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Insight News

August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020

Vol. 47 No. 33• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

BIDEN CHOOSES, HARRIS STORY ON PAGE 3

Page 2 • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Insight News

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Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton

The Minnesota Daily

Former University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks

Part 1 of 2: Interview: Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton and former University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks on Friends of Minneapolis Letter objecting to Minneapolis City Council proposal to defund the Minneapolis Police Department by amending the City Charter

Defunding The Police Al McFarlane: You both have written a letter to the public that questions Minneapolis City Council proposal to amend Minneapolis’ City Charter to change how we do policing, and police policy in Minneapolis.

Mayor Sayles Belton, set the stage. How does this discussion come up? What should the community be thinking about?

What is police reform? What does it look like?

Sharon Sayles Belton: Well first of all, thank you Al for having Bob and me on the call today. As you mentioned, he and I along with Josie Johnson, authored a statement that was printed in the Star Tribune on June 18th of this year, following the death of George Floyd on May 25th. And it was interesting, of course, and we all watched it kind of unfold, the reaction to George Floyd’s death. Not only did our city react, but our region, our state, and then several other communities across the country and around the world. I mean, this was a profound event in our society’s history, a seminal event if you will, and it really captured the attention of citizens everywhere.

And it should, because George Floyd’s death is a representation of a string of wrongful deaths that have occurred across our own state, and the nation, and in fact, the world. And this event, again, created this opportunity for this broad awareness of the underlying issues that contributed to his death. So in the statement of support, one of the things we tried to call out is that yes, number one, we absolutely need police reform.

We’ve needed police reform for quite some time. But we also need bigger issues to be addressed. And don’t believe that just responding to the cries for defunding, dismantling, abolishing the police department aren’t the answer. Yes, they’re a response to the pain, and the suffering, and the anger, and the anguish that we rightfully have.

But just taking those actions are not going to facilitate the societal change that we need in our community.

I think we wanted to say in the document that our community needs policing. We do need policing, but we need just policing. We need policing that respects the citizens in the community that are served.

The other thing that we also wanted to call out is that we believe that right now in the city of Minneapolis, we actually have a very strong police chief.

And that police chief has been leading reforms from the time that he took that oath of office to serve as the chief of our police department. And we believe that that chief needs the support to be able to build, develop a just police department that really can respond appropriately, rightfully to the needs of the citizens in our community.

We do want to see bold transformation in the city, and we also believe that there are ways for us to be able to achieve it. By partnering, for example, with the county to actually maybe take responsibility for helping to prove the appropriate response for those people in

our community streets that our police encounter all the time, yet do not have the appropriate skills to be able to meet those unique and challenging needs of individuals. Now I’m talking about people who are chemically dependent and on our streets, or mentally ill and on our streets.

And because we have failed to ensure our community has the right safety net to take care of these people, we have left these people to be managed by police.

That’s the wrong response.

So as people talk about defunding, dismantling, and then talk about wanting to police to do a better job in reaching, or somebody to do a better job in reaching the needs of the community, you don’t need to defund the police to do that. You need to learn to partner, to be in conversation with others that actually have the skills and the competency to be able to do that.

Now that’s a whole lot to pack into a statement of support for police reform and for the leadership of Chief Medaria Arradondo. But we tried to capture it as succinctly as we possibly could, and then went out and started sharing this message with others in the city to try to build support.

Al McFarlane: How should the community, Bob Bruininks, approach improvement of policing and police community relations.

Bob Bruininks: Well, I don’t think I could’ve framed the issue nearly as well as Mayor Belton did, but let me just add a couple of comments to her introductory ones. First of all, in my lifetime, and I’m 78 years old, I’ve seen many, many threats to justice, denials of justice.

And what happened in our community was not just tragic, it was absolutely unacceptable. If we want to live in a just country, and clearly in a just community.

And what I find kind of startling about our context right now, is more than 70% of the people across the country, and I believe in our own state, really want reform in policing, and this isn’t the first time we’ve visited this issue. President Obama charged a taskforce in 2015, I believe, that took national testimony all over the United States, involved some of the very best minds in the country around these issues. And so this is not the first conversation we’ve had on this topic, and it won’t be the last.

But I think what’s interesting about this time that is somewhat different than previous epics, is we have a ... There’s hardly anything in society where 70% of the people agree that something should be done. And what should be done is an urgent matter for all of us citizens to face if we want to live in a safe and a just community, one that provides equity and opportunity to all the people who live here.

So my reason for joining this statement goes back to the responsibilities I had as president of the University of Minnesota, when I turn the light out each night and try to catch a little sleep, I worried about the safety of a community of close to 75,000 people in the middle of a very complex metropolitan area. And I watched, with some

alarm, growing levels of threat to safety in the greater university community. And I came to recognize that the partnership between the University of Minnesota Police and the Minneapolis Police Department is vitally important to keep our community safe, and we also, along with Kathleen O’Brien, we organized a taskforce of people in our community, involved students, faculty, staff of the University of Minnesota, but also members of the community, to really address what we needed to do with respect to public safety.

Bob Bruininks: So I think one of the things that bothers me about the City Council charter amendment, I think we all are worried and concerned about the same things. We really do want fundamental, and we need fundamental reform in how we do policing in this country. It has disparate impact on communities of color, and I think increasingly it’s recognized unjust impact on communities of color But my main concern is I think the council has chosen the wrong strategy, and by doing so it puts very much the reform initiative at risk. Let me just make a couple of really quick comments and then we can jump into the conversation.

The amendment talks about defunding and starting a major conversation over the next year, but it says nothing about what we’re going to do to ensure the public safety of people who live in the city of Minneapolis and in the surrounding areas. I was struck by some of the persuasive arguments by Andrew Luger, former US attorney, served with great distinction in that role for many, many years.

And he pointed out the vital roles that are performed by the Minneapolis Police Department, in often very close coordination with many other entities in our society.

To give you an example, when the I-35W bridge went down, the first responders that arrived on the scene and saved lives were members of the University of Minnesota Police, and the Minneapolis Police Department. So you have a first responder role that’s vitally important, you have the protection of communities and community safety, you have investigations that are vitally important to the safety of people who live in our community.

And so to me, the amendment starts a conversation, but it does not assure people that the vital roles that are performed by the Minneapolis Police Department, and should be performed in a just way, continue. It doesn’t even make any assurances that we will have any kind of an entity called the Police Department. So that’s one issue. So my prediction, and it’s just one person’s opinion, is that this issue has been framed so weakly with respect to a charter change, that I think the likelihood is exceptionally high that the proposed amendment, if it does reach the ballot, will go down. It will go down in defeat. And then we’ll lose six to eight months arguing about the wrong things, when we really should be focusing on

many of the recommendations that were in the Obama policing report of 2015, and many of the recommendations that are surfacing in the conversation we’re having here.

So I think it’s a weak strategy to accomplish very important public purposes, and I think the strategy is actually going to unintentionally delay the vital conversation we should be having in Minneapolis, leading to real reform in policing and police practices.

Al McFarlane: I’m going to come back around to both of you about that question of it being a weak strategy, because I wanted to know what you think is the reason behind what’s being offered by City Council, what is their intent, what is their desire? And is this something that’s well thought out, well organized, well-conceived, with a plan that is transparent and communicable to the voters of the city of Minneapolis so that they can make a reasonable and informed decision? Or is this something else, and if it is, what could that be?

But Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, walk us down the charter amendment process.

Why a charter amendment, why not a City Council ordinance, what are the options for addressing the question of police reform in general, and why has the City Council chosen to present this as a charter amendment?

Sharon Sayles Belton: Well, first I’m going to say that I don’t want to try to speak for the City Council, I’ll try to interpret what I think is going on with them. I think we should invite them to be a part of explaining themselves to the public. But what I will tell you what has happened here is that the council had a discussion and they passed a resolution, and in their resolution they called for a change to the Minneapolis charter. Now, the city has adopted a group of people, assigned a group of people the responsibility for managing the city’s charter. This is like our constitution, right? This lays out the principles for how this city will be governed and who has responsibility for governance.

And so what they’re saying, what the council voted on was we want to propose a change to the charter, and in that change to the charter we want to remove the requirement to have a Police Department. We also want to remove the obligation that the police commander, the chief, report to the mayor. And instead what they want to do is to have some other form of policing that is ... Or I should say public safety, I won’t even call it policing because I don’t think they call it policing, in the city and that the leader of policing would be a non-law enforcement person, and that the responsibility for oversight of this peace keeping activity would be in the domain of the citizen, 13 members of the City Council, and the mayor.

Now, I will tell you that I, on record, in front of the Charter Commission, saying that I don’t believe that any responsible organization can have 15 bosses. And being

responsible for everything. And I think President Bruininks would agree with me. The buck has to stop somewhere and somebody has to take responsibility and be accountable.

It makes no sense. But the real problem in the resolution is that the resolution does not tell the citizens how the peace will be kept, or how protection of property and livelihood will take place in this city. And when you’re making a change of that magnitude to the city’s charter, it requires public input. And what I will tell you right now is that the City Council had no public input, they did not create forums for public input from the citizens to comment on the charter change. And what they’re expecting is that question will go to the Charter Commission, and the Charter Commission, with the limited information that they have in the City Council’s resolution, will put the question of the elimination of the Police Department and this new model ... I don’t even want to call it a model, framework, for policing on the ballot for the citizens to vote on it.

And I will tell you what the citizens are saying, not all of them but many of them, including myself. You have not given us a plan to vote on. You’ve put out some ideas and an idea does not constitute a plan, and the charter should not be amended on the basis of an idea. So if you want to have responsible leadership, a good constitution governing your city for the future on an important issue like public safety, there needs to be public input before the fact and not after the fact. And I believe President Bruininks is right, is that once there’s really broad understanding on the part of the citizens, what is not in this resolution of the City Council, people will be angry, disappointed, and they will not vote for it.

Now, let me go back to a central question that I think is at the heart of what you were asking. Where did this idea come from?

The idea stemmed from the anger, and the frustration, and the outrage at the fact that the police have consistently underperformed.

Not all the police, but they have underperformed in terms of showing protection and regard for African Americans and other people of color.

Now, we could add to that the people who are suffering mental illness, people who have been chemically dependent and on our city streets because we can all point to different events that have taken place over the last 20 years, or 30 years, that show this disregard for the public and for individuals who are suffering.

And I understand that outrage. I have that same outrage. I have that same outrage.

But I don’t believe that the responsible act is for me to yell my demands at the City Council, and that the City Council then embrace my demand and then act rapidly without thought about the implications, and again, take action. So I have said on the record that the voices of the protesters are not the only

voices that we need to listen to. We need to listen to all of the voices of the residents of the city of Minneapolis, and they all have input. All the voices are important, but they all have to be heard in measure.

And we have not received that opportunity as taxpayers in the city of Minneapolis, as citizens, outrage citizens in the city of Minneapolis. And the City Council, I understand the pressure that they’re under. I understand the voices that are coming at them strongly about, “We want reform and we want it now!” Well, I want it now but I want it now right. And so now doesn’t mean tomorrow. And it’s better for it to be right than to be wrong.

Al McFarlane: Bob Bruininks, what is motivating the City Council?

Bob Bruininks: It wasn’t just the tragic murder of George Floyd. These are injustices that have been brewing for hundreds of years, and particularly in the last 150 years, or slightly more than that.

So I understand the reason why the City Council is very, very concerned and wants to some leadership in this area.

My problem is I think they have chosen a strategy that will fail rather than one that we need to succeed. And we’ve touched on many of the reasons why we think this is not a sound strategy, the one being I don’t know what ... I don’t even know what the elements of a plan are in the resolution that came out of the City Council. If I’m going to vote on something like this of such consequence to the lifeblood of our community, I want to know what’s sort of the long range vision, what are we trying to accomplish, what are the goals that we’re trying, in the long term, that we’re trying to achieve? What are the values that support those goals? And how will we know when we are making progress?

And to me, you have to frame the principles that are going to guide reform, and the values that are going to drive reform. Then you get to strategies. And we’re doing this kind of in a backwards fashion with this resolution coming out of the City Council. We’re talking about a lot of concrete strategies.

I watched, for example, the debates that are going on in the City Council, and it’s a debate to move a million dollars here, and 500,000 there, without regard to whether the places where the money happens to be traveling will have any impact at all. So you’ve got the communications arm of the Police Department without a careful review of whether that is vitally important for them to do their work, and do it in a just way.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic, if we get into the middle of another emergency, like a tornado touching down as we had in north Minneapolis, I mean, how are you going to keep ... How are you going to coordinate all the entities that need to come together if you don’t have an effective communication strategy? So you can transfer it to the city office, but I don’t see any analysis about whether that’ll work.

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Insight News • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Page 3 WINNER: 2020 T YPOGRAPHY & DESIGN, 1ST PLACE, PHOTOGRAPHY (PORTRAIT & PERSONALIT Y), 1ST PLACE, WEBSITE, 3RD PLACE

Insight News August 17 2020 - August 23, 2020

Vol. 47 No. 33• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com

Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as running mate

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia California Sen. Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s choice for vice president.

Following months of speculation and debate over whether Biden should pick a Black woman as his running mate, Harris was named Tuesday as Biden’s choice.

Biden reportedly had called Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), former Ambassador Susan Rice, and three other candidates to inform them on Tuesday morning that they were not his pick.

Harris had routinely been seen as the top pick, but her clashes with Biden during the Democratic debates appeared to give Biden pause.

However, Biden had been photographed in recent weeks with talking points which noted not to hold a grudge against Harris.

Sworn in as Senator in 2017, Harris became the second African American woman and the first South Asian-American senator in history.

She has said that her life as a prosecutor and fighting justice was inspired by her mother, an Indian-American immigrant, activist and breast cancer researcher.

Growing up in Oakland, Harris had “a strollereye view of the Civil Rights

James Edward Bransford (Jim)

James Bransford: Mentor, Counselor and advocate photo/NNPA

Sworn in as Senator in 2017, Kamala Harris became the second African American woman and the first South Asian-American senator in history. movement,” according to her official biography.

Through the example of courageous leaders like Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, and Charles Hamilton Houston, Harris said she learned the kind of character it requires to stand up to the powerful and resolved to spend her life advocating for those who could not defend themselves.

After earning an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a law degree from the University of California, Hastings, she began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2003, Harris became the District Attorney

of the City and County of San Francisco.

Among her achievements as District Attorney, Harris started a program that gives first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and find employment.

Having completed two terms as the District Attorney of San Francisco, Kamala was elected as the first African American and first woman to serve as California’s Attorney General.

In this role, she “worked tirelessly to hold corporations accountable and protect the state’s most vulnerable people,” according to her biography.

Over the course of her nearly two terms in office, Harris won a $25-billion settlement for California homeowners hit by the foreclosure crisis, defended California’s landmark climate change law, protected the Affordable Care Act, helped win marriage equality for all Californians, and prosecuted transnational gangs that trafficked in guns, drugs, and human beings.

Since taking office, she has introduced and cosponsored legislation to raise wages for working people, reform our broken criminal justice system, make healthcare a right for all Americans, address

HARRIS 4

New York’s Attorney General alleges widespread corruption at the NRA

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched what many may perceive as a proverbial David v. Goliath battle, filing a suit that seeks to dissolve the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA).

In a news conference held on Thursday, August 6, James announced the charges levied against the organization.

The filing alleges illegal conduct and corruption, stating: “…their diversion of millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees to buy their silence and continued loyalty.”

The State of New York alleges that the organization, its vice-president Wayne LaPierre, former CFO Wilson Phillips, former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer failed to manage the NRA’s funds and failed to follow numerous state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA. “The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked

photo/NNPA

New York Attorney general Letitia James alleges that the NRA, its vice-president Wayne LaPierre, former CFO Wilson Phillips, former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer failed to manage the NRA’s funds and failed to follow numerous state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA.

photo/www.nationalreview.com

New York Attorney General Letitia James was elected in 2018.

She is the first African-American and first woman to be elected to the position. for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” said James. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”

James cites numerous examples where the four defendants listed in the complaint “failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA.” She alleges that the accused used millions of dollars

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Discover history and hidden gems at Crow Wing State Park

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from NRA reserves funds for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals and other private travel.”

In addition to shuttering the NRA’s doors, James said she’s seeking to recoup the millions in lost assets and stop the four defendants from serving on the board of any not-for-profit charitable organization in the state of New York again.

According to the Attorney General’s filing, the four individuals “instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent.”

“They overrode and evaded internal controls to allow themselves, their families, favored board members, employees, and vendors to benefit through reimbursed expenses, related party transactions, excess compensation, side deals, and waste of charitable assets without regard to the NRA’s best interests,” James noted.

When board members challenged LaPierre and others over their financial governance and leadership of the NRA, it’s alleged that LaPierre retaliated and turned the board against those who attempted to challenge the illegal behavior.

According to the lawsuit, LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, Frazer and other executives and board members at the NRA allegedly abused

NRA 4

Our community lost a hero with the passing of James Edward Bransford on July 31 at the age of 89. Jim was a mentor, advocate and counselor to many generations of people who were addressing issues of addiction, domestic violence and the resulting criminal charges.

Bransford was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 11, 1930, the son of Aurora Dingus Bransford and Hugh Lawson Bransford, Jr. He was the eldest of five siblings who were raised in the rural area of Havre de Grace, Maryland.

Bransford and his siblings grew

up during the Great Depression and attended segregated schools.

He graduated from Bel Air Colored High School in 1947 at age of 16. The importance of education was instilled in the Bransford children as all five of them attended college. He first attended the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore where he pledged with the second line of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

He later transferred to Lincoln University, a historically Black university in Pennsylvania where Horace Mann Bond was

BRANSFORD 5

Moving to the Top of the Hill

By Brenda Lyle-Gray Columnist ‘They’ passed this way with a purpose, their determination strong, yet tempered with love.

The path they made is wide enough for all of us to move to the top of the hill side by side.

(Moving to the Top of the Hill) Jami Parkison; Introduction by Delma Johnson; The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Affiliated Trusts – © 1994) So, NO! I didn’t get it. After all, I was just four years old. I was cool with our sultry summer and cold winter thirdfloor kitchenette on Hallock

Street in Kansas City, Kansas, where Mama and I hung out during the day. Daddy was at work, often taking on two jobs.

He was saving to buy his family a house and achieve his rite-of-

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photo/www.ktla

Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Michelle Obama’s confession and what Black women should know about low-grade depression

By Robin Caldwell, Contributing Writer Former First Lady Michelle Obama only stated what the rest of us have been stating for a while now. During The Michelle Obama Podcast, she confessed to journalist Michelle Norris, “I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression. Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and

day out, is dispiriting.”

Cleveland, Ohio therapist and social worker, Jennifer McClellan Johnson agrees. “‘Dispiriting’ is an appropriate description,” said Johnson in reference to the first lady’s comment.

The blogger and speaker continued, “Covidfatigue and a general sense that our inner joy is being zapped by current events has become increasingly common, especially over the past year.”

M. OBAMA 5

I2H

Sexually transmitted diseases continue upward climb in Minnesota

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Page 4 • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Insight News

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COVID-nomics: Five rising costs Black consumers should know

By Robin Caldwell, Contributing Writer After almost six months of restrictions and sheltering-inplace due to the coronavirus pandemic, economists are noticing shifts in the cost of consumer goods and services.

Lifestyle changes and healthrelated concerns have altered the ways in which Black buyers are making their purchases as well as how manufacturers are responding.

Of the responses worth noting are these five rising costs.

Grocery prices are rising swiftly It began with shortages of pantry staples like flour and sugar, but the pandemic enabled the makers of packaged foods as well as the suppliers of produce to go up on their prices as restaurants closed. People are cooking

at home more. Reopened restaurants are not selling nearly as much food but grocery stores are. Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute notes, “The most recent U.S. Agriculture Department data said since February, beef and veal prices are up 20.2%, egg prices are up 10% and both poultry and pork prices rose 8%.

Now, compare those prices to a year ago and beef prices are up 25% while egg prices are up 12%.” To track specific food items or categories, you can turn to the Consumer Price Index.

Used car prices are increasing with demand There is a demand for used cars now that people are uncomfortable with flying, using trains and buses for travel.

Autonomy is important and the ability to control the hygiene of a traveling space like a vehicle offers. People are buying used cars though the prices are spiking as much as thousands of dollars over what they would

photo/Vesnaandjic_iStock

It began with shortages of pantry staples like flour and sugar, but the pandemic enabled the makers of packaged foods as well as the suppliers of produce to go up on their prices as restaurants closed.

Demand for rental cars increase as the cost to rent a car increases The New York Times recently reported that it can cost upwards of $280 per day to rent a car in Manhattan. (Detroit is said to have the highest rates.) When costs rise by as much as 73% to rent a car in a city that depends heavily on public transportation, imagine how that translates to the rest of us. As demand for

have cost last year. Essentially, this is a great time to sell your used car but it’s a bad time to buy one. According to The Detroit Bureau, a leading reporter of the automotive industry, automobile sales have increased by 17% since June. Car dealerships are promoting pre-owned sales and have initiated more attractive programs for used car buyers.

used cars increases, the industry is finding a direct correlation in car rentals for daily use as well as travel alternatives, and car rental companies are enjoying a resurgence in interest. Business Insider reports, “With the pandemic ruthlessly weakening Lyft’s core rides business and showing no signs of slowing down in the US, the company is expanding its rental-car offering to make up some of the slack.”

Dental and general doctor visit fees for “infection control” Uninsured and insured consumers should be mindful of “infection control” fees added onto their dental, eyecare, doctor and urgent care bills. Physicians and other healthcare professionals with a regular clientele are protecting themselves from liability and you, the consumer, from spreading or contracting the coronavirus during routine visits with masks and other essentials used for examinations. NBC

News reports that these costs are not guaranteed to be covered by insurers.

Childcare costs As schools vacillate about how to start the new school year, many Black parents are planning for the “just in case.” Childcare costs have increased and are an ongoing concern for most parents, but the coronavirus pandemic has added a layer of worry about caring for children during work hours as well as how the costs will be covered. Add the priority and the concern for health and safety. Thanks to the virus, affordable and safe childcare will continue to be a premium yet necessary (and rising) cost.

Those are a few rising costs for Black consumers to keep their eyes on, the Consumer Price Index contains others, including energy costs.

As we approach the holiday season, prices in non-essentials will most likely rise, too.

As the coronavirus rages in prisons, ethical issues of crime and punishment become more compelling

By Austin Sarat, Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty and Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College Across the United States, prisons and jails have become hot spots for COVID-19. Governments at the state and federal level are being pressed to release inmates before the end of their sentence in order to minimize the spread of the disease.

So far more than 100,000 of them have been infected with the coronavirus, and at least 802 inmates and several correctional officers have died.

New Jersey’s correctional facilities have been hit particularly hard.

With 29 deaths for every 100,000 inmates, they have the highest COVID-19-related death rate in the nation.

In response, New Jersey has already released more than 1,000 inmates, and Gov. Phil Murphy on April 10, 2020 authorized a case-by-case review of prisoners who are at greater risk. Additionally, the state legislature is considering a bill to authorize release of about 20% of its prison population.

As a scholar who has studied penal policy in the U.S., it is clear that the coronavirus requires Americans to think hard about what is unjust and disproportionate punishment. It

is a question that ethicists have tried to tackle for millennia, but has been given added urgency during the pandemic.

Overcrowding, infections and deaths Social distancing is impossible in correctional facilities and, as a result, so is COVID-19 prevention.

In California, for example, where 109,000 prisoners are housed in facilities with a maximum capacity of 85,000, the infection rate in June for the state’s jails and prisons was about 40 per 1,000 inmates – more than seven times the rate for the state’s population as a whole.

In New York City’s jails, it was was more than 7%, compared to just over 2% for the city’s population.

Inmates fear for their lives. One California prisoner, who is serving an eight-year sentence for causing injury while driving drunk, told the Los Angeles Times: “I don’t deserve a death sentence.”

Justice

in punishment Philosophers since Aristotle have debated what justice in punishment requires.

For him, punishment is governed by the requirements of what he called “corrective justice.” By this he meant that when someone is injured, the offender should be punished by inflicting comparable harm.

Aristotle‘s idea that punishment is a deserved and proportional response to an offense provides a building

block for retributive theories of punishment, which embrace some form of “an eye for an eye” as a way to do justice.

Those theories insist, as 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant noted, that punishment “can never be inflicted merely as a means to promote some other good for the criminal himself or for civil society. It must always be inflicted upon him because he has committed a crime.” In other words, just punishment must give people what they deserve, nothing less and nothing more.

Thus, Kant suggested that the amount of punishment should be governed by a principle of proportionality.

Many contemporary theorists of punishment embrace this idea. As legal scholar Bernard Harcourt recently said, punishment “should be proportional to the amount of harm caused by the offender.”

Prison

conditions To determine whether the risk of being exposed in prison to sickness or death from COVID-19 is disproportionate punishment requires paying attention to prison conditions.

One question to ask is whether the harsh conditions of life behind bars are part of a criminal’s punishment or merely a collateral consequence of their sentence.

Throughout most of American history, a criminal sentence was thought to be the full measure of the punishment inflicted – jail and prison conditions, as bad as they

Harris

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From 3 the epidemic of substance abuse, support veterans and military families, and expand access to childcare for working parents.

Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested that “some men are insulted” that Biden had long ago narrowed his search to women.

However, Trump’s statements were seen as a last-minute bid to rattle the Democrats.

Women’s groups and the civil rights community in recent days had blasted media members and individuals on social platforms for racist and sexist attacks against Harris and others who were considered

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“There are 30 million Gabriella Wiggins Americans with type 2 diabetes and 84 million with prediabetes. There are 324 million people in this country, so that’s half the population right there,” said Viola Davis who joined forces with the pharmaceutical company Merck to narrate “A Touch of Sugar,” which also depicts how the disease affects all communities.

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New Jersey’s correctional facilities have been hit particularly hard. With 29 deaths for every 100,000 inmates, they have the highest COVID-19-related death rate in the nation.

In response, New Jersey has already released more than 1,000 inmates, and Gov. Phil Murphy on April 10, 2020 authorized a case-by-case review of prisoners who are at greater risk. Additionally, the state legislature is considering a bill to authorize release of about 20% of its prison population.

As a scholar who has studied penal policy in the U.S., it is clear that the coronavirus requires Americans to think hard about what is unjust and

disproportionate punishment. It is a question that ethicists have tried to tackle for millennia, but has been given added urgency during the pandemic.

Overcrowding, infections and deaths Social distancing is impossible in correctional facilities and, as a result, so is COVID-19 prevention.

In California, for example, where 109,000 prisoners are housed in facilities with a maximum capacity of 85,000, the infection rate in June for the state’s jails and prisons was about 40 per 1,000 inmates – more than seven times the rate for the state’s population as a whole.

In New York City’s jails, it was was more than 7%, compared to just over 2% for the city’s population.

Inmates fear for their lives. One California prisoner, who is serving an eight-year sentence for causing injury while driving drunk, told the Los Angeles Times: “I don’t deserve a death sentence.”

Justice in punishment Philosophers since Aristotle have debated what justice in punishment requires.

For him, punishment is governed by the requirements of what he called “corrective justice.”

By this he meant that when someone is injured, the offender should be punished by inflicting comparable harm.

Aristotle‘s idea that punishment is a deserved and proportional response to an offense provides a building

block for retributive theories of punishment, which embrace some form of “an eye for an eye” as a way to do justice.

Those theories insist, as 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant noted, that punishment “can never be inflicted merely as a means to promote some other good for the criminal himself or for civil society. It must always be inflicted upon him because he has committed a crime.” In other words, just punishment must give people what they deserve, nothing less and nothing more.

Thus, Kant suggested that the amount of punishment should be governed by a principle of proportionality.

Many contemporary theorists of punishment embrace this idea. As legal scholar Bernard Harcourt recently said, punishment “should be proportional to the amount of harm caused by the offender.”

Prison conditions To determine whether the risk of being exposed in prison to sickness or death from COVID-19 is disproportionate punishment requires paying attention to prison conditions.

One question to ask is whether the harsh conditions of life behind bars are part of a criminal’s punishment or merely a collateral consequence of their sentence.

Throughout most of American history, a criminal sentence was thought to be the full measure of the punishment inflicted – jail and prison conditions, as bad as they might

be, were not regarded as part of the punishment.

In 1992, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas observed, in a case brought by an inmate who had been beaten by a guard, that the prohibition on cruel punishment found in the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment did not apply to any “deprivations” or “hardships” during incarceration.

Two years later, Thomas reiterated his view that the overcrowding, disease or violence which are often part of confinement “are not punishment in any recognized sense of the term.”

But Thomas’ view has not prevailed.

In a series of recent cases, the United States Supreme Court has held that what happens in jails and prisons is in fact part of an inmate’s punishment and must be considered in deciding whether their treatment is just.

As Justice Lewis Powell said in a 1981 case challenging prison overcrowding, such conditions are part of the punishment and are “subject to scrutiny under the Eighth Amendment standards.”

Those conditions “must not,” he said, “involve the wanton and unnecessary infliction of pain, nor may they be grossly disproportionate to the severity of the crime warranting imprisonment.”

In 2011, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the view that jail and prison conditions were very much part of the punishment. The court upheld a lower court order directing the

Omar From 3

Commentary by By StatePoint Hazel Josh Cobb Tricethe Edney Special from Ricki Fairley

By Pam Kragen By Kevin Punsky Dr. LaVonne Moore Twin Cities Association Minnesota Department The Cincinnati Herald Reprinted courtesy ofon the Originally published Mayo Clinic of Black Journalists/ Health BlacksInTechnology.net San Diego Union-Tribune Insight News Intern March 9, 2017

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent @ StacyBrownMedia

state of California to reduce the size of its prison population so as to reduce overcrowding and provide better medical treatment for inmates.

Protecting prisoners In the coming weeks, courts will be handling a number of pandemic-related cases involving prisoners, and legislatures will be considering proposals to let large numbers of inmates leave confinement.

As they do so, it is important for them to acknowledge that when the government puts someone behind bars and deprives them of the capacity to provide for their own care and protection it has, what law professor Sharon Dolovich calls “an affirmative obligation,” a duty to act to protect them from harm.

Judges and legislators will need to consider both whether being exposed to COVID-19 in prison is a disproportionate and unjust punishment and also how to

discharge the government’s responsibilities to the incarcerated.

Doing so should, I believe, lead them to release as many inmates as possible from the dangers to which COVID-19 is exposing them every day.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation Austin Sarat is interested broadly in the intersections of American law and politics. He is currently studying the phenomenon of botched executions, the fate of lethal injection as an execution technology, and the ways stories of exoneration from death row are told in popular culture.

Sarat uses the death penalty as a lens through which to view ideas about responsibility and blame, pain and its proper uses, race and fairness, mercy and the possibilities of redemption.

Sarat recently completed a book entitled The Death Penalty on the Ballot: American Democracy and the Fate of Capital Punishment.

might be, were not regarded as part of the punishment.

In 1992, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas observed, in a case brought by an inmate who had been beaten by a guard, that the prohibition on cruel punishment found in the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment did not apply to any “deprivations” or “hardships” during incarceration.

Two years later, Thomas reiterated his view that the overcrowding, disease or violence which are often part of confinement “are not punishment in any recognized sense of the term.”

But Thomas’ view has not prevailed.

In a series of recent cases, the United States Supreme Court has held that what happens in jails and prisons is in fact part of an inmate’s punishment and must be considered in deciding whether their treatment is just.

As Justice Lewis Powell said in a 1981 case challenging prison overcrowding, such conditions are part of the punishment and are “subject to scrutiny under the Eighth Amendment standards.”

Those conditions “must not,” he said, “involve the wanton and unnecessary infliction of pain, nor may they be grossly disproportionate to the severity of the crime warranting imprisonment.”

In 2011, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the view that jail and prison conditions were very much part of the punishment. The court upheld a lower court order directing the

photo/Bettmann_Contributor_Bettmann via Getty Images

A 1970 image of prisoners in cell blocks at Rikers Island Prison.

Protecting prisoners In the coming weeks, courts will be handling a number of pandemic-related cases involving prisoners, and legislatures will be considering proposals to let large numbers of inmates leave confinement.

As they do so, it is important for them to acknowledge that when the government puts someone behind bars and deprives them of the capacity to provide for their own care and protection it has, what law professor Sharon Dolovich calls “an affirmative obligation,” a duty to act to protect them from harm.

Judges and legislators will need to consider both whether being exposed to COVID-19 in prison is a disproportionate and unjust punishment and

also how to discharge the government’s responsibilities to the incarcerated.

Doing so should, I believe, lead them to release as many inmates as possible from the dangers to which COVID-19 is exposing them every day.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation Austin Sarat is interested broadly in the intersections of American law and politics. He is currently studying the phenomenon of botched executions, the fate of lethal injection as an execution technology, and the ways stories of exoneration from death row are told in popular culture.

Sarat uses the death penalty as a lens through which to view ideas about responsibility and blame, pain and its proper uses, race and fairness, mercy and the possibilities of redemption.

Sarat recently completed a book entitled The Death Penalty on the Ballot: American Democracy and the Fate of Capital Punishment.

in the vice-presidential sweepstakes.

In an open letter by nearly 700 Black women leaders, the attacks were roundly denounced.

“Black women are many things. We are business executives, political strategists, and elected officials, philanthropists, and activists,” the letter, circulated throughout the media and posted to various social media accounts, read.

“We are health and wellness practitioners. We are entertainers and faith leaders. We are wives, mothers, daughters, educators, and students. We set and shift culture. We build power, and we are powerful.”

Counting among the many Black women who signed the open letter are Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Maya Cummings, Dr.

Hazel Dukes, Suzanne DePasse, Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Cora Masters Barry, Melanie Campbell, and Karen BoykinTowns.

“We are the highest propensity voters in this nation.

We are a coalition of Black women leaders, who, in this inflection point of the Black liberation movement, where people around the world are galvanized to action, know that the time for Black women in the United States is now,” the women penned in the letter.

Earlier, 100 prominent Black men including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Charlamagne Tha God, NBA Star Chris Paul, Bakari Sellers, and rapper Doug E. Fresh, signed a letter of solidarity calling for Biden to select a Black woman.

“As someone who has

said throughout the campaign that VP Joe Biden needs to choose a Black woman VP, the urgency for that pick has gone from something that should happen to something that has to happen. It disgusts us that Black women are not just being vetted in this VP process but unfairly criticized and scrutinized,” the men wrote in the missive.

“Was Joe Biden ever labeled ‘too ambitious’ because he ran for president three times? Should President Obama not have made him the VP because he had to worry about his ‘loyalty’ when he clearly had ambitions to be president himself? Why does Senator Kamala Harris have to show remorse for questioning Biden’s previous stance on integrated busing during a democratic primary debate?”

affirmatively took steps to conceal the nature and scope of whistleblower concerns from external auditors, and failed to review potential conflicts of interest for employees, according to the complaint.

According to James, the NRA violated various laws, including the laws governing the NRA’s charitable status, false reporting on annual filings with the IRS, and the OAG’s Charities Bureau.

She further alleged improper expense documentation, improper wage reporting, improper income tax withholding, failure to make required excise tax reporting and payments, payments above reasonable compensation to disqualified persons, and waste of NRA assets in direct violation of New York’s Estates, Powers

& Trusts Laws; New York’s Notfor-Profit Corporation Law; the New York Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act; and New York’s Executive Law. “The illegal nature of the four individual defendants’ action also violated multiple rules of the NRA’s bylaws, the NRA’s employee handbook, and the NRA’s policy manual,” James stated.

The NRA’s failure to comply with multiple fiduciary responsibilities and state and federal laws resulted in the NRA’s seeing substantial losses on its balance sheet, the complaint stated.

The organization went from enjoying a surplus of more than $27.8 million in 2015 to a net deficit of more than $36.2 million in 2018 — contributing to a total loss of more than $64

million in just three years.

James said that her office began looking into the NRA in February 2019 and now seeks to dissolve the organization.

She’s asking a federal court judge to order LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, and Frazer to make full restitution of funds they unlawfully profited from along with the salaries earned as employees along with additional penalties. The State of New York is also seeking to recover illegal and unauthorized payments to the four individuals, remove LaPierre and Frazer from the NRA’s leadership (the NRA no longer employs Phillips and Powell), and ensure that none of the four defendants can ever again serve on the board of a charity in New York State.

state of California to reduce the size of its prison population so as to reduce overcrowding and provide better medical treatment for inmates.

Artist Donald Walker Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC), Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis,

NRA From 3 their power and illegally diverted or facilitated the diversion of tens of millions of dollars from the NRA. “These funds were in addition to millions of dollars that the four individual defendants were already receiving in grossly excessive salaries and bonuses that were not in line with the best practices and prudent standards for evaluating and determining compensation,” claims the lawsuit.

Leadership at the NRA also failed to assure standard fiscal controls, failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers,

insightnews.com

Insight News • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Page 5

Discover history and hidden gems at Crow Wing State Park

By Deborah Locke Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Information Officer Homeschooling is the norm at this unusual point in state education history. Kitchen tables double as school desks, and parents step up as instructors.

Here’s an idea. How about a history lesson for the whole family, located where the actual events happened? A goodsized slice of American Indian history -- as well as frontier life -- is located at Crow Wing State Park near Brainerd.

The park, tucked into the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers, is about a two-hour drive from the metro area. Amenities include

Bransford From 3 the President. Lincoln University further stimulated James’s love of literature, art and the Harlem Renaissance with visiting artists such as Langston Hughes. A little known fact is that while at Lincoln, James occasionally babysat for President Bond’s children including Julian Bond.

Bransford entered the United States Army and served during the Korean War. He was stationed in the San Francisco Bay area and while there had the opportunity to meet Nat King Cole who was performing for the troops. He moved to St. Paul in 1955 to attend Macalester College. Like many men of his generation, he worked as a porter on the railroad while attending school. In 1957, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from Macalester College.

That same year, he married Jeanne Watson Bransford, whom he had met earlier while working one summer in Ocean City, Maryland. From that union came two children, Tanya Mozell Bransford and Traci Vernita Bransford.

Bransford pursued his career as a biophysical research scientist and a clinical

Lyle-Gray From 3 passage . . . home ownership at ‘the top of the hill’.

I would miss my friend and neighbor, Robbie, the Ghanaian scholar who wowed me with his fascinating stories about wild animals, his childhood village, and how brilliant, brave, and physically strong our ancestors were.

Within a few months, I would experience a new and often ugly world. My first ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ incidents happened when the white man living next door to our new home called the police every time my tricycle came close to his driveway.

We had moved across the viaduct where the Kansas River merged with the Missouri River at Kaw Point below the cement overpass. The Missouri Supreme Court had finally ruled “if people of color could afford to pay for land and homes, they should be allowed to stay ‘within their zone’.” The area opening for African American homebuyers was called Santa Fe Place (SF Place), named for the Santa Fe Trail which once crossed the property. Its history dated back to 1835 when the land was first settled as a farm community and an outpost for supplies.

M. Obama From 3 The ‘current events’ have been many and varied. From the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others to covid restrictions to the reporting of covid-related deaths to political actions

camping, picnic areas, fishing, 18 miles of hiking trails, and of course, a perspective on state history that would be impossible to glean through a YouTube video, worksheet or book.

“Crow Wing State Park is like a hidden gem with a big story to tell,” said Park Supervisor Barry Osborne. “It would make a perfect day trip from the Twin Cities, and give both adults and children a few lessons on state history that they could learn no other way.”

Historical attractions include a significant 1768 Dakota/Ojibwe battle site, a fur trading post, a Chippewa outlook over the river, an ox cart route, old cemeteries, and the site of historian William W. Warren’s home.

Warren, one of the state’s more well-known

toxicologist at the University of Minnesota, Honeywell, Inc. and the Minneapolis Veteran’s Hospital from 1957 to 1973.

During that time, he was also active in the community as a member of the Maplewood Human Rights Commission and regularly volunteered as judge at regional and state science fairs for high school and junior high school students.

Unfortunately, he also fought chemical addiction and went to chemical dependency treatment programs seven times and had two near fatal car accidents before he finally achieved sobriety on May 21, 1974. He was very proud of his ability to maintain his sobriety and preferred to celebrate that day more than his birthday stating that his mother did all the work on his birth and he did the work for his sobriety anniversary.

This experience led him to find his true calling as a chemical dependency counselor who specialized in intervening for clients in the court system and diverting them to treatment.

Bransford was one of the founding members of Minnesota Institute on Black Chemical Abuse (presently African American Family Services). He was widely known and respected in the community and the courts for finding the best treatment program for each client and

photo/waymarking.com

A good-sized slice of Native American history -- as well as frontier life -- is located at Crow Wing State Park near Brainerd, Minnesota.

James Bransford with two daughters, left to right: Traci Vernita and Judge Tanya Mozell Bransford. never giving up on the client until they had achieved sobriety.

He was a founding member of the People’s A.A. group in North Minneapolis, which was the first all-Black A.A. group in the State of Minnesota.

Bransford addressed the problem of domestic violence by working as a counselor for men at Phyllis Wheatley Community Center for a number of years. In 1991, he founded and served as the Executive Director of the Excelsior Project, a counseling program which addressed both substance abuse and violence issues for underserved populations. Bransford used

his expertise as a dispositional advisor at the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office from 1999-2010 where he would find and recommend to the judges alternative dispositions to jail or prison. After his “retirement” from the Public Defender’s Office, he continued to serve as a legal advocate to the East African community for Pillsbury United Services at the Brian Coyle Center. Bransford continued working until March, 2020 as a counselor at Nurturing House LLC in St. Paul.

In addition to his extensive work history, Bransford was an active volunteer in the community.

During the 30 years from 1890 to 1920, a small group of Kansas Citians made a gallant effort to revitalize their town. In 1915, SF Place had become one of the city’s most fashionable addresses. Four vital elements would define this new upscale community: elegant architectural features; exclusion of any commercial structures; encouragement to only middle and upper-class homeowners; and incorporation of land for parks and boulevards.

The blocks of beautifully designed homes would be the foundation on which the most honorable and the most despicable of Kansas City’s history would be built.

In 1931, SF Place was all-white with established covenants banning African Americans from living in the houses for a 30-year period.

My parents later lived in their SF Place home for 52 years.

Every vicious tactic imaginable was perpetrated to discourage the new pioneers of color’s presence. Word had spread through black social clubs – two my parents belonged to for 50 years (the Socialites and the Sans Pariel); church groups; and black sororities and fraternities that City Inspectors were going to condemn the homes black families had just moved into or a freeway was coming through and we would have to vacate.

The Kansas City Call, a Negro weekly newspaper, had also

served as a source of information for the black community since 1919 and continues to do so.

Duping real estate agents would boldly knock on doors and announce, “The niggers are coming, and I can give you a good deal if you let me handle your home.” The ‘good deal’ would often include extortion of hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in the sale of the property.

While individual neighbors were beginning to create positive relationships, larger forces of wicked discriminatory mandates were at play providing no benefits or full protection of the law. Gentrification then and ‘now’ meant renovating blighted areas until it became too expensive for poor people to remain or angry whites would burn down schools and newly established black businesses. At the time, the SF Place expansion caused one of the most rapid neighborhood turnovers – white to black – in the nation.

In 1948, Dr. D. M. and Mrs. (Clara) Miller forged the way for black residents when they purchased a house in SF Place.

There were petitions from spiteful whites to evict them; a total of four cases, 28 lawsuits, court costs of $2,000, and 7 appearances by the Millers in court trying to save their home. In the end, the Missouri Supreme Court refused to re-hear any of the cases, nor would the court agree

to transfer the suits to the Circuit Court of Appeals. Shelley v.

Kramer declaring restrictive covenants unconstitutional was just as significant as Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education outlawing school desegregation.

A lot changed in the 60s with the nation divided over our involvement in the Viet Nam War and soldiers and tanks rolling down the streets where we played. SF Place neighborhoods became war zones. Dr. King had been murdered. We were enraged, hurting, and afraid. We didn’t know what was burning or how far the fire balls would travel.

I had become a revolutionary at the age of five, refusing to sit on a dance hall floor in my blue snowsuit, a birthday gift from my favorite uncle.

Our parents were carrying picket signs outside the windows of the amazing Fern Webster’s kindergarten classroom protesting the dangerous and overcrowded conditions of the old Booker T. Washington School. No desks.

Few books. Little “colored” kids could not attend the half empty white school right in our neighborhood. ‘Their’ Buffy would not sit by ‘our’ Malcolm in a classroom, not if the white parents could help it.

I am reminded of a scene in one of my favorite movies, “Cry Freedom” when the late South African martyr, Steve Biko (played by Denzel

coming out of Washington, Black women have been taking a compilation of emotional hits.

One right after the other. In lieu of a podcast, the average African American living with low-grade depression expresses it within our close circles, in a Facebook update or in the privacy of our own thoughts.

The Mayo Clinic states that persistent depressive disorder, also called dysthymia

(dis-THIE-me-uh), is a continuous long-term (chronic) form of depression and is different from what Obama described as something temporal and situational or atypical depression. Atypical depression, according to Johnson, can be brought on by the stresses of job loss, income disruption, fear real or imagined - of contracting the virus or being exposed to it, and anxiety. The symptoms can

be: Depression that temporarily lifts in response to good news or positive events Increased appetite or weight gain Sleeping too much but still feeling sleepy in the daytime Heavy, leaden feeling in your arms or legs that lasts an hour or more in a day Sensitivity to rejection

Native American historians, wrote “History of the Ojibway People.” (1885) The book is still in print and though frequently outdated in language and viewpoint, serves as a jumping off place for a family discussion.

Before seeing the site, it’s worth the trouble to read Warren’s rendition of the 1768 battle with its realistic portrayal of the decades-long antagonism between the two tribes. The battle took place near the fur trading post on the Mississippi River where the Ojibwe hid in freshly-dug ditches, awaiting the Dakota who had recently attacked an Ojibwe village. The description is quite graphic and perhaps too violent for young children, but it will bring a depth of meaning to adults who read the history before seeing the site.

Visitors will also enjoy

a walk to the 1800s Crow Wing village site, once home to more than 500 people employed by the fur trade industry. A post office, stores and taverns contributed to the bustling town that today contains only the white frame Beaulieu home built in 1849.

Plaques denote the location of a well or former structure. The town was abandoned following the addition of a railroad in Brainerd. In 1868, the Ojibwe at Crow Wing were relocated to the White Earth Reservation.

The park is very walkable; bring water and insect spray and go to the park’s website for any visitor alerts before leaving. A vehicle day pass is $7, and can be purchased online and placed inside your car on the dashboard.

He served on the boards of Penumbra Theater, Harriet Tubman Battered Women’s Shelter, RS Eden, Turning Point and the Citizen’s Advisory Board for the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center.

James was always seen at community events such as Rondo Days, Selby Avenue Jazz Festival and the Martin Luther King Holiday celebrations.

Bransford received many awards and recognitions thorough his life including the Minnesota Association for Black Lawyers Profiles in Courage Award, the Oasis of Love Agape Lighthouse Award, the We Impactor Award, Turning Point Inc. Special Services Award, the Minnesota Community Corrections Association Founder’s Award and the Minnesota Lawyers Unsung Heroes Award. James has positively impacted multiple generations of families and in 2005 following serious and lengthy health problems, community leaders created the Sons of Bransford Awards which annually honor the extraordinary resilience, restoration, service and success of black men and women.

Bransford loved jazz music, theater, cooking, reading and spending time with family.

He was never seen without a book, magazine or paper

to read. He treasured family celebrations and milestones such as graduations, weddings and achievements. Bransford found love again later in life and married Barbara Powers in 1995 and shared 25 years with her, embracing her daughter Alcenya and other members of her family as his own.

Bransford was the patriarch of the family and he enjoyed dispensing his wisdom to the younger generations. He was preceded in death by his parents Aurora Dingus Bransford and Hugh L. Bransford, Jr. and his brother Hugh L. Bransford, III. He is survived and will be greatly missed by his wife Barbara; daughters, Tanya Bransford Lewis (Jeff Lewis), Traci Vernita Bransford, stepdaughter Alcenya Ajayi; grandchildren, Edward Obasi Lewis, Russell Bullock, Jr., Rose Elizabeth Bullock, Dwan Sosa (Raphael), Jamarr Lewis, Adenike Chon (Randy), Kofi Kofi-Ekanem; Sisters Joyce Byrd of Havre de Grace, Maryland; Judith Muhammad of Baltimore, Maryland; Jean Hartzog of Jersey City, New Jersey; and sister-in-law Isabella Bransford of Madison, Alabama.

James is also survived by a host of loving great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

Washington) asks a Cape Town police chief on the eve of his inevitable murder, “What is it you’re afraid of?

We’re human just like you.” People of color are still asking that same question. No feasible answer has yet to hit the pages of the history books.

In 1986, the Santa Fe Council made up of Presidents of each of the neighborhood clubs became a not-for-profit corporation after being awarded Kansas City’s first prestigious recognition of inclusion into the (U.S. Dept. of Interior’s) National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

Unite to survive.

Unite to Stay Strong! The Council worked closely with

city officials, the schools, and the K.C. Police Department.

Despite the spewing of hatred from the resistance crusade and the riots of the 60s, the new residents of SF Place maintained a sense of neighborhood identity and architectural antiquities, strengthening their resolve to endure and overcome as did their predecessors.

“There lived a great people – a black people – who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reference: “Moving to the Top of the Hill” by Jami Parkison (in its entirety) – www. growourgiving.org/santafeplace/

or criticism, which affects your relationships, social life or job For some people, signs and symptoms of atypical depression can be severe, such as feeling suicidal or not being able to do basic day-to-day activities.

Therapists like Johnson believe that everyone is susceptible to the type of depression Michelle Obama described. “Her very public

confession can be the best thing to happen for Black women. We tend to stigmatize our own need for help.”

She suggests that Black women be proactive in seeking counseling and, “Pursue the things you know bring you joy. Whatever that means to you, chase it down as an act of resistance.

“Don’t let self-care be the last resort,” said Johnson.

Page 6 • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Insight 2 Health

How to make sure you’re wearing your mask right the purpose of the mask is to block germ transmission through the air, which can occur when one exhales (spreads germs) or inhales (takes in germs) through either nose or mouth.

By Joy Pieper, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, Purdue University Whether or not you agree with a mandate to wear a mask, many of us will do so during our daily business.

I am a professor of nursing at Purdue University, where a colleague and I teach a class detailing the history of health care over the centuries.

Among other things, students discover the original reason for a cloth mask, dating back to the late 19th century, is the same as today: to protect others from the germs of those wearing them. Understanding these past practices, say the students, makes them better caregivers.

With that in mind, here are five ways for you to make the most of wearing a mask in public.

1. Not all masks are created equal Cloth masks are considered appropriate for general use in public. The Mayo Clinic recommends a mask that is two-layered. This means the cute reversible one your neighbor sewed for you is approved. Not recommended: a mask with a valve. Although the wearer breathes in filtered air, the unfiltered air is pushed out upon exhalation. This negates the protection for others.

4.

When you’re done When it’s time to take it off, clean your hands and grab the ties or ear loops to pull the mask away from your face.

Fold the mask in on itself so the outside corners are together.

Do not put the mask on your forehead like a headband, or around your neck like a scarf.

Place the mask in a receptacle to be laundered. And then wash your hands.

5.

photo/ Getty Images_andresr

Make sure the bottom of the mask is pulled down over your chin so it covers your nose and mouth.

2. Wash, wash, wash your hands Before putting your mask on, wash your hands.

This is a basic infection control principle. Anytime you come in contact with your face, do it with clean hands. This includes rubbing your eyes, wiping your lips, or scratching your nose.

Likewise, after removing your mask, wash your hands again.

Don’t mess with the mask while it’s in place. This is not the time to take a sip of your latte or snack on your beef jerky.

Eat and drink in an environment where you can socially distance from others by at least six feet.

If you have to adjust your mask when it’s on, clean your hands afterwards. For convenience, carry a hand sanitizer with you.

3.

Does this mask make me look smart?

The mask should fit comfortably snug, always covering your nose and mouth, and secure under the chin.

Covering only the mouth is useless. Humans breathe in and out of both nose and mouth. And

photo/Getty Images_ picture alliance

Always wash your hands before putting on your mask.

Clean it up Wash the mask with other laundry using your regular detergent. If you’re using a washing machine, use the warmest possible water that’s safe for the type of cloth used to make the mask.

For drying, it’s the same: Use the highest temperature possible for the fabric. Then allow to dry completely before wearing again.

If hand-washing the mask, use a disinfecting bleach.

Follow the directions on the product to create the appropriate dilution, then soak the mask five minutes. Rinse with cool water and lay flat to dry or hang in direct sunlight. Be careful not to stretch the fabric; that could damage the mask.

As a former operating room nurse, I know that masks are uncomfortable. Unless it’s Halloween, they’re no fun to wear. But we’re not trying to have fun. We’re trying to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe. So Google search for the perfect mask to showcase your personality, and wear it correctly with pride!

This article originally appeared on The Conversation Dr. Joy Pieper graduated from St. Olaf College in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing and a concentration in Management Studies. Her first job as an RN was on the Surgical/ Trauma/Neuroscience Unit at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. he joined the faculty at Purdue University School of Nursing in 2016. Having a continued desire to learn and excel in the profession, particularly in the area of healthcare quality improvement, she returned to school and earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Vanderbilt University in 2020, with a major in Executive Leadership.

Health officials cite increase in syphilis cases as a particular concern

Sexually transmitted diseases continue upward climb in Minnesota The number of new sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continued to rise in 2019, according to the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) annual STD surveillance report released yesterday. Of special concern were 1,127 syphilis cases reported in 2019, a 23% increase from 2018.

The past few years have shown a marked increase in syphilis cases in Minnesota as well as across the United States. With syphilis becoming more common, surveillance for the disease has also needed to change. State epidemiologists recently used a new method for outbreak detection that examines an average of syphilis rates over a longer period of time. This analysis allowed for a more nuanced picture of syphilis than before.

“Our improved analysis of syphilis data has shown a more detailed picture of how syphilis is impacting counties across the state,” MDH State Epidemiologist and Medical Director Dr. Ruth Lynfield said. “We are now able to identify hotspots earlier than before and complete a more real-time look into what is going on in these areas.”

With this new method, Minnesota health officials found that cases, particularly in females, pregnant people, and men who have sex with men,

have continued to rise across counties. This is similar to what is happening in other states.

Minnesota will now be using this new, more sophisticated surveillance method to not only detect syphilis outbreaks but monitor disease trends around the state.

The syphilis outbreak in north-central Minnesota that has been going on since 2016 continues. Cases have also increased in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. New infections are particularly affecting: Females, especially those who are pregnant or of childbearing age.

Males, particularly among men who have sex with men.

People who inject drugs.

People experiencing homelessness.

People co-infected with HIV and hepatitis A and C. Additionally, cases of congenital syphilis are increasing in Minnesota.

Congenital syphilis (syphilis in a fetus or infant at birth) can cause serious complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, birth defects and infant death. In 2019, 21 cases of congenital syphilis in infants were reported, representing a 110% increase from 2018. This is the highest

Minnesota has ever reported.

“It’s important to let people know that syphilis is still a problem, but that screening and treatment can help avoid serious complications,” Lynfield said.

MDH recommends regular syphilis screenings for people who are sexually active and for pregnant females. The CDC’s screening recommendations and MDH’s treatment protocol provide detailed recommendations for health care providers, and we encourage people to talk to their provider to find out if they should be tested for syphilis.

“Syphilis is a complicated disease that can cause serious health problems, but people often don’t recognize symptoms right away,” said Christine Jones, STD, HIV and TB section manager at MDH. “Luckily, there are many places people can be tested and treated for syphilis and other STDs across the state.”

2019 STD report key findings There were 33,725 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in 2019 compared to 32,024 cases in 2018. There are disparities among communities of color and men who have sex with men.

Chlamydia, the number one reported infectious disease in the state, increased by 4% to 24,535 cases in 2019.

photo/iStock_Hailshadow

The syphilis outbreak in north-central Minnesota that has been going on since 2016 continues.

Cases have also increased in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Gonorrhea remained the second most commonly reported STD in Minnesota with 8,063 cases reported in 2019, a 7% increase.

Syphilis overall increased by 23% with 1,127 cases in 2019. There were 385 primary and secondary syphilis cases reported in 2019, a 32% increase. Minnesota congenital syphilis cases increased in 2019 by 110% to 21 cases.

STDs are preventable through consistent and correct condom use during sex, getting tested regularly for STDs and HIV, and getting treated for positive results.

MDH provides STD screening recommendations, resources and funding to many community-based programs in Minnesota. These programs provide prevention education, testing services,

supportive care and sterile syringe access. Additionally, the MDH congenital syphilis review board examines cases of syphilis transmitted to a baby and investigates how these can be prevented.

More information about STD and syphilis data, screening, and treatment can be found on the MDH website at STD Statistics.

insightnews.com

Insight News • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Page 7

Creating connections in a high-tech world: 3 tips to improve customer service solutions — it’s making sure customers feel heard.

Being present in customer conversations is key to showing you care. Never assume you know what a customer wants or needs, even if you’ve heard the problem 100 times. Practice active listening by offering small verbal cues (“yep,” “that’s right,” “mm-hmm”), taking notes, reiterating what you’ve heard, and responding in ways that indicate you’ve been paying close attention. It’s an art, but one that’s easy to master.

Brandpoint (BPT) (BPT) - In customer service, as in many other areas of life, as technology becomes more sophisticated, relationships get more complex. While technology makes it easier for customers to interact with businesses, an action as simple as finding an auto repair shop can quickly overwhelm consumers with multiple channels, opinions, advertisers and behind-thescenes engagement systems.

What was once a straightforward sales and marketing funnel has become a cycle, with customers consistently in the evaluation stage and customer service reps having to convince current customers over and over of the value they’re providing.

Customers expect excellent, fast and personalized service when interacting with businesses, and that puts a lot of pressure on your customer experience team.

“In a world that has become increasingly technologyfocused — even more so as a result of the massive move to working from home during the pandemic — the personal, human touch is so valuable for companies seeking to make important connections with their customers and partners,” said Kate Winkler, CEO of Ruby, a premier provider of live virtual receptionist and chat services for small businesses. “Every phone call or website visit is crucial to the survival of a business, so the demands on customer support teams have increased exponentially.”

To help you succeed and grow in today’s business environment, here are a few best practices you can implement to build loyalty and win new business.

1. Invest in your customer service infrastructure.

It’s essential to serve your customers where they are, not where they used to be, which means investing in a

multichannel (or omnichannel) strategy: In-store presence (if applicable) Live call answering rather than a directory or voicemail only Website chat to interact with customers looking

for information in real time Social media support and proactive updates about your business Even if your business isn’t a 24-hour operation, some form of customer support may need to be available 24/7, 365 days a year. Recent

developments have redefined the “typical workday,” as more customers are doing business during the evenings and weekends. For many companies, it isn’t feasible or cost-effective to manage this expanded support in-house, so outsourced communication solutions such

as a virtual receptionist service can ensure the needs of your customers and prospective customers are met.

2. Train team members in active listening.

Handling customer concerns is more than providing

3. Encourage personalized customer interactions.

To build trust with your customers, focus on creating and nurturing relationships. Companies that prioritize customer interactions and provide access to valuable resources and information are more likely to weather economic stress and even thrive through word-of-mouth referrals. A few suggestions: Use the customer’s name Establish a customer response goal (e.g., all calls/ emails/messages responded to within 24 hours) Send communications that are not issue- or salesrelated, such as interesting articles relevant to the customer’s business, or congratulations on a recent office move Celebrate important milestones such as birthdays, marriages, births, etc.

Alongside (and in some cases in place of) sales and marketing efforts, investing in your customer experience can have a dramatic effect on customer acquisition and retention. Small businesses without a dedicated support team should consider investing in tools and services — like virtual receptionists and live chat — that can provide a professional, compassionate voice focused on delivering a consistent experience that will make your business stand out from the competition.

10 rules of tires every driver should follow before they hit the road Brandpoint (BPT) (BPT) - Every time you drive, you trust your tires with your safety.

Tires may seem simple, but they’re more complex than many drivers realize. That begs the question: What do you need to know about them in order to stay safe on the road?

Here are 10 Rules of Tires — core principles drivers should know before they turn the ignition or walk inside a tire shop. Follow these important guidelines and you can have peace of mind when you hit the road. To read more about each rule, visit NokianTires.com/ TenRules.

Purchase tires that suit your climate Even the best set of tires could be the wrong fit for where you live. If you get lots of snow and ice each winter, then winter tires are likely your safest option, which means you’ll need to switch to all-season tires in the other three seasons. If you don’t get any winter weather, all-season tires are a good choice for year-round use.

If your winter weather is unpredictable or you live near the mountains, all-weather tires provide a great compromise: winter safety in a tire you can drive all year long. NokianTires. com/Weather has more information about all-weather tires.

High-quality tires are worth the investment The tire shop is one place where price should not be your top priority. There are many factors — such as grip, responsiveness to the road and low rolling resistance — that make high-quality tires worth the purchase and could actually help save you money in the long run.

Tires

can

be

sustainable

without sacrificing safety High-quality tires aren’t just about safety; good tires can also help you minimize your environmental footprint.

Many tiremakers are lowering their products’ rolling resistance, using eco-friendly ingredients and introducing sustainable production processes.

Rewarding them for their efforts can also help protect the planet.

Tires are only as safe as their maintenance Even the best tires depend on you. Keeping them up to speed gives you a better chance of staying safe on the road. That means inflating them to the proper pressure level, regularly checking for damage and rotating them frequently.

Winter tires don’t belong on spring and summer roads The qualities that keep you safe on snow and ice make winter tires a bad fit once weather warms. Fortunately, there are other solutions crafted to keep you safe when the mercury rises, such as driving all-weather tires year-round or switching to all-season tires.

Much of a tire’s quality is determined before it touches the road Want to know what you’ll get out of your tires? Pay close attention to what goes in them. High-quality rubber and state-of-the-art technology set great tires apart from the rest.

For example, Nokian Tyres reinforces many of its products with Aramid — the same fiber used in bulletproof vests — to help protect against road hazards.

When you’re choosing tires, trust the experts Tire dealers work hard to help keep drivers safe. They can help you see past marketing gimmicks and understand which tires are best for you.

Make sure your tires fit your

vehicle The right-sized tires are more likely to provide you with safety, fuel efficiency and comfort. Make sure your tire size matches your vehicle’s recommendation, which you can typically find in your door jamb.

Put stock in the features that actually matter Low price and high mileage warranties can be overrated. To choose the right tires, pay attention to other details — such as ingredients, rolling resistance, and whether the tires match your typical road

conditions.

Treat road trips differently than the daily commute Road trips place unique demands on your tires.

Before you leave for a long trip, check your tires’ inflation level and tread depth, inspect for

visible damage and have them rotated.

Following these rules goes a long way toward keeping you safe on the road.

To read about each rule in more detail, visit NokianTires.com/ TenRules.

Page 8 • August 17, 2020 - August 23, 2020 • Insight News

insightnews.com

By Titilayo Bediako

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