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .
Friends said he claimed to be able to receive visions from “ beyond the veil.
” At the time , Chad Daybell was married to Tammy Daybell .
She died in October of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorities grew suspicious when he married Lori Vallow just two weeks later .
Police had Tammy ’ s body exhumed last December in Utah for further investigation ; the results of that autopsy have not been released .

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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A judge ruled Tuesday there’s enough evidence for a man to go to trial after the bodies of his new wife’s two children were found buried on his Idaho property. The bizarre case involving doomsday beliefs and the deaths of several people linked to the couple has attracted national headlines.
Chad Daybell, 52, has pleaded not guilty to charges related to hiding the remains of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan. Investigators found their bodies during a search in June, months after they were last seen in September.
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Daybell last year married Lori Vallow Daybell, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to help him keep the bodies of her children hidden. Authorities have yet to file charges related to the deaths of the children.
Chad Daybell is seen during his preliminary hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Tuesday. He and his wife face charges related to the hiding of the remains of his two step-children. ASSOCIATED PRESS
They also have yet to say how or when the children died, but the prosecuting attorney on Tuesday during closing arguments called both deaths homicides based on the condition of the bodies.
The two-day hearing included graphic testimony about unearthing the duct-tape bound body of the boy and the charred and dismembered remains of the girl.
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A friend of Lori Daybell, Melanie Gibb, testified how people involved in the case became acquainted through a doomsday belief system that led them to “preparedness” meetings loosely affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
An FBI analyst who reviewed cellphone records testified that on Sept. 9 Chad Daybell sent a text to his then wife, Tammy Daybell, saying he was burning debris and that he had also shot and buried a large raccoon on his property. The analyst said that was notable because Tylee Ryan was last seen alive on Sept. 8 in Yellowstone National Park.
Kay and Larry Woodcock, the grandparents of 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow, react after a judge ruled there was enough evidence for Chad Daybell to go to trial. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prosecutors also said cellphone location records indicated that the day after Joshua “JJ” Vallow was last seen alive in late September, Lori Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, showed up at Chad Daybell’s property just as he had shown up at Tylee Ryan’s grave site the day after she disappeared.
Cox died in December, and the former spouses of both Chad Daybell and Lori Daybell also died last year.
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Police started investigating a missing child case last year and eventually arrested Lori Daybell on charges she abandoned her children.
She called Chad Daybell from jail on June 9, the day authorities arrived to search his property with at least five cadaver dogs, according to testimony at Tuesday’s hearing.
“I love you so much,” Chad Daybell said somberly after telling her police were searching the field behind the house.
“I love you,” she responds. “Should I try to call you later?
“I don’t know,” he said. “You can try.”
Lori Vallow Daybell is seen in March during a hearing in Rexburg, Idaho. Authorities have not yet said how her two children died. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chad Daybell was taken into custody later that day after searchers found one of the bodies.
Investigators said they found the bodies by tracking Cox’s cellphone movements. Police said Cox was involved in the conspiracy to hide the children’s remains. He died of an apparent blood clot in his lung at his Arizona home last December
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Court documents in Lori Daybell’s criminal case include claims that the couple believed dark spirits, or “zombies,” would possess people. Gibb said Lori Daybell told her at different times last year that both children had become zombies and that the couple believed the only way to rid a person of a dark spirit was by killing them.
Much of Gibb’s testimony revolving around a phone conversation she recorded with the couple after she became suspicious and confronted them about the missing children and accused them of multiple lies.
Gibb acknowledged to Chad Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, that she initially lied to police about having Joshua “JJ” Vallow with her. She said she was persuaded to lie by Lori Daybell. Gibb said she became concerned that she could be blamed for the children’s disappearance, leading her to call the couple and record the conversation, which she shared with police.
Chad Daybell was arrested in June on suspicion of concealing or destroying evidence after local and federal investigators searched his property. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The strange case also includes the shooting death of Lori Daybell’s estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in suburban Phoenix by Cox. He asserted the shooting was in self-defense. Vallow had been seeking a divorce, saying Lori believed she had become a god-like figure who was responsible for ushering in the biblical end times.
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A short time later, she and the children moved to Idaho. Daybell ran a small publishing company there and had written many books about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Friends said he claimed to be able to receive visions from “beyond the veil.”
At the time, Chad Daybell was married to Tammy Daybell. She died in October of what her obituary said were natural causes. Authorities grew suspicious when he married Lori Vallow just two weeks later. Police had Tammy’s body exhumed last December in Utah for further investigation; the results of that autopsy have not been released.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Jimmy Fallon Parody Takes Trump's 'Train Wreck' Axios Interview To A New Low

Jimmy Fallon dug out the old spray tan and blonde wig in honor of President Donald Trump ’ s viral @ @ @ @ @ Swan .
On Tuesday ’ s installment of “ The Tonight Show , ” Fallon @ @ @ @ @ getup and parodied the interview , which made waves after it aired on HBO the @ @ @ @ @ minutes , Trump and Swan discussed a range of topics , including Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ , the late Rep. John Lewis and Trump ’ s well wishes for Ghislaine Maxwell @ @ @ @ @ enabling Jeffrey Epstein ’ s sexual abuse of underage girls .
“ You know , @ @ @ @ @ calling Trump ’ s interview a train wreck , and get this ― apparently HBO @ @ @ @ @ the best moments for time , ” Fallon said .
“ But we managed to @ @ @ @ @ footage .
Check this out.
” Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice @ @ @ @ @

Jimmy Fallon dug out the old spray tan and blonde wig in honor of President Donald Trump’s viral interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan.
On Tuesday’s installment of “The Tonight Show,” Fallon put on his go-to Trump getup and parodied the interview, which made waves after it aired on HBO the previous evening. Over 40 minutes, Trump and Swan discussed a range of topics, including Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the late Rep. John Lewis and Trump’s well wishes for Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls.
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“You know, a lot of people are calling Trump’s interview a train wreck, and get this ― apparently HBO had to delete some of the best moments for time,” Fallon said. “But we managed to get our hands on the footage. Check this out.”
Watch Fallon’s Trump answer Swan’s questions below:
And here’s the real HBO interview:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-04--Cut Schedule Risks 2020 Census Accuracy, Marginalized Community Funding

ORLANDO , Fla. ( AP ) — The U.S. Census Bureau is cutting its schedule for data collection for the 2020 census a month short as legislation that would have extended the national head count ’ s deadlines stalls in Congress .
The move is worrying researchers , politicians and others who say the change will miss hard-to-count communities , including minorities and immigrants , and produce less trustworthy data .
The Census Bureau said late Monday that the door-knocking and ability for households to respond either online , by phone or by mail to the questionnaire will stop at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of October so that it can meet an end-of-the-year deadline to turn in numbers used for redrawing congressional districts .
Census experts , academics and civil rights activists worry the sped-up count could hurt its thoroughness and produce inaccurate data that will have lasting effects through the next decade .
The count determines how $ 1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed and how many congressional districts each state gets .
In the letter , Maloney , a Democrat from New York , requested interviews before her committee with eight Census Bureau @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bureau ’ s leadership whose appointments by the Trump administration have been sharply criticized as politically driven .
But Dillingham said the agency aimed to have the same level of responses as past censuses .
“ We will improve the speed of our count without sacrificing completeness , ” he said .
If communities are missed , it will have “ a large downstream impact ” not only on apportionment but social science research and other Census Bureau surveys that rely on the once-a-decade census , said David Van Riper , director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota ’ s Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation .
“ It ’ s interesting that this is happening now because all of the COVID databases are using population data from the census , ” Van Riper said .
Data used from an inaccurate count during a pandemic like the one the U.S. is experiencing “ would give us a false perception of what ’ s going on on the ground , ” he added .
As of Monday , 37 % of U.S. households hadn ’ t yet responded to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door knockers hired by the Census Bureau have begun visiting those households , but they weren ’ t expected to go out in force until next week .
An analysis by the CUNY Center for Urban Research shows that 10 states currently are trailing their 2010 self-response rates by 5 to 10 percentage points , meaning they will require a greater share of door-knocking than they did a decade ago .
Those states are Alaska , Montana , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , North Dakota , Rhode Island , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Four former Census Bureau directors who have served in both Democratic and Republican administrations warned in a letter that cutting short the door-knocking phase would force the bureau to rely on administrative records and statistical techniques to fill gaps on a much larger scale than in previous censuses .
Congress should task an independent institution to measure whether the 2020 count matches the outcomes of previous censuses , and if not , recommend what steps should be taken , said the letter signed by Vincent Barabba , Robert Groves , Kenneth Prewitt and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress in April to extend the deadline for turning in apportionment data used for drawing congressional districts from Dec. 31 , 2020 , to April 30 , 2021 .
Top Census Bureau officials have said it would be impossible to meet the end-of-the-year deadline , and that the bureau expected bipartisan support for the request .
The request passed the Democratic-controlled House as part of coronavirus-relief legislation but it hasn ’ t gone anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate .
The chamber ’ s inaction coincides with a memorandum Trump issued last month to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. illegally from being part of the process for redrawing congressional districts .
The request to Congress also asked that the deadline for turning in data used for drawing legislative and local districts be extended from March 30 , 2021 , to July 31 , 2021 , but the Census Bureau is now aiming to finish those responsibilities by the end of March .

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau is cutting its schedule for data collection for the 2020 census a month short as legislation that would have extended the national head count’s deadlines stalls in Congress. The move is worrying researchers, politicians and others who say the change will miss hard-to-count communities, including minorities and immigrants, and produce less trustworthy data.
The Census Bureau said late Monday that the door-knocking and ability for households to respond either online, by phone or by mail to the questionnaire will stop at the end of September instead of the end of October so that it can meet an end-of-the-year deadline to turn in numbers used for redrawing congressional districts.
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Census experts, academics and civil rights activists worry the sped-up count could hurt its thoroughness and produce inaccurate data that will have lasting effects through the next decade. The count determines how $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed and how many congressional districts each state gets.
“This move will rush the enumeration process, result in inadequate follow-up, and undercount immigrant communities and communities of color who are historically undercounted,” U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, wrote Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham in a letter Tuesday.
In the letter, Maloney, a Democrat from New York, requested interviews before her committee with eight Census Bureau officials, including two recent additions to the bureau’s leadership whose appointments by the Trump administration have been sharply criticized as politically driven.
But Dillingham said the agency aimed to have the same level of responses as past censuses. “We will improve the speed of our count without sacrificing completeness,” he said.
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If communities are missed, it will have “a large downstream impact” not only on apportionment but social science research and other Census Bureau surveys that rely on the once-a-decade census, said David Van Riper, director of spatial analysis at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation.
“It’s interesting that this is happening now because all of the COVID databases are using population data from the census,” Van Riper said. Data used from an inaccurate count during a pandemic like the one the U.S. is experiencing “would give us a false perception of what’s going on on the ground,” he added.
As of Monday, 37% of U.S. households hadn’t yet responded to the census questionnaire. Some of the 500,000 door knockers hired by the Census Bureau have begun visiting those households, but they weren’t expected to go out in force until next week.
An analysis by the CUNY Center for Urban Research shows that 10 states currently are trailing their 2010 self-response rates by 5 to 10 percentage points, meaning they will require a greater share of door-knocking than they did a decade ago. Those states are Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming.
Four former Census Bureau directors who have served in both Democratic and Republican administrations warned in a letter that cutting short the door-knocking phase would force the bureau to rely on administrative records and statistical techniques to fill gaps on a much larger scale than in previous censuses.
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Congress should task an independent institution to measure whether the 2020 count matches the outcomes of previous censuses, and if not, recommend what steps should be taken, said the letter signed by Vincent Barabba, Robert Groves, Kenneth Prewitt and John Thompson.
Facing delays caused by the pandemic, the Census Bureau had earlier this year pushed back wrapping up field operations for the once-a-decade head count from the end of July to the end of October.
The bureau also asked Congress in April to extend the deadline for turning in apportionment data used for drawing congressional districts from Dec. 31, 2020, to April 30, 2021. Top Census Bureau officials have said it would be impossible to meet the end-of-the-year deadline, and that the bureau expected bipartisan support for the request.
The request passed the Democratic-controlled House as part of coronavirus-relief legislation but it hasn’t gone anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate. The chamber’s inaction coincides with a memorandum Trump issued last month to try to exclude people living in the U.S. illegally from being part of the process for redrawing congressional districts.
Civil rights groups, states, cities and individuals have filed at least a half-dozen lawsuits challenging the memorandum as unconstitutional and an attempt to limit the power of Latinos and immigrants of color.
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The request to Congress also asked that the deadline for turning in data used for drawing legislative and local districts be extended from March 30, 2021, to July 31, 2021, but the Census Bureau is now aiming to finish those responsibilities by the end of March.
Maloney on Tuesday introduced an update to the legislation pending in Congress that would give the Census Bureau more time by pushing back the deadlines to the later dates.
Critics say the move to speed up the deadlines is just the latest Trump administration effort to politicize the 2020 census, starting with a failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the form.
“This is nothing but a disgusting power grab from an administration hell-bent on preserving its fleeting political power at all costs,” said Julie Menin, census director for New York City.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Black LGBTQ Americans Face Disproportionate Economic Hit From COVID-19, Study Finds

MEXICO CITY , Aug 4 ( Thomson Reuters Foundation ) - Black LGBT+ people are getting struck hard economically by the coronavirus pandemic in the United States , according to a study published on Tuesday , and are more likely to have lost jobs or had work hours reduced than their straight , white peers .
The study by the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) advocacy group found Black LGBT+ people were more than three times as likely to ask for a delay paying rent than was the general population and nearly twice as likely as non-LGBT+ Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of death rates and infections from COVID-19 that have been disproportionately high among Black Americans .
Nearly a quarter of U.S. deaths from coronavirus have been Black people , despite their making up 13 % of the population , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
“ Even as Black communities , especially Black trans communities , across the country are reckoning with racism and violence , Black LGBTQ people are also being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 , ” said HRC President Alphonso David .
More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contagious coronavirus have been reported in the United States , according to Reuters data , with some 150,000 people dying of the disease .
Closings and lockdowns designed to slow the virus ’ spread have battered the economy , with the U.S. gross domestic product seeing its sharpest decline in the second quarter since thegovernment started keeping records 73 years ago .
One consequence has been the widest gap in U.S. unemployment rates between Black and whites in five years .
“ It ’ s no surprise and should be a shock to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found themselves in a position of being at the bottom , ” said J. Maurice McCants-Pearsall , director of HIV and health equity at HRC .
“ Now that the bottom is falling out due to the pandemic ... people are really getting to see firsthand what it ’ s like for people of color , particularly Black LGBTQ folk , ” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation .
The research from HRC showed Black LGBT+ Americans , already facing discrimination because of race and sexual orientation or gender identity , coming under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nearly a third of Black LGBT+ respondents had their work hours reduced due to COVID-19 , while for non-gay and non-transBlack people , the rate was less than a quarter , the study found .
Also , 18 % of Black gay and trans people reported losing their jobs due to COVID-19 , compared with 16 % of straight Black respondents and 12 % of the general population .

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MEXICO CITY, Aug 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Black LGBT+ people are getting struck hard economically by the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, according to a study published on Tuesday, and are more likely to have lost jobs or had work hours reduced than their straight, white peers.
The study by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) advocacy group found Black LGBT+ people were more than three times as likely to ask for a delay paying rent than was the general population and nearly twice as likely as non-LGBT+ Black people.
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The economic impact comes on top of death rates and infections from COVID-19 that have been disproportionately high among Black Americans.
Nearly a quarter of U.S. deaths from coronavirus have been Black people, despite their making up 13% of the population, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Even as Black communities, especially Black trans communities, across the country are reckoning with racism and violence, Black LGBTQ people are also being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” said HRC President Alphonso David.
“Unfortunately, this new research shows Black people and Black LGBTQ people are (also) suffering disproportionate economic inequities,” David said in a statement.
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More than 4.6 million cases of the highly contagious coronavirus have been reported in the United States, according to Reuters data, with some 150,000 people dying of the disease.
Closings and lockdowns designed to slow the virus’ spread have battered the economy, with the U.S. gross domestic product seeing its sharpest decline in the second quarter since thegovernment started keeping records 73 years ago.
One consequence has been the widest gap in U.S. unemployment rates between Black and whites in five years.
“It’s no surprise and should be a shock to no one that Black people have always found themselves in a position of being at the bottom,” said J. Maurice McCants-Pearsall, director of HIV and health equity at HRC.
“Now that the bottom is falling out due to the pandemic ...people are really getting to see firsthand what it’s like for people of color, particularly Black LGBTQ folk,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
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The research from HRC showed Black LGBT+ Americans, already facing discrimination because of race and sexual orientation or gender identity, coming under pressure in the growing financial crisis.
Nearly a third of Black LGBT+ respondents had their work hours reduced due to COVID-19, while for non-gay and non-transBlack people, the rate was less than a quarter, the study found.
Also, 18% of Black gay and trans people reported losing their jobs due to COVID-19, compared with 16% of straight Black respondents and 12% of the general population.
The HRC survey of 10,000 U.S. adults was carried out in partnership with analytics consultancy firm PSB between April 16and July 8.
(Reporting by Oscar Lopez @oscarlopezgib; editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives ofpeople around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly.Visit http://news.trust.org)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Georgia Schools Reopen To Packed Hallways And Students Testing Positive For COVID-19

Reopened schools in Georgia ’ s Paulding and Cherokee counties drew negative attention this week after viral photographs appeared to show students packing hallways with little regard for social distancing or mask-wearing .
The most prominent images were taken on Tuesday by a 10th grader in North Paulding High School who posted them on social media and described the hallway situation as severely jammed .
Prior to schools reopening on Monday , North Paulding High School ’ s principal , Gabe Carmona , sent a letter to parents alerting them that members of the football team had contracted COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their cases .
According to BuzzFeed , Carmona also addressed the viral images on Wednesday , reportedly stating over the intercom that students who publicly criticized the school on social media could face disciplinary action .
Paulding County Superintendent Brian Otott also addressed the images in a statement , arguing that they were being criticized “ without context ” and saying the crowds only lasted for a “ brief period ” when students were transitioning between classes .
“ Wearing a mask is a personal choice and there is no practical way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Otott said .
“ What we will do is strongly encourage all students and staff to wear masks.
” Paulding County schools have both in-person and “ virtual academies ” available during the fall semester , and according to Atlanta media outlet 11Alive News , 70 % of the county ’ s 31,000 students have returned for in-person learning , with 9,000 in online classes .
A notice on the district ’ s websites says that while students and staff are encouraged to wear masks during in-person schooling , face coverings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school district recognizes that wearing a face mask is a personal choice for families.
” A reopening plan on the Cherokee County School Board website reveals a similar strategy , with both in-person schooling and a digital learning program in place .
Regulations require “ all employees to wear face coverings in situations where social distancing can not be achieved , ” while students are “ strongly encourage [ d ] and recommend [ ed ] ” to wear masks .
A message from Superintendent Brian V. Hightower said that the district was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and shut down schools if necessary .
“ We need to fight that good fight together : social distance when we can , and mask up when we can ’ t ; wash our hands , and be kind , ” Hightower said .
“ We are stronger together.
” Atlanta pediatrician Frita Fisher , an advocate of mandatory masks and social distancing in the classroom , told 11Alive News that reopening Georgia schools with shaky social distancing measures and without making masks mandatory for all students was “ very frustrating and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because we are sending our kids to school knowing that we are putting them at an increased risk for spreading coronavirus among themselves and to the community , ” Fisher said .

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Reopened schools in Georgia’s Paulding and Cherokee counties drew negative attention this week after viral photographs appeared to show students packing hallways with little regard for social distancing or mask-wearing.
The most prominent images were taken on Tuesday by a 10th grader in North Paulding High School who posted them on social media and described the hallway situation as severely jammed.
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Other viral images showed students from Cherokee County’s Etowah High School and Sequoyah High School standing in close proximity for senior photos with nary a mask in sight.
Prior to schools reopening on Monday, North Paulding High School’s principal, Gabe Carmona, sent a letter to parents alerting them that members of the football team had contracted COVID-19, not specifying the numbers or the severity of their cases.
According to BuzzFeed, Carmona also addressed the viral images on Wednesday, reportedly stating over the intercom that students who publicly criticized the school on social media could face disciplinary action.
Two students — including the 10th grader who posted the images of the crowded hallway — told BuzzFeed they were suspended for sharing photos online, with school administration citing violations of the school’s phone policy and posting pictures of minors without consent as reasons for the punishment.
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A photo taken Aug. 4, 2020, by a student at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, shows students crowding hallways while fewer than half wear masks. Handout/AP
Paulding County Superintendent Brian Otott also addressed the images in a statement, arguing that they were being criticized “without context” and saying the crowds only lasted for a “brief period” when students were transitioning between classes.
“Wearing a mask is a personal choice and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them,” Otott said. “What we will do is strongly encourage all students and staff to wear masks.”
Paulding County schools have both in-person and “virtual academies” available during the fall semester, and according to Atlanta media outlet 11Alive News, 70% of the county’s 31,000 students have returned for in-person learning, with 9,000 in online classes.
A notice on the district’s websites says that while students and staff are encouraged to wear masks during in-person schooling, face coverings will not be mandatory because “the school district recognizes that wearing a face mask is a personal choice for families.”
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A reopening plan on the Cherokee County School Board website reveals a similar strategy, with both in-person schooling and a digital learning program in place. Regulations require “all employees to wear face coverings in situations where social distancing cannot be achieved,” while students are “strongly encourage[d] and recommend[ed]” to wear masks.
The plan indicates that the school district “will provide every student with two reusable cloth masks upon request.”
On Tuesday, school officials at Cherokee County’s Sixes Elementary School announced that a second-grader had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the student’s class of 20 students to undergo a two-week quarantine.
A message from Superintendent Brian V. Hightower said that the district was “going to take positive cases seriously” and shut down schools if necessary.
“We need to fight that good fight together: social distance when we can, and mask up when we can’t; wash our hands, and be kind,” Hightower said. “We are stronger together.”
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Atlanta pediatrician Frita Fisher, an advocate of mandatory masks and social distancing in the classroom, told 11Alive News that reopening Georgia schools with shaky social distancing measures and without making masks mandatory for all students was “very frustrating and unsettling.”
“It’s upsetting because we are sending our kids to school knowing that we are putting them at an increased risk for spreading coronavirus among themselves and to the community,” Fisher said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Anthony Fauci Says He's Hired Security To Protect Daughters From Death Threats

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that he ’ s had to hire security to protect himself and his family after receiving death threats from people who object to his work on the coronavirus pandemic and the science behind regulations .
During a livestreamed talk with CNN ’ s Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosted by Harvard ’ s School of Public Health , the infectious disease expert said he was taken aback by the harassment he and his family have received in the last few months .
Noting that crisis “ brings out the best of people and the worst of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death threats for me and my family and harassing my daughters to the point where I have to get security , it ’ s amazing.
” Fauci said his wife and daughters were “ fine ” but stressed by the threats .
“ I wouldn ’ t have imagined in my wildest dreams that people who object to things that are pure public health principles are so set against it and don ’ t like what you and I say , namely in the world of science , that they actually threaten you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed that he and his family were facing “ serious threats ” during an interview on “ The Axe Files ” podcast in July .
At that time , he called the threats “ a little bit disturbing.
” Fauci had his own personal security detail as early as April , according to reports from CNN and The Hill .
Dr. Fauci smiles through disclosing death threats against him and his family : `` I wouldn ’ t have imagined in my wildest dreams that people , who object to things that are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set against it ... .
that they actually threaten you.
” pic.twitter.com/1wLly42MBc — The Recount ( @ therecount ) August 5 , 2020 Fauci is one of the most prominent figures in the White House ’ s coronavirus task force but has also been at odds with members of the Trump administration , including President Donald Trump himself , as he offered bleak predictions as the pandemic worsened .
Trump has undermined and contradicted some of Fauci ’ s recommendations and information during the pandemic .
This past weekend , Trump directly challenged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctor explaining why the U.S. has experienced another surge in coronavirus cases over the summer while cases in European countries have fallen .
Peter Navarro , Trump ’ s top trade adviser , even published an op-ed against Fauci in USA Today in an attempt to discredit him , claiming the infectious disease expert “ has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.
” Wrong !
We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country , 60,000,000 .
If we tested less , there would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , France & Spain do ?
Now Europe sadly has flare ups .
Most of our governors worked hard & smart .
We will come back STRONG !
: : https : //t.co/hhwYOrnWZn — Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) August 1 , 2020

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Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that he’s had to hire security to protect himself and his family after receiving death threats from people who object to his work on the coronavirus pandemic and the science behind regulations.
During a livestreamed talk with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosted by Harvard’s School of Public Health, the infectious disease expert said he was taken aback by the harassment he and his family have received in the last few months.
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Noting that crisis “brings out the best of people and the worst of people,” Fauci said, “getting death threats for me and my family and harassing my daughters to the point where I have to get security, it’s amazing.”
Fauci said his wife and daughters were “fine” but stressed by the threats.
“I wouldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that people who object to things that are pure public health principles are so set against it and don’t like what you and I say, namely in the world of science, that they actually threaten you,” he said.
Fauci previously revealed that he and his family were facing “serious threats” during an interview on “The Axe Files” podcast in July. At that time, he called the threats “a little bit disturbing.”
Fauci had his own personal security detail as early as April, according to reports from CNN and The Hill.
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Dr. Fauci smiles through disclosing death threats against him and his family: "I wouldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that people, who object to things that are pure public health principles, are so set against it .... that they actually threaten you.” pic.twitter.com/1wLly42MBc — The Recount (@therecount) August 5, 2020
Fauci is one of the most prominent figures in the White House’s coronavirus task force but has also been at odds with members of the Trump administration, including President Donald Trump himself, as he offered bleak predictions as the pandemic worsened.
Trump has undermined and contradicted some of Fauci’s recommendations and information during the pandemic. This past weekend, Trump directly challenged Fauci by retweeting a video of the doctor explaining why the U.S. has experienced another surge in coronavirus cases over the summer while cases in European countries have fallen.
“Wrong!” the president tweeted.
Peter Navarro, Trump’s top trade adviser, even published an op-ed against Fauci in USA Today in an attempt to discredit him, claiming the infectious disease expert “has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.”
Wrong! We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country, 60,000,000. If we tested less, there would be less cases. How did Italy, France & Spain do? Now Europe sadly has flare ups. Most of our governors worked hard & smart. We will come back STRONG!
:: https://t.co/hhwYOrnWZn — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--U.S. Coronavirus Testing Drops As Deaths Mount

U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day , a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the results .
An Associated Press analysis found that the number of tests per day slid 3.6 % over the past two weeks to 750,000 , with the count falling in 22 states .
That includes places like Alabama , Mississippi , Missouri and Iowa where the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climb , an indicator that the virus is still spreading uncontrolled .
Amid the crisis , some health officials are calling for the introduction of a different type of test that would yield results in a matter of minutes and would be cheap and simple enough for millions of Americans to test themselves — but would also be less accurate .
Some of the decline in testing over the past few weeks was expected after backlogged commercial labs urged doctors to concentrate on their highest-risk patients .
But some health and government officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand .
Moore and her husband arrived early on a Saturday morning at the site , a community center , where they waited for two hours for her test .
Moore watched in the rear-view mirror as people drove up , saw the long line of cars , and then turned around and left .
“ If people have something to do on a Saturday and they want to get tested , they ’ re not going to wait for two hours in the South Carolina heat for a test , especially if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moore said .
Before traveling from Florida to Delaware last month , Laura DuBose Schumacher signed up to go to a drive-up testing site in Orlando with her husband .
They were given a one-hour window in which to arrive .
They got there at the start of the window , but after 50 minutes it looked as if the wait would be another hour .
Others who had gone through the line told them that they wouldn ’ t get their results until five days later , a Monday , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next day , so they gave up .
The number of confirmed infections in the U.S. has topped 4.7 million , with new cases running at nearly 60,000 a day on average , down from more than 70,000 in the second half of July .
U.S. testing is built primarily on highly sensitive molecular tests that detect the genetic code of the coronavirus .
Although the test is considered the gold standard for accuracy , experts increasingly say the country ’ s overburdened lab system is incapable of keeping pace with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three days , the time frame crucial to isolating patients and containing the virus .
“ They ’ re doing as good a job as they possibly can do , but the current system will not allow them to keep up with the demand , ” said Mara Aspinall of Arizona State University ’ s College of Health Solutions .
Testing delays have led researchers at Harvard and elsewhere to propose a new approach using so-called antigen tests — rapid technology already used to screen for flu , strep throat and other common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself , such tests look for viral proteins , or antigens , which are generally considered a less accurate measure of infection .
A number of companies are studying COVID-19 antigen tests in which you spit on a specially coated strip of paper , and if you are infected , it changes color .
Experts say the speed and widespread availability of such tests would more than make up for their lower precision .
While no such tests for the coronavirus are on the U.S. market , experts say the technology is simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technical .
The Harvard researchers say production could quickly be scaled into the millions .

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U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the results.
An Associated Press analysis found that the number of tests per day slid 3.6% over the past two weeks to 750,000, with the count falling in 22 states. That includes places like Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Iowa where the percentage of positive tests is high and continuing to climb, an indicator that the virus is still spreading uncontrolled.
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Amid the crisis, some health officials are calling for the introduction of a different type of test that would yield results in a matter of minutes and would be cheap and simple enough for millions of Americans to test themselves — but would also be less accurate.
“There’s a sense of desperation that we need to do something else,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute.
Widespread testing is considered essential to containing the outbreak as the U.S. approaches a mammoth 5 million confirmed infections and more than 157,000 deaths out of over 700,000 worldwide.
Testing demand is expected to surge again this fall, when schools reopen and flu season hits, most likely outstripping supplies and leading to new delays and bottlenecks.
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Some of the decline in testing over the past few weeks was expected after backlogged commercial labs urged doctors to concentrate on their highest-risk patients. But some health and government officials are seeing growing public frustration and waning demand.
In Iowa, state officials are reporting less interest in testing, despite ample supplies. The state’s daily testing rate peaked in mid-July but has declined 40% in the last two weeks.
“We have the capacity. Iowans just need to test,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said last week.
Jessica Moore of rural Newberry, South Carolina, said that after a private lab lost her COVID-19 test results in mid-July, she had to get re-tested at a pop-up site organized by the state.
Moore and her husband arrived early on a Saturday morning at the site, a community center, where they waited for two hours for her test. Moore watched in the rear-view mirror as people drove up, saw the long line of cars, and then turned around and left.
“If people have something to do on a Saturday and they want to get tested, they’re not going to wait for two hours in the South Carolina heat for a test, especially if they’re not symptomatic,” Moore said.
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Before traveling from Florida to Delaware last month, Laura DuBose Schumacher signed up to go to a drive-up testing site in Orlando with her husband. They were given a one-hour window in which to arrive.
They got there at the start of the window, but after 50 minutes it looked as if the wait would be another hour. Others who had gone through the line told them that they wouldn’t get their results until five days later, a Monday, at the earliest. They were planning to travel the next day, so they gave up.
“Monday would have been pointless, so we left the line,” Schumacher said.
The number of confirmed infections in the U.S. has topped 4.7 million, with new cases running at nearly 60,000 a day on average, down from more than 70,000 in the second half of July.
U.S. testing is built primarily on highly sensitive molecular tests that detect the genetic code of the coronavirus. Although the test is considered the gold standard for accuracy, experts increasingly say the country’s overburdened lab system is incapable of keeping pace with the outbreak and producing results within two or three days, the time frame crucial to isolating patients and containing the virus.
“They’re doing as good a job as they possibly can do, but the current system will not allow them to keep up with the demand,” said Mara Aspinall of Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions.
Advertisement
Testing delays have led researchers at Harvard and elsewhere to propose a new approach using so-called antigen tests — rapid technology already used to screen for flu, strep throat and other common infections. Instead of detecting the virus itself, such tests look for viral proteins, or antigens, which are generally considered a less accurate measure of infection.
A number of companies are studying COVID-19 antigen tests in which you spit on a specially coated strip of paper, and if you are infected, it changes color. Experts say the speed and widespread availability of such tests would more than make up for their lower precision.
While no such tests for the coronavirus are on the U.S. market, experts say the technology is simple and the hurdles are more regulatory than technical. The Harvard researchers say production could quickly be scaled into the millions.
A proposal from the Harvard researchers calls for the federal government to distribute $1 saliva-based antigen tests to all Americans so that they can test themselves regularly, perhaps even daily.
Even with accuracy as low as 50%, researchers estimate the paper strip tests would uncover five times more COVID-19 cases than the current laboratory-based approach, which federal officials estimate catches just 1 in 10 infections.
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But the approach faces resistance in Washington, where federal regulators have required at least 80% accuracy for new COVID-19 tests.
To date, the Food and Drug Administration has allowed only two COVID-19 antigen tests to enter the market. Those tests require a nasal swab supervised by a health professional and can only be run on specialized machines found at hospitals, doctor’s offices and clinics.
Also, because of the risk of false negatives, doctors may need to confirm a negative result with a genetic test when patients have possible symptoms of COVID-19.
On Tuesday, the governors of Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana and three other states announced an agreement with the Rockefeller Foundation to purchase more than 3 million of the FDA-cleared antigen tests, underscoring the growing interest in the technology.
When asked about introducing cheaper, paper-based tests, the government’s “testing czar,” Adm. Brett Giroir, warned that their accuracy could fall as low as 20% to 30%.
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“I don’t think that would do a service to the American public of having something that is wrong seven out of 10 times,” Giroir said last week. “I think that could be catastrophic.”
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-05--Oregon Could Become The First State To Decriminalize Drugs

Nearly two people die every day from drug overdoses in Oregon .
One out of 11 Oregonians suffer from addiction .
The state also ranks last in the nation among states in access to drug treatment and recovery services for adults , according to a federal government survey on national drug use .
This fall , it might become the first state in the nation to decriminalize drug possession .
Initiative 44 , which will be on the ballot in November , would end the criminalization of simple drug possession of small amounts of all drugs by changing the penalties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 administrative fine .
The initiative would also use excess tax money from the sale of legal marijuana to fund a new drug treatment , recovery and harm reduction program outside of the criminal justice system .
The fine could be waived if the recipient chooses to undergo a voluntary treatment assessment under the new system .
The decriminalization of drugs in Oregon would mark a significant shift toward ending the nation ’ s half-century war on drugs , which is largely waged to the detriment of Black , Latino and other minority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has been the restructuring of the relationship between the police and communities of color .
The decriminalization of drugs and creation of a treatment system separate from the criminal justice system would be one step in that direction .
The initiative was initially conceived under the shadow of a dramatic rise in drug overdose deaths related to the opioid and methamphetamine crises in the past 20 years .
The national drug overdose death rate more than tripled from 1999 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Disease Control and Prevention — yet another example of the country ’ s failed policy of criminalizing drugs .
The proposal is based on the decriminalization and treatment policies adopted by Portugal in 2001 .
Portugal had seen a rapid increase in HIV infections due to intravenous drug use in the late 1990s .
In response , it decided to decriminalize drug possession and set up a treatment and recovery system so that its citizens suffering from drug addiction could get the help they needed .
The country has since seen a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those related to intravenous drug use .
The war on drugs has for 50 years been one of the major drivers of racial disparities in police stops , searches , arrests , convictions and imprisonment in the nation ’ s criminal justice system .
The criminalization of large swathes of minority communities , particularly Black men , through the racially discriminatory application of war on drugs enforcement has , in turn , created collateral consequences in access to housing , employment and family formation .
This is despite the fact that drug use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bobby Byrd , a Black resident of Portland , Oregon , was arrested 26 years ago for possession of cocaine .
He had suffered problems with cocaine addiction since he was a teenager .
He was in the middle of a relapse when he went to a strip club in Northeast Portland known for drug sales after work one day and police arrested him .
For nearly 30 years , Byrd says he has been denied promotions and fired from jobs when he reported his felony conviction .
When he sought training at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and alcohol counselor or a phlebotomist , he was discouraged from pursuing those careers , and when he and his wife divorced he said he couldn ’ t find anyone who would rent to him — all because of his felony conviction .
Byrd , who now works as an organizer in support of Initiative 44 , is just one of the thousands of Black men and women who have been disproportionately affected by Oregon ’ s criminalization of drug possession .
A 2018 study conducted by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregonians were 2.5 times more likely to be convicted for drug possession as white Oregonians , despite both groups reporting similar rates of drug use .
Oregon has already taken steps to tackle these disparities by reducing criminal penalties for drug possession .
The state legalized marijuana in 2014 and the legislature passed a bill in 2017 that was backed by law enforcement to reduce a number of drug possession crimes from felonies to misdemeanors .
Initiative 44 builds on this history by fully decriminalizing small drug possession crimes .
The initiative would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possession arrests and convictions , according to a draft report released by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission in July .
If the initiative were enacted , it would reduce drug possession convictions by over 90 % for Black and Indigenous Oregonians .
For Byrd , passing the initiative is about making sure that no one in Oregon suffers as he did simply because of an arrest that stemmed from his inability to get treatment for his drug problem .

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/HuffPost; Photos: Getty
Nearly two people die every day from drug overdoses in Oregon. One out of 11 Oregonians suffer from addiction. The state also ranks last in the nation among states in access to drug treatment and recovery services for adults, according to a federal government survey on national drug use.
This fall, it might become the first state in the nation to decriminalize drug possession. Initiative 44, which will be on the ballot in November, would end the criminalization of simple drug possession of small amounts of all drugs by changing the penalties from felonies and misdemeanors to a $100 administrative fine. The initiative would also use excess tax money from the sale of legal marijuana to fund a new drug treatment, recovery and harm reduction program outside of the criminal justice system. The fine could be waived if the recipient chooses to undergo a voluntary treatment assessment under the new system.
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“What we’re trying to do is put drug use back where it belongs, which is under that public health scope and completely remove it from the criminal justice system,” said Matt Sutton, a spokesman for Drug Policy Action, a national harm reduction nonprofit backing Initiative 44.
The decriminalization of drugs in Oregon would mark a significant shift toward ending the nation’s half-century war on drugs, which is largely waged to the detriment of Black, Latino and other minority communities. One of the demands of the Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has been the restructuring of the relationship between the police and communities of color. The decriminalization of drugs and creation of a treatment system separate from the criminal justice system would be one step in that direction.
The initiative’s success could lead other states to follow suit, as previous drug liberalization initiatives have done.
“Like we’ve seen with medical cannabis and cannabis legalization, the success in one state will attract policymakers in other states to follow suit,” said Anthony Johnson, the chief petitioner for Initiative 44.
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The initiative was initially conceived under the shadow of a dramatic rise in drug overdose deaths related to the opioid and methamphetamine crises in the past 20 years. The national drug overdose death rate more than tripled from 1999 to 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — yet another example of the country’s failed policy of criminalizing drugs.
Initiative 44 is facing no substantive opposition and has been endorsed by groups ranging from NAACP Portland, local Black Lives Matter chapters, physicians groups and AFSCME, the government workers union whose membership includes corrections officers.
The proposal is based on the decriminalization and treatment policies adopted by Portugal in 2001. Portugal had seen a rapid increase in HIV infections due to intravenous drug use in the late 1990s. In response, it decided to decriminalize drug possession and set up a treatment and recovery system so that its citizens suffering from drug addiction could get the help they needed. The country has since seen a large reduction in HIV infections, particularly those related to intravenous drug use.
But in the United States, the problems of drug criminalization and enforcement do not just have negative consequences for public health by failing to adequately provide treatment to addicts.
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The war on drugs has for 50 years been one of the major drivers of racial disparities in police stops, searches, arrests, convictions and imprisonment in the nation’s criminal justice system. The criminalization of large swathes of minority communities, particularly Black men, through the racially discriminatory application of war on drugs enforcement has, in turn, created collateral consequences in access to housing, employment and family formation. This is despite the fact that drug use rates are similar across all races.
And these trends are just as true in Oregon, with its low Black population, as they are in the rest of the United States.
Bobby Byrd, a Black resident of Portland, Oregon, was arrested 26 years ago for possession of cocaine. He had suffered problems with cocaine addiction since he was a teenager. He was in the middle of a relapse when he went to a strip club in Northeast Portland known for drug sales after work one day and police arrested him.
For nearly 30 years, Byrd says he has been denied promotions and fired from jobs when he reported his felony conviction. When he sought training at a community college to become a drug and alcohol counselor or a phlebotomist, he was discouraged from pursuing those careers, and when he and his wife divorced he said he couldn’t find anyone who would rent to him — all because of his felony conviction.
“It really feels like ... my sentence started after I [served it],” Byrd said.
Byrd, who now works as an organizer in support of Initiative 44, is just one of the thousands of Black men and women who have been disproportionately affected by Oregon’s criminalization of drug possession. A 2018 study conducted by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission found that from 2012 to 2016, Black Oregonians were 2.5 times more likely to be convicted for drug possession as white Oregonians, despite both groups reporting similar rates of drug use.
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Oregon has already taken steps to tackle these disparities by reducing criminal penalties for drug possession. The state legalized marijuana in 2014 and the legislature passed a bill in 2017 that was backed by law enforcement to reduce a number of drug possession crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Initiative 44 builds on this history by fully decriminalizing small drug possession crimes.
The initiative would nearly eliminate the racial disparities in drug possession arrests and convictions, according to a draft report released by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission in July. If the initiative were enacted, it would reduce drug possession convictions by over 90% for Black and Indigenous Oregonians.
For Byrd, passing the initiative is about making sure that no one in Oregon suffers as he did simply because of an arrest that stemmed from his inability to get treatment for his drug problem.