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The CSRA’s FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER VOL.3 NO.42

JULY 10 - 16, 2014

Who got paid in the $17.3 million storm cleanup? The complete list

A First Friday Fourth Aquasia Brown shows off lip tattoo at downtown party. Photo by Vincent

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UrbanProWeekly •JULY 10 - 16, 2014

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UrbanProWeekly • JULY 10 - 16, 2014

UrbanProWeekly •JULY 10 - 16, 2014

The City

City releases debris cleanup vendor list

AUGUSTA The February ice storm was historic for all of the obvious reasons. It was an unprecedented natural incident, one for which the city was ill prepared. And while the debris is gone, the financial scars may last a decade. The $17.3 million cleanup bill was $13 more than the city had in its emergency fund for just such cases. Of course, the emergency fund ($4.3 million) has been depleted and the city had to swipe $13 million from the general fund to pay the storm vendors. In the first days after the storm, city officials were estimating the cost to be in the neighborhood of $8 million. That was the first price that the commissioners heard in a public forum on February 25, 2014.

Right after that meeting, the city signed storm-cleanup contracts with Ashbritt Inc. and Leidos Inc. The two out-of-town firms had vast experience in handling such disasters and had experience with FEMA. Within days of Leidos and Ashbritt signing contracts, the estimate jumped up to $13.1 million and then surpassed $14 million. Ultimately, the lion’s share of the payout went to Ashbritt ($12.4 million) and the next highest payout went to Leidos ($1.8 million). From the very beginning the city was counting on a significant refund from FEMA. It is still awaiting that refund. The problem for the city is that it can’t count on all of the money spent with Ashbritt and Leidos to qualify for FEMA eligibility — that’s over

$14 million. An additional $1.5 million, represented by most of the firms on the list below, was paid prior to following FEMA guidelines and would not be eligible for a federal refund. Minority Participation? We’re still awaiting information from prime contractor, Ashbritt Inc. which took up the cleanup efforts after February 24. However, of the firms listed on this list, only four are minority owned — Coleman Sanitation, Georgia Garolina, Larry L. McCord and Universal Plumbing. These companies were paid a total of about $366,850. The list was provided by the Augusta Finance Department.

Vendors and Amounts Paid for Storm Debris Cleanup • 2014 Abbot Oil $23,924.23 Advanced Disposal $44,538.74 Arbor Equity Inc. $188,640.83 Ashbritt Inc. $12,478,622.93 Atlantic Machine $250.00 Augusta Coca Cola $744.60 Augusta Lawn & Turf $32,900.00 Augusta Staffing $2577.25 Bankcard Center $2,114.72 Bartlett Tree Experts $242,132.50 Big Dog Stump & Tree $1,451,834.38 Blair Construction $13,779.65 Bobcat of Augusta $400.00 Clean-Way Clearing $8,000.00 Coleman Sanitation $5,695.00 Cowell, Richard $95.00 Dilllon Supply Co. $436.50 East Georgia Fence $4,384.00 Enterprise Mill $392.04 ET Industrial Supply $5,703.00 Executive Market $14,640.54

Faison, Clinton $69.47 Ferrell Gas $2,835.86 Flint Equipment $29,940.00 Georgia Carolina $3,512.88 Gex Pro $777.03 Glidden Company $105.59 Hertz Equipment $6,441.25 Horizon Construction $140,400.00 Jacobson, Melvin $34.56 Larry L. McCord $357,380.00 Leidos Inc. $1,840,441.68 Lucas, Denise $270.00 Maner Builders Supply $620.19 Mobley Mechanical $15,470.00 Natur Chem Inc. $19,200.00 Norman Terrell $93.42 Outdoor Equipment $897.63 Pennington Power $5,576.59 Phoenix Crane Rental $637.50 Plantation Shutters $1,250.00 Pratt Dudley Builders $2,760.87

Protection Service $768.00 Rowe’s Septic $38,050.00 Sam’s Wholesale $195.60 Sandy Branch Land $9,600.00 Silas, Robbie $102.43 Sitec LLC $26,347.64 Smith, Clayton $66.28 Southern Arbor Care $270,090.00 Southern Wholesale $432.95 State Chemical Div. $618.79 The Stump Guy $2,525.00 Thomson Roofing $259.00 Trapp, Michael $38.82 United Rentals $3,363.78 Universal Plumbing $259.33 Walden, Michelle $45.67 Wright One Paint & Body $2,135.20 Wrightsboro Supply $ 177.08 Yancy Brothers $1,575.40 TOTAL

$17,307,171.40

Three companies (Ashbritt, Leidos and Big Dog Stump & Tree) received $15.8 million. Sixty other companies divided the remaining $1.5 million. Total spent in cleanup = $17.3 million

Three finalists for administrator post interviewed AUGUSTA The three finalists for the post of city administrator presented to the commissioners this week for interviews were a study in diversity. Janice Allen Jackson, a black woman has local roots. Steve Layson is a white man from the Macon area and Oscar Rodriguez has worked in the Hispanic southwest. Jackson has a bachelor’s degree in public policy and English at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University (1989). In 1996 she was named city manager,of Albany, Ga., a title she held through December 2004. In 2005 she became general manager in the county manager’s office in Mecklenburg County, N.C., for which Charlotte is the county seat. Layson has a bachelor’s degree from

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Janice Allen Jackson Georgia College & State University in criminal justice from 1980 and has held (on an interim basis) several department head positions in Bibb County. Layson has served as chief

Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411

Stephen Layson

Oacar Rodriguez

administrative officer since 2005 in Bibb County, which consolidated with Macon this year. Rodriguez earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in

Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-306-4647

1980 and a master’s degree in city planning from MIT in 1982 and writes articles for management publications. He is the former town manager of Taos, N.M.

Photography and Social Media Courtesy of Vincent Hobbs

5 UrbanProWeekly • JULY 10 - 16, 2014

Old School Culture UrbanProWeekly asked several Augustans for their reflections on “Old School” teens and their opinions on today’s teens. By Vincent Hobbs

he “Flying Saucer” game room on Wrightsboro Road. Red Wing Rollerway on weekend nights. Regency Mall on Saturdays. Rick James, Prince, The Whispers, Lakeside, Kool & the Gang, Atlantic Starr, and the Gap Band coming through the Augusta Civic Center in back-to-back concerts. These are the sort of experiences that Old School teens (the class of late 1970’s - early 1980’s) had the pleasure of enjoying, living in an Augusta before the advent of cell phones, social media and the age of YouTube. Teens during that time period dressed up for school. The look could be preppy with the latest Izod shirts and pants or straightup business with a jacket and tie and a fresh pair of baggy slacks. That class of students took pride in their appearance, and it wasn’t uncommon to see young men with a copy of GQ Magazine tucked under their arm as they walked the school hallways. It was a good time to be a teenager in Augusta, Georgia. There was no need for police officers in the schools - the principal was the policeman, judge and jury and commanded respect. Disagreements were settled with fists, not knives and guns. Students flocked to school clubs and after-school activities. Being a smart, good student was an asset and badge of honor, not an element for ridicule. But change is upon us. Recent events involving teens have been sobering. Brandon Hilton, a 17-year-old, is being held without bond on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, reckless conduct, and first and second degree criminal damage to property after Saturday’s driveby shooting on Agerton Lane. A teen bystander, 14-year-old Tyrese Deondre Hammond, was injured in the shooting. A 16-year-old teen was arrested on Monday for making terroristic threats when a local radio show host, Austin Rhodes, contacted police after the teen posted disturbing comments in a thread on Facebook, concerning the arrest of Brandon Hilton. The teen has been ordered into a psychiatric evaluation and is being held without bond at the Regional Youth Detention Center. UPW asked several Augustans for their reflections on “Old School” teens and their opinions on today’s teens. “Augusta was a lot better, more progressive back-in-the day,” reflected Marcus Williams, who is a 1981 high school graduate. “I think we had more pride in ourselves. We cared about our appearance and we didn’t participate in criminal activities, like some of these teens do. They’ll even brag about that mess on Facebook!” Augusta had a burgeoning teen club at the time. The Mandinka Club on Deans Bridge Road (which eventually became Pappy’s) had a Saturday teen club that attracted a packed house. Atlanta actor M.v. “Mark” Oliphant, reflected, “It was during the day from noon until around 4 pm. Oh, and we had to bring it with the fashion! Calvin Klein’s, Jordache, Polo, Playboy shoes, penny loafers, wing-tips, shirts with the skinny neckties, and matching color socks with the Polo or Saddlebred shirts.” Oliphant is a 1985 graduate of T.W. Josey High School. Oliphant also mentioned Sundays at Pendleton King Park and

Regency Mall as the hang-out spots for teens. During the summers, beating the heat was perfect at the public pools – Dyess, Bernie Ward and Anderson Parks. According to some observers, it was a different mindset in that time period. High schools actually held “hops” or dances on Friday or Saturday nights in the school gym. Everybody had a good time. Teens and guns were worlds apart. Yolanda Duggar, a graduate of Glenn Hills High School, class of 1983, shared, “We didn’t have as much access to guns. Violence was not encouraged by social media and television. We were more involved with looking good in clothes and socializing in school. Kids are not as involved in school activities now. They watch too much reality-based TV and their parents are generally too young and uneducated.” Duggar is a nurse educator RN in Atlanta, working with veterans in the VA hospital system. LA-based entertainment entrepreneur Tony Mercedes, who graduated from Glenn Hills High School in 1980, remembers teens hanging out at Krystal’s on Gordon Highway, across from Regency Mall. “It was the after-event place,” he said. Teens would take advantage of the late-night hours of the restaurant, which was a hot spot after Regency Mall closed for the night - or after a jamming concert downtown. Teens could get a quick meal - or even a quick hook-up. “Things weren’t so serious back then. We went to school, hung out with our friends, worked part-time jobs, bought clothes, bought more clothes and just had fun being with our friends. We never worried about getting shot just because we went to a movie,” offered Marcus Williams. The stark change in teen attitudes might reflect a cultural shift, according to educator and author Corey Washington. “The music that they listen to is more violent and overtly ignorant. Even the R&B songs have an edge.” “Old School” teens were raised on music from artists like Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Teddy Pendergrass. Rap was in its infancy, and to hear foul language and calls for violence was mostly unheard of in popular music. “They are also being raised by younger mothers, who are not as strict as older parents,” Washington said. “The overall culture, which consists of movies, music, social media, and moral values - is more destructive than the cultures of other youth in America. This is not really Black culture per say, but rather a very dangerous counter-culture that has emerged. Unfortunately, too many black youth have gravitated to this culture, and too many adults either make excuses for its existence, or viciously denounce it, which alienates the youth.” The number of outlets for teen activities has been curtailed since the “Old School” days. Video arcades are forgotten relics. School dances are risky, at best. Business owners frown upon teens hanging out in their parking lots and stores. Teen nightclubs have vanished. Teens in Augusta face the challenge of a culture of isolation. Social media has replaced the day-to-day conversations that promote strong inter-personal relationships. School activity programs have been cut and eliminated. Some business owners see teens as a nuisance, not a customer. The culture of violence in entertainment is influential – and detrimental. “Old School” or “New School” – there is a crisis that teens are facing that is unique to their generation.

UrbanProWeekly •JULY 10 - 16, 2014

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Commission District 6

MY PRIORITIES AS COMMISSIONER WILL BE TO: Build trust among my commission colleagues Photos •by Photos by Vincent Hobbs • Work with other leaders and elected officials to make sure Vincent Garden City Hobbs Jazz : March our streets are safe, neighborhoods are clean, and growth is controlled Concert @ Pendleton King Park District 6 as “business friendly” for existing and Mar. 22: Soiree - Not • Promote Gaddy Trio prospective businesses Mar. 23: Mahogany • Create a group to research, propose and implement major (Jazz) Lounge development projects for District 6 and South Augusta Mar. 28: Spring Fever

Always moving our community into the future

Mini Theatre set for Clint Bryant Roast The Roast & Toast will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Tabernacle Family Life Center at 1230 LaneyWalker Blvd with all proceeds going to the Mariah McKie Butler Memorial College Book Scholarship Fund. Tickets for the Roast & Toast are $50 and tables are offered for $400 for a party of eight. To purchase tickets or a table, call 706-722-0598 or visit www.AugustaMiniTheatre.com

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Initial early voting results favor Dems AUGUSTA Voters asking for Democratic ballots are outpacing those asking for G.O.P. ballots by 3 to 1 through Wednesday’s early voting. Thus far, 411 Augustans have cast Democratic ballots against just 145 Republican voters. While that tally should be of little surprise in the heavily Democratic Richmond County, it bodes well for those candidates hoping for a light G.O.P. turnout. Just 2 voters, have asked for nonpartisan ballots thus far. Early voting will continue through July 18. There will be no Saturday voting at this stage of the July 22, 2014 General Primary and Non Partisan Runoff. See more voting details on page 11.

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UrbanProWeekly • JULY 10 - 16, 2014

Augusta Mini Theatre, Inc. will present its 5th Annual Roast & Toast Celebration on Thursday, July 17th. This year’s roast is honoring Georgia Regents University Director of Athletics, Clint Bryant. Bryant will be joined by four celebrity roasters. The 2014 Roast & Toast will feature legendary NCA A men’s basketball coaches Tubby Smith and Roy Williams and local businessmen Clay Boardman and Curtis B. Carter.

UrbanProWeekly •JULY 10 - 16, 2014

Business students win top honors in national competition AUGUSTA Six students in Georgia Regents University’s James M. Hull College of Business received national recognition during the 2014 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference Awards ceremony June 27 in Nashville, Tenn. “Our students competed against more than 1,800 of the nation’s best business students, and the accomplishments of our team speak to their hard work and to the quality of a Hull College of Business education,” said

Buffie Schmidt, Advisor for GRU’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter and Professor in the Hull College of Business. Award recipients include: Daniel Padilla; Sports Marketing and Management, Contemporary Sports Issues; Michael Fowler, Financial Services and Personal Finance; Candida Moyer, Accounting Analysis and Decision Making; Stan Swinford, Information Management; Erica Clemmons, Business Presentation; and Richard Gamble, Business Presentation.

Augusta seeks citizen input The City of Augusta is interested in receiving feedback from the community! A Citizen Survey has been released in order to provide the public with a way to give input on the structure and funding priorities of the government. The survey is open to Richmond County residents 18 years of age and over. The results of this survey will be reviewed by Commissioners,

Administrators, Elected Officials, etc. to assist in setting goals and objectives for the city and moving Augusta forward! You can fill this form out online anytime at http://www.augustaga.gov/ augustasurvey, or you may call 706821-1008 between 9AM-4PM Monday th rough Friday in order to fill it out over the phone. The survey will conclude on August 8, 2014.

Book explores the other side of “Religious Freedom” Robert Boston will discuss his latest book Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn’t Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do at the Headquarters Library, 823 Telfair St., in Augusta at 6:30 pm on Monday, July 14. Robert Boston is the Director of Communications at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Rob, who has worked at Americans United since 1987, also serves as editor of AU’s “Church & State” magazine. Boston is the author of three addi-

tional books: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics; The Most Dangerous Man in America? Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition and Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church and State. Mr. Boston’s website is http://www. robertboston.com/, and his Twitter account is @robboston1. The event is being organized by the Central Savannah River Area chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

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Phi Beta Lambda is the university extension of Future Business Leaders of America, and the combined FBLA-PBL is the world’s oldest and largest business student organization. The society hosts annual state and national competitions where students compete in business-related leadership events including impromptu speaking, job interviewing, public speaking, and

sales presentations. Other competition areas cover topics such as accounting principles for professionals, management, small business management, contemporary sports, sports management, computer applications, business communication, business ethics, parliamentary procedures, financial services, hospitality management, human resource management, and network design.

A entertainer with the Augusta Fire Collective spits out a huge flame during a First Friday street performance. Large crowds gathered downtown during the combined festivities of First Friday and the Fourth of July. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

UrbanProWeekly • JULY 10 - 16, 2014

FRONT ‘N’ CENTER

A First Friday Fourth

A musician plays the trombone during a First Friday street performance. Large crowds gathered downtown during the combined festivities of First Friday and the Fourth of July. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

UrbanProWeekly •JULY 10 - 16, 2014

TANGO Hot Dance Heats up Beautiful Nights in downtown Augusta

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

INVITATION TO COMMENT ON TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS The public is invited to review and comment on the draft FY 2015 - 2018 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) during a thirty-day review period from July 14 through August 14, 2014 and at three public information meetings (dates and times listed below). The ARTS area covers the urbanized portions of Richmond and Columbia County, GA and Aiken and Edgefield County, SC. The TIP includes federally-financed transportation projects, such as road, bridge, transit, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, scheduled to be implemented over the next four to six years in the ARTS area.

Argentine Tango Classes at Humanitree House AUGUSTA There’s nothing like Argentine Tango to bring people together. We’ve all heard about the dramatic mystique of tango…. The dance of passion and seduction…of sensuality and romance. Yes, it does take two to tango! That’s because tango is the essential dance for connecting with a partner, for communicating on a level that goes beyond life’s daily responsibilities, when two people can share something that goes beyond words or explanation. This is why Argentine Tango is really more than a dance. Watch out! It can be addictive…an obsession, a lifestyle for aficionados. The bond formed during the dance feels so elemental to our well-being that dancers get hooked and want to repeat the experience as often as possible! Humanitree House hosts Argentine Tango with Paul Stanton weekly every Wednesday night from 7 pm to 9 pm in the Humanitree House gallery space. The two hour sessions are donation based classes. Beginners are welcome and no partner is necessary. Just bring smooth soled- shoes for dancing. For more information please email info@humanitreehouse.com or contact Paul Stanton at 503-550-2366.

Copies of the full document can be reviewing at the following locations: In Aiken County Aiken County Planning and Development, 1930 University Parkway, Aiken, South Carolina. Phone (803) 642-1520. In Columbia County Columbia County Engineering Division, 630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Building A West Wing, Evans, GA 30809. Phone (706) 447-7602 In Richmond County Augusta Planning & Development Dept., 525 Telfair Street, Augusta, Georgia. Phone (706) 821-1796;

James Brown movie set for Augusta Premiere, After Party on July 24 The James Brown movie bio Get On Up will be shown at Augusta’s Regal Cinemas on July 24, eight days before it opens in theaters nationwide. Augusta Museum of History Executive Director Nancy Glaser confirmed the local premiere. A red carpet walk begins at 6 p.m., and the movie screening starts at 7 p.m., Glaser said. The history museum will host an after party immediately following the screening, Glaser said. Proceeds from the events benefit the James Brown Family Children Foundation.

MEETING DATES

TIME

LOCATION

Monday, July 14, 2014

5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Evans Government Center Building A, General Conference Room 630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Evans, GA

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M

East Central Georgia Regional Library, 823 Telfair Street Augusta, GA

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Aiken County Government Center 1930 University Parkway, Aiken, SC

Note: Drop-in Format applies to all meetings. Public invited to drop in at any time during the meeting times indicated.

A draft TIP can also be viewed at the following web site :http://www.augustaga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5595 This announcement shall serve to fulfill the public activities and time requirements for the Section 5307 Program of Projects developed for the Augusta Public Transit, as well as Aiken County Transit (a project funded in part through Section 5307 of the Urbanized Area Formula Grant Program of the FTA, and managed by Lower Savannah Council of Governments).

WATERBRANCH BAPTIST CHURCH, located at 5701 Wrightsboro Road in Grovetown, GA, opens the food pantry (charitable food assistance) on the 3rd and 4th Saturday of every month, from 1-2pm. All are welcome. Rev. LJ Tanksley is the pastor.

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Voters in Georgia have many options available to them for casting their ballot in the upcoming July 22, 2014 General Primary and Non Partisan Runoff. SATURDAY VOTING - THERE WILL BE NO SATURDAY VOTING FOR THE RUNOFF. Advance Voting – will continue daily in the Board of Elections Main Advance Voting Center at 530 Greene Street between the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM through Friday, July 11, 2014. Extended Hours for Advance Voting will begin Monday, July 14, 2014 at the Board of Elections Main Advance Voting Center, the Warren Road Rec. Center, the Henry Brigham Rec. Center, and the Diamond Lakes Regional Park from the hours of 8:30 AM until 6:00 PM daily through Friday, July 18, 2014. Voting by Mail will continue through Friday, July 18, 2014. Interested persons must apply in writing to the Board of Elections Office, 530 Greene Street, Suite 500A, Augusta, Georgia, 30901. All voters voting in person must provide one of the six acceptable forms of photo identification and do not have to provide a reason for voting. Voters participating in the General Primary and Nonpartisan Runoff should be

MEETING NOTIFICATION

Augusta Aviation Commission prepared to choose their party preference. Sample ballots will be available at all voting sites or may be previewed on Marketing Sub Committee Meeting the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at http:// www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/. The Augusta Regional Airport Aviation For more information, please contact the Board of Elections Commission Marketing Sub Committee Office at 706-821-2340 or at www.augustaga.gov/boe Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. in the Executive Conference Room located in Administration on the 2nd floor of the Airport.

TBA

Augusta Aviation Commission Human Resources Sub Committees Meeting

Trowell Builders & Associates Designers • Builders • Planners

Augusta Aviation Commission Masters 2014 Sub Committee Meeting

Sanctuary Multi-Purpose Buildings Renovations

3450 Peach Orchard Rd Augusta, GA 30906

The Augusta Regional Airport Aviation Commission Human Resources Sub Committee Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. in the Executive Conference Room located in Administration on the 2nd floor of the Airport.

P.O. Box 211886 Augusta, Ga 30917 1.800.546.2685 • Fax 706.738.6328 email: tbamakedreams@aol.com

The Augusta Regional Airport Aviation Commission Masters 2014 Sub Committee Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. in the FBO Conference Room located at the Private Aviation Services (FBO) at the Airport. Please feel free to contact Airport Administration at 706-798-3236.

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11 UrbanProWeekly • JULY 10 - 16, 2014

Voting Options and Extended Hours for Voting July 22, 2014 General Primary and Non Partisan Runoff

UrbanProWeekly •JULY 10 - 16, 2014

U W rban Pro

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FORUM

The latest Snowden leak is devastating to NSA defenders The agency collected and stored intimate chats, photos, and emails belonging to innocent Americans—and secured them so poorly that reporters can now browse them at will. by Conor Friedersdorf Consider the latest leak sourced to Edward Snowden from the perspective of his detractors. The National Security Agency’s defenders would have us believe that Snowden is a thief and a criminal at best, and perhaps a traitorous Russian spy. In their telling, the NSA carries out its mission lawfully, honorably, and without unduly compromising the privacy of innocents. For that reason, they regard Snowden’s actions as a wrongheaded slur campaign premised on lies and exaggerations. But their narrative now contradicts itself. The Washington Post’s latest article drawing on Snowden›s leaked cache of documents includes files «described as useless by the analysts but nonetheless retained” that “tell stories of love and heartbreak, illicit sexual liaisons, mental-health crises, political and religious conversions, financial anxieties and disappointed hopes. The daily lives of more than 10,000 account holders who were not targeted are catalogued and recorded nevertheless.” The article goes on to describe how exactly the privacy of these innocents was violated. The NSA collected “medical records sent from one family member to another, résumés from job hunters and academic transcripts of schoolchildren. In one photo, a young girl in religious dress beams at a camera outside a mosque. Scores of pictures show infants and toddlers

in bathtubs, on swings, sprawled on their backs and kissed by their mothers. In some photos, men show off their physiques. In others, women model lingerie, leaning suggestively into a webcam ...” Have you ever emailed a photograph of your child in the bathtub, or yourself flexing for the camera or modeling lingerie? If so, it could be your photo in the Washington Post newsroom right now, where it may or may not be secure going forward. In one case, a woman whose private communications were collected by the NSA found herself contacted by a reporter who›d read her correspondence. Snowden defenders see these leaked files as necessary to proving that the NSA does, in fact, massively violate the private lives of American citizens by collecting and storing content—not “just” metadata—when they communicate digitally. They’ll point out that Snowden turned these files over to journalists who promised to protect the privacy of affected individuals and followed through on that oath. What about Snowden critics who defend the NSA? Ben Wittes questions the morality of the disclosure: Snowden here did not leak programmatic information about government activity. He leaked many tens of thousands of personal communications of a type that, in government hands, are rightly subject to strict controls. They are subject to strict controls precisely so that the

woman in lingerie, the kid beaming before a mosque, the men showing off their physiques, and the woman whose love letters have to be collected because her boyfriend is off looking to join the Taliban don’t have to pay an unnecessarily high privacy price. Yes, the Post has kept personal identifying details from the public, and that is laudable. But Snowden did not keep personal identifying details from the Post. He basically outed thousands of people—innocent and not—and left them to the tender mercies of journalists. This is itself a huge civil liberties violation. The critique is plausible—but think of what it means. I never thought I’d see this day: The founder of Lawfare has finally declared that a national-security-state employee perpetrated a huge civilliberties violation! Remember this if he ever again claims that NSA critics can›t point to a single serious abuse at the agency. Wittes himself now says there’s been a serious abuse. The same logic applies to Keith Alexander, James Clapper, Michael Hayden, Stewart Baker, Edward Lucas, John Schindler, and every other anti-Snowden NSA defender. So long as they insist that Snowden is a narcissistic criminal and possible traitor, they have no choice but to admit that the NSA collected and stored intimate photos, emails, and chats belonging to totally innocent Americans and safeguarded them so poorly that a ne’er-do-well could copy

them onto thumb drives. They have no choice but to admit that the NSA was so bad at judging who could be trusted with this sensitive data that a possible traitor could take it all to China and Russia. Yet these same people continue to insist that the NSA is deserving of our trust, that Americans should keep permitting it to collect and store massive amounts of sensitive data on innocents, and that adequate safeguards are in place to protect that data. To examine the entirety of their position is to see that it is farcical. Here’s the reality. The NSA collects and stores the full content of extremely sensitive photographs, emails, chat transcripts, and other documents belong to Americans, itself a violation of the Constitution—but even if you disagree that it’s illegal, there’s no disputing the fact that the NSA has been proven incapable of safeguarding that data. There is not the chance the data could leak at sometime in the future. It has already been taken and given to reporters. The necessary reform is clear. Unable to safeguard this sensitive data, the NSA shouldn’t be allowed to collect and store it.

Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

L.A. residents denounce the deportation of migrant youth by Charles Davis Dozens of people rallied on Monday outside the U.S. federal building in downtown Los Angeles to show solidarity with tens of thousands of migrant children who have sought refuge in the United States – and to denounce President Barack Obama’s efforts to send them back to the countries they fled. “I call upon the president not to deport any of these children and to embrace them as refugees,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo, who joined other speakers in attributing the recent influx of children from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to decisions made in Washington. “They are products of our foreign policy. They are seeking an opportunity.” The rally, organized by the Human Rights Alliance for Child Refugees and Families, came as the president is seeking another $2 billion to bolster border security and speed up the deportation process, a request that comes in response to a significant rise over the last couple years in the number of unaccompanied minors from the Americas crossing into the

United States. In fiscal year 2012, just over 10,000 youth sought refuge in the U.S.; between October 2013 and June 2014 alone, that number rose to more than 39,000. The dominant media narrative has been that these children are coming to the United States because of misinformation; because they believe that the administration which has deported more immigrants than any of its predecessors would show them leniency. But Leisy Abrego, a professor of Chicano/a studies at UCLA, said that what was causing these children to leave the only land they have ever known – and to leave everything, including their parents, behind – was the dire situation in their home countries. “Today, as I see these very heartbreaking images of children coming here, risking their lives . . . I remember that this is just the most recent chapter of a very long and painful history in the region,” said Abrego, who came to the US as child after fleeing a U.S.-backed civil war in El Salvador. “As a child, I did not understand what LA rally for migrant youth - 9was causing the bombings and shootings that forced us to leave our country,”

said Abrego. “It took many years for me to learn that history and to understand the very central role of the U.S. government.” Today, she argued, U.S.-backed violence continues under the guise of “free trade” agreements that compel the nations of Central America to favor US corporations at the expense of independent economic development. For its part, the Obama administration has sought to dispel the notion that it is welcoming of those fleeing violence and economic hardship in Central America, arguing that it would be deporting these children at a faster pace were it not for a law signed by President George W. Bush in 2008 that “made it nearly impossible to repatriate unaccompanied minors to Central America without letting them appear before an immigration judge,” as The Los Angeles Times reported. Because of the law, which the administration is trying to change, these children are allowed to request asylum, which delays deportation but is almost never granted to Latin Americans. Alex Sanchez, who also fled the war in El Salvador as a child – “seeking refuge, ironically, in the country

that was investing in the war” – said the Obama administration should show compassion toward those child migrants who are today fleeing “economic violence” and breakdown of society caused by the U.S.-backed war on drugs. “We need to have the U.S. government redirect those 2 billion dollars to support those children here,” said Sanchez, who founded the group Homies Unidos, which works with LA youth to provide peaceful alternatives to gang life. “These are children. Children! These are children coming here seeking refuge.” And these are children the Obama administration are deporting – children who have learned that talk of American compassion was just a rumor. Charles Davis has covered Congress for NPR and Pacifica stations across the country, and freelanced for the international news wire Inter Press Service, primarily covering U.S. policy toward Latin America and the war on drugs in particular. He has also worked as a researcher for Michael Moore on his movie Capitalism: A Love Story. He may be contacted at davis.charles84 (at) gmail.com