Tuesday, October 1, 2024
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A View From the Ground
News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.
Good evening. In today's newsletter, we’re covering the aftermath of the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a video game aimed at energizing voter outreach, how Philly's mayor wants to transform Chinatown and why Africa deserves a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.Plus, URL Media has been at the forefront of issues affecting Black and Brown voters all year, and we continue to closely follow matters related to the big election, just 34 days away. Tonight, vice-presidential hopefuls Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) will take the stage. Watch the debate online or on television, and keep checking our site for the most up-to-date news related to local, state and national elections.
iStockCalls for NYC mayor to resign: A steady drumbeat is sounding, getting louder and closer to New York City Mayor Eric Adams: Resign, resign, resign.This week, elected Asian American leaders chose to add their notes to the line, calling for Adams to step down since his Sept. 25 indictment on five federal public corruption charges. Documented has been tracking the allegations against Adams and is closely monitoring developments in the case.
Chinese American elected officials began to call for Adams’ resignation in the hours after the indictment.“For the good of all New Yorkers, [Adams] must resign immediately,” N.Y. State Sen. John Liu (D-Queens) said.State Sen. Iwen Chu (D, Working Families - Brooklyn) had similar things to say: “Mayor Adams must immediately resign.”The Asian American leaders aren’t the only ones watching the Adams mess with frustration and anger. As our partner Capital B writes, Black New Yorkers with whom Adams had a relationship complicated by his policies on homelessness, policing and migrants, weren’t surprised by his current circumstances.According to the indictment, Adams is accused of using his status in city government to accept campaign contributions and luxury travel from several parties, including foreign nationals. Records indicate that at least one of those foreign nationals was a Turkish government official who wanted influence over Adams. Even leaders who haven’t explicitly said Adams should resign have expressed strong concern.“It’s a sad and solemn time for our city,” U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) wrote on social media. “New Yorkers are entitled to stability in their government and to have their needs addressed … Queens residents and those throughout our city deserve nothing else.”Read more at Documented →
The video game changing the face of voter outreach: A game that went viral in 2016 as part of the successful effort to remove Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona is back, this time focused on the top of this year’s Republican electoral ticket, Luz reports.The game Bop the Bigot, which is like whack-a-mole, allows voters to “bop” the heads of former President Donald Trump, his vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, and Kevin Roberts, who is head of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation and said to be the mastermind of Project 2025, a detailed blueprint for the next Republican president.In 2016, players used a virtual chancla (a flip-flop shoe) to bop characters. This year, no chancla. Instead, there’s a green coconut, a reference to the famous quote from the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Several other well-memed references from the campaign trail, including Vance’s quotes about women, also make appearances. Oh, and Harris’ famous laugh is the “game over” sound effect. “We have been blown away by the enthusiastic reception for the video game. We knew we wanted to be part of its creative approach because our movement needs more fun and laughter, explained Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, executive director of the nonprofit Organized Power in Numbers. “We need more ways to connect with nuestra gente so we can feel joy among all the absurdity we witness everyday.” The game supports the nonprofit’s mission with workers in the South and Southwest; as it ends, players are prompted to make a donation.Bop the Bigot was the brainchild of B. Loewe, director of On Point Studios, who was communications director of an anti-Arpaio group in 2016. “We wanted to give people a humorous and peaceful way to smack down [their] racism and sexism.” Loewe said in a news release.All the parties involved want the game to be considered a way to vent frustration, donate to movements and secure voter engagement, Michelle González writes for Luz.Learn more at Luz →
Philadelphia mayor says she’ll save Chinatown: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s announcement of a plan to revitalize an area near the city’s Chinatown is meeting with fierce opposition. The proposal is part of the Philadelphia 76ers’ arrangement with the city to build a new arena in the Center City area. The Sixers would stay in the city until at least 2061 if the $1.5 billion plan is approved. The plan includes money that would be designated for the city and schools. In particular, the agreement specifies that $50 million would be available as part of a community benefits agreement. That money would include $3 million set aside for loans to Chinatown businesses wanting to expand.Asian-American leaders and groups are unimpressed, according to AsAm News. The Save Chinatown Coalition, which includes 245 groups, have vowed to continue fighting.“We are united in opposition to the arena and the rushed, haphazard process surrounding it,” said Vivian Chang, executive director of Asian Americans United.Parker seems sure she’ll be able to change minds.“This is about access to economic opportunity for all in Philadelphia no matter your race, your class, your socioeconomic status and/or your ZIP code. We made sure that we had you in mind as we worked to hammer out this agreement,” she said. More in AsAm News →
Why Africa’s permanent UN Security Council seat is overdue: African nations continue to push for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council to ensure the power distribution in one of the world’s most important policy-making bodies is equitable. African nations have sought permanent seats for more than 40 years.The council is the UN’s committee responsible for maintaining security and peace internationally. Since 1945, it has had five permanent members: the U.S., United Kingdom, Russia, China and France. Ten non-permanent members can be elected for two-year terms.Global demographic shifts make permanent African representation on the council a necessity, write Ìbùkúnolúwa Dàda and Abolaji Omitogun for TANTV. Africa is expected to be the world’s most populous continent by the end of the century. In the U.N. General Assembly, African nations have 28% of the votes, but they lack corresponding power on the all-important Security Council. Given that some of the world’s most pressing security issues, such as in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, remain on the continent, “it is concerning that no single African nation has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council which can allow them to veto decisions such as sending UN peacekeepers to these areas,” wrote Dàda and Omitogun.Although representatives from Nigeria led the charge, officials from Malawi, Kenya and South Africa also spoke in favor of the idea. Nigeria has been on the council ten times as a non-permanent member. Read more at TANTV →
The AAPI vote could shape the outcome of this year’s election (India Currents)
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