Connect with us

Maryland

Maryland Democrats Threaten Funding of Immigrant Rights Group That Called for Gaza Ceasefire

Published

on

Maryland Democrats Threaten Funding of Immigrant Rights Group That Called for Gaza Ceasefire


A group of Democratic state senators in Maryland is threatening to strip state funding for an immigrant rights group after it called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the “utilization of US tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence.”

The nine lawmakers who represent Montgomery County — Maryland’s most populous county — said in a statement on Wednesday that the remarks by CASA were “hurtful, divisive, and antisemitic.”

CASA is a Maryland-based advocacy organization that also provides services for the state’s immigrant communities, and it receives millions of dollars from the state and local governments to do that work. The Democratic delegation, whose members sit on influential committees in the state legislature, suggested that it may cease state support for the organization. “This might be an appropriate time to reevaluate the state’s mechanism for providing financial aid and support to our immigrant community,” the senators wrote. “More specifically, we must ensure that public funds are not being used to promote antisemitism and Jewish hate.”

Advertisement

The Democrats’ threat follows actions by other state and federal officials urging crackdowns against those supportive of the Palestinian people and critical of Israel’s war on Gaza. Sen. Josh Hawley led a resolution condemning “radical student organizations” protesting on college campuses, while Sen. Tom Cotton called to deport foreign nationals deemed to be in support of Hamas. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, meanwhile, has opened an investigation into a pro-Palestinian nonprofit, while students and employees across the country have faced professional retaliation for their support of Palestine.

“The systematic targeting and silencing of organizations and individuals advocating for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation needs to stop,” said Yasmine Taeb, legislative and political director at MPower Change Action Fund, a Muslim-led justice organization. “It’s particularly shameful for Montgomery County state senators to attempt to silence CASA, an organization fighting on behalf of our immigrant communities, by threatening to withhold their funding.”

The saga in Maryland began with a statement CASA released on Monday, expressing “resolute and steadfast solidarity with the people of Palestine” and calling for an “immediate ceasefire to save all precious life and halt the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

The statement, signed by CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres, condemned Hamas’s attack on October 7 and rejected the notion that any violence could justify Israel’s attacks of “terror,” including the targeting of refugee camps and medical and United Nations aid workers.

Advertisement

The group, which was founded by activists who opposed U.S. interference in Latin America, also noted its strong support for decolonization and for Indigenous and historically colonized people. “The Palestinian struggle mirrors our own; with many CASA members fleeing governments and countries wrecked by the damage of US economic and political intervention.” 

The organization also posted a series of tweets mirroring the language in the statement. CASA faced swift pushback, including from Montgomery County Council Vice President Andrew Friedson, who called the statement “inflammatory and inaccurate” and urged the group to retract it. 

The group deleted the statement and the tweets on the same day it issued them and posted an apology. “We write to acknowledge that our words have caused hurt,” CASA tweeted. “We have received feedback from our dear and trusted partners, who have expressed their concerns about the impact of our language.”

Advertisement

Torres expressed similar sentiments in an interview with  The Intercept, saying that the group feels “horrendous” about hurting Jewish community members, some of whom they have worked with for years. 

He said CASA maintains its support for a ceasefire and that the group will have a new statement in the days to come. The group hopes to communicate that it is for peace, that it denounces the killing of civilians by both Hamas and the Israeli government, and that Palestine deserves self-determination, as Israel deserves a democratic state with security. 

Torres said he has spoken with some of the senators and believes that they do not want to cut funding for CASA’s basic services, including workforce development and English and computer classes. “I hope that that is not their intention. And I hope that they are going to analyze better the statement they make about that.”

According to CASA’s 2021 tax filings, the group received $4.89 million in government grants and another $11.3 million in government contracts, out of its total $25.7 million in revenue.

In their letter, the senators wrote that they “have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with CASA to support Montgomery County’s values,” and that Hamas represents the antithesis of those values.” They also decried CASA’s “inflammatory posting of a sign that reads ‘From the River to the Sea,’” referring to a picture of a protest sign that CASA had posted on Instagram and later deleted. The slogan, which has become a lightning rod in the political discourse about Israel and Gaza, has long been used by Palestinians to refer to their aspirations for freedom and equality.

Advertisement

The Democrats said CASA — which opened its statement by condemning the Hamas attack — overlooked the militants’ efforts to kill Jews. Their letter made no mention of the over 10,000 Palestinian casualties of Israel’s retaliatory war on Gaza. 

In a statement on Thursday, state Delegate Gabriel Acevero shot back against his Senate counterparts, saying he was “disgusted” by the delegation’s threats. “Let me be very clear, I will call out and fight any attempt by any Democrat in Annapolis to target resources for new Americans,” he wrote. “I don’t tolerate xenophobia from Republicans, and I won’t tolerate it from Democrats. I am calling on the Montgomery County Senate Delegation to retract the insensitive letter they authored and rethink how they communicate with our community, and their constituents.”

The nine Maryland Democrats who signed the letter are: 

Benjamin Kramer

Ariana Kelly

Advertisement

Brian Feldman

Katie Fry Hester

Cheryl Kagan

Nancy King

William Smith

Advertisement

Jeff Waldstreicher

Craig Zucker



Source link

Advertisement

Maryland

Maryland Weather: Cooler air ushers in a return to fall

Published

on

Maryland Weather: Cooler air ushers in a return to fall


Rain possible early Friday followed by nice Maryland weekend

Advertisement


Rain possible early Friday followed by nice Maryland weekend

03:04

Advertisement

BALTIMORE — After several days of above-average temperatures, fall weather returns this weekend.

Your Saturday forecast features a mix of sun and clouds with high temperatures in the low 60s. Be sure to have the heavy jacket ready tonight–it’s the coldest in a while with lows dipping into the mid- to upper 30s.

Remember, we fall back tonight as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end at 2 a.m. Sunday. After enjoying maybe an extra hour of sleep, you might be reaching for the heavy coat to start the day. A bit more sun around Sunday afternoon with high temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s. 

After a cool start Monday morning, temperatures are expected to warm up through Election Day. We can expect mostly sunny skies and daytime highs in the mid to upper 60s. A warm front lifts through Monday night and keeps temperatures in the 50s with mostly cloudy skies and a stray sprinkle.

Election Day looks warm with high temperatures in the mid to upper 70s with mostly sunny skies. Wednesday might even see temperatures near 80 degrees ahead of another cold front.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Maryland

Maryland volleyball dominated in straight sets by No. 11 Purdue

Published

on

Maryland volleyball dominated in straight sets by No. 11 Purdue


Without outside hitter Sydney Bryant — its third-highest kills contributor on the team — and facing another ranked foe in No. 11 Purdue, Maryland volleyball faced a daunting task. The Terps needed someone to step up.

And freshman pin hitter Katherine Scherer did just that. She recorded a season-high seven kills, including three in the opening set. But her efforts weren’t enough, as the Terps were outmatched once again, falling in straight sets Friday night.

“I thought [Scherer] handled herself really well and that she had a good mindset going into it,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “The team also rallied after she got a kill. You could see the energy go up. It’s a good performance from her.”

Looking for its first signature win of the season, Maryland (10-12) returned home to take on the Boilermakers. With just one set victory over its past six matches, and sitting in a tie for 15th place in the Big Ten, the Terps couldn’t pull off the upset.

Advertisement

In a back-and-forth opening set, Maryland found themselves knotted at seven apiece early. A two-point surge from the Boilermakers was quickly negated by the Terps. Middle blocker Eva Rohrbach tallied a kill, while pin hitter Samantha Schnitta knotted consecutive service aces, adding to her nation-leading 58 aces.

Just as Maryland looked to have seized the momentum, it destroyed any hope of continuing the run with three attacking errors. Trailing 13-10, outside hitter Sam Csire got the Terps back on track with a kill, followed up by setter Sydney Dowler and Anastasia Russ teaming up for a block.

Leveled at 19 apiece, Purdue (16-5) went on a run off a Maryland service error and service ace from setter Taylor Anderson. But the Terps hung around, at least until middle blocker Raven Colvin tallied a kill and service ace to extend Purdue’s lead to three. With its back against the wall, Maryland went on a run. But it wasn’t a big enough one, and it fell, 25-23, in the opening set.

“We can take some confidence knowing we can hang around with those level of teams,” Hughes said. “We had an injury to a starter who has played every match, and we didn’t flinch.”

The Boilermakers sprinted out to an early 5-1 lead in the second set, after back-to-back kills from outside hitter Eva Hudson, an All-American second teamer last season. The Terps found themselves trailing by five just minutes later. But Schnitta inspired a run with a kill and service ace, while Csire and Rohrbach each knotted a kill.

Advertisement

Tied at 11 apiece, both squads traded blows before Purdue went on a six-point run off three kills from Colvin. The Terps hoped to get back in the set after consecutive kills from Csire, but the Boilermakers didn’t let that happen, responding with two points of their own.

Trailing 20-15, Maryland was unable to muster any sort of comeback, despite two late kills from Scherer. A kill from Anderson gave Purdue set point and middle blocker Lourdes Myers crushed a kill deep in the court to end the set, 25-20.

Maryland hung around early in the third set, finding itself tied at 10 apiece. Back-to-back kills from the Boilermakers gave them their biggest lead of the set. But the Terps quickly dwindled that lead away after kills from Dowler and Scherer.

Just like in the previous set, Maryland eliminated any sort of momentum Purdue hoped to gain. After Hudson gave the Boilermakers a two-point lead, Csire stuffed an attack from Colvin at the net, moving the score to 19-18.

Down one late in the third set, Purdue mustered up a three-point run off kills from three different players. And this run proved fatal, as the Terps were unable to respond this time. Maryland fell 25-20 once again, making it seven-straight matches lost.

Advertisement

“I’ve been in the Big Ten for a long time, and I’ve never been in a scenario where seven of eight games are against tournament teams,” Hughes said. “It is one of those challenges that we’re seeing now that we’re going to have to figure out the schedule and how to manage those times.”

Three things to know

1. Offensive woes continue. The Terps entered the match with the third-fewest kills per set in the Big Ten. This trend continued, as Maryland totaled 42 kills to its 15 attacking errors, hitting just 20.9%. However, some of these struggles can be attributed to the new rotations the Terps were forced to use after the injury to Bryant.

“I thought the group did a good job getting settled with a new lineup,” Hughes said. “They had about 60-75 minutes of practice yesterday to test out a lineup. Game one, we were all trying to figure out who was where and what rotations are going to look like.”

2. Efficient outing from Scherer. Having just appeared in five matches so far this season, Scherer looks like she has settled in just fine. On just 14 attempts, she posted seven kills. Scherer gave Maryland a glimpse of the future in her new role.

3. Difficulties against ranked teams. After its straight set loss to Purdue, the Terps have now fallen to 0-6 in matches against ranked squads. During those matches, Maryland has won just one set. The Terps have two remaining matches against ranked foes: No. 3 Penn State and No. 2 Nebraska.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Maryland

Maryland Weather: Cooler weekend ahead

Published

on

Maryland Weather: Cooler weekend ahead


Rain possible early Friday followed by nice Maryland weekend

Advertisement


Rain possible early Friday followed by nice Maryland weekend

03:04

Advertisement

BALTIMORE — After several days of above-average temperatures, fall weather will return as we head into the weekend.

Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy, with overnight low temperatures dropping into the 40s.

On Saturday, expect a mix of clouds and sunshine. High temperatures will be much cooler than in recent days, reaching only the low 60s.

The coldest night of the week will be Saturday night, with temperatures dipping into the mid- to upper 30s.

Sunday afternoon brings more sunshine, with highs near 60. After a cool start Monday morning, temperatures are expected to warm up through Election Day.

Advertisement

Highs on Monday afternoon will reach the mid-60s, and by the time you head to the polls on Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to peak in the mid- to upper 70s. Wednesday might even see temperatures around 80 degrees ahead of another cold front moving through the area Wednesday night into Thursday.

This cold front will bring a slight chance of showers, and temperatures on Thursday afternoon will cool to the 70s, with 60s expected by next Friday.

Don’t forget: daylight saving time ends this weekend, so remember to set your clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending