The status quo is killing us Re: “Mass incarceration, racial disparities are harming Coloradans,” April 8 commentary You might know Michael Marshall as the mentally ill, homeless man killed by sheriff’s deputies in the Denver jail, but to me he was Uncle Mike. Son of John Marshall and Hattie Lee Black-Marshall, Uncle Mike was a loving man, willing to do what he could for his family and other people experiencing homelessness. He had a contagious laugh and presence that brought joy at holidays and Sunday dinners. Because he lived with schizophrenia and the stigma that goes along with mental illness and poverty, you’ll never get to meet the man I loved, but you can honor his memory by supporting Senate Bill 62. Jails should be for people who are a danger to others. Yet, too many people like my uncle are jailed because they are experiencing homelessness, mental illness, substance use disorder, or can’t afford to buy their freedom. Uncle Mike was jailed for an alleged low-level trespass and held on a $100 bond. Because he couldn’t afford to pay the toll to get out, he paid with his life. Many in law enforcement want things to stay the same. But the system has stayed consistent for decades and look at the results: Rev. Marvin Booker, Jeffrey Lillis, Jackson Maes, sweet Uncle Mike and too many others gone forever — and for what? The status quo might work for law enforcement but it doesn’t work for us. For communities of color and people like Uncle Mike, the status quo kills. We can be safe and save lives with Senate Bill 62. Natalia Marshall, Aurora Gun owners respond to reader’s question Re: “Gun owners, please, offer your solutions,” April 14 letter to the editor The author of this letter implored gun owners and defenders of the Second Amendment to offer concrete and viable proposals to dramatically reduce gun violence in America. Notwithstanding the fact that it is the responsibility of those who wish to regulate or deny a right to ...
Yearly absence calendar
Why Sikh Americans again feel targeted after the Indianapolis shooting
Simran Jeet Singh ( @simran ) is a scholar and historian of South Asia, a senior fellow for the Sikh Coalition , the author of a guide for reporters covering Sikhism and a 2020 Equality Fellow for the Open Society Foundations. The views expressed here are his own. Read more opinion at CNN. (CNN) On Thursday night, a gunman killed eight people and injured several others before killing himself at a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis. Four of the eight dead identified as Sikh and the facility was known to employ a significant number of members of the Sikh community. Simran Jeet Singh The shooting came just days after Sikhs, who comprise the world's fifth-largest religious community, celebrated Vaisakhi, the most significant holiday of our calendar, and also as the state of Indiana was honoring its Sikh residents with an awareness and appreciation month -- one of several states to do so. The FBI has not determined the killer's motives -- and may never do so given that he turned the gun on himself and is now deceased. Sikh Americans once again feel targeted. As we come upon 20 years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the racist backlash that ensued, we cannot ignore the long history of hate violence against Sikhs in this country. FBI hate crime data shows Sikhs to be one of the most commonly targeted religious groups -- behind Jews and Muslims -- in modern America. We also know that much of the violence that Sikhs face has to do with the cultural and religious illiteracy of others. Despite being one of the world's largest religions, most Americans do not know who Sikhs are. A 2013 study led by the Stanford Innovation Lab and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund found that 70% of Americans misidentified Sikhs when shown a Sikh man in a picture, with many believing they were Muslim. Read More The distinctive Sikh appearance -- which often includes ...
Parent Rejects Woke School: ‘Judges My Daughter by the Color of Her Skin’
A parent is rejecting the forced “anti-racism” training that is representative of the left’s woke-culture indoctrination taking place in public and private K-12 schools. Former New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss posted at “Common Sense with Bari Weiss” about the recent case of Andrew Gutmann, who pulled his daughter out of the elite private Brearley School for girls in New York City. As the Daily Mail observed , actresses Tina Fey and Drew Barrymore are among Brearley’s parents, and alumnae include Caroline Kennedy and Elisabeth Murdoch. Gutmann, 45, shared a letter with Weiss about his decision to withdraw his daughter from Brearley, where tuition is $54,000 per year. The parent, Weiss reported, sent the letter April 13 to all of the approximately 600 families in the school. Gutmann wrote to fellow parents: [W]e no longer believe that Brearley’s administration and Board of Trustees have any of our children’s best interests at heart. Moreover, we no longer have confidence that our daughter will receive the quality of education necessary to further her development into a critically thinking, responsible, enlightened, and civic minded adult. I write to you, as a fellow parent, to share our reasons for leaving the Brearley community but also to urge you to act before the damage to the school, to its community, and to your own child’s education is irreparable. Gutmann went on to describe “Brearley’s obsession with race,” observing the school has caved to an “anti-intellectual, illiberal mob”: I cannot tolerate a school that not only judges my daughter by the color of her skin, but encourages and instructs her to prejudge others by theirs. By viewing every element of education, every aspect of history, and every facet of society through the lens of skin color and race, we are desecrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and utterly violating the movement for which such civil rights leaders believed, fought, and died. “I object ...
Juan Williams: Am I not Black enough?
In the current world of racial politics, a prize-winning Dutch author lost a job translating a Black American poet, Amanda Gorman. Why? There was an uproar because the publisher had chosen a white translator. In 2021 racial politics, the actor Daniel Kaluuya, who recently played 1960s Black radical Fred Hampton, introduced himself to a “Saturday Night Live” audience this way: “I know you’re hearing my accent and thinking ‘Oh no, he’s not Black — he’s British.’ I’m here to reassure you that I am Black. I’m Black. And I’m British.” And in today’s world of racial niche media, a white TV host recently dismissed me from appearing on his show to discuss race relations by telling me I didn’t qualify because I was born in Panama. ADVERTISEMENT He thinks I’m not Black enough. Seriously. The white host of the PBS-affiliated show, “This is America & the World,” flatly said despite my black skin — and award-winning books on race relations — my place of birth made me a bad fit for a discussion on the racial unrest following the murder of George Floyd. I’m a big boy. To live as a Black man in America for the last 63 years requires tough skin. I already have to deal with the fact that a lot of people can’t find the right box for a black Democrat who works for Fox News. But rejecting me over where I was born is a new one. I wouldn’t have known why the invitation was revoked if the host had not been so confident in his racial calculation that he sent me a note to share his thinking. ADVERTISEMENT He opened a window on the kind of thinking once used to keep Blacks, women, Latinos, Asians — basically anyone but white men — out of public debates. For most of American history, no one blinked at the absence of those voices in dialogue about economics, foreign policy, scientific innovation. It was simply assumed that they lacked expertise and their point of view was marginal. But as a Black American author of several best-selling books on civil rights ...
Cam Newton Reportedly Participating In Patriots Offseason Workouts In Foxboro
By Michael Hurley , CBS Boston BOSTON (CBS) — Last week, Patriots players released a statement which said “many” of them would not be participating in the team’s offseason team activities. Cam Newton is apparently not part of the group skipping out on the sessions. READ MORE: Brad Stevens Reportedly Wasn't Interested In $70 Million Offer From Indiana The quarterback is “leading the charge in attendance” in the team’s offseason program, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Patriots' voluntary offseason program begins today, with the 1st phase extending through May 14. This phase includes virtual meetings of up to 2 hours per day, with facilities and weight rooms open with capacity limits. Cam Newton among those leading the charge in attendance. — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 19, 2021 Reiss added that “quite a few players” are attending the sessions, which are of course set up differently this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE: Red Sox Blow Out White Sox In Patriots' Day Game At Fenway Park Hi 3. Quite a few players, as I understand it. But since it is tiered, and there are capacity limits, it's not like they all show up at once. — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 19, 2021 The Patriots were far from the only NFL team to release a statement about attendance for the voluntary offseason training sessions, as the players’ union urged members to skip OTAs this spring. As of Monday morning, the Eagles, Ravens, Saints, 49ers, Rams, Dolphins, Jets, Chargers, Falcons, Steelers, Raiders, Giants, Browns, Bears, Lions, Buccaneers, Seahawks and Broncos had all released statements in solidarity with the union for an all-virtual offseason. Newton, though, is one player who may not be in a position to skip out on anything this year. He signed with the Patriots in late June last year, missing out on some critical time to learn the Patriots’ playbook for his first season in the system. That lack of a spring — combined with a ...
