The effects of COVID-19 on voters registration

October 02, 2020 by sashana kinghorn

Voting is a major aspect of this country's success and plays a role in our survival. COVID-19 was unexpected, it changed our lives a tremendous amount; it changed our school systems, our work lives and altered the way we live our daily lives and routines. The major change it brought upon us is the election process. Everyone, including the youth, the young adults, we should learn and understand the importance of voting, the process, the goals and the effects. These reports were written by members of the Trellis team, they are written based on their thoughts after attending a zoom call on Voters Outreach.

Within this week's meeting, It has been stated between my colleagues and I that earlier in June, it had seemed that politics played a superior role in the lives of many citizens within the U.S. It was very evident that many republicans within the U.S. had taken actions to make sure people have tremendous difficulty conducting voting in their areas. Many people have had their ideals suppressed as elections come closer, leading to not many people having any motivation to take part in their own community. It's as if they are purposeful. Additionally, the republicans overall, had weaponized a global pandemic in their favor to make sure people go through the hassle of voting and lose their motive within their community.

The spring election had been planned for many voters to take action and vote at around April 7th. People tried organizing for a change in the poll results of 22,000 people voting for Trump within 2016 in Wisconsin. However, in order for this to succeed and make sure Trump does not win the election, the people within inner communities down in Wisconsin, had traveled around to reach out to non voters and influence them. They conveyed how important it was to have extra people to vote and change the tides of however the election is predicted to go. Because of this, there has been a spike in urgency for people influencing others to take the privilege to vote and grow a base for voters that can help create a right decision in an election. Also within the meeting, it was stated that in due time, even the pandemic had played a role in suppressing many people to exercise their own right to vote because Poll workers had opted out of working in voting areas, causing them to close in certain states. Not only that, but the president had even tried to place limits into mail voting(a countermeasure to make it easier for people to vote and be safe from COVID-19). This overall made it nearly impossible for people to even consider voting in their areas across the U.S.

All in all, it had seemed that even now, there are small groups trying to over all expand the process of voting by influencing many non voters who have never planned to go to ballots. This allowed for more communities to overcome the feeling of oppression by other republicans who believe they shouldn't have their voices heard. Activists who urge for others to vote have even gone through the process of adapting and using the snowball effect to get many local student leaders of age to learn the absentee ballots as well as the small process for registering to vote in their area. Hence, In order to prevent further notions of republicans suppressing the thought and easy process of voting from regular citizens, advocates of free for all voting should put more effort into reaching out to communities and urging others to exercise their right to vote and change tides by election time.

—By: Gbenga Akinrosoye

This meeting we talked about the election and tried to help people vote through different means. They also had a lot of zoom calls to get together to discuss and reach out to voters. Some people even went out during COVID when it was at its highest and voted. There was a debate on whether people who have voted during COVID made any impact. Some people believed they were courageous. Some even believed that what they did didn’t matter and had a little effect on the election. Others also said that what they did was dangerous and uncalled for and that they shouldn’t have gone out during the height of COVID because they could have placed others at risk of catching the corona virus. We also talked about the youth interrogation bill for New York State also about The closing of Rikers Island and also prisons coming to Brooklyn. In each borough there is a group, before I didn’t really know this. Bronx connect is a part of that and they watch over the neighborhood. There is a similar group like that for the other four boroughs. Voters would usually stand in line close to each other, handling ballots and using touch screens to make for a community transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Election officials are giving full attention to deal with this. This includes reviewing their state’s continuity of government constitutional provisions. The goal is to address legal questions around running elections while also decreasing the potential for spreading the virus.

—By: Raphael Moreau

Community Organizing-- Voting and People's First Language

September 18, 2020 by sashana kinghorn

Finding a group or someone to advocate for you and your community can sometimes be a long and hard process. Every community deserves someone or a group to advocate for them, the majority of our communities are left unrepresented. Some students recently learnt about such advocacy and person-first language. After discussing such topics in a zoom meeting, some members of the crew expressed their thoughts.

During this zoom call we talked about voting and people's first language. People's first language is a type of language distinction which puts a person before a diagnosis, describing what a person has rather than asserting what a person is. It is intended to avoid marginalization or dehumanization when discussing people with a chronic illness or disability. Now it's used for those who have been incarcerated. We also talked about advocacy. Advocacy is public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy. Then we talk about community organizing. Community organizing is a process where people who live close to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self interest. We then talked about faith-based community organizing. We then started to watch a video about people's first language testimony. The video basically talked about not discriminating against people with disability or people with a felon. During the video there was someone who had a felon and then she always had a positive mindset and she chose never to give up. I really like that. We then start to watch a video (revolt TV voting panel). During the video it talks about the problem with the election and the problem in our society. They also talk about why it is important to vote. We had people on the Democrat and Republican side speak about their ideas and the problems that are going on in the country. This was very interesting to watch because both sides had compelling arguments.

—Gabriel Moreau

This meeting was about social change and key terms such as People first language, Advocacy and community organizing. Community organizing involves things like marches and rallies. In people's first language we watched a video of a former felon talking about her experience and how people should change the way they address and discuss people. Another lady talked about how her son's father was incarcerated and how hard it was for him when he came home from prison. We also talked about faith based advocacy which is a type of advocacy that hosts a faith. We were also asked to do work with community mobilization. We then watched a video where they talked about politics and about converting cultural power to political power. They also started talking about oppression and standing up for young people. There were also speeches on black political history in America, they also talked about statistics and how black children who don’t grow up with their fathers are more likely to end up in prison and are also more likely to end up in jail than black families who do have fathers in their lives. I could also relate this to a book called The five forms of oppression which are also referred to as classes of domination. These five are racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia and feminism. According to page 40 “ Oppression refers to a structural phenomenon that immobilizes or diminishes a group .” I believe that all of the groups affected by this are oppressed and there are many social groups who fight to change that .

—Raphael Moreau

Life as a Teen in Brooklyn in the midst of COVID - Part Two

September 17, 2020 by Zac Martin

School started this week for students in NYC. Many will continue to work remotely, some will be at school a few days a week but one thing is for sure, nothing is normal or stable. As COVID continues to make life different and difficult, teenagers in the city have had to take on new responsibilities, go without many blessings and learn to deal with life in new ways. Some of our Trellis Crew recently shared what their life has looked like these days in the midst of the Coronavirus

The significance of voting

September 10, 2020 by sashana kinghorn

Everyone who’s eligible to vote should be educated, mainly those who are new to the political world. Members of the Trellis crew had the opportunity to join a zoom call regarding our current voting situation. They wrote these based on what they learned and their thoughts on the future election.

During this zoom call we talk about voting. We then talked about how you can register to vote and why it is important. They gave us a link and some other stuff but since I am 17, I won't be able to vote. We also started talking about the election and who we have as options. We talked about the possibility of Trump trying to do something to mess up the election. Someone said that there was a discovery on Facebook of Russian Bots having an ad campaign or something similar to that. People are saying the election is not going to be reliable and that it could be rigged. Another person said, “either choice was bad because Biden isn't really that good and Trump was just terrible so he said either way the election was going to turn out bad.” We then started to talk about why people don't vote. People feel like their voices don't matter. We then proceeded to conversate about Chadwick Boseman. We then played his speech that he gave at Howard; he talked about his life and the challenges that he faces in his career. I liked the part when he was talking about one of his roles on a TV show. He asks one of the producer's why his character was portrayed in a bad way. Since he decided to speak out against that he was fired from that role. This goes to show that he was a great person and he would do anything for what is right no matter the cost.

—By: Gabriel Moreau

In yesterday’s meeting, we had a discussion that explained the significance of having registration for voting. It was also stated how much benefits and changes that could come about once people register to vote and take part in the very common elections in the U.S. Not only that but, we have additionally stated how having the right to vote could overall help a citizen.

Voting is basically an act or method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, in order to make a collective decision or express an opinion. These have been mostly seen throughout history in the stance of discussion, debate, or election campaigns. The system of voting is only present in countries that have democracy and freedom speech. Min.OnleiLove has explained to us the process of how voting occurs in different ways. The formalist way of voting is the ballot to elect others for certain positions within a workplace. The other way of voting is informal such as spoken agreement and or verbal gesture. The importance behind voting is mainly that within our history, many people had dogs chase them, and were even hosed down by many people oppressed by change, just so that they couldn't bring about the ratification of prohibiting the racial discriminations of voting. Many people had died while seeking an end to racial discrimination, and the right to vote regardless of color differentiation from the other white American.

To conclude, in our modern society, it is important we take the chance to actually push ourselves to vote within our country. The past and history within this country has already been unraveled and shown how much movements and protests were made to allow for voting to not be discriminative based on both race and gender. Using the ability to vote could allow for us to put the right people in office as President, Vice President, Governor, House representative, Council members, and our congress people. Hence, If more citizens within America can take their time to register for their power to vote, it could allow for us to advance and take advantage of our rights, and bring change for any social justice movement that we fight for.

—By: Gbenga Akinrosoye

We talked about registration for voting . We also learned about the importance of voting and why we should vote . We also talked about the black panther . He talked about his experience at Howard university and how even in college his social status , grades and how he acted didn't truly define him . And that it doesn't define who you will be . He talked about stereotypes at his job as an actor and how he had to play scenes as a child who doesn't have a father and how his mom is on drugs . The overall message was standing up for his principles and advocating himself. Chadwick Boseman . also talked about his first television role in 2003, in an episode of Third Watch. That same year, Boseman portrayed Reggie Montgomery in the daytime soap opera All My Children but stated that he was fired after voicing concerns to producers about racist stereotypes in the script . In the future he played the Black Panther. Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, which eventually progressed to stage IV before 2020. He had never spoken publicly about his cancer diagnosis. During treatment he had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, he also continued to work and completed production for several films, including Marshall, Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and others. Boseman died at his home as a result of complications related to colon cancer on August 28, 2020, with his wife and family by his side. This is also pretty crazy to me because I was watching his last film which was the Avenger end game when I found out he died.

—By: Raphael Moreau

Allegations of wrongdoing

August 31, 2020 by sashana kinghorn

False Accusations and interrogations are very serious situations that many people in today's society have often experienced more than once. These accusations will always be considered unless further proven true with evidence and facts behind it. These are situations that are rarely spoken about or fought to be solved.

False Accusation

In our previous stay woke meeting, not only did we discuss the full purpose and effect of Power mapping but we had also discussed the troubles of false accusation. False Accusation is a very serious situation many people of today's generations have often experienced more than once. The very concept behind a “False Accusation” is a claim or allegation of wrongdoing that is seen as completely untrue to the perpetrator. These accusations will always be considered unless further proven true with evidence and facts behind it. These false accusations have been seen as great difficulties, jeopardizing many individuals' reputations as well as their future after being put into strenuous and pressuring situations. Many people from our meeting had shared a brief Storytime of being falsely accused of certain crimes and or actions. A majority of their stories had included the police as the ones who had accused them for conducting the crimes stated, for example, one colleague had stated that she was pulled over and from the police eyes, they were suspected that she took part in “grand theft auto” because her license plate seemed to have been either crooked or wasn't claimed to be hers. This made the car seem as if it were stolen. This led to a serious verbal dispute between the police officers that pulled her over to the side. Not only that, but another colleague had explained that through race and preconception, he was falsely accused of a crime in his previous years, and had missed out a lot on certain events after he was wrongfully arrested for actions he has not committed for over a year. It was difficult to prove himself as innocent when placed under that situation. It was deemed evident that many police officers of modern society have been making accusations, solely based on race and age which is unfair. This could lead to long term effects of destroying the reputation and records of the many innocent youth within the U.S, causing them to face more obstacles when aiming for their career goals and college acceptance. As the meeting came to a conclusion, we believe that power mapping could actually help to reduce the amount of false accusation being consistently placed onto minorities and young people. With good relationships and networking, it could be used to prompt a social change that reduces the unnecessary accusations being placed on many people of modern society. The inaccurate claims to crimes that were not committed by the “perpetrator” can ruin a person's life and aspirations as it could possibly lead to an uncalled for arrest with no evidence behind it. Hence, the entire concept of these accusations are both unfair and unjust for the people within the U.S. The use of movements by social advocates of change and power mapping could allow for this to be prevented before it escalates any further than it needs to.

False Interrogation

False interrogations are often regarded within our modern society as “false confessions”. As discussed in our previous stay woke meeting with many of our colleagues including Ms. Jasmine and Min. Onleilove Alston, it was confirmed that many police officers and law enforcers use this tactic on a daily basis in whichever way pleases them when encountering an alleged suspect. The entire concept of this form of policing, involves persuasion and mental/psychological factors to influence those being interrogated. False interrogations can be unjust and are consistently occurring within our community, and in numerous cases it is mostly used on people of color as well as teens which can lead to an unfair conviction for random crimes. Within our meeting, one guest speaker from RTG had given us a brief description of what exactly a false interrogation/false confession is and how he handled it in his first encounter. Firstly, it's actually depicted as persuaded false confession which occur as police or law enforcers are to use interrogation tactics to cause an innocent suspect to “doubt his memory” and cause the person to become temporarily persuaded. This persuasion would cause the person being interrogated to believe he’s most likely the one who has committed the crime. These are seen as psychological methods of causing innocent people to believe they had played a big role within crimes they never even knew any information about. The guest speaker from the RTG program in our meeting had explained that he once had a share in the stressful experience. He stated that they use these psychological methods to cause him to be held accountable for certain crimes during his time in high school. “The experience itself already felt unjust the moment they fed words into my mouth to develop a false confession when there was no actual proof of me taking part of that action”. This quote significantly notes that police persuasion and their psychological tactics allows their power to unjustly convict innocent civilians of actions they showed no evidence of taking part in through the uncalled for accusations and intense interrogations. Also, this led to him being unfairly taken into police custody for further investigation. Additionally, this method itself demonstrates corruption of police abusing their powers onto young minorities within our communities for their own benefit. This can be deemed as wrongful conviction as well. To conclude, the entire concept of police officers and other law enforcers using this tactic is completely unjust and unfair to many people within our communities. This is completely unnecessary as it takes away the future and freedom of many innocent civilians and is considered common in minority populated places in our city. By supporting advocates that make it a priority to use power mapping to reduce the percentage of false interrogation taking place in our community, I confidently believe it would be possible to help reform the many unjust and unfair tactics that police of our modern society constantly implements itself.

—Gbenga Akinrosoye