NEWS BRIEFS

Be Better Belmont to host town hall about for-profit prison partnerships

Be Better Belmont, a coalition of students, alumni and community members, is hosting a virtual town hall on Oct. 7 and asking Belmont University’s President Bob Fisher to attend.

The discussion will be focused on for-profit prisons and their relationship with Belmont. The group has collected signatures and issued a letter of demands to the university asking for them to divest of any relationships or financial involvement with private prisons. They’ve also asked for Belmont to take a harder look at systemic racism on campus, among other things.

“I am excited for this event because it will be a time Belmont students, alumni and community members come together to discuss major systemic change with people who dedicate their life to these efforts,” Be Better Belmont leadership member and Belmont alum, Safara Parrott, said in a press release. “Having Dr. Fisher there would bring him to a table that wasn’t built by Belmont and would put him in a position to truly listen.”

The panel for the event includes 2020 U.S. Senate candidate Robin Kimbrough, Rev. Davie Tucker Jr., a Georgetown University GU727 Advocacy Team founding member Mélisande Short-Colomb, Beech Creek Missionary Baptist Church Pastor and Director of the Center for Equity, Change, & Sustainability and Cathy Carillo of MIX Nashville, a grassroots activist organization that advocates for immigrant rights, among other causes.

The town hall will occur on Oct. 7 from 7-8:30 p.m. and will be accessible to all for free through YouTube Live. Be Better Belmont asks attendees to register through Eventbrite to receive the link and event updates. Find more information at bebetterbelmont.com.

TDHS awards COVID-19 grant assistance to 656 nonprofits

The Tennessee Department of Human Services awarded 656 nonprofit organizations across the state grants for their work serving communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grants were provided through the new Tennessee Community CARES Program — awards ranged from from $25,000 to as large as $2 million. Money went to organizations working with people who’ve experienced economic hardship due to COVID-19, along with assistance for vulnerable populations, housing assistance, food relief, educational support for virtual learning activities, public health activities, and essential supplies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Financial Stimulus Accountability Group is a bipartisan group that has overseen the distribution of hundreds of millions of federal and state dollars to local governments. Its members include Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Sen. Raumesh Akbari, Sen. Bo Watson, Rep. Harold Love, Rep. Pat Marsh, Comptroller Justin Wilson and Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley.

Organizations serving as grant administrators include the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, United Way of Greater Knoxville•United Way of Greater Nashville, United Way of the Mid-South, Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

State to use CARES Act funding to train police officers

Gov. Bill Lee announced in early September a plan to use $300,000 in CARES Act funding will go toward 90 cadet scholarships for the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy.

“Through this partnership, our state has created one of the most comprehensive and collaborative law enforcement advancements in recent Tennessee history while also working to recruit top-tier talent to our force,” said Gov. Lee. “I am confident the outcomes of this partnership will help ensure our law enforcement officials are effectively protecting communities across the state while serving every Tennessean with dignity and respect.”

Gov. Lee announced the Law Enforcement Reform Partnership on July 2, 2020 and charged them with providing recommendations by early September. Members of that group include people serving in the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association, state legislators and community leaders.

Additions to training included in the training academy include:

• Increasing the minimum training hours from 400 to 488 hours

• Updating curricula to require a minimum of 16 course hours designed for relevant policing concepts such as proper use of force and emphasizing positive community and officer interactions

• Annual in-service training updates, including a total of ten hours dedicated to the following topics

• De-escalation Techniques and Duty to Intervene

• Officer Wellness

• Public Assembly and Community Interaction

• Designated Community Immersion