Ferguson: White Entitlement Defeats Justice, Part I
More to the Ferguson Grand Jury story that I haven't seen elsewhere.
President Obama's idea of requiring police officers to wear body cameras, IMHO, would do two things: 1) help see the truth in such encounters and 2) reduce the likelihood of violence since both the police officer and the person being confronted by police would more likely be on their best behaviors.
One week ago, St. Louis DA Robert McCulloch gave a rambling, defensive press conference announcing that the grand jury had not indicted Darren Wilson, 28, for killing Michael Brown. Since then, the killer, a police officer, has resigned from the Ferguson force, but his action does not stop the news that about the inconsistencies, bad police procedures, and cover-ups that the 4,799 pages of grand jury testimony reveal.
Initially Assistant District Attorney Kathy Alizadeh told the jury to base their decisions on a law that was ruled unconstitutional almost 30 years ago. She told the jury that Wilson had the legal right to shoot and kill Brown as soon as Brown ran away from the police officer, that Wilson could legally do this even if he didn't feel threatened. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled unconstitutional any law stating that an officer is "justified in the use of such physical…
African-American, Blacks, Crime, Homicide, Police Brutality, President Barack Obama, Racism, Violence	body cameras, Darren Wilson, Ferguson (MO), Michael Brown, policing, Robert McCulloch, Robert McCulloch	0 Comments
An Empty Seat at the Table: In Memory of W. Terrell Jones
On Tuesday, August 19, I received a forwarded email from PSU Executive Vice President and Provost Nicholas P. Jones:
It is with deep sorrow that I'm writing to inform you that our colleague and friend, Dr. Terrell Jones, Vice Provost for Educational Equity passed away this morning. Terrell had been on medical leave the last few months. He will be greatly missed across the University not only for the impact of his contributions to Penn State, but also for simply the wonderful person that he was. We will share with you the details regarding funeral arrangements as they become available. Please keep Carla [Roser-Jones] and Terrell's children in your thoughts and prayers.
This short note brought tears to my eyes and a great sense of loss. W. Terrell Jones was a civil rights advocate par excellence both in and out of work. He brought humor and caring to everything he did.
W. Terrell Jones (pictured with his wife Carla Roser-Jones). A Civil Rights advocate in and out of work.
I first met Terrell in the early 1990's when I attended a meeting of the Centre County Advisory Council to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). Soon after that, I was appointed to this Council and served with Terrell up until his death. Until March of 2013, Terrell chaired the monthly meeting of the Advisory Council. His passion for low-income students of color, concern for community diversity and acceptance, and a love of knowledge was quite apparent.
He was a teacher, a counselor, a fountain of trivia on people and ethnicities across the country and around the world. And did his work—both paid and unpaid with a sense of humor and dignity. Here's a sampling of his ability to teach with humor in the classroom; this is one of the many classes on race relations and cultural diversity that he taught over his 35 years of work at the Pennsylvania State University and one year at Lock Haven University.
On Thursday, August 21, I attended the bimonthly meeting of the Inter Agency Task Force on Community Activities and Relations in Harrisburg. According to the PHRC,
The task force is made up of [the] PHRC, the PA Attorney General's Office and the PA State Police, working in conjunction with other state and federal agencies, community organizations, advocacy groups, local government and law enforcement agencies. The primary function of the group is to quickly and appropriately address civil tension when conflicts occur, and to promote positive community relations among various groups in order to prevent tension.
The meeting was opened at 10:30 am by Tameka Hatcher, Program Analyst for the PHRC. We usually open these meetings by going around the table and introducing ourselves. This morning was slightly different. Tameka held up Terrell's name plate and announced that he had passed after a four-month battle with cancer. She asked for a moment of silence and then asked Martin Kearney, Investigative Supervisor at the PHRC and me to say a few words about Terrell. We then placed the name plate at the table to honor our missing comrade.
An Empty Seat at the Table: In Memory of Dr. W. Terrell Jones
Here's some of the accomplishments we talked about:
Local Ordinances
Terrell helped organize a community public forum on discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity about 8-9 years ago. Based on the feedback from that forum, the State College Borough decided to review their Fair Housing Ordinance that had passed in 1994 and decided to expand it as well as create an employment anti-discrimination ordinance in 2008. Working with the Centre County Advisory Council, Terrell and I worked with the town council to help craft the new ordinances that now contain the broadest anti-discrimination protections in the state. The employment ordinance includes marital status, familial status, family responsibilities, gender identity, and sexual orientation in addition to the state-level protections found in the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. The public accommodations and fair housing ordinance includes marital status, familial status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and source of income in addition to the state-level protections of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.
Tension and Hate
Calming down communities when tensions rise due to religious, racial, gender, or LGBTQIA intolerance, vandalism, and/or hate speech was a forte for Terrell. He created trainings on racial equality, worked with groups to figure out how structurally and organically they could improve their communities to be more accepting and tolerant. He did this for the entire Penn State University community at all of the campuses, within Centre County and across the state. Working with Unity groups, the PHRC, and coalitions, he helped bring together people.
Statewide Leadership
At Penn State University
Seen as an expert on race relations and diversity, Terrell was often called upon to lead programs and organizations dealing with these types of issues. When he started his position as Vice Provost of Educational Equity in 1998, he created "A Framework to Foster Diversity." According to the Centre Daily Times, this document is a regularly updated plan outlining Penn State University's diversity and equity goals. As part of his leadership in this position, Terrell oversaw many different offices and commissions to achieve his vision of "an inclusive and welcoming environment for all." These offices and commissions include:
Units and Programs
College Assistance Migrant Program
Educational Opportunity Center (Philadelphia)
Multicultural Resource Center
Office for Disability Services
Office of Veterans Programs
Student Support Services Program
Talent Search York
Upward Bound Math and Science Program
Upward Bound Migrant
Equal Opportunity Planning Committee
President's Equity Commissions
Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Equity
Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity
And according to the PSU Office of the President, Terrell led other programs and events throughout his tenure at the University: "He served on the University's Forum on Black Affairs for many years, and was its president from 1986-87. He also was chair of the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee from 1989-96 and Penn State's Representative for the Global Sullivan Principles from 2000-2005."
As I previously stated, Terrell was appointed to and later led the Centre County Advisory Council to the PA Human Relations Commission for over 20 years. We met 10 out of the 12 months of each year and then held a family picnic for members every August. Our meetings brought together members of the community who act as the "eyes and ears" of diversity in the community. We gathered each month to discuss concerns about injustice and joys of acceptance of people of all backgrounds within Centre County.
Both of us also handled the Blue Pages phone hot line answering questions about unfair treatment and potential discrimination. As appropriate we gave these individuals information on how to contact the PHRC to file a complaint and/or provided on other resources to assist them in resolving their issues.
Over the years, several different representatives from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission would attend these meetings so that we could pass on the news – both good and bad – to help the state monitor issues of inclusion and tension throughout the state.
We also had a good time, always looking forward to Terrell's "main dish" offerings at our picnics. He fed us with fried turkeys, roasted pork, and tons of catfish over the years – all his own handiwork!
Terrell was also active in his local church – the Jacob Albright-Mary McLeod Bethune United Methodist Church. I understand that he was one of the leaders of this church, having served from 1990 until his death as a member of its Administrative Council. At the funeral, Reverend Kathleen Danley described his leadership by telling about her arrival at the church this past January. She said that members of the church seemed very tense or sad about their former preacher's departure. Until Terrell arrived. She said with his arrival, the tension left the room and everyone felt better and got to work. Having that kind of presence is rare.
Leadership across the Commonwealth
Terrell also brought his wisdom and expertise to all corners of the Commonwealth. I asked Martin Kearney, the Investigative Supervisor for the Harrisburg Regional Office of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to put this part of Terrell's leadership into perspective. Here's the email he wrote in response:
You asked me about Terrell's work with PHRC. I have had the pleasure to have worked with Terrell for nearly a decade when he was Chair of the PHRC Advisory Council for Centre County. Other colleagues, such as Homer Floyd, Kaaba Brunson, and Ann Van Dyke have known and worked with Dr. Jones for three decades or more. I am grateful I had the opportunity to learn from him and his work.
Essentially, from the state standpoint, Terrell was key in helping make PSU a more welcoming place for persons of all protected classes, particularly but not exclusively students of color, in his career. He kept the PHRC apprised of these efforts, especially in regard to academic achievement and safe learning environment for these students. His work in the vineyard has borne fruit, but as we know, more labors need to be made to make education more accessible and affordable for students in need.
Terrell was active with the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education (PBCOHE) [he served as its President from 2008-2010], which attempted to get all universities in the Commonwealth, public as well as private, achieve equal education opportunity for students of color. Our Commission was very active in this initiative as well and Terrell's work helped to increase the numbers of students of color going to college and successfully graduate. He was also key in helping to investigate and resolve tension situations related to race and ethnicity not only at PSU but on other campuses as well. For instance, he led an investigation in 2007 at Bloomsburg University campus involving allegations of excessive force and misconduct by campus police toward African American students. He conducted this investigation with skill, transparency and thoroughness, recommending better communication between students and police and cultural competency training for campus police.
Terrell's presence in Centre County was well known, especially in his and the Advisory Council's efforts in State College Borough's consideration and passage of the Fair Housing (1994) and Human Relations Ordinances (in 2008), efforts of which you know so well (since you were so key in both of these), which had expansive protections beyond Commonwealth law for sexual orientation, marital status and family responsibilities. Through the work of Terrell and the Council, relationships were built, to create a constituency that supported these ordinances. It is notable that when the Fair Housing Ordinance was passed, there was [a large and very] vocal opposition to it. The opposition to the expanded Human Relations Ordinance over a decade later was not only much smaller but much less vocal. It was consciousness raising of our growing notions of equality, led by Terrell and the Council, that helped to foster this change.
Finally, Terrell not only knew issues of diversity and equality, he knew this state very well. He pored over the bias reports that the Commission created, reported incidents of which he knew, but also added a historical perspective of these incidents for our state and nation. In my dealings with him, I always walked away having learned something of value, lessons I carry in my work to this day and which our Commission carries on as well.
A place at the table for our Commission's Inter-Agency Task Force is missing. While none of us can fill this space that he leaves, his spirit and the knowledge he passed on will continue for decades to come.
The Farewell Tribute
At Terrell's funeral on Saturday, August 23, the love for Terrell showed throughout the church. It was overflowing with people. The vestry was full. The room across the hall from the vestry was full. And those who couldn't find seats in either of these rooms went downstairs to the reception hall. Fortunately all of us got to see the service since the church provided video access to the full service. I think the "Affirmation of Faith" affirms Terrell's life-long passion for equity and justice. In part, here's what was proclaimed
Affirmation of Faith by Canaan Banana (edited by Rev. Grey)
I believe in an almighty God
Maker of all people of every color and hue,
Who does not rank people according to their color or gender,…
Who provide[s] abundant resources for
Equitable distribution among all people….
[Who] overturns the iron rule of injustice.
From henceforth He shall continue to judge hatred, racism, sexism,
And every manner of dehumanizing exclusiveness and arrogance.
I believe in the properly placed spirit of reconciliation,…
The Power that overcomes the poverty, abject ghetto life,
Abject rural life, drug and alcohol addiction,
women and children abuse, and pimping, prostitution, and pushing in all of their forms.
And I believe in the … Resurrection of personhood
And equalizing justice, and equality…
Terrell, we'll miss you at the table of equality and justice for all. You will be missed greatly. Rest in peace my friend.
Addendum: According to the obituary that appeared in the Centre Daily Times on August 21, the family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Albright-Bethune United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 153, State College, PA 16804 or to the Dr. W. Terrell Jones Scholarship Memorial Fund at the Pennsylvania State University, by visiting www.GIveNow.psu.edu/TerrellJonesMemorial.
Blacks, Centre County PA, Civil Rights, Discrimination, educational equity, Employment, Gender Equality, Justice, LGBTQ, Ordinances, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Univerity, State College PA	Centre County PA, Civil Rights, empty seat, equality, Human Rights, in memorium, justice, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, racism, sexism, State College PA, Terrell Jones	1 Comment
Protests Might Make a Difference – Stop the Brutality
Racial Brutality. Injustice. This all must stop.
I think it's way past time for every police department in this country to look at the racial, gender, and sexual orientation make-up of their law enforcement team. Unless the team truly look like, experience and understand the people they serve, this type of brutality will continue.
Ferguson, Missouri, is a suburb of St. Louis. Two-thirds of its population of 21,203 is black, but four out of five city council members are white. The black superintendent of schools was forced out for unknown reasons last November and replaced by a white man. Of the 53 police officers, 50 are white, yet blacks account for 93 percent of the arrests. Of the 54 police officers, 52 of them are white. As Rachel Maddow pointed out in this video, the police officers' prejudice against people of color in this town has been rampantly open for many years. The situation came to a tipping point four days ago when a town police officer killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, possibly by shooting him in the back ten times.
When people gathered in protest after the teenager's killing, police fired tear gas at them, sometimes when people were standing in their…
African-American, Blacks, Bullying, civil society, Crimes Against Humanity, Ferguson (MO), Firearms and Explosives), Harassment, People of Color, Police Brutality, Racism, Stand Against Racism, Violence	bullying and harassment, civil society, crimes against humanity, Ezell Ford, Ferguson (MO), Michael Brown, murder, paramilitary action, people of color, police, police brutality, racism, victims of violence	0 Comments
NOW Public Censure Statement re: G. Todd Baugh
Today at 1:00 p.m. MDT, the Montana Supreme Court held G. Todd Baugh's public censure hearing in Helena Montana. Here's a video of the entire hearing, courtesy of the Billings Gazette.
We were one of the complainants who filed a Judicial Conduct complaint against Baugh last fall. We were in court today to tell Baugh, the Supreme Court, and the country why we filed the complaint and what we thought of Baugh's actions as a sitting judge who was supposed to fairly mete out justice for all.
Unfortunately Montana NOW and Pennsylvania NOW were not allowed to speak about our concerns before the Court. We had expected to deliver these comments publicly. Since we were unable to speak them, we sent our statement directly to Baugh. We have also let the press know that this statement is available on this blog.
The following is our official statement:
Stop Violence Against Women NOW
Mr. Baugh:
We are Marian Bradley and Joanne Tosti-Vasey, representing, respectively Montana NOW and Pennsylvania NOW, state chapters of the National Organization for Women. We are one of the eight sets of complainants that filed an ethics violation complaint against you, Mr. Baugh. We believe you mishandled this rape case and as a result you impugned the judiciary. Your statements blaming the victim and your failure to follow state law in sentencing Stacey Rambold were outrageous and unconscionable.
We filed this complaint on behalf of men, women, and children in Montana as well as men, women, and children across the country. We believe that it is long past time for Montana's authorities to protect the right-thinking citizens of and visitors to Montana from sexual predators rather than freeing those predators so that they can rape again.
We represent the more than 250,000 people around the world who called for your resignation or removal and the 350 sexual assault survivors who signed a letter calling for your removal. When we filed our complaint to the Judicial Standards Commission on September 24, we included copies of the petitioners' names, the sexual assault survivor letter and copies of two news articles condemning your actions.
On Monday, August 26, 2013, you sentenced confessed child rapist Stacey Rambold to only 31 days in jail for that offense. You justified that slap-on-the-wrist sentence by commenting, incredibly, that the 14-year-old child victim – two years under the legal age of consent – was "as much in control" of the rape as her 49-year-old teacher because, according to you, she was "older than her chronological age." You then attempted to justify this sentence by telling the press that this rape "was not a violent, forcible, beat-the-victim rape, like you see in the movies."
Mr. Baugh, your victim-blaming, rape-trivializing, rapist-protecting comments and actions come less than a year after the United States Department of Justice was called in to address civil rights violations and rape victim-blaming by the University of Montana, Missoula County and Missoula City authorities over many years.
Our complaint raised three ethical issues that we believed you violated. The issues we raised were:
That you did NOT act at all times in a manner that promoted public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and that you did not avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety (Rule 1.2);
That you did NOT uphold and apply the law, nor did you perform all duties of your judicial office fairly and impartially (Rule 2.2); and
That you in the performance of your judicial duties, by your words as well as your conduct, showed manifest bias or prejudice against the victim based upon her race, sex, gender, age, and socioeconomic status (Rule 2.3).
The Judicial Standards Commission found that you violated the ethical issue of impropriety. The Montana Supreme Court in overturning your 31-day sentence of Rambold on April 30 essentially found that you violated the second ethical issue by failing to uphold and apply the law. And when the Montana Supreme Court overturned this sentence, they ordered this case to be reassigned to a new judge because your statement at trial evidenced bias against the victim. That essentially means you also violated our third complaint of showing bias against the victim – a young, Hispanic, lower-income girl.
You used three different rape myths to justify your actions. By doing so, you used a form of gender bias that destroyed the integrity of the judicial process and contravened Montana law. Rape myths are forms of gender bias that have no place in a justice system that strives to provide an impartial forum for all participants. As the Honorable Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said in 1994, "When people perceive gender bias in a legal system, whether they suffer from it or not, they lose respect for that system, as well as for the law."
What did you do? You blamed the victim for the rape. You invoked the belief that this wasn't "real" rape because it did not involve physical violence. And you invoked the myth of girl provocateur, also known as the Lolita Effect, to deny the power and control a teacher has over his student.
You relied on these rape myths to impose your sentence against Rambold. You trivialized the act of rape by stating that the crime was not a "forcible, beat-up rape." By doing so you downplayed the fact that a teacher took advantage of and sexually assaulted a girl under his power and control. You blamed the victim by claiming she had control over the rape.
This young girl, Cherice Moralez, experienced such psychological and emotional damage that she ultimately died by suicide even before the case came to trial. Your statements about the victim being as much in control of the situation as Rambold and then giving a slap-on-the-wrist sentence to Rambold is insupportable as a matter of fact and law, given her age and vulnerability.
Children and adolescents are vulnerable to coercion and social pressure by adults and figures of power. Your use of these rape myths diminished and made invisible a young vulnerable girl. Your statements result in a chilling effect on other victims of sexual assault. It also places a chilling effect on the public and others within the judicial system. If we are unable to trust and rely on the justice system to properly weigh the relevant factors in addressing sexual assaults, we all lose confidence in the integrity of the judicial process.
We would have preferred that the Montana Judicial Standards Commission and the Montana Supreme Court had immediately removed you from the bench so that you could no longer impugn the integrity of the court and return the court in Yellowstone County to a full sense of fairness for women, children, and other victims of domestic and sexual violence. Instead they chose to give you a similar 31-day "sentence" that you gave to Stacey Rambold. In his case, it was 31 days in jail with one day suspended; in your case it's 31 days without pay. We accept that decision. However we are concerned that as long as you remain seated on the bench that the public in Montana, around the country and throughout the world will continue to question the fairness and integrity of the judicial system in Montana.
We therefore suggest that not only do you fully accept today's censure and the suspension, but that you also apologize for your actions to Cherice's mother and all victims of sexual and domestic violence and that you immediately either step down or recuse yourself from all future cases handed to you. Enough is enough. Your actions in our opinion require these responses from you.
Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Judge G. Todd Baugh (MT), Justice, Latino-Latina, Marian Bradley, Montana, Montana Judicial Standards Commission, Montana NOW, Montana Supreme Court, Montana v. Rambold, MT Judicial Standards Commission v. Judge G. Todd Baugh, Pennsylvania NOW, Rape, Rape Myths, Sexism, Stacey Rambold, Victim-Blaming	censure, culture of rape, current-events, Judge G. Todd Baugh, Montana Judicial Standards Commission, Montana NOW, Montana Supreme Court, Pennsylvania NOW, rape case, rape myths, Sexual Assault, Stacey Rambold, violence against women	5 Comments
Montana! Again! More Victim Blaming
In several earlier blogs, I've written about the minimal sentence given to convicted rapist Stacey Rambold. This sentence was overturned by the Montana Supreme Court at the end of April. The case was remanded back to Yellowstone County District Court to a new judge for resentencing for a minimum of two years. At the end of last week, Rambold's attorney, Jay Lansing, appealed the decision calling for a rehearing in the case. And what was his argument? "It was her fault." In other words, more victim-blaming.
Attorney Jay Lansing is appealing the MT Supreme Court's decision to re-sentence Stacey Rambold for raping Cherise Morales, a 14 year old student he taught at the high school. She later died from suicide.
Lansing said in the appeal filed with the Court on May 14:
In the Opinion in this case … the Court held that Judge Baugh's statements reflected an improper basis for his sentencing decision. Specifically, the Court stated that consideration of any control that C.M. could have had of the situation is directly at odds with the law which holds that a youth is incapable of consent and therefore lacks any control over the situation; and that there was no basis in the law for the District Court's distinction between C.M.'s chronological age and the District Court's perception of her maturity.
Mr. Rambold interprets this ruling by the Court to mean that a sentencing court may not consider the victim's role in the offense, the victim's level of participation in the offense, or the victim's actual consent in determining a reasonable sentence for a defendant.
Mr. Rambold contends that such a decision is in direct conflict with [previous decisions] where the Court stated the established rule that a sentencing court may consider any relevant information relating to the nature and circumstances of the crime, the defendant's character, background, history, and mental and physical condition, and any other information that the court considers to have probative force.
Lansing then goes on to say that his argument "is not 'victim blaming.'"
I completely disagree with this. Lansing, just like Judge Baugh, minimizes the rape of C.M. He says that Cherise knew her teacher and accepted his advances, and that this isn't as "bad" as stranger rape. He suggests that the court should consider a victim's "role, level of participation, or consent" [emphasis added]- in a crime against the victim. This truly flies in the face of the law and absolutely is victim blaming. To compound this upside down view of the law, he then goes on to present two hypothetical situations — one between a 19 year old and his 14 year old "girlfriend" and a second one dealing with stranger rape.
Lansing then concludes that Rambold and Cherise share the blame for the rape. He seems to say that the circumstances surrounding this rape of a minor to her teacher's advances isn't all that bad and therefore no change in the original sentence should be made.
He states:
One point that must be clearly stated and emphasized is that there is a distinction between consideration of C.M.'s role and participation as a defense to the charge and consideration of C.M.'s role and participation in determining a reasonable and appropriate sentence. … C.M.'s role, level of participation, and consent are relevant information relating to the nature and circumstances of the offense and are to be considered in fashioning a reasonable sentence.
In justifying his victim blaming, Lansing uses this truly twisted argument that is nothing but victim blaming. Yes, a court may consider relevant evidence for purposes of determining guilt or sentencing. But then to say that the blame is shared and therefore the rape is, in some sense justifiable, is outrageous and appalling.
Judge Baugh's original victim-blaming comments were bad enough. Just like Baugh, Lansing uses similar rape myths in his argument to the Court. He first blames the victim (while denying this in the same breath). Then he goes on with his hypothetical relationship and stranger rape examples to imply that this rape was non-violent—thus using the myth of the Nonviolent Rapist and Implied Consent to justify the minimal sentence given to Rambold last summer. Rambold's lawyer's attempt to use these myths to somehow justify both the rape and the minimal sentence originally handed down are, IMHO, stupendously horrendous.
In this case, both Judge Baugh and Attorney Lansing use outdated, victim-blaming myths about women and sexual assault in order to justify both their actions and the actions of the defendant. They both represent parts of the legal justice system. If they are representative of the Montana judicial system, our judicial system is failing our communities.
Gender bias in the courts is unacceptable. Whether that is in Montana, where this case is occurring; in Pennsylvania where I live and where the Gerry Sandusky child sexual assaults happened; or anywhere else in the country.
In Montana NOW's and Pennsylvania NOW's original complaint to the Montana Judicial Standards Commission, we asked that the Court implement a mandatory educational program for the judiciary. We stated in that complaint that we want the Montana Supreme Court to:
Implement a mandatory judicial education program for the judiciary on the fair adjudication of sexual assault cases to help the Montana justice system develop techniques to minimize victim re-traumatization while safeguarding the rights of the defendant. – See more at: http://www.legalmomentum.org/national-judicial-education-program#sthash.hxAEGz8p.dpuf.
I believe that this proposed mandatory educational program should be extended to all of the participants within the legal justice system – judges, lawyers, law enforcement and anyone else within the system that could impact the treatment of victims and survivors of sexual assault. Then and only then will we start addressing this problem of victim blaming. Let's stop it now.
Amici Curiae, Attorney Jay Lansing (MT), Children, Crime, Gender-Based Violence, Gerald A. Sandusky, Judge G. Todd Baugh (MT), Latino-Latina, Montana, Montana Judicial Standards Commission, Montana NOW, Montana Supreme Court, Montana v. Rambold, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania NOW, Rape, Rape Myths, Sexism, Sexual Assault, Stacey Rambold, Victim-Blaming	Gender-based Violence, Jay Lansing, Montana NOW, Montana Supreme Court, national organization for women, Rape, Sexual Assault, Stacey Rambold, violence against women	1 Comment
Seeking Justice for Cherise
In August 2013, Yellowstone County (Billings), Montana Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced ex-teacher Stacey Rambold to thirty days in jail for raping one of his 14-year-old students . Baugh had followed a recommendation from Rambold's lawyer by giving Rambold a sentence of 15 years in prison with all but 31 days suspended and a one day credit for time served. Even worse, the judge showed gender and racial bias against Cherise Morales—the 14 year old, Hispanic girl who Rambold raped. During the sentencing hearing, Baugh stated that the girl was "as much in control of the situation" as her rapist and that she was "older than her chronological age."
Upon hearing about this incident, Joanne Tosti-Vasey, former PA NOW president and current member of the PA NOW Executive Committee contacted Montana NOW President Marian Bradley. After consulting with each other, Montana NOW and Pennsylvania NOW decided to coordinate a state and national action to push back against this egregious behavior and use of rape myths.
We focused on both the unethical behavior of Judge Baugh and on working to overturn the illegal sentence handed down on Rambold.
The Ethics Complaint Against Judge Baugh
First, we focused on a petition to sanction Judge Baugh. The first step was to help get a groundswell of people calling for the Montana Judicial Standards Commission to review and sanction Judge Baugh for his behavior. Working with We are Ultraviolet and Fitzgibbon Media we gathered over 130,000 signatures calling for the state to sanction Judge Baugh. Meanwhile we contacted Legal Momentum (a national women's advocacy organization that houses the National Judicial Education Program on Gender Bias in the Courts) and Pennsylvania's Women's Law Project to assist us in crafting our complaint.
Marian Bradley, President of Montana NOW delivering the NOW complaint to the MT Judicial Standards Commission on September 24, 2013.
Using these petition signatures, we publicly delivered our complaint on September 24, 2013 against Baugh urging the Montana Judicial Standards Commission and the Montana Supreme Court to
Remove Judge Baugh from the bench for his misconduct related to his handling of and speech about the rape case involving the sentencing of Stacey Rambold; and
Implement a mandatory judicial education program for the judiciary on the fair adjudication of sexual assault cases to help the Montana justice system develop techniques to minimize victim re-traumatization while safeguarding the rights of the defendant.
As a result of this complaint and several others, Judge Baugh acknowledged on December 7, 2013 that he violated one of the three ethics rules we alleged he had violated. He said that he had failed to "promote public confidence in the independence, integrity,and impartiality of the judiciary," and did not "avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety." But he refused to acknowledge that he used racial and gender bias in handing down the sentence and as a result, did not uphold the law. So we submitted a response detailing the rape myths he used in creating the sentence and in not following the law with the minimum, mandatory two-year sentence.
Then Baugh, in an effort to avoid the sanctions he could see coming, announced in January that he would not be seeking reelection in 2014. A couple of weeks after this announcement, the Montana Judicial Standards Commission announced that they were sending a recommendation to the Montana Supreme Court to use their oversight powers to sanction Judge Baugh.
The Amicus Brief
Meanwhile, on December 6, 2013, the Montana Attorney General's office filed an appeal before the Montana Supreme Court. They are asking the court to remand the case back to the Yellowstone County District Court for sentencing that would follow the state law's mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines. They are asking for, at minimum, a four-year sentence.
NOW once again weighed in. Knowing that it is possible for advocacy groups to file "friend of the court" amicus curiae briefs, we contacted two members of our network of women's legal advocacy organizations—The Women's Law Project and Legal Momentum—to see if there was any interest in pursuing this amicus. They put us in contact with Legal Voice and the Sexual Violence Law Center. Both of these organizations are based in Seattle, Washington and serve women in Montana. As a result, all six organizations agreed to file an amicus.Attorney Vanessa Soriano Power and other members of the law firm Stoel Rives LLP took the lead in writing our brief and petitioning the Court to add our brief to their review of this case.
Montana's Supreme Court rarely accepts amicus briefs, but did in this case. The amicus brief we filed focuses on rape myths and their inappropriate impact in adjudicating and sentencing in sexual-assault cases. We are asking the court to take the effect of these types of myths into account when making their decision in this case and, upon remand, to assign the case of Stacey Rambold to a new judge for appropriate and legal re-sentencing.
Both cases were sent to the Montana Supreme Court for review. We heard on April 25 (the 10th anniversary of the March for Women's Lives in Washington DC that brought out over one million people) that the decisions on what type of sanctioning Judge Baugh will receive and whether or not Stacey Rambold will be re-sentenced is pending.
This morning, the Montana Supreme Court handed down their decision in the Montana v. Rambold case (copy of the opinion can be seen here). The Court listened to the arguments presented by both the Attorney General's office and by NOW. They overturned ("vacated") the 30-day sentence and remanded the case back to the Yellowstone County Courts for re-sentencing in line with the minimum mandatory sentencing guidelines. In addition, they have ordered the county to assign the case to another judge for Rambold's re-sentencing.
The last two paragraphs of the opinion indicate that the Court heavily relied on our amicus in ordering the remand:
¶21 On remand for resentencing, we further instruct the court to reassign the case to a different judge to impose sentence. We have considered several factors to decide whether a new judge should be assigned to resentence a defendant in a particular case, among them; whether the original judge would reasonably be expected to have substantial difficulty in putting out of his or her mind previously-expressed views determined to be erroneous, whether reassignment is advisable to preserve the appearance of justice, and whether reassignment would entail waste and duplication out of proportion to any gain in preserving the appearance of fairness. Coleman v. Risley, 203 Mont. 237, 249, 663 P.2d 1154 (1983) 10 (citations omitted). In State v. Smith, 261 Mont. 419, 445-46, 863 P.2d 1000, 1016-17 (1993), we remanded for resentencing to a new judge when the judge's statement at trial evidenced bias against the defendant. Even where bias did not require reassignment to a new judge, we have reassigned where media coverage and public outrage "have snowballed to create an appearance of impropriety." Washington v. Montana Mining Properties, 243 Mont. 509, 516, 795 P.2d 460, 464 (1990).
¶22 In the present case, Judge Baugh's statements reflected an improper basis for his decision and cast serious doubt on the appearance of justice. The idea that C.M. could have "control" of the situation is directly at odds with the law, which holds that a youth is incapable of consent and, therefore, lacks any control over the situation whatsoever. That statement also disregards the serious power disparity that exists between an adult teacher and his minor pupil. In addition, there is no basis in the law for the court's distinction between the victim's "chronological age" and the court's perception of her maturity. Judge Baugh's comments have given rise to several complaints before the Judicial Standards Commission, which has recommended disciplinary action by this Court. Those complaints will be addressed in a separate proceeding. Under these circumstances, we conclude that reassignment to a new judge is necessary to preserve the appearance of fairness and justice in this matter.
Meanwhile the sanctions against Judge Baugh are still pending. This was confirmed in this morning's opinion announced by the Montana Supreme Court: Judge Baugh's comments have given rise to several complaints before the Judicial Standards Commission, which has recommended disciplinary action by this Court. Those complaints will be addressed in a separate proceeding.
We feel strongly that our work on this case shows our commitment to looking out for the women, children and families of our states and our nation. This behavior by our teachers and our judiciary should not and will not be tolerated. Our vigilance will continue.
— blog written by Joanne Tosti-Vasey and Marian Bradley
Amici Curiae, Children, Crime, Ethics, Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Judge G. Todd Baugh (MT), Justice, Latino-Latina, Legal Momentum, Legal Voice, Marian Bradley, Montana Attorney General's Office, Montana Judicial Standards Commission, Montana NOW, Montana Supreme Court, Montana v. Rambold, Pennsylvania NOW, Racism, Rape, Rape Myths, Sexism, Sexual Assault Law Center, Stoel Rives LLP, Victim-Blaming, Women's Law Project	Cherise Morales, child sexual assault, current-events, ethics, Gender-based Violence, Judge G. Todd Baugh, Montana Judicial Standards Commission, Montana NOW, Montana Supreme Court, national organization for women, Pennsylvania NOW, racism, rape case, rape culture, sexism, Stacey Rambold, victim-blaming, violence against women	8 Comments
MLK Jr. and his "Family Planning — A Special and Urgent Concern" Speech
Access to Abortion Services is Part of Reproductive Justice and Civil Rights (http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/)
This morning, the Greater Grand Rapids chapter of the National Organization posted a blog in honor of Martin Luther King's birthday. His birthday is actually on January 15. But we celebrate it with a federal holiday on the Monday following January 15 each year. Their blog focuses on Dr. King's strong support for reproductive justice as part of women's basic civil rights. Take a moment and read what they have to say. Meanwhile, here's something you might not know about Dr. King. Dr. King wrote a speech honoring Margaret Sanger in 1966. Sanger was the founder of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PP). Dr. King's speech on reproductive justice was written in response to being awarded one of the four first Margaret Sanger Awards given by PP. Since he was in jail at the time of the presentation, Coretta Scott King read his acceptance speech. King entitled this speech,
Family Planning — A Special and Urgent Concern
Here's what he said on family planning and its link to civil rights:
…. There is a striking kinship between our movement and Margaret Sanger's early efforts. She, like we, saw the horrifying conditions of ghetto life. Like we, she knew that all of society is poisoned by cancerous slums. Like we, she was a direct actionist — a nonviolent resister. She was willing to accept scorn and abuse until the truth she saw was revealed to the millions. At the turn of the century she went into the slums and set up a birth control clinic, and for this deed she went to jail because she was violating an unjust law. Yet the years have justified her actions. She launched a movement which is obeying a higher law to preserve human life under humane conditions. Margaret Sanger had to commit what was then called a crime in order to enrich humanity, and today we honor her courage and vision; for without them there would have been no beginning. Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by nonviolent direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her. Negroes have no mere academic nor ordinary interest in family planning. They have a special and urgent concern….
[O]ne element in stabilizing his [sic] life would be an understanding of and easy access to the means to develop a family related in size to his community environment and to the income potential he can command.
This is not to suggest that the Negro will solve all his problems through Planned Parenthood. His problems are far more complex, encompassing economic security, education, freedom from discrimination, decent housing and access to culture. Yet if family planning is sensible it can facilitate or at least not be an obstacle to the solution of the many profound problems that plague him….
Some commentators point out that with present birth rates it will not be long before Negroes are a majority in many of the major cities of the nation. As a consequence, they can be expected to take political control, and many people are apprehensive at this prospect. Negroes do not seek political control by this means. They seek only what they are entitled to and do not wish for domination purchased at the cost of human misery. Negroes were once bred by slave owners to be sold as merchandise. They do not welcome any solution which involves population breeding as a weapon. They are instinctively sympathetic to all who offer methods that will improve their lives and offer them fair opportunity to develop and advance as all other people in our society.
For these reasons we are natural allies of those who seek to inject any form of planning in our society that enriches life and guarantees the right to exist in freedom and dignity….
African-American, Asian-American, birth control, Black History, Blacks, Civil Rights, Contraception, Coretta Scott King, Family Planning, Greater Grand Rapids Area NOW, Margaret Sanger, Martin Luther King Jr., People of Color, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Poverty, Reproductive Justice, Slavery, Women's History	Civil Rights, Family Planning, Greater Grand Rapids NOW, Margaret Sanger, Martin Luther King, poverty, racism, Reproductive Justice	1 Comment
When Men on the Left Refuse to See Their Sexism
There are two fronts occurring in the War on Women. The first front is combines ALEC (that's the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council—click here for an expose on ALEC) with right-wing legislatures to create bills and laws, among their many attacks, that impinge on women's reproductive justice, economic sustainability, marriage, etc., etc., etc. I have done several blogs on this issue; the most comprehensive one focused on the 20+ years of attacks on women's lives in Pennsylvania. The second front is the use of right-wing rhetoric that uses misogynistic language resulting over time in the oppression of women. This rhetoric includes pejorative words that focus on "lady parts" and statements that either degrade women and their position in society or place them on a paternalistic pedestal where these women need to be "protected." People on both the left and the right—sometimes without awareness—incorporate this rhetoric into their everyday language. Which then feeds into the first front I mentioned: legislating rights away from women.
About a year ago, Muslim Reverie, a blogger who advocates for an "anti-racist, anti-colonial feminism," wrote this blog on how men on the left of the political spectrum refuse to see or acknowledge their sexism. This blog I'm re-posting today focuses on this second front of rhetoric in the war on women. It includes several ideas for thought – use of white privilege; use of misogynistic language without taking into account its effects on women, particularly women of color; and how this rhetoric perpetuates the sexist oppression of women.
Take a moment to read this thought-provoking blog. I think this is a great summary of this second frontal attack on women's lives.
Muslim Reverie
TRIGGER WARNING: This post cites examples of misogynistic language, gender slurs, sexual objectification, and other forms of sexist oppression.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across an article on Vice that was oddly titled, "You're a Pussy If You Think There's a War on Men." It seemed clear that the author, Harry Cheadle, was referring to an awful "reverse sexist" and anti-feminist article about "The War on Men," which asserts that women are to blame for the "dearth of good men" and must "surrender to their nature" while letting "men surrender to theirs." Cheadle writes in defense of feminism and exposes the absurdity of claiming that men are "oppressed" by women. While I agree with his arguments that men need to stop blaming and fearing women, the sexist use of the word "pussy" in his title couldn't be overlooked. After a brief conversation with friends who also found it…
Feminism, Gender Equality, Language, People of Color, Rhetoric, Sexism, War on Women	feminism, pejorative language, rhetoric, sexism, War on Women	1 Comment
March on Washington 50 in 140 Characters
Today I listened to the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington speeches at the "Let Freedom Ring" program held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was broadcast on C-SPAN. Throughout the broadcast, I listened, tweeted, retweeted, and commented on what I was seeing and hearing.
Here is what I heard as well as my thoughts in a series of 140 characters.
Original Tweets:
@BarackObama Fathers, mothers, former prisoners, people of all colors, children, lgbt… They are all marching 4 Freedom & Justice #mow50
@BarackObama Medgar Evans, Cheney, #MLK didn't die in vain. We still require vigilance. We will move forward 4 #CivilRts #jobs #Justice
@BarackObama the flame of justice never died despite the indignities placed on the disenfranchised. They marched. #letfreedomring 4 all #mow50 (Retweeted by @Penny_G during program plus one comment from Richard Punko:@tosti_vasey Amen! We must rekindle that fame and passion and March again. Tyranny of rich, powerful, bigoted conservatives must not prevail)
@BarackObama 5 decades ago today we came together to call for the full promise for all as written in our Declaration of Independence #MOW50
#LetFreedomRing bell from church in Birmingham that was burned in 60s just rung at Lincoln memorial w @BarackObama & King family #MOW50
We must keep justice & freedom alive. #LetFreedomRing for all. Gay straight, men women children, people of color. Rev Bernice King #mow50
Rev Bernice King praises inclusion of women and 3 current/former Presidents on #mow50. Didn't happen 50 years ago.
@billclinton We need to stop complaining about Congress gridlock & (in summary) go for jobs, justice, peace, & environmental safety. #mow50@billclinton in the shadow of Lincoln's statue, we still need to walk against the racial divide to change America to #LetFreedomRing #mow50
We know how #mlk would have reacted to recent cutting of #votingrights, #immigration, etc.
@JimmyCarter thanks #MLK 4 #civilrights. In 40′ & 50's I saw black schools without building cause my community wouldn't provide buses #mow50
@BarackObama, @JimmyCarter, @billclinton, & Michele Obama on #mow50 stage w #mlkfamily & Rep. Lewis Big leadership change from 50 yrs ago.
@Oprah as we reaffirm our support of #MLKDream, we too can be a "drum major" for #Justice. Bells will toll @ 3:00 to #LetFreedomRing forever
Lynda Johnson Robb: my father pushed 4 the 64 Civil Rights Act, 65 Voting Rights Act, & 67 Fair Housing Act he heart #civilrights #MOW50
@revalsharpton "we will beat the James Crow, Jr Esq" program of voter suppression, stand your ground, etc. #MOW50 #Racism
Sign seen @ #mow50 "We March for jobs, justice, & peace." Still true 50 years after #MLKDream speech. Everyone join in!
Delores Huerta si se puede if you go back to your community and bring all to the fight for justice. #mow50 #Women #CivilRts #lgbt, etc.
Alan van Capalle "The ark of justice won't bend for all without your work & help." #MOW50
@repdonnaedwards we must raise our voices for voting rights, ending violence, etc. What rights & fights will u raise your voice? #mlkdream
Modified Tweets and Comments:
Right on! MT @civilrightsorg so says @BarackObama: "We were told that growing inequality is the cost of prosperity." #mow50 #endpoverty
MT @blackvoices: "The men & women who gathered 50 years ago weren't here seeking some abstract goal, they were seeking jobs" Obama Still are
#Jobs #Justice MT @HalfinTen Don't Forget: Organizers of original #mow called 4 min. wage of > $13 in 2013 dollars #raisethewage #mlkdream50
We must fight back. RT @p_majority RT @repjohnlewis: To those who have said, "Be patient and wait," we must say that we cannot be patient. (Retweeted by @p_majority during program)
As part of #jobs, #justice & #peace… RT @NationalNOW We need a living wage! thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/0… Via @thinkprogress #MOW50
Absolutely! @repdonnaedwards u go girl! RT @NCJW "We must lift our voices for just wages" Rep Donna Edwards #mow50
Retweets:
RT @thecyclemsnbc The President reminds us: the measure of progress isn't how many blacks join the ranks of millionaires, but how many join the middle class.
RT @Jenalenglish Pleased to hear Obama addressing poverty in the context of freedom. Because there is no liberty without livelihood. #MOW50
RT @LAKane H/T to @billclinton: "A great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon." thkpr.gs/18liNa0 #dreamday (Retweeted by @JCWPolitics during program plus Comment after program ended by @LAKand: @JCWPolitics @tosti_vasey, thanks for the RT!)
RT @whitehouse President Obama: "Because they marched, a Civil Rights law was passed. Because they marched, a Voting Rights law was signed." #MLKDream50
RT @EdgeofSports "Our only hope today lies in recapturing the revolutionary spirit declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism." – MLK
RT @chucktodd The 3 presidents speaking, representing 3 generations/experiences on issue of race. Carter born in 20s, Clinton in the 40s, Obama in the 60s
RT @GabrielaRM "We may have come here in different ships, but we're all in the same boat now," Rep. John Lewis #AdvancingTheDream #MOW2013
RT @SDACLU 50 years later… those signs that say white and colored are gone… but there are still invisible signs. @repjohnlewis #endracialprofiling
RT @OccupyWallSt One of the goals of the March on Washington was a $2 minimum wage. In 2013 dollars, that would be $15.34 #MLK… fb.me/1tmtAW09l
RT @NAACP Congressman @repjohnlewis: We have come a long way in 50 years, but we have a long way to go before we can fulfill King's dream. #MOW50
RT @ply_25 "Justice delayed is justice denied"— THANK YOU, Ellie Smeal, @FemMajority! #herstorymow50
RT @MSNBC President Obama will deliver remarks at 2:45pmET at #MOW50. Tune into @msnbc for special coverage: onmsnbc.co/fweR3M #AdvancingTheDream (note: It was actually just after 3 pm when President Obama spoke)
RT @NAACP Caroline Kennedy: It is our turn to live up to the dreams of the last generation and work together for a better world. #MOW50
RT @feministteacher In 1963 there were 4 African Americans in Congress; today there are 44. #dreamday #MoW50
RT @politico Today in 1963, in preparation for the March on Washington, the Pentagon readied 19,000 troops in the suburbs. More: politi.co/15jjY82
RT @WomenInTheArts "We must ensure that the story of women in the movement is told" #MarchonWashington ow.ly/olE0L #linkatlunch @msmagazine
RT @civilrightsorg We are far from justice when an #LGBTQ person can be fired just for who they are! Support #ENDA – employment nondiscrimination act! #MOW50
RT @HalfinTen .@MartinLutherK True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice #talkpoverty #action4thedream #MLKDream50
RT @jbouie If "race agitator" was the "race hustler" of the 1960s, I'm pretty sure every civil rights leader at the time would have been called one.
African-American, Alan van Capalle, Blacks, Caroline Kennedy, Civil Rights, Declaration of Independence, Delores Huerta, Eleanor Smeal, Fair Housing Act, History, James Earl Cheney, Jobs, Justice, Lynda Johnson Robb, Medgar Evers, Oprah Winfrey, Peace, People of Color, President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, President Jimmy Carter, Racism, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Bernice King (daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.), Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Segregation, Title VII-Civil Rights Act of 1964, Twitter, Voting Rights, Voting Rights Act	Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Black History, Civil Rights, current-events, Jimmy Carter, Let Freedom Ring, March on Washington, Martin Luther King, medgar evans, occupy-wall-street, politics, rev bernice king, Voting Rights, washington speeches, Women's History	1 Comment
Let's Strengthen, Not Weaken Social Security
Social Security. It's been around for 78 years. It's a benefit that everyone (and their family members) who has worked in the United States is eligible to receive. You pay into the system when you are working and then when you retire or become disabled, you, your spouse, and your dependent children receive monthly benefits based on you earned income history. Currently almost 58 million Americans receive $816 billion annually in Social Security benefits. Most (70%) are retirees and their family members. The rest are either disabled (19%) or are survivors (11%) of a deceased spouse or parent who would have otherwise qualified for Social Security. We all like, expect, and will, if not already, depend upon Social Security to sustain our financial well-being and independence.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Supported Social Security
Yet it is under attack. And has been for almost a decade. Until 2005, both political parties fully supported Social Security. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a letter to his brother Edgar on November 8, 1954 said:
Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.
This was right after he responded to a letter to a constituent shortly after signing a bill into law expanding Social Security. In that letter dated September 30, 1954, President Eisenhower said:
The actual fact is that by and large the productivity of a national economy must [emphasis added], at any given time, support the people then living in the nation. This means that, roughly, the people from twenty to sixty bear the burden of supporting themselves, and in addition, support those from birth to twenty years of age, and those from sixty to eighty.
The Three-Legged Stool
At that point in our history, both sides of the aisle fully supported the idea of Social Security as the third leg of the financial stool (the other two legs being pensions and savings).
Over the years fewer and fewer people have had employment that contained a defined benefit pension. And fewer people have retirement savings. People need all three legs. With the other two legs being cut or chipped away at, Social Security remains potentially their only source of income should they retire or become disabled.
The Bush Administration Starts the Attacks on Social Security
The attacks on Social Security really started hard and heavy in 2005 when then President George W. Bush called for the privatization of Social Security and a redesign of Medicare that created the so-called "doughnut hole." I first started working on this issue that year, organizing a protest rally on the Penn State University-University Park Campus when Bush came to town to try to tell the Future Farmers of America that Social Security was a lost cause.
Over 500 people were at that protest. Holding up signs like:
Bush is Wrong! Ike was Right! Hands Off My Social Security: 2005 Rally at Penn State University Protesting the Privatization of Social Security
Hands Off My Social Security
Bush is WRONG!
Ike was RIGHT!
2005 Rally at Penn State University Protesting the Privatization of Social Security
No! No! No Social Security Privatization Fiddle and
Don't Gamble with Our Future: 2005 Rally at Penn State University Protesting the Privatization of Social Security
Social Security: Don't Gamble with OUR Future (referring to privatizing and placing Social Security payments in the volatile stock market).
Organizations and individuals fought back and Social Security was not privatized but Medicare was compromised when the prescription drug benefits (Part D) were written into law in 2006. This hole forces individuals on Medicare in 2013 to pay 100% of their drug costs once you reach their Medicare Part D plan's initial coverage limit of $2,970 and ends when you spend a total of $4,750.
This was the opening gambit to destroy Social Security. These attacks are continuing to this day. Now it is the Tea Party Republicans who are doing the attacking. And if they succeed, women and people of color in particular will pay the penalty.
The Seven Principals to Strengthen Social Security
Rather than decimate our safety net that we all paid for and for which we are due, we should be strengthening rather than weakening Social Security. According to StrengthenSocialSecurity.org – a coalition of over 300 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans, there are seven principles to fully support and strengthen our Social Security system:
Social Security did not cause the federal deficit; its benefits should not be cut to reduce the deficit. And anyone who tells you Social Security is going broke is either misinformed or deliberately trying to mislead. The Social Security Trust Fund is viable through 2033.
Social Security should not be privatized in whole or in part. Unlike Wall St. and the stock market, Social Security is a reliable, risk free source of income. These benefits are guaranteed every month and are adjusted to the rise in the cost of living.
Social Security should not be means-tested.
Congress should act in the coming few years to close Social Security's funding gap by requiring those who are most able to afford it to pay somewhat more. This means that the cap on payment into Social Security should be lifted for higher income individuals.
Social Security's retirement age, already scheduled to increase from 65 to 67, should not be raised further. Increasing the retirement age disproportionately affects low-income women. The life expectancy for low-income women has decreased over the last 25 years and they are more likely to have jobs that compromise their health. Increasing the retirement age would amount to a 15% benefit cut for low-income women workers.
Social Security's benefits should not be reduced, including [benefit-reducing] changes to the COLA or the benefit formula. Republican leaders want to impose a less accurate COLA formula – the chained-CPI. The current COLA (Cost of Living Alliance) formula is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which estimates the price of stuff we need (like food) changes over time. The chained-CPI assumes that when the prices of something goes up, people will automatically replace it for something cheaper (e.g., beef would be substituted with chicken and maybe even eventually with dog food); therefore the COLA can be calculated at a lower rising level. That con only work for the short-term since in some cases (e.g., health care) there are no substitutes and for others (e.g., the food example), people either can't or won't go that far without compromising their lives. Over a 30-year retirement, that means that a person would be losing a full month's worth of Social Security every year. For senior women who often don't have extra savings or a pension, the gap between their regular expenses and what would be covered over time under a chained-CPI would be disastrous.
Social Security's benefits should be increased for those who are most disadvantaged. This would include low-income workers, LGBTQ families in states that don't recognize same-sex marriages, college students whose working parent has died, and people who have to drop out of the workforce to provide caregiving to their family members.
Increasing the Benefits for the Most Disadvantaged
I'd like to look at this last principle in more depth by focusing on women and Social Security because women make up the combined majority of people in these four groups. So, why should benefits for these four groups be increased?
Low Income Workers
Low Income workers are disproportionately made up of women and people of color. Living hand to mouth, this group of working-age people have little ability to build up any retirement savings. So one leg of the stool is cut very short. And unlike high-income workers who worked at a company with full benefits, they are less likely to have any retirement pension at all. The second leg is also cut very short. As a result, nearly 80% of a low-income worker's retirement income is made up entirely of Social Security benefits. And because of the cutbacks in Medicare with the aforementioned doughnut hole, this group of retired people – mostly women who live longer – are further squeezed. This group of retirees, rather than having their livelihood threatened by a chained-CPI reduction should, instead have and enhanced benefit by creating a Special Minimum amount of Social Security benefits for lifetime low-income earners.
In 2012, the National Organization for Women Foundation, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and the Institute for Women's Policy Research released a report called "Breaking the Social Security Glass Ceiling: A Proposal on How to Modernize Women's Benefits." This report presents a proposal to enhance this baseline level of Social Security benefits for low-income workers. They suggest improving the Special Minimum Benefit by:
Increasing the benefit to equal 150 percent of the aged poverty level for workers with 30 years of credit;
Reducing the wages required to receive a year of credit toward the minimum benefit to the amount required for four Social Security credits;
Indexing future increases in the minimum benefit to growth in wages rather than the CPI;
Providing up to ten family service years of credit toward the computation of the benefit; and
Increasing the Supplemental Security Income (aka SSI) general income exclusion to $100 and adjust it in future years for inflation.
LGBTQ Families
In June, the US Supreme Court, in a case known as United States v. Windsor, overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act. They declared that committed same-sex couples who have had their relationships legally recognized as marriage must receive all of the federal benefits, including Social Security, associated with legally-recognized marriages.
Same-sex couples, who live in states that don't recognize their marriages, however are currently out of luck. In the 37 states without marriage equality, same-sex couples and their families are considered legal strangers. A same-sex household with one wage earner forfeits $675 monthly, the equivalent of two months' worth of groceries for two people.
The Glass Ceiling report makes the following proposal to address continuing discrimination in these 37 states that don't recognize same-sex marriages:
Amend the Social Security Act to define "wife," and "husband" so that they no longer rely on gender-specific pronouns;
Provide eligibility to spousal benefits to individuals who are members of same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships, civil unions, or any other such relationship as the states, by law, may prescribe;
Extend to the children of these relationships, benefits under the same terms and conditions as children of heterosexual couples; and
Directly address the issue of disparate state-based DOMA laws by declaring that all federal family eligibility determinations under Social Security be exempted from the provisions of state-based Defense of Marriage Acts.
College Students and their Parents
Up until 1981, students attending college whose working parent had died, become disabled, or retired were eligible for Social Security benefits under their parent's Social Security until they reached the age of 22. That year, all post-secondary benefits were eliminated. Most of the recipients of this benefit were disproportionately children of parents in blue-collar jobs, African-Americans, and those with lower incomes than other college students. As a result of this change in the law, single parents—again most often women—would often defer saving funds for their own retirement in order to assist their kids through college. This decision results either in a a lower level of retirement funds for his/her parent(s) and/or a reduced likelihood of the student attending college if the parent and child are unable to fund the student's post-secondary education.
The Glass Ceiling report makes the following proposal to address this issue:
Reinstate benefits for children of disabled or deceased workers until age 22 when the child is attending a college or vocational school on a full-time basis.
In addition to the disparity in pay between men and women, one of the main reasons women's Social Security benefits are lower on average than that of men is that they are more likely to take time off from work to care for children or elderly and sick adult family members (spouses, parents, in-laws, and other family members). The Social Security Administration uses a calculation known as the "average Indexed Monthly earnings primary insurance amount" (aIMe PIa) to calculate the benefit levels of all beneficiaries. Because of the way that the Social Security Administration calculates the benefit level, any temporary interruption in one's income can significantly reduce how much Social Security a person can receive.
This affects single women as well as married women since both can and do have children and do have other family members that may need some care. Currently the only way to compensate for this care-giving duty is to provide the caregiver a spousal add-on benefit. This unfair treatment of caregivers in the Social Security formula needs to be changed so that we can continue to care for our family members without jeopardizing the financial security of the caregiver. The Glass Ceiling report also addresses this issue by recommending a change in the way the aIMe PIa is calculated:
Compute the AIME PIA by imputing an annual wage for each family service year so that total earnings for the year would equal 50 percent of that year's average annual wage index. Family service years would be those in which an individual provides care to children under the age of six or to elderly or disabled family members. Up to five family service years could be granted to any worker.
These Improvements are Affordable: With Some Changes
We can pay for these improvements, and simultaneously ensure the solvency of our Social Security system for 75 years or more. Changes to how Social Security could be funded are well-known. We just need to do it! The funds for these changes are available IF we:
Remove the cap on wages subject to the Social Security payroll tax. Rather than capping employee, employers, and the self-employed person's payroll taxes on the first $113,700 of income, the law should be changed to entirely remove this cap and require millionaires and billionaires to pay the same rate as the rest of us. This one change would provide most of the needed resources. According to Virginia Reno and Joni Lavery of the National Academy of Social Insurance, "this option [by itself] would eliminate much of Social Security's current actuarial deficit by producing revenue equal to about 2.17 percent of taxable payroll."
Slowly increase the Social Security contribution rate by 1/20 of one percent over the next 20 years. This option, according to Reno and Lavery "would provide revenue equal to 1.34 percent of taxable payroll."
Treat all salary deductions like 401(K) plans. Currently we pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on any retirement plan, such as a 401(K), a 403(b), or a 527 plan. We do not pay these taxes on that portion of our salary we put aside to pay for any flexible spending account, such as a medical savings account. If we were to treat and tax flexible spending accounts just like our retirement plans, Reno and Lavery report that we would provide an about an additional 0.48 percent of taxable payroll.
These three changes amount to 3.99% of payroll taxes and would fully close the current actuarial deficit (2.67 percent of payroll) according to Reno and Lavery. The additional 1.32% would fund the proposals to strengthen Social Security as recommended in the Glass Ceiling report without hurting women, people of color, LGBTQ people, caregivers, college student, and low-income families.
The funds are there. Let's make it happen. Let's strengthen, not weaken Social Security for everyone.
Aging, Caregiving, Discrimination, Economic Justice, Employment, Gay Marriage, IWPR (Institute for Women's Policy Research), LGBTQ, Marriage Equality, Medicare, National Committee to Perserve Social Security and Medicare, NOW Foundation (National Organization for Women), Penn State University, Pensions, People of Color, Protests, Retirement, Same-Sex Marriage, Senior Citizens, Social Security, Taxes, Tea Party, United States v Windsor, US Supreme Court, Women's Equality	#ssbdaybash, blog carnival, caregivers, Chained CPI, defense of marriage act, DOMA, Economic Justice, people of color, politics, poverty, same-sex marriage, Social Security, students	3 Comments