Public Policy
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from public policy organizations whose goal it is to influence the debate Washington.
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The EU Must Not Let Down Sudanese Victims: Do Not Ignore the Pending ICC Arrest Warrants Against Al-Bashir
NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies issued the following news release:
Over the past few years, cooperation between the European Union and the League of Arab States has included "finding common solutions to common problems," for instance reaching solutions for the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya. Nevertheless, concerns were raised over the EU's problematic approach to managing migration flows, particularly its policies and agreements with a number of LAS Member States, including Sudan, which resulted in serious human rights violations. In the same vein, hosting
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NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies issued the following news release:
Over the past few years, cooperation between the European Union and the League of Arab States has included "finding common solutions to common problems," for instance reaching solutions for the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya. Nevertheless, concerns were raised over the EU's problematic approach to managing migration flows, particularly its policies and agreements with a number of LAS Member States, including Sudan, which resulted in serious human rights violations. In the same vein, hostinga joint summit to enhance regional cooperation must not come at the expense of normalising the EU's relationship with an ICC fugitive. Doing so would contradict the legally binding EU decision to support cooperation with the ICC, as well as the obligations of individual EU Member States to cooperate with the ICC, including in the execution of arrest warrants.
"If the EU goes forward with hosting a war criminal, it will be a serious blow for the victims of Darfur and an utter disappointment to the Sudanese people who have, over the past weeks, taken to the streets to protest the dire political and economic situation," said Mossaad Mohamed Ali, Executive Director of African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS).
"The EU must listen to and respect the voices of thousands calling for regime change in Sudan and a transitional government that will fulfill aspirations for justice, peace, freedom and democratic transformation."
Somaliland Court Suspends Newspaper for One Year for Publishing 'False News'
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 15 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following news:
The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed deep concern about a one-year suspension imposed by a Somaliland court on the privately owned Foore newspaper, and called on authorities to drop the charges on appeal.
On February 10, a regional court in the breakaway state of Somaliland ordered Foore to suspend publishing for one year and fined its editor-in-chief three million Somaliland shillings ($300), following a conviction for publishing "false news" and anti-national propaganda, according to a
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NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 15 -- The Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following news:
The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed deep concern about a one-year suspension imposed by a Somaliland court on the privately owned Foore newspaper, and called on authorities to drop the charges on appeal.
On February 10, a regional court in the breakaway state of Somaliland ordered Foore to suspend publishing for one year and fined its editor-in-chief three million Somaliland shillings ($300), following a conviction for publishing "false news" and anti-national propaganda, according to acopy of the judgment shared with CPJ by the Somaliland Journalists Association and Foore Editor-in-Chief Mohamed Mohamud Yusuf, who spoke with CPJ.
The charges relate to Foore's coverage of the Somaliland government, including an October 11, 2018, story on the construction of a new presidential palace, according to the judgment and Mohamed.
Mohamed told CPJ that the one-year ban would severely damage the publication, which employs eight journalists and publishes five issues a week. He said Foore plans to file an appeal.
"Somaliland is using problematic sections of the penal code on false news and propaganda to hack away at the basic freedoms the press needs to hold government leaders accountable. The ruling against the Foore newspaper sets a dangerous precedent that anyone questioning the state's version of the truth can expect to pay a heavy price," said CPJ's Sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. "We call on Somaliland authorities to uphold press freedom by dropping these charges on appeal."
The attorney general's office alleges that in its October 2018 report, Foore described public buildings under construction as the property of individuals, and had therefore published baseless information meant to incite the public against the government, according to court documents seen by CPJ.
The article in question was about the construction of a new presidential palace, according to Mohamed and Yahye Mohamed, executive director of the Somaliland Journalists Association, and a statement from the rights group Human Rights Center Somaliland.
Further, authorities claim that, by contrasting the palace's luxury with the poverty seen in the rest of Somaliland, Foore had spread "anti-national propaganda," according to court documents, Mohamed, and a post-trial statement by the president of the regional court, Judge Ahmed Dalmar Ismail, which was posted on YouTube.
In a February 11 WhatsApp message to CPJ, Ahmed said that the Foore had been unable to prove its critique of the government and that all procedures had been followed in the case.
The court cited not only the edition of Foore in which the report on the presidential palace was published, but two other earlier editions, according to a copy of the judgment. In his post-trial statement, Ahmed said that, in at least four instances over the last four years, the paper had failed to substantiate reports it published. However, Mohamed told CPJ that these old cases had long since been resolved out of court.
On February 10, Mohamed was detained for about five hours by Criminal Investigation Department police, until Foore paid the fine with the assistance of the Somaliland Journalists Association, he told CPJ.
Somaliland Attorney General Hassan Ahmed Aden did not respond to a CPJ email sent on February 11.
In 2017 and 2018, CPJ documented orders for critical publications in Somaliland to close; an internet shutdown; and arbitrary arrests and detentions of journalists.
JustLeadershipUSA Issues Statement on Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Votes to Stop Construction of Women Jail
NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- JustLeadershipUSA issued the following statement by Los Angeles Campaign Coordinator Eunisses Hernandez on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' votes to stop construction of a $3.5B women's jail:
"As a member of the JusticeLA campaign executive committee, JustLeadershipUSA applauds the LA County Board of Supervisors and especially the leadership of Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, on this historic day in which they have made clear that, "trying to fit mental health treatment into a huge 3,800-bed facility remains mainly a punitive paradigm, not rehabilitative."
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NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- JustLeadershipUSA issued the following statement by Los Angeles Campaign Coordinator Eunisses Hernandez on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' votes to stop construction of a $3.5B women's jail:
"As a member of the JusticeLA campaign executive committee, JustLeadershipUSA applauds the LA County Board of Supervisors and especially the leadership of Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, on this historic day in which they have made clear that, "trying to fit mental health treatment into a huge 3,800-bed facility remains mainly a punitive paradigm, not rehabilitative."We commend the years of organizing by directly impacted communities that brought us to this moment.
"With this vote to stop the Mira Loma Women's Jail, the Board has made their solidarity known to the communities they serve and they have made clear that jails are not the place to serve the needs of women in Los Angeles County. Stopping the plan allows for the County to move forward with an analysis of the services that LA County women most desperately need, and ends a 10-year struggle to stop the building of a new women's jail.
"Through the course of this organizing, directly impacted people and advocates along with mental health researchers and experts, have elevated the case for construction of community-based services and treatment centers that can support successful and safe reentry. Today directly impacted communities can claim this hard-fought victory, acknowledging that less than two months ago, the idea that LA County would halt its $3.5 billion dollar jail plan, was unthinkable.
"This victory is not without serious concerns. The Board has decided to move forward with a dangerous plan to build a massive "mental health treatment facility" with over 3,800 beds. JLUSA, in solidarity with its Justice LA partners, opposes this plan and will fight to ensure that this proposed massive treatment facility is not built because it is nothing but a jail with a different name. We will hold the Board accountable to the outcomes our communities need and we will ensure that they endorse a decentralized mental health services model that provides community-based mental health and human services throughout LA County. The County should build services in all 5 districts, not a 3,800-bed facility in the middle of Los Angeles. Community-based mental health treatment centers are something that every county must strive toward. Los Angeles now has an opportunity to show every county and city in the United States that healing justice is possible.
"This community-based vision is aligned with human dignity and true safety on directly impacted communities' terms. It is far more cost-effective than a punitive-based model and will create jobs that will cement Los Angeles' reputation as being on the cutting edge of public health and justice. A decentralized community-based services model will reduce harm, create better treatment and expand a field that prioritizes care over cages."
HRC and UCONN Survey Reveals Black LGBTQ Youth at Heightened Risk for Discrimination
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- The Human Rights Campaign Foundation issued the following news release:
Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, in partnership with the University of Connecticut, released the Black & African American LGBTQ Youth Report, a groundbreaking resource detailing the experiences of Black and African American LGBTQ youth. The report analyzes responses from nearly 1,700 young people, ranging in age from 13 to 17, who participated in HRC's online 2017 LGBTQ Teen Survey.
The survey release comes as the HRC Foundation's sixth annual Time to THRIVE conference opens in Anaheim,
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- The Human Rights Campaign Foundation issued the following news release:
Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, in partnership with the University of Connecticut, released the Black & African American LGBTQ Youth Report, a groundbreaking resource detailing the experiences of Black and African American LGBTQ youth. The report analyzes responses from nearly 1,700 young people, ranging in age from 13 to 17, who participated in HRC's online 2017 LGBTQ Teen Survey.
The survey release comes as the HRC Foundation's sixth annual Time to THRIVE conference opens in Anaheim,California, where hundreds of youth-serving professionals -- including teachers, counselors and coaches -- are gathering to discuss best practices for working with and caring for LGBTQ youth and their families in schools, community centers, health care settings and beyond. At the conference, the report will be presented by HRC President Chad Griffin on Friday, February 15 and it will be the topic of a panel featuring Black and African American HRC Foundation youth ambassadors on Saturday, February 16.
"We must confront the very real and present discrimination and institutional obstacles that prevent too many Black and African American LGBTQ young people from fully thriving and living as who they are," said Ellen Kahn, HRC Foundation Director of the Children, Youth & Families Program. "Messages that reinforce stigma and shame, racist rhetoric from elected officials, and inequitable systems of care complicate the ability of Black and African American LGBTQ youth to fully express and explore their intersecting racial and LGBTQ identities."
Said Leslie Hall, Director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program: "In light of this, and in the face of consistent attacks on LGBTQ youth, HRC is committed to ensuring this data is in the hands of teachers, school counselors, coaches, doctors and other youth-serving professionals across the country, including through the HRC Foundation's HBCU Program, founded to support LGBTQ students at HBCUs by providing resources and trainings to advance affirming and supportive college campuses."
HRC and researchers at the University of Connecticut found that:
More than three-fourths of Black and African American LGBTQ youth who responded to the survey have heard family members say negative things about LGBTQ people, and nearly half have been taunted or mocked by family for being LGBTQ.
Eighty percent "usually" feel depressed, down, worried, nervous or panicked. Nearly half feel critical of their LGBTQ identities.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents -- and 82 percent of transgender and gender-expansive youth -- have been verbally insulted because of their LGBTQ identity.
Ninety percent of respondents have experienced racial discrimination, and only five percent believe Black and African American people are regarded positively in the U.S.
Sixty-three percent of Black and African American transgender and gender-expansive youth try to avoid using the restroom during the school day.
While these persistent challenges remain, there is hope for progress -- especially given the growing rates of acceptance of LGBTQ people overall in the Black and African American community. A 2017 Pew Research Center study, for example, found support of marriage equality among Black and African American communities has grown dramatically since 2001.
The voices of Black and African American LGBTQ youth are powerfully represented in this report:
"My mom supports gay people, but she doesn't want a gay daughter."
"Being in a predominantly white school set in its ways, talking about being LGBTQ (something that is not necessarily praised) is very awkward and uncomfortable."
The U.S. lacks reliable data about LGBTQ people, especially about the experiences of LGBTQ youth. Supportive parents, school administrators, teachers, counselors and other youth-serving professionals play an essential role in the lives of Black and African American LGBTQ youth. These findings will inform a variety of HRC Foundation programs for youth and youth-serving professionals, including the HRC Foundation's HBCU Program, Welcoming Schools and All Children-All Families programs; and the Time to THRIVE conference. The full results of the survey can be found here. The Coca-Cola Foundation was a generous supporter of this critical resource.
Time To THRIVE is co-presented this year by the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association. BBVA Compass, AT&T and Toyota are presenting sponsors of the event.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is education arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
Court Orders Trump Administration to Halt the Imminent Discharge of HIV-Positive Airmen
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Feb. 15 -- Lambda Legal issued the following news release:
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- "This is a major victory in our fight to ensure everyone living with HIV can serve their country without discrimination."
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Today, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Defense and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to halt discharge proceedings against HIV-positive members of the U.S. Air Force. The order came in the case of Roe and Voe v. Shanahan, filed by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN, with partner law firm Winston & Strawn, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
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ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Feb. 15 -- Lambda Legal issued the following news release:
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- "This is a major victory in our fight to ensure everyone living with HIV can serve their country without discrimination."
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Today, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Defense and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to halt discharge proceedings against HIV-positive members of the U.S. Air Force. The order came in the case of Roe and Voe v. Shanahan, filed by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN, with partner law firm Winston & Strawn, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Districtof Virginia.
The two Airmen serving as plaintiffs, who filed pseudonymously, were given discharge orders at the end of last year after being found "unfit for continued military service" despite compliance with medical treatment and physical fitness requirements. Despite support from their medical providers and commanding officers, the first of these Airmen was to be separated from service in just ten days. In granting the preliminary injunction, the judge ruled the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in preventing their discharge through the lawsuit and rejected the Trump Administration's motion to dismiss.
"This is a major victory in our fight to ensure everyone living with HIV can serve their country without discrimination," said Scott Schoettes, Counsel and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal. "These decisions should be based on science, not stigma, as today's ruling from the bench demonstrates. Despite President Trump's promise to improve the lives of people living with HIV at the State of the Union this month, his Administration continues to defend these policies and others discriminating against people most impacted by HIV. Lambda Legal will keep fighting until these brave and qualified Airmen can serve without limitation."
U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema issued the ruling from the bench after hearing oral argument today on both Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN's motion for preliminary injunction and the administration's motion to dismiss. A written order is likely to issue by early next week.
The lawsuit challenges the Pentagon's discriminatory deployment policies, which prevent service members living with HIV from deploying outside the United States without a waiver. For years, these unjustifiable policies have restricted the opportunities of service members living with HIV. Now the Trump administration and the Pentagon are using these same deployment restrictions to justify discharging service members solely based on HIV status. Though purportedly not the basis for the discharge of the plaintiffs, the "Deploy or Get Out" policy unveiled by the Trump administration in February 2018 directs the Pentagon to identify service members who cannot be deployed to military posts outside of the United States for more than 12 consecutive months and to separate them from military service. Other branches have made clear they will not be discharging HIV-positive service members based on this new policy, but it is not entirely clear how the Air Force is implementing it.
OutServe-SLDN is also an organizational plaintiff in this case to advance the interests of its members who are living with HIV and serving in the military. Along with Harrison v. Shanahan and Deese and Doe v. Shanahan, this is the third lawsuit that Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN have brought to challenge military policies that discriminate against people living with HIV.
"We are thrilled that Judge Brinkema recognized not just that the military's policies were harming our members who are living and serving with HIV," said Peter Perkowski, OutServe-SLDN's Legal & Policy Director. "But also indicated that, at least on the evidence before her, the military's decisions were based on outdated medical science and are categorically denying people living with HIV the same opportunities as their fellow service members. We look forward to a final decision in the case."
Champions of the Poor Sink the Poor in NYC
NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights issued the following news release:
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on why Amazon bolted from New York City:
Amazon was ready to provide jobs for 25,000 to 40,000 New Yorkers, bringing in an estimated $27 billion in tax revenue over 25 years. It was asking for $3 billion in government incentives, a figure that surely could have been negotiated to reflect a more realistic deal. But instead of working with Amazon, left-wing New York lawmakers and activists trashed the corporation, pushing it to relocate elsewhere.
To
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NEW YORK, Feb. 15 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights issued the following news release:
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on why Amazon bolted from New York City:
Amazon was ready to provide jobs for 25,000 to 40,000 New Yorkers, bringing in an estimated $27 billion in tax revenue over 25 years. It was asking for $3 billion in government incentives, a figure that surely could have been negotiated to reflect a more realistic deal. But instead of working with Amazon, left-wing New York lawmakers and activists trashed the corporation, pushing it to relocate elsewhere.
Toshow how radical the Left has become in New York City, the New York Times ran a front-page headline that no one ever expected to read: "Stunning Loss for Cuomo and de Blasio is Win for Left."
If these two left-wing politicians are no longer considered part of the Left, then the Left is unrecognizable. Who's left? Fanatics and economic illiterates?
No one was happier killing the Amazon jobs than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the heralded friend of the poor who was raised in a tony Westchester neighborhood and who now lives in a luxury apartment building in Washington, D.C. She accused Amazon of "worker exploitation."
She did not explain why workers who were slated to earn an average salary of $150,000 should be considered exploited. Nor did those union leaders who worked to scrub the Amazon deal.
Ocasio-Cortez and her flock may talk a good game on helping the poor, but in reality they are the poor's worst nightmare. Consider the following data.
A recent Siena College poll revealed that 70% of black voters wanted the Amazon deal. Among Latinos, the figure jumped to 81%. Only a slight majority of whites, 51%, wanted it.
A Quinnipiac University poll found that those who were the most likely to support the deal lived in the city's poorest borough, the Bronx. Queens, where the jobs were to be anchored, was the second most supportive. The richest of the five boroughs, Manhattan, was the least supportive.
As with the Siena survey, Latinos were the most supportive, followed closely by blacks; whites were the least supportive.
In other words, the poor got hosed by their professed friends. As we have seen time and again in history, the poor are more likely to be oppressed than liberated by those who champion their cause.
Catholic Charities of Buffalo Awarded Funding for Immigration and Refugee Assistance Program
BUFFALO, New York, Feb. 15 -- Catholic Charities of Buffalo issued the following news release:
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- Nearly $2.9 million will enhance education, employment and self-sufficiency programs
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Catholic Charities of Buffalo was recently named a recipient of two grant awards totaling nearly $2.9 million, over five years, to support the services it provides through its Immigration and Refugee Assistance Program (IRAP), especially addressing barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.
The New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance selected Catholic Charities for a New York State
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BUFFALO, New York, Feb. 15 -- Catholic Charities of Buffalo issued the following news release:
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- Nearly $2.9 million will enhance education, employment and self-sufficiency programs
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Catholic Charities of Buffalo was recently named a recipient of two grant awards totaling nearly $2.9 million, over five years, to support the services it provides through its Immigration and Refugee Assistance Program (IRAP), especially addressing barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.
The New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance selected Catholic Charities for a New York StateRefugee Social Services Program (RSSP) award of up to $2,721,950, available over 63 months through March 2024. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement Preferred Communities program (ORR-PC) awarded $150,000 for services to support vulnerable refugee groups.
Catholic Charities' IRAP will use the funds to help refugees become economically self-reliant by obtaining, retaining or obtaining better employment.
The purpose of the RSSP is to support employability and other services that will address barriers to employment for refugees such as social and cultural adjustment, job search skills, work experience and English proficiency. The services will be designed to help refugees and their families achieve economic and social self-sufficiency as soon as possible after their arrival in the United States.
The $150,000 grant from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is designated to provide for intensive case management services and other special programming for vulnerable refugee populations including the elderly, women at risk, clients with complex medical conditions and individuals suffering from mental health conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or gender-based violence.
Since the early 1990s, preferred communities have provided resettlement services to newly arriving refugees. Preferred communities allow ample opportunities for early employment and sustained economic independence. In addition, they support special needs populations.
"Catholic Charities of Buffalo is gratified by the confidence shown by our funders in our services," said Dennis C. Walczyk, Catholic Charities of Buffalo president and CEO. "These grants ensure that we can continue to address education and employment needs, and even enhance these services to boost economic self-sufficiency and success for all of our refugees. We are always very impressed by the resiliency and motivation that our new arrivals demonstrate every day! They are a key factor in Buffalo's resurgence."
Catholic Charities of Buffalo has provided services to the immigrant and refugee populations in Western New York since Catholic Charities was established in 1923. Individuals resettled by Catholic Charities arrive in the United States through the auspices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS). Pre- and post-arrival services such as assistance with housing, food, clothing, employment and classes for English Language Learners Individuals are accepted regardless of religious background and services are provided on a non-sectarian basis.
As the most comprehensive human service provider in Western New York, Catholic Charities makes a difference for people of every faith and ethnicity. Catholic Charities empowers children, families and seniors to achieve meaningful, health and productive lives. In all situations, Catholic Charities delivers support to meet immediate needs, and then assesses clients for other needs to ensure long-term success.
Catholic Charities is an excellent steward of the contributions it receives. For five years, Catholic Charities attained the highest-possible rating (four stars) from Charity Navigator for transparency and sound fiscal management. Catholic Charities also receives the highest ratings from the Council on Accreditation for quality service.
For more information about the organization and its programs and services, contact Catholic Charities at (716) 218-1400 or go to ccwny.org. You can also find Catholic Charities on Facebook at facebook.com/ccbuffalo, on Twitter at twitter.com/ccbuffalo and on Instagram at Instagram.com/catholiccharitiesbuffalo.
