Politics

Maryland Moves to End Confederate Flag Plates

Published

9 years ago

June 30, 2015

By Kelly-Ann Brown
Special to the NNPA from Howard University News Service

WASHINGTON – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and several state legislators are calling for the removal of the confederate flag on Maryland license plates and from state-issued property.

Maryland is one of four states working to remove the emblem from their specialty plates, along with Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Texas has already removed the Confederate Flag from its plates.

The racially motivated murders of nine African Americans on June 17 at the Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., have served as a catalyst for a nationwide conversation on racial prejudices and its symbolism.

“The Confederate Flag is a divisive symbol in our nation’s history and has no place on any official government licenses or documentation in the state of Maryland,” Prince George’s County Council Chairmen Mel Franklin said in a statement.

Additionally, Over 70 Maryland state senators and delegates have signed a document addressed to Secretary of Transportation Peter Rahn and Motor Vehicle Administrator Milton Chaffee of the Maryland Department of Transportation (DOT) asking that the flag be eliminated from license plates..

In the document, they requested that the DOT, “use [your authority to reinstate Maryland’s previous policy of not including the Confederate battle flag in specialty license plate designs.”

All are asking the Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) to again withdraw its approval for organizational plates for the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), Inc., which features the confederate flag. In the mid-1990s the MVA recalled previously issued plates based on numerous complaints that the artwork was racist.

The SCV sued the MVA in Sons of the Confederate Veterans, Inc. v. Glendening in 1997, and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland ruled that MVA violated the organization’s First Amendment rights.

Since 1995, Maryland has been one of nine states to offer Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. license plates, and the only state that was not a former member of the Confederacy.

Just two decades later, history has repeated itself, this time with greater public opposition and the support of local leaders.

However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Walker v. Texas, Sons of Confederate Veterans, allows the state of Texas to reject specialty license plate designs should it represent a message the state does not support.

The June 18 decision stated, “We hold that Texas’s specialty license plate designs constitute government speech and that Texas was consequently entitled to refuse to issue plates featuring the SCV’s proposed design.”

Though the 5-4 ruling coincidentally came one day after the Charleston murders, the case was initially argued in March of 2015, evidence that such issues have are constantly being reevaluated.

The decision ultimately sets a legal precedent, allowing Maryland, among other states, to work within their rights and reject confederate flag design on its specialty plates if it chooses.

Maryland Sen. Jamie Raskin and Maryland Delegate David Moon have both signed off on a letter addressed to Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, in light of the recent events.

Burl Young, spokesperson for Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles, said that in April 1995 the plates began circulating. Approximately 409 plates have been issued, Young said, and currently, only 151 vehicles and 27 motorcycles are active.

In the document, they seek legal confirmation that the MVA can move forward and reject confederate flag specialty plates without legislation. The letter also points out that previous legal decisions have now, “been effectively overruled by the Supreme Court.”

According to statics from the Pew Research Center in 2011 for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, out of approximately 1,500 adults only 9 percent cited a positive reaction to a confederate flag on display. Comparatively, 39 percent of participants had negatives reactions.

HUNS reporter Sadijah Wallace contributed to this story.

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 19, 2024

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.