Nov. 3, 2021

 Monitor Magazine – Alex Himelfarb

Big change: Five readings to help us understand what’s needed and what it will take

Alex Himelfarb (he/him) is the chair of the CCPA national office board, former Clerk of the Privy Council and academic, and chair or member of several voluntary sector organizations.  He is offering five selected readings (with links) to authors who he thinks have something to say about relaunching with significant changes from the havoc of Covid and hard times economically for many.  “Will we draw on what we learned to fix what’s broken, take on the larger crises of climate change, environmental degradation, colonialism, racism and inequality and build a more just, inclusive and sustainable Canada?”  https://monitormag.ca/articles/big-change

Tracking the Politics of Criminalization and Punishment in Canada – Justin Piché

The link provides the latest statistical information about the impact of Covid-19 on the prisons in Canada broken down into federal and provincial stats as of Sept 30, 2021, including the staff.  Overall, 7294 infections, 9 deaths, 2206 staff infected, 1 death.  http://tpcp-canada.blogspot.com/  Related article: The Lawyer’s Daily –  John L. Hill    Solitary: The next wave     https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/criminal/articles/30991/solitary-the-next-wave-john-l-hill-?nl_pk=40ed8ea4-637a-4d76-870f-04f0eeae7de8&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=criminal

CBC News – Joanne Chianello

Ottawa police draft budget calls for 2.9% increase – Draft budget asks for an extra $14M, but forgoes hiring 30 new officers in 2022

This sort of announcement is likely replicating itself across Canada around now.  A large part of municipal budgets get swallowed by policing and budget submissions rise every year.  In Ottawa, a modest 2.9% increase translates into $14 million.  Much of those increases are eaten up by increased salary costs as officers advance through the ranks but critics are looking for funds for social services whose impact is to reduce police calls and services.  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-police-budget-asks-increase-1.6234387   There is a similar discussion in Kitchener-Waterloo (ON) where the increase is attached to certain stalled deliverables.  CBC News – Local activist skeptical of WRPS anti-racism initiatives – Police chief Bryan Larkin says police want to engage with community https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/local-activist-skeptical-of-wrps-anti-racism-initiatives-1.5616607 (Jude Oudshroorn’s twitter account has a string that reflects on the KW scene as well:  @judahoudshoorn )

 CNN (US) – Zara Stone

Beauty behind bars: Why makeup matters for prisoners

Stone, an author of several books about women and the future, tells the story of Joyce Pequeno, a 28-year-old inmate at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon.  The perspective of self-care while in prison jumps in the face of routine and control to suggest that the use of cosmetics by prisoners is a worthy part of that self-care.  “Many inmates find comfort in cosmetics. Stripped of freedom, friends and family, makeup can help inmate retains a sense of identity and present themselves in the manner they choose, rather than as dictated by strict prison dress codes.”  Advocates have long affirmed that the prison experience and needs of women is considerably different than the men on which the systems are based.  https://www.cnn.com/style/article/prisoners-makeup-pandemic/index.html

Washington Post (US) – Kimberly Kindy

Boosted by the pandemic, ‘constitutional sheriffs’ are a political force

In many places in the US the sheriff is elected to office directly by voters and is known as a “constitutional sheriff.”  By virtue of the election, the sheriff is then thought to have an authority to interpret the law.  Says Mark Lomax, Bucks County, Pa., “…elected sheriffs, who report directly to voters, unlike police chiefs, who are generally hired and fired at will by city councils. You pretty much have no authority above you government-wise; you answer to the voters, adding that despite this freedom he plans to be “a sheriff who enforces the laws.” The elected sheriff, so goes the theory, answers to no municipal, state or federal authorities – only to the voters.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/constitutional-sheriffs-elections-trump-pandemic/2021/11/01/4c14c764-368b-11ec-91dc-551d44733e2d_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F352baac%2F618166359d2fda9d41318b04%2F597720279bbc0f6826c0ca16%2F9%2F73%2F618166359d2fda9d41318b04

Global Sisters Ministry – International

A Place to Call Home – Global Sisters Initiative

This link is to an unusual source – Catholic Nuns who are engaged in ministry to the homeless in various places and to various populations.  What does speak here is a singular focus on more than just housing – working in partnership so that people have a sense of being at home.  The scope of the international voices and the different populations alone make this entire link worth reading by anyone involved with the homeless.  https://www.globalsistersreport.org/gsr-series/a-place-to-call-home/stories

The Marshall Project – Abbie VanSickle and Weihua Li

Police Hurt Thousands of Teens Every Year. A Striking Number Are Black Girls.

No one, it seems, keeps track of police violence against teens on a national basis.  This report is based on information gleaned from six cities and representing only about 3% of the incidents.  There is a disturbing indication that Black girls are the most frequent victims of police force.  “There is no comprehensive national database of violent interactions between police and civilians. But when we looked at data for six large police departments that provided detailed demographic information on use-of-force incidents, we found nearly 4,000 youngsters 17 and under experienced police violence from 2015 through 2020…  Almost 800 of the children and teens — roughly a fifth of the total — were Black girls. White girls were involved in about 120 cases, representing only 3% of use-of-force incidents involving minors.”  Some of these narratives make one wonder if there is an adult is in the incident. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/11/02/police-hurt-thousands-of-teens-every-year-a-striking-number-are-black-girls   Related article:  BBC (UK) – ‘I was abused by my ex and then jailed for lying’  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59122411