Nov. 23, 2022
APRT Report / Justice Teams Network (US)
Interrupting Intimate Partner Violence – A Guide for Community Responses without Police
This report is a startling presentation around intimate partner violence acknowledging the consequences for police intervention and the impact on the survivors / victims. Frequently, particularly in the minority Black and Brown scenes, police intervention means more victimization or even criminalization of the victims. The report offers a section on the definition of intimate partner violence, key principles, how to form a response team, what it would look like, and the re-imagining of public safety and intimate partner violence. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5cf978a41393e70001434b2f/t/63688ee4f13a464e73fbbe06/1667796736528/Interrupting+IPV+%28APTP-JTN_FINAL-WEB%29.pdf (The link is to a 108 page PDF presenting the latest research on police intervention and the efforts to stop intimate partner violence through a community response option.) Cf also Tweet from Leigh Goodman: “People ask me all the time what a non-carceral response to intimate partner violence could look like. The @APTPaction lays it out in this report… “concrete, comprehensive, community-based. Must read.” https://twitter.com/LeighGoodmark/status/1594886591583031296?s=03
CBC News – Akshay Kulkarni
B.C. Premier David Eby tackles public safety in sweeping set of new measures – Announcements come after public security became a focal point of recent municipal elections
This is another announcement by a politician regarding the way to delivery public safety. This version is strangely familiar in that the context is increased spending for police and the police use of PR agencies to sell the police agenda to the public, a scene likely to be duplicated across Canada. Eby is first promising to expand the emergency community mental health response program, after a number of notable policing incidents. The second promise is to set up a special police / crown prosecutor for repeat offenders, thought to be the crux of high crimes, a notion, advocates say, is not in evidence. Most of the promises for public safety have no firm plan or funding to date. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/premier-new-safety-measures-bc-1.6658293
Journal of Prisoners on Prisons (JPP) (Canada)
“Today, we launched JPP Volume 31, Number 2 that features a dialogue on “Prison Labour” edited by @jordanlhouse and @KellySMontford plus a dialogue on “Gender, Health and (In)justice in Canada” edited by @MarthPaynter, @OmiSooreDryden and @ElJonesPoet’ https://twitter.com/jpp1988/status/1594780312424353806?s=03 Full Journal: Vol. 31 No. 2 (2022): Prison Labour | Gender, Health and (In)justice in Canada https://uottawa.scholarsportal.info/ottawa/index.php/jpp/issue/view/646
Vancouver Sun – Gordon Hoekstra
RCMP won’t disclose number of officers on the job in Surrey in midst of policing debate “As an organization, the RCMP are paranoid. They keep information close to their chest because the less likely it is that someone is going to fire a shot at them.” — Rob Gordon, a professor emeritus of criminology at Simon Fraser University
The issue is which police do the citizens of Surrey, BC, want: RCMP or their own municipal police. The town was in process of establishing the municipal police when the council changed its mind in favour of the RCMP. The refusal to disclose the number of constables seems unintelligible at best. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/rcmp-wont-disclose-number-of-officers-on-the-job-in-surrey-in-midst-of-policing-debate?s=03 Related article: CBC News – The Canadian Press Vancouver council votes to fund 100 new police officers, 100 new mental health nurses https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-council-funding-1.6660027?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar
Washington Post (US) – Andrew Delbanco
Reparations for Black Americans can work if they are re-imagined
This article is a worthwhile read in so far as it projects what may be the next great social and political question for both the US and Canada. Delbanco weaves an intricate journey through the “sins of the fathers” issues and proposes that racism and poverty have the same crippling impact. Creative reparations may be an effective framework for discussion. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/21/reparations-black-americans-reimagined/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_opinions&utm_campaign=wp_opinions Related article: Washington Post (US) – Brain Broome The Colorado massacre cannot be blamed on mental illness. It’s rooted in hate. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/21/colorado-springs-club-q-lgbtq-homophobia-hate/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_opinions&utm_campaign=wp_opinions
London Free Press – Randy Richmond
‘No use for inmates:’ Former jail guard gives inquest insight into culture
The article derives from the testimony of Jeff Allin, a former guard from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre to a coroner’s jury inquest into the 2017 death of Murray Davis, 24. “I have no use for inmates,” Jeff Allin testified. “They get away with too much in Canada. The inmates run the jail, not the correctional officers… Asked for his solutions to make EMDC safer, Allin suggested “harsher penalties” and taking away inmates’ privileges, such as access to their beds during the day… Keep them on their feet. Keep them busy. They can stand in the corner for all I care for 12 hours,” he said.” Allin was one of the three guards charged with overnight checks. https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/no-use-for-inmates-former-jail-guard-gives-inquest-insight-into-culture Related article: John Howard Society Lawyers: Crisis in Parole https://johnhoward.ca/blog/lawyers-crisis-in-parole/ Related article: National Observer (Canada) – Matteo Cimellaro One-third of Canada’s mandatory minimums have been repealed, but advocates don’t believe it will lessen incarceration crisis https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/11/22/news/third-canada-mandatory-minimums-repealed-advocates-incarceration-crisis
The Associated Press and Northeastern University, USA TODAY (US)
Mass killing database: Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006 – How many mass killings are there in the US? High profile public shootings are only a portion of the nation’s mass killings since 2006, analysis shows.
Mass killings are defined as killings in which four or more people are killed. The link provides a data bank with the statistical and specific detail of each of these killings since 2006. A total of 2,742 killings in 526 incidents. One twist on the info is the distinction between public incidents and private incidents or killings of four or more within a family’s house, the most common kind of mass killing, as opposed to a shopping mall or school. “Victims of mass killings are more likely to have been killed by someone they know. Mass shootings in which family members are targeted are twice as common as fatal public mass shootings in which strangers are killed. In our database, the public category excludes killings related to drug deals, gang disputes, robberies and other criminal activity.” (Use your mouse to stop on any individual element for specific information in the data bank. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2022/08/18/mass-killings-database-us-events-since-2006/9705311002/
Reasonstobecheerful.world (US) – Sandra Larson
At This Grocery Store, Shoppers Pay What They Wish – In St. Louis, a pay-what-you-can grocery store stays in business thanks to some customers voluntarily paying more than the price on the sticker.
This is one of those forced choice stories about what one is likely to do given the circumstance. In this grocery store, the prices are on the items and the invitation to the consumer is to pay as you can afford. Some pay a little less and some pay a little more. Marsh Grocery, a co-op and a non-profit, is making local product alternative for healthy food available while paying a staff of five $18 / hour. https://reasonstobecheerful.world/st-louis-marsh-grocery-store-nonprofit/?utm_source=Reasons+to+be+Cheerful&utm_campaign=13f7d2e9a2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_22_04_40_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_89fb038efe-13f7d2e9a2-389665117