Northeast
Democratic governor faces pushback from lynching research commission over reparations stance
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Members of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission pushed back against Gov. Wes Moore’s objection to creating a reparations commission, asserting that their work ties directly to the immediate action he calls for.
“I mean, we’re doing it,” Nicholas M. Creary, a member of the commission, told Fox News Digital.
“If it goes according to plan. We’re going to be getting draft legislation introduced into session this year. So whether he thinks we need to talk about it or do more, my guess is that the reparations commission isn’t just going to necessarily study, but they’re also going to make recommendations for things to do,” Creary added.
The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report last month after being established in 2019. The report is described as the first state-sponsored effort in the United States to investigate, document and “reckon with the history of racial terror lynching within its own borders.”
The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report last month after being established in 2019. (Getty)
MARYLAND RECOMMENDS $100K PAYMENTS TO DESCENDANTS OF LYNCHING VICTIMS AFTER STUDY
Moore vetoed an effort to establish the Maryland Reparations Commission. His reasoning for vetoing the commission stemmed from a need for immediate action. The governor penned a letter stating that it was a “difficult decision” and also that “now is not the time for another study.”
In an interview with “The Breakfast Club’s” Charlamagne tha God, Moore explained that he is a “person of action.”
“Exactly. I mean, listen, what I said was, ‘I’m a person of action. I don’t need more studies.’ I’m like, ‘We’ve done four studies over the past 20 years on similar types of elements,’” Moore said in October. “By the way, one of which my wife worked on. And, so, when we’re now talking about doing a two-year study on something that I already know the answer to, I’m like, ‘What are we studying?’”
The governor’s veto was overridden by state lawmakers. The Maryland Reparations Commission would appoint 23 members to assess local, state and federal policies from the Reconstruction and the Jim Crow eras. The commission will recommend reparations ranging from cash compensation to a statement of apology.
While the members told Fox News Digital that the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission is separate from the Maryland Reparations Commission, they defended their work, as it is similar.
Charles Chavis, who is part of the state’s Lynching Truth and Reconcilation Commission, said that their work could help address the more immediate issues the governor seeks to solve in regard to racial justice.
Among 84 recommendations, the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission proposed that state leaders atone for the past through cash payments. The commission recommended that $100,000 per person be issued to descendants of lynching victims after a state-sponsored lynchings study. (OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
“When we look at homelessness on the eastern shore – the various issues that have been plaguing Maryland’s eastern shore and other areas, there’s a direct line that can be drawn with some of these incidents of racial terror and racial violence that have yet to be addressed,” Chavis said. “The state has been aware of this. And so to take the governor more on this point, yes, let’s do something about it. And I think that is what the legislation is dealing with.”
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HOSTED STATE-FUNDED COMMITTEE MEETING WHERE PROFESSORS ADVOCATED FOR REPARATIONS
In their report, the commission concluded that state officials and institutions were complicit in 38 lynchings that followed the Civil War and that the perpetrators were never held accountable in any of the deaths. Among 84 recommendations, the group proposed that state leaders atone for the past through cash payments. The commission recommended that $100,000 per person be issued to descendants of lynching victims.
The recommendations consist of nine categories, including apology and acknowledgment of responsibility, symbolic reparations, material reparations, criminal justice, community healing, mental health, education, media and implementation.
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY CALLED OUT FOR OVERRIDING GOVERNOR’S VETO ON ‘FOOLISH’ REPARATIONS COMMISSION
The commission members said that reparations are bigger than monetary compensation. Commission member David Fakunle said there is no cost to educating the public about the truth of Maryland history.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoed an effort to establish the Maryland Reparations Commission. His reasoning for vetoing the commission stemmed from a need for immediate action. The governor penned a letter stating that it was a “difficult decision” and also that “now is not the time for another study.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“There are a lot of these things that can happen with no cost at all, and can certainly be the utilization of resources that are already being applied to certain elements of the state’s running, so to speak. And so we have to be patient. We know about patience when it comes to this work,” Fakunle told Fox News Digital. “We don’t want people to reduce the repair of this legacy to money. That is very limiting, because first and foremost, we should not put a price tag on a person’s life, although we are doing it in this case. But what we are acknowledging is that there are so many things that allow this to happen without any accountability.”
Chavis said one of the reasons he’s proud of the report is because it addresses the issues Moore has expressed.
“Our report should do nothing more than provide additional evidence as to why the present day reform is needed. But we can’t pretend like these injustices and this harm and the community issues have just happened out of nowhere. They have a history and there’s a legacy attached to the community’s suffering that needs to be alleviated,” Chavis said.
Moore’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Maine
Cold, quiet stretch in Maine ahead of another possible late weekend snowstorm
PORTLAND (WGME) — A seasonably cold air mass will continue to impact temperatures through the end of the week.
All eyes will turn to the backend of the weekend with the possibility of a powerful storm that is passing a few hundred miles offshore on Sunday.
Wednesday planner.{ }(WGME)
On Wednesday, the sun will be present with highs near 20 degrees.
The snow on the ground will make things very bright, so don’t forget your sunglasses!
Boston forecast.{ }(WGME)
The Boston Celtics have a home game Wednesday night at 7:30 PM for travel purposes.
By Thursday, it will be more of a mixed bag of both sun and clouds with similar temperatures.
The next chance for some snow showers will be inland and in the mountains on Friday morning.
Weekend forecast.{ }(WGME)
For the weekend, Saturday will be the brightest day, yet the coldest.
Our Weather Authority team continues to closely monitor the track of a powerful storm that is passing a few hundred miles offshore on Sunday.
As of midweek, the track will either have Maine under its extreme western edge with some snow or a miss heading out to sea.
There are two scenarios that the storm could take, the first being a large storm track.
If the storm’s center passes off the coast of Cape Cod, we could be looking at a classic blizzard situation with snow and wind.
The second scenario and the more likely of the two, out to sea. The storm may end up cutting in the middle of these two, bringing snow to mostly coastal spots.
This large storm and its track is being watched very closely as any shift in the track will result in major changes to the forecast. Stay tuned.
Cold start to February.{ }(WGME)
The first week of February is set to continue with those below-normal temperatures.
Do you have any weather questions? Email our Weather Authority team at weather@wgme.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Massachusetts
Schools reopening in Boston as snow cleanup continues
The cleanup continues across Massachusetts after Sunday’s storm dumped almost two feet of snow on us, but life is slowly returning to normal, which means students are headed back to school.
There were at least a dozen school delays reported in Connecticut Wednesday morning, but kids across the Bay State were getting back into their classrooms at the normal time after some had two snow days, including in Boston.
As everyone gets back into their routines Wednesday with school and work in the city, they’ll have to contend with narrow sidewalks and giant mounts of snow blocking corners.
Huge mounds of snow can be seen across New England, with roads and sidewalks made narrower.
There is still a lot of cleanup left to be done in South Boston, where snow cleanup can be quite the struggle.
“I didn’t go to work today, but I have to go to work tomorrow. But I’m going to wait for one of the commuters to come in, that I know, and I’ll leave when they pull in. Then when they go home, I can pull back in. That’s the way you got to rig the system,” Southie resident Steve Ruiter said.
Some cars have yet to even be dug out, and if you do still have shoveling to do, remember to take it easy. UMass Memorial took care of eight people on Tuesday who went into cardiac arrest after shoveling snow.
New Hampshire
N.H. weighs felony-level offense to stop illegal immigrants from renting an apartment – The Boston Globe
The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Joe Alexander Jr., a Goffstown Republican who chairs the Housing Committee, said the bill is meant to serve as a deterrent.
“Illegal aliens are not welcome in the Granite State,” he said. “And by passing this bill, we will continue to make sure that there is nowhere they can live.”
He pointed to the state’s housing shortage and said people without legal status are taking apartments away from New Hampshire citizens.
The bill has five other Republican co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, in addition to two Republican co-sponsors in the Senate, indicating at least some degree of support in the other chamber.
During a hearing at the State House on Tuesday, Democratic members of the House’s Housing Committee questioned Alexander on whether the bill would survive legal challenges. They raised concerns the bill could result in discriminatory housing practices, and that it could leave minors in a mixed-status family unable to access housing.
“We’re essentially saying that there is no housing that is available to that child, who is a Granite Stater, who is an American citizen,” said Representative David Paige, a North Conway Democrat. “That’s unacceptable to me personally.”
“Is that your intent in this bill, and if not, is there a way that we can ensure that those kids can have access to safe and secure housing in our state?” he asked.
“My intent of this bill is, if you are in this country illegally, you are not welcome here, and you should not have housing,” Alexander responded.
The effort drew opposition from advocates of civil liberties and immigrant rights.
The ACLU of New Hampshire opposed the effort because of concerns around due process, the risk of discrimination, and the potential costs of expensive litigation under federal civil rights and fair housing laws.
“It will cause a litigation firestorm, and New Hampshire taxpayers will be left paying to defend a law that is hardly defendable and undermines constitutional protections, and destabilizes the housing market as well,” said Rachel Potter, a policy associate with the organization.
She warned that the bill could turn the housing market into an unconstitutional state-run immigration enforcement system.
At least one resident spoke in support of the proposal. Patrick Binder of Manchester called the proposal a good, workable deterrent.
“I think it’s a good direction for New Hampshire and for the citizens here,” he said.
Several organizations that work with immigrants also opposed the effort.
“We are a state that depends on immigration to grow and even maintain our population and workforce,” said William Gillett, director of public policy and advocacy at the International Institute of New England, an organization that supports immigrants and refugees who came through legal pathways in New Hampshire.
While this bill is aimed at illegal immigrants, Gillett said it would have a chilling effect against all immigrants, including those with a legal status. He said it would make it harder for all immigrants to enter the rental market and suppress legal and needed immigration in the state.
Dylan Hoey, director of the New Hampshire Alliance of Immigrants and Refugees, called the Class B felony language “extremely punitive and concerning.”
Hoey, who previously served as a US Foreign Service officer at the Department of State, said calculating unlawful presence is an extremely difficult task.
“In my view, HB 1709 effectively delegates federal immigration law enforcement to New Hampshire landlords,” he said, adding this would place landlords in a legally precarious position of screening people based on national origin and immigration status.
New Hampshire law authorizes imprisonment of more than a year for a Class B felony and no more than a 7-year prison term.
The bill has a long road before it has a chance at becoming law. It would need to gain approval from both the House and the Senate before landing on the governor’s desk.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
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