Tuesday, August 13, 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.
Over $300,000 was embezzled at DINEPA water services in Port-de-Paix while a large part of the population struggled to access drinking water despite natural water resources. Credit: The Haitian Times
Struggling for every drop: The water crisis in Port-de-Paix: Even though they’re surrounded by natural resources, residents of Haïti’s northwest have a hard time accessing clean water and are forced to obtain it from either makeshift or more costlier private sources. In this deep dive, The Haitian Times explores how the National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) has failed to provide adequate water services to residents of Port-de-Paix.
The DINEPA office in the region has been mired in corruption involving the embezzlement of 40,000,000 gourdes (USD $303,030). This scandal led to the arrest of former director Joudaner Eugène, and according to The Haitian Times, is one of the many reasons DINEPA has failed to meet customer needs. This has also led to complaints about the cleanliness of the water.
“Sometimes the water that comes out of our taps is so dirty I can’t even use it, not even for washing, let alone drinking,” said Rubens Sinnet, who typically spends 4 days or more without water. “There are always failures for the water to come easily in my home.”
Residents told The Haitian Times they clean the spring daily, but never receive help or financial support from DINEPA and that the roads leading to critical water sources are in terrible condition. One DINEPA customer said they get water from other private companies so their family “can drink with more confidence.” Others have had to create makeshift springs to access water that doesn’t meet hygienic standards.The Haitian Times has more here →
Is there hope for abortion rights in Florida? A conversation with leader Fentrice Driskell: The Center for Reproductive Rights deemed Florida a hostile state after it enforced a six-week abortion ban, but Floridians this November have an opportunity to significantly expand abortion access in the state with Amendment 4. In the latest episode of The Electorette, Jenn Taylor-Skinner talks with Florida House Minority leader Fentrice Driskell, a Democrat, about this initiative that would amend the state constitution to bar government interference with the right to abortion prior to viability.
Driskell said she saw over a million people sign petitions to have the initiative qualify for the ballot, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents.
“That let me know there’s something happening here where it is transcending partisan identity, that people care about their rights. … I really hope that energy carries through the fall, and I do think that now having Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket is helping to give that a boost,” she said.
Driskell also spoke about Harris’s advocacy in reproductive justice and maternal health, and her visit to Florida last January to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.The Electorette has more here →
Newbern’s first Black mayor won in the courts but the fight is far from over: Hundreds celebrated Patrick Braxton at his second swearing-in ceremony earlier this month, following a lawsuit settlement that reinstated his mayoral powers after the former majority-white council locked him out of town hall and conspired to keep him out of office.
While he now has the town keys, Braxton still faces challenges ahead, and some question whether he has a fair shot to implement change, Capital B’s Aallyah Wright reports. Braxton, who has one year to serve before the municipal elections, said many older white residents of Newbern planned to move because he is the mayor.
Meanwhile, Braxton plans to beautify and clean the town. He also wants to create welcoming spaces that are inclusive of the Black community. Capital B pointed to the Newbern Community Center, a place that Black residents never visited because they only saw white people there. Once they started inquiring about the building, it became a “private supper club.”
“It’s a new day in Newbern,” Braxton told Capital B. “I’m not worried about what happened in the ’50s, what happened 20 years ago. What’s going on now? That’s what I’m worried about, and how we’re going forward.”Read more from Capital B →
Cambodian vendors carve out niche in Twin Cities food truck scene: Drawn by low startup costs and flexible work hours, Cambodian vendors are launching their own food truck businesses and are testing the market for eclectic flavored egg rolls, sugarcane-based beverages, and traditional dishes like lemongrass beef and chicken and sour soup.
The Sahan Journal featured vendors like Kathy Roeun, who three years ago established the Khmer Cuisine food truck. Roeun wants to introduce Cambodian food to more Twin Cities residents and encourages other Cambodians to be their own boss by starting their own food trucks. It takes about $40,000 to $80,000 to establish a food truck, said Roeun, who previously worked for a tailoring business.
“I wanted to show Cambodian food to different cultures,” said Roeun, who with her husband, were among the first Cambodian vendors in the Twin Cities food truck scene. Roeun runs the food truck from April to November.
Other vendors like Chamnap Nay, who runs Mrs. Egroll, works a full-time job. She tells Sahan Journal that planning ahead is crucial, when determining how many egg rolls to make. She cooks the egg rolls during her weekends and pre-makes them for upcoming events. “Our egg rolls are small, which is what differentiates us from other vendors,” Nay said. “In each event, we sell about 3,000 to 5,000 egg rolls.” More in Sahan Journal here →
In the latest episode of URL Media's Twice as Good podcast, hosts
Sara Lomax and Mitra Kalita discuss the stakes of the presidential election after President Joe Biden stepped down in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris on the 2024 Democratic ticket. What contradictions exist in the Democratic Party and within VP Harris’ legacy? And what lessons can the American left learn from the global fight against the far right? Joining the discussion are Epicenter NYC editorial director Femi Redwood and Scroll’s politics editor Shoaib Daniyal.
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Check out our Currency of Impact dashboard, a new tool designed to revolutionize media buying conversations and put community impact on the foreground. Dive into our impact tracker and case studies highlighting demonstrated impact across the URL Media network. This project was co-produced with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Visit it here.
