BG Reads | News You Need to Know (June 8, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
*NEW* BG Podcast EP. 90: Processing with Chas Moore, President and Founder, Austin Justice Coalition (LINK TO SHOW)
He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss the national conversation on racism sparked by the murder of George Floyd, the ripples in the Austin community, and AJC’s rally this [past] Sunday.
[AUSTIN METRO]
Thousands rally, call for working together (Austin American-Statesman)
Braving the heat, thousands of protesters gathered Sunday for a rally at Huston-Tillotson University, and later the Capitol, but Sunday’s message was about more than the death of black men at the hands of police.
The theme of Sunday’s protest was working together as a community to find a solution to police brutality, to economic brutality and to power.
“Your hashtags are wonderful, your yard signs are beautiful, but what are you willing to relinquish to tilt the scales of justice and economic opportunity?” Chas Moore, protest organizer and founder of the Austin Justice Coalition, asked the crowd Sunday at the university.
Protesters have been gathering for 10 consecutive days in downtown Austin in the wake of multiple recent deaths of minorities at the hands of police nationwide.
In addition to George Floyd, who died last week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the back of his neck for almost nine minutes, demonstrators in Austin have been chanting the name of Michael Ramos, who was killed by Austin police in April.
When asked for a crowd estimate Sunday, one Texas Department of Public Safety trooper said he was not sure about the number but said it was the largest gathering he has seen since the protests began. “They’re peaceful,” he said.
After several arrests last week, police said only three people were arrested Friday on outstanding warrants related to looting, burglary and property damage for crimes that occurred May 31. No arrests were made Saturday in relation to the protests, and one person was arrested early Sunday for graffiti, police said.
With temperatures in the mid-90s, protesters marched from the city’s only black college to the grounds of the state’s lawmaking campus, with many holding signs and chanting. A group of volunteers handed out water and snacks to the participants as they marched toward the Capitol. Several others carried umbrellas and gathered under trees and in other shaded areas looking for relief from the sun.
On the Interstate 35 bridge at 11th Street, protesters marching from the Capitol back to the university gathered on both sides of the road, garnering honks from drivers passing below. Others stood outside a quiet Austin police headquarters with signs saying, “I can’t breathe” and “Black Lives Matter.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin Council Members Say They've Lost Faith In The Police Chief. This Week They Vote On Changes. (KUT)
Council will vote this week on changes to police policy, including banning the use of tear gas and less-lethal rounds during demonstrations and asking the department to significantly reduce its stock of military-grade equipment. Less-lethal ammunition, often made of rubber, wax, plastic or beanbags, are designed to be less likely to cause a fatal injury, in principle... (LINK TO FULL STORY)
See, Institutional Reform proposals on Council Message board
Austin's sick leave mandate suffers another setback, this time from Texas Supreme Court (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin businesses won't be required to provide paid sick leave for their employees yet.
The Texas Supreme Court on June 5 rejected a petition by the city of Austin to review a lower court decision that blocked its paid sick leave ordinance from taking effect.
While not ending the legal battle, it is a setback for City Hall's effort to mandate that all businesses provide employees with paid leave when they or their families are sick.
In February 2018, Austin City Council passed an ordinance requiring that private sector employees get one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Under the mandate, employers with 16 or more workers would need to give qualifying employees at least eight full-time sick days per year while smaller employers would have to provide at least six.
While the ordinance was seen as a victory by public health and workers' rights advocates, it was opposed by conservative officials and some business leaders who worry it would be a financial burden… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Dallas, San Antonio lift curfews as protests continue (Texas Tribune)
City officials announced that curfews in Dallas and San Antonio would end Saturday, signaling a relaxation of restrictions meant to tamp down unrest as protestors continue to turn out en masse across the state.
Texas cities have experienced days of ongoing protests over police brutality and systemic racial inequalities — demonstrations spurred by the death of George Floyd, a black man originally from Houston who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May. City officials across Texas began enacting curfews in late May to control protests and demonstrations, which in some cities have turned violent.
Dallas instituted a curfew last week mandating that people stay indoors in certain neighborhoods from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., under penalty of arrest. Following multiple testimonials from Dallas residents at last week’s Dallas City Council meeting who voiced concerns with the city’s management of the crisis, Dallas officials announced the curfew would lifted Saturday… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Experts warned of a second wave of coronavirus cases as re-openings swept Texas in May (Dallas Morning News)
After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began letting businesses reopen on May 1, medical experts and government officials expected new coronavirus cases to rise as more people ventured outside their homes. A steep surge didn’t materialize right away in North Texas, according to data from county health departments and hospitals. Emerging evidence suggests that’s partly because many North Texans continued sticking close to home and took precautions when they went out. Still, experts said, the region is in a delicate balance right now, and could quickly tip into dangerous territory.
Last week, Dallas County reported a series of record-high daily cases of COVID-19. Medical experts said those high numbers could come from expanded testing and do not necessarily signal a new wave of infections. In a news conference Thursday, Dr. Philip Huang, director of the Dallas County Health Department, said some of the recent increases may be tied to an effort to test every nursing home resident and staffer for COVID-19. Backing up Huang’s explanation are forecasts from local experts that project flat or declining COVID-19 hospitalization rates in the area in coming weeks. The current uncertainty shows how difficult it is to predict even the near term with a brand-new virus. Disease experts know the basics still hold true: More contact means more chance for disease. But conditions that affect transmission of the coronavirus are changing constantly. Some people wear masks; others don’t. Businesses are not back to normal operations, but are gradually letting in more customers… (LINK TO STORY)
‘Mistakenly uploaded’ documents add to criticism of $295M Texas contact tracing deal (Houston Chronicle)
More than a dozen Republican legislators are bucking Gov. Greg Abbott by calling for termination of a controversial $295 million coronavirus-related contract that was hastily awarded to a company whose CEO falsely claimed he had a Ph.D. At least two top Democrats — including the party’s leader in the Texas House of Representatives — are also criticizing the deal with MTX Group Inc., saying the state needs to demonstrate the company is up to the vital job of tracking down people who have been exposed to COVID-19, or else it should pull the plug.
The bipartisan criticism comes as the agency that oversees the contract, the Texas Department of State Health Services, acknowledges that MTX “mistakenly uploaded” job training documents to its contact tracers that they were never supposed to get, a move some lawmakers say potentially raises privacy concerns. Another potential privacy issue: MTX workers are using their own computers and personal email addresses, fueling worries — unwarranted worries, the state says — that private medical information about the people they investigate could be inadvertently divulged. State Rep. Steve Toth, R-Conroe, like many conservative Republicans, already had privacy concerns about COVID-19 contact tracing before MTX got the job. But he said when he learned that MTX CEO Das Nobel had falsely claimed on his online LinkedIn bio that he had a doctorate from Colorado Technical University, he moved into the end-this-now camp even as Abbott staunchly defends the emergency contract… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Veto-proof majority of Minneapolis City Council vows to disband police department (The Appeal)
On Sunday afternoon, a veto-proof majority of Minneapolis City Council members announced their commitment to disbanding the city’s embattled police department, which has endured relentless criticism in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, on May 25.
“We’re here because we hear you. We are here today because George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis Police. We are here because here in Minneapolis and in cities across the United States it is clear that our existing system of policing and public safety is not keeping our communities safe,” Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said Sunday. “Our efforts at incremental reform have failed. Period.”
The City Council’s decision follows those of several other high-profile partners, including Minneapolis Public Schools, and the University of Minnesota, and Minneapolis Parks and Recreation, to sever longstanding ties with the MPD.
The announcement today also arrives after several members of the Council have expressed a complete loss of confidence in the Minneapolis Police Department.
“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” tweeted Council Member Jeremiah Ellison on June 4, pledging to “dramatically rethink” the city’s approach to emergency response. In a TIME op-ed published the next day, Council Member Steve Fletcher cited the MPD’s lengthy track record of misconduct and “decades-long history of violence and discrimination”—all of which are subjects of an ongoing Minnesota Department of Human Rights investigation—as compelling justifications for the department’s disbandment. “We can resolve confusion over a $20 grocery transaction without drawing a weapon or pulling out handcuffs,” Fletcher wrote… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Biden formally clinches Democratic nomination, while gaining steam against Trump (NPR)
Former Vice President Joe Biden has secured the delegates needed to win the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on the first ballot at the August convention, crossing the threshold of 1,991 delegates according to The Associated Press. The delegate count formalizes what has been clear since Biden took a commanding delegate lead in mid-March and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race in early April: The 77-year-old, who served as Delaware's U.S. senator for decades before becoming vice president in 2009, will be his party's standard-bearer against President Trump.
Biden reached the benchmark as he has started to reemerge on the campaign trail outside of his home, addressing twin crises — the coronavirus and nationwide protests to racial injustice — that appear to be contributing to his lead over Trump in national polls, as well as in battleground states. The AP delegate estimate reached the magic number of 1,991 delegates for Biden as seven states and the District of Columbia continue counting votes from Tuesday's primaries. Sanders, who endorsed Biden in April but remained on the ballot, failed to reach the 15% threshold to receive delegates in several contests, giving Biden more delegates than many political observers expected him to secure this week. Biden spent much of 2019 battling questions about whether he had the campaign resources to compete with better-funded primary opponents and whether he was in step with the more progressive activists who have set the Democratic Party's national agenda since Biden and Barack Obama left the White House in 2017… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
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