A characteristic of the San Francisco Peninsula is its enormous ethnic diversity. Here, social groups from many nations coexist, and each group makes a very valuable contribution to the cultural and economic enrichment of this area; however, this diversity is not always reflected in the traditional media, much less in those in power.
For example, Redwood City has a Latino population of over 39 %, while the Asian population is over 11 %. However, these populations, and others like the African-descendant population, are completely invisible in the following photographs, which correspond to the eight chiefs of the city's Fire Department.
Inevitably, looking at these photographs, the following questions arise, which we should all ask ourselves, including City Administrator Melissa Stevenson Diaz, Mayor Diane Howard, Deputy Mayor Shelly Masur, Council members, and even the nine candidates for Districts 1, 3, 4 and 7 on the Redwood City Council.
Why do we not see women, Latinos, Asians, representatives of the Black community and other ethnic groups in the photographs of the Redwood City Fire Department commanders?
Let's not get confused. This question is not intended to be an attack on the people who, in recent days, have risked their lives to control the incessant fires in Northern California; which, incidentally, severely affected air quality on the Peninsula. No. To these people, all our gratitude.
Should we care about the lack of diversity? When responding to a call for service, does the leadership recognize some of the cultural and language barriers that may cause delays in providing emergency services? Are certain neighborhoods or residents treated differently? Are their institutional barriers to hiring and promotions in the fire department? These are just some of the questions that come to mind when I look at these photographs and listen to the stories in the neighborhoods that do not regularly show up at City Hall for council meetings.
These questions are directed at the Fire Department commanders who, as far as can be seen, and as far as Peninsula 360 Press has been able to ascertain with various first-hand testimonies to which we have had access, are a guild of white men who fail to understand one of the greatest values of the Peninsula and Redwood City: diversity.
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Manuel Ortiz Escámez is a sociologist and journalist. He lives in Redwood City.
In case you're interested in learning more about the fire department:
Last Tuesday, September 15th, Google announced a grant of three million dollars for the Hispanics in Philanthropy PowerUp FoundationThe amount with which seeks to support hundreds of small Latino businesses to successfully recover from the global economic meltdown generated by the pandemic by Covid-19.
Through Google.org, the technology giant said that the support will allow access to capital and training needed, and provide free tools to help Latino businesses adapt and grow with workshops such as "Step by Step" from Google's free virtual platform Grow.
In a statement, she noted that the contribution to the foundation is part of Google's $180 million commitment to support small businesses led by women and minorities in the United States.
In turn, he called for microenterprises to sign up for the Google Ads workshop in Spanish, a special panel with resilient Latino entrepreneurs through OnAir en Español and continue their training in digital marketing with the Primer application mini-courses in English or Spanish.
He added that the organization is initiating a partnership with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce so that Latino businesses can obtain more focused support in their communities.
The Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) said the program, in conjunction with Google.org, provides critically needed funds to community development finance institutions (CDFIs), which lend to businesses in the most underserved communities in the United States.
Calico Research and Technology. https://www.calicolabs.com/research-technology
There is a growing minority of scientists and thinkers who are more vocal about the paradigm for our generation and those that follow, and who are more vocal about the paradigm for our generation and those that follow. will be to bring down death. Important people such as gerontologist Aubrey de Greyor the scholar inventor Ray Kurzweil that in 2012 he was appointed director of engineering and, a year later, launched a subcompany called Calico whose mission is to "solve death". With him, another fervent believer in immortality was also called to join the work of the company: Bill Maris to chair the investment fund Google Ventures.
Although it sounds like a script for a science fiction movie, Calico -acronym for California Life Company- is a company founded by Google in 2013, whose vice president, Cynthia Kenyon, is a renowned researcher who seeks to slow the effects of aging in people.
In the last century, the average age of life expectancy of human beings has doubled: we went from an average of 40 years to just over 75. This achievement was due, to a greater extent, to improvements in socioeconomic conditions and the improvement of people's quality of life and not due to objective improvements in the reduction of chronic diseases; this increase in the aspiration of longevity has opened an enormous path and market for the search for drugs or procedures that delay or lessen the effects of time on human beings.
The research that made Dr. Kenyon's investigations famous were those carried out in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans of no more than 1 mm, an element that had a maximum life span of two weeks and whose Daf-2 gene was modified, resulting in the doubling of its life span.
The scientist is sure that the leap that would cause the discovery of a gene like the one that was modified in nematodes, would be a revolution in the field of medicine. Calico was created with a budget of 1 thousand 300 million dollars as an answer of the giant Google for the improvement of health.
Not only has its objective attracted attention, which is ultimately to slow the effects of aging, but also because, since its creation, it has not given tangible signs of its work and this situation has raised around it various speculations and a halo of mystery in Silicon Valley.
One of the obstacles they have faced is that the studies they are conducting are not to attack a disease itself, so the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not authorized it as a treatment because it is not considered old age as a disease.
Another way to continue the studies is by conducting animal studies and, in this way, find advances that can be tested later in humans and, under this approach, find something that was present, but has not yet been possible to identify - a hormone, a gene, and so on. Innovation is what Kenyon and his team are looking for; however, the road is not easy and an effective discovery in this field is still far away.
This week, the digital media Buzzfeed published without permission expressed a memorandum of over 6,000 words in which Sophie Zhanga former employee of the company led by Mark Zuckerberg, exposed a campaign of manipulation, deception and abuse to the users of the social network.
With the header "My hands are bloody," Zhang, a data scientist, says that Facebook evaded its responsibility by not intervening in the clear manipulation of global politicsThe main countries that have been affected are Azerbaijan and HondurasThis is the case with the "Miscellaneous" programme, where false accounts are used to inflate a trend and thus influence the political discourse in the countries concerned.
It is also noted that, in countries such as India, Ukraine, Spain, Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador enough data was found to suggest that there was coordinated campaigns for to guide policy outcomes in these countries and that - the memorandum assures - those responsible have not been found.
"I was confronted with unscrupulous attempts by foreign governments to abuse Facebook on a large scale and thus mislead their citizens, which led to consequences in the international debate," Zhang said in the memo that was partially published in the Buzzfeed News in its American version.
In summary, Zhang states that it took Facebook 9 months to stop a campaign with money that is not known to come from to promote President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras.
At Azerbaijanthe scientist discovered that the political party that was power harassed opponents...an investigation that was dismissed until a year later. Because of her workload, Zhang was not involved in the coordinated actions in Bolivia and Ecuador.
In 2018, Zhang was responsible for a mass action where about 10.5 million False interactions in Brazil and the U.S. for the elections from that same year.
In 2019, Zhang confesses that a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) researcher alerted Facebook to Russian government activity about "a high-profile American political figure" that had not been issued, where Zhang had to intervene immediately.
In the case of UkraineZhang met with deceptive activity that supported Yulia Tymoshenko -in favour of the European Union- and Volodymyr GroysmanThe latter being the least affected.
The data scientist also reported the coordinated handling on the Facebook page of the Spanish Ministry of Health during the peak of the pandemic because of the Covid-19 in that country; as a result, about 672,000 false accounts were eliminated.
At IndiaZhang took it upon himself to eliminate a highly sophisticated political network of over a thousand individuals who collaborated to influence elections that took place in Delhi in February this year.
In an attempt to mitigate the damage, Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said the company seeks to "prevent malicious behavior from abusing Facebook's systems". The spokeswoman said that in addition to mitigating "inauthentic behaviour" it is one of the priorities on the social network, but that they are also working to address the problem of unwanted messages - or spamand false reactions.
A state prison inmate suspected of participating in the fraud to help inmates who were victims of unemployment by Covid-19 did not object to the charges of conspiracy to defraud, San Mateo County prosecutors said Tuesday.
Joseph Anthony Smith III was part of an alleged scheme operating in the San Mateo County Jail.
Inmates at the San Mateo County Jail, San Francisco County Jail and the state prison joined residents of these areas in filing 16 complaints of unemployment assistance scheme fraud due to Covid-19 in June and July through the Employment Development Department.
The complaints accumulated more than $250,000 for fraud, according to the district attorney's office.
The complainants added thirty inmates in the San Mateo County Jail alone, who were deprived of their liberty at the time.
In July, the San Mateo County Sheriff's and District Attorney's offices began investigating and concluding that it was a fraudulent scheme.
In addition, a total of 21 people were identified as being involved in 16 of the fraud claims that were filed between June 9 and July 30. The sheriff's office worked with other police departments to notify them of the multiple arrests and search warrants of the released residents involved in the alleged fraud.
During those searches, authorities recovered $150,000 in cash and further fraudulent movements continue to be investigated. Inmates held in the state's various jails and prisons were again sentenced for the crimes of fraud.
During a preliminary hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday, Smith did not oppose the charges.
For these reasons, Smith was sentenced to state prison for four years and eight months. The sentence adds up to the 17 years he had previously been charged with for firearm homicide.
Smith's case was postponed until October 20 by a return order, when the court will decide the amount Smith will have to pay the State for the fraud scheme.
The preliminary hearing for the other defendants was held this Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, preliminary hearings for the other defendants are set for September 23, October 15 and November 6 of this year.
On September 4, Freeman Owens, an inmate at the San Mateo County Jail, also did not object to the charges of fraud and was consequently sentenced to 16 months in prison, in addition to his current sentence for murder, which totals 97 years or life in prison. Owens' case will resume on October 15 for the filing of a report and a restitution order.
The Mask MobileSan Mateo County's San Mateo County, is a van that will be distributing masks and will be on the streets starting this Thursday from Daly City.
County Supervisor David Canepa opened the program Mask Mobile at 12:30 p.m. at the Cafe Top of the Hill on Mission Street.
"It's a fun, exciting and educational way to promote the use of face masks in public spaces," Canepa said.
In addition, he said: "We will be offering masks and providing material about the Covid-19 in areas where they are most needed. This is an initial effort to educate the public that fines are now being levied in this county for violating state health orders. Hopefully, we won't have to issue any fines, but we're ready to do so as well. It's no mystery, the use of masks saves lives.
The initiative is the work of the county's Office of Community Affairs, which will be visiting several cities on the Peninsula to distribute multi-language materials, masks and cleaning supplies.
San Mateo County has a new Mask Mobile to distribute masks & educate communities on the importance of wearing them. For the next 2 Thurs (9/17 & 24), it will be in my district, roaming the streets of Daly City & Colma. Be on the lookout for this awesome van & crew! #MaskUpSMCpic.twitter.com/z0PFBnIS79
During the quarantine, calls to family violence helplines have increased worldwide. Domestic violence is another problem that women have faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While, for some people, quarantine has been synonymous with boredom, time to experience new things, or simply time for "introspection", the calls for help made by women around the world have shown us that these experiences are also a privilege. The phrase "Quédate en casa" ("Stay home" in Spanish), for some women, represents the risk of losing one's life; rather, the danger is embodied in their partners, fathers, brothers, uncles, etc.
For example, on May 27, following a call for help, authorities arrested Anthony Gonzalez in San Mateo County.
According to CBS San Francisco Bay Area, the victim was allegedly knocked unconscious by a punch to the face from Gonzalez, stemming from a child custody dispute. The victim was taken to a hospital for medical attention.
The United Nations (UN) says that since the beginning of the pandemic and, compared with data from the previous year, until April 5, doubled the number of calls for help in Lebanon and Malaysia. In China, it tripled; and in Australia, Internet searches for help for domestic violence have increased in the last five years.
The Covid-19 figures have shown us that there is another type of pandemic in which people who are not cisgender men are in the population at risk.
Gender violence has existed since before the contingency, but it is now that we see that, in the face of an extraordinary situation such as a pandemic, the problem is exacerbated. The figures collected during the first months of quarantine show that not all women feel safe and free in their homes.
According to World Bank data, in Latin America, since the quarantine was imposed in Colombia, calls to the hotlines for victims of domestic violence increased by 91 %, while in Mexico they increased by 36 %. According to the NGO Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy (Redlad): "In Ecuador, from March to June, ECU-911 had received an average of 278 calls per day".
In the state of California, the data is not encouraging. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline increased by about 17 % from March to May; however, as of April, in San Mateo, the county court stated that, despite a slight spike in domestic violence restraining orders in March 2020 - compared to March 2019 - there was no significant increase, justifying this violence with alcohol abuse.
Domestic violence is experienced daily in many homes and yet not all women report it, either for fear of being discovered by their aggressor, for fear of being left without shelter and alone, or for lack of knowledge and facilitation of help.
It is important to mention that, in case you are in a situation of violence, remember that you are not alone: there are associations all over the world that are ready to provide support in situations like these.
San Mateo is home to Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA) which provides help 24 hours a day. Their number is 1-800-300-1080. You can also call 911 for police support and advocacy or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (for Spanish press 2) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY for hearing impaired).
Despite the economic disputes between the authorities of the Santa Clara stadium and the San Francisco 49ers, this Tuesday the team paid the rent for the facilities, whose annual value is 24 million 762 thousand dollars.
The payment consisted of two rents to the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, one of which had been overdue since September and was in dispute, as well as the rent for the month of October.
The Bay Area team had sought a 20 percent reduction in monthly rent due to the closures that occurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the cancellation of two preseason games.
However, the city notified the 49ers that the provisions of the lease do not allow for rent abatement, as the cancellations were on the part of the NFL and not the stadium authority.
Just a week ago the Santa Clara City Stadium Authority Board unanimously approved getting at least $2.7 million in rent that had fallen into default.
"Only after receiving a notice of default and because of the board's action did the 49ers pay the rent in full a week later," Santa Clara Mayor and Stadium Authority board chair Lisa M. Gillmor said in a statement.
He added that "the rental of the facility is a major source of funds to pay off the public debt incurred by the authority in building the stadium."
Gillmor said the agency's action resulted in the 49ers paying rent for the use of Levi's Stadium, and the costs were not passed on to taxpayers.
"In the future, I hope the Santa Clara Stadium Authority Board avoids having to take such action so that the 49ers can follow the stadium lease provisions," he added.
This isn't the first dispute between Santa Clara and the 49ers; the sides are currently in litigation since the city council voted in February to end the agreement allowing the team to operate the stadium, due to allegations of fraud.
In secret Facebook groups, retired and active officers of the San Jose, California Police shared racist views about African Americans and Muslims. Comments such as: "Black lives don't matter" and "Hijabs should be used as ropes" were part of the posts of a group called 10-7ODSJ, a reference to the "off-duty" police code, which was dropped at the end of June.
The episode laid bare something on which those protesting on the streets against structural racism, such as the same 35,000-strong police force, the 83% of which are white and the 80% of which are male, can agree: race supremacy is something that has permeated the exercise of law and order.
"It's not just that racism is longstanding and consistent, it's the fact that it's embedded in an institution that has the legal authority to kill, to take away your freedom," Raj Jayadev, co-founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug community media in San Jose, said during a news conference organized by Ethnic Media Services via Zoom.
"It's the same officials assigned to monitor the protests, the ones who control the public discussion about law and order in many cities... it's the officials we can't hold accountable because they are protected in their union's arbitration system," he added.
Since Donald Trump became president, the discussion has been polarized between support for the police and chaos in the streets, agitated by the idea that there is an increase in crime and violence if law and order is not dealt with strongly.
Repeated images across the country show the brutal actions of the police against peaceful protesters, mostly African Americans and Latinos, who are shot with tear gas and rubber bullets on the grounds that "they are threatening thugs. Mayors have responded by imposing curfews, which limit the right to protest. And white supremacist groups have increased their presence inside and outside these structures of law.
"There is a false presumption that 'security' is equivalent to 'law and order'. It's a trumped-up premise created to increase community surveillance and incarceration... a crime committed by a black man is sensational and worries more than the thousands of arrests and abuses by police violence," said Jayadev.
Misperception of crime
The numbers contradict the alleged rise in crime. In San José, according to data from the same police force, in the last year the rates of crimes against property plummeted by more than 22%, and violent crimes decreased by 28%. In contrast, the death rate caused by active officers increased.
"One way to hold the government accountable is to ask for the data, because there is a perception that crime is on the rise and that's not true," said Michael German, a member of the Brennan Center for Justice's Freedom and Homeland Security program who in the 1990s worked as an undercover agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and infiltrated white supremacist and far-right groups.
"There were a lot more murders in the '90s and they've gone down since then. The violence today is nothing compared to what was seen in the civil unrest of the 1960s and 1970s," he added. "In contrast, the authorities are not aggressive in investigating crimes against Native American, black and brown communities, but are pursuing them as suspects in crimes.
According to German, despite the fact that between 2006 and 2015, the FBI recognized that white supremacist violence was a significant problem many years after the Ku Klux Klan made headlines for its violence against blacks, the federal government never made this work a priority and state and local governments have not been willing to address it either.
The FBI does not track these groups, but some of these subjects feed into the terrorism watch list. But the violence of white supremacists falls below priorities such as domestic, international and even environmental terrorism. When it is categorized as a hate crime, it is relegated as a non-priority investigative issue.
"Right-wing violence is at best ignored and at worst instigated by government officials, including the president of the United States," German said. "In the protests, the government has used the figure of outside agitators, anarchists and anti-fascists to divert attention from legitimate concerns expressed by community members. When they say they are "outsiders" it allows for more aggression from the police and supremacists.
The fact that law enforcement agencies attract certain types of ideologies and are composed of a predominantly white and male force complicates structural racism. Aggressive police officers are rewarded with jobs in high crime areas and are often hailed as protectors of social order and the status quo.
"Police departments don't look like the communities they're supposed to protect," said Dorothy Johnson-Speight, founder and national executive director of Mothers in Charge, a grassroots organization that brings together mothers affected by racist violence. In 2001, her 24-year-old son, a college graduate, was shot seven times in a dispute over a parking space.
"And even though they recruit more Black officers, they are oppressed by the system. Their lives are at risk or in danger if they take a stand against racism, the code of silence is a relevant piece of that," he added. Some police departments have made an effort to recruit officers in communities of races other than white, but that has not had an impact on decreasing violence in those neighborhoods because those officers are not allowed to rise in the ranks to make decisions.
"Police arrest and suffocate a man in Rochester (NY, Daniel Prude) with a plastic bag, and then the report says he died of an overdose. He kills a woman in her home and then brings her boyfriend to testify against her that she was engaged in criminal activity. Police officers are corrupt, they kill, they lie and they go unpunished," Johnson-Speight said indignantly.
She recognizes that every time she talks about her son's murder, she has to defend who he was as a black man. "Because he wasn't a criminal or a gang member. He didn't use drugs or alcohol. There are a lot of young African-American men doing wonderful things so the question is not what is wrong with them but what happened to them... What we are as people, you have no idea if you haven't walked in our shoes.
The mother activist says that episodes like George Floyd's death, which aroused worldwide condemnation, have made more people understand these difficulties and how wrong the system is, and that those who are not part of the solution are part of the problem.
"Disbursing the police and diminishing their role in society, especially in cases related to mental health, is the only real solution to the problem," he added. "No one is safe until (African Americans) are safe," he concluded.
