Biden faces pressure on policing
WASHINGTON >> When Vice President Kamala Harris was called to the pulpit at the funeral for Tyre Nichols, she said the White House would settle for nothing less than ambitious federal legislation to crack down on police brutality.
“We should not delay. And we will not be denied,” Harris said to applause in Memphis, Tennessee. “It is nonnegotiable.”
Back in Washington, however, progress appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago.
Now, with a new killing in the headlines, Biden and Harris will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday to explore whether it’s possible to get legislation back on track.
“I am working to make sure that we have a clear plan,” said Rep. Steven Horsford, D-nev., who chairs the caucus.
The members of Congress attending the White House meeting with Horsford are Sens. Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker — two of the three Black senators — and Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, Jim Clyburn and Joe Neguse. Horsford remained mum on the agenda they were presenting to Biden, only saying that it was long past time to have a “genuine” conversation about policing in America.
The White House is facing fresh pressure to advance the issue, and even
the public ahead of the arctic blast, which included information encouraging the community to take precautions with their pets.
“No pet should be left outside for long periods of time during below-freezing weather,” police said in the release. “Owners should check their dog’s paws frequently for sign of cold-weather injury, such as cracked paw pads or bleeding.”
Following a walk, owners should also wipe down their pet’s feet, legs and belly to remove chemicals such as deicers or antifreeze.
Townsend Police also recommended people
to reports, the Chuck used publicly was a stuffed one after an animal-rights group objected to how a live one had been
been shut off, and continue to be shut off, and she has applied for a grant for water bottle filling stations.”
In a Dec. 19 letter to parents, guardians and staff, principal Catherine Fiorino wrote that, “Recently I applied for a grant to obtain a new water bottle filling station for the upstairs classrooms. As part of the grant process, the MASSDEPUMASS came to conduct lead testing of our water throughout the building. Samples of water from every tap at our school that could be used for drinking or cooking were collected and sent to the Mass DEPUMASS Expanded Assistance Program (EAP). The water bubblers on the second floor have been shutoff since our last lead testing in 2016, which found high levels of lead in those bubblers.” some political allies are frustrated with what they view as excess caution from Biden.
“I think the president is missing the opportunity to be a historic president when it comes to the social issues that continue to plague our country,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. “That’s what we need.”
Bowman described Biden as “a champion of the status quo in many ways,” and he said Biden needs to be “a champion of a new vision for America.”
The solution, Bowman said, is not “thoughts and prayers, come to the State of the Union after your kid gets killed,” a reference to Nichols’ mother and stepfather being invited to attend next week’s speech.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-pierre told reporters on Wednesday that “we understand there’s a lot more work to do.” She blamed Republicans for blocking progress in Congress.
“The way that we’re going to deal with this issue is to have federal legislation,” Jean-pierre said. “That’s how we’re going to move forward.”
Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he was in touch with the White House last Friday, when video of Nichols’ beating became public, about whether the situation could be a catalyst to “get things moving again.”
His organization, the nation’s largest police union, had participated in previous attempts to reach a bipartisan deal, and Pasco said “we welcome any constructive effort to help us do our jobs better.” The union’s president, Patrick Yoes, has condemned Nichols’ killing and said that “our entire country needs to see justice done — swiftly and surely.”
check underneath their vehicle, bang on the hood and to honk the horn before driving as a way to scare away any cats that may have been drawn to the warmth provided by the vehicle’s engine.
Leaman pointed out the fortunate aspect of the frigid forecast is that it will be short lived.
The NWS forecast shows the wind chills will start to climb late Saturday afternoon. Temperatures are forecast to bounce back above freezing by Sunday, with a high near 42 degrees expected during the day.
Follow Aaron Curtis on Twitter @aselahcurtis
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In personnel news, Lisa Golden, the director of Health and Human Services, announced that Devon Goldberg had started as the new substance abuse coordinator.
“We just put out an offer to the last school health position,” she said. “So hopefully we’ll be up to full staff for school nurses, too.”
Keegan noted that Andres Gonzalez, the syringe collection program coordinator, had picked up 5,000 syringes in the month of January.
“Andres has been very busy,” Golden said. “He’s happy there’s been no snow on the ground.”
The Lowell Board Of Health meets in the Mayor’s Reception Room on the second-floor of City Hall, 375 Merrimack St., at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month.