LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Police deploy pepper spray on adult demonstrators, children at NC march
BY MARINA PITOFSKY - 10/31/20

North Carolina Law enforcement officials deployed pepper spray on demonstrators, including multiple children, who were marching in the state on Saturday to encourage people to vote.

A group of approximately 200 people were marching with a police escort from a local church to Court Square in Graham, N.C. on Saturday, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

Several local officials were also participating in parts of the march and rally calling on voters to cast their ballots.

After marchers held a moment of silence for George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by police earlier this year in Minneapolis, Minn., law enforcement told the group to clear the road.

Deputies from the Alamance County Sheriff's Office and the City of Graham Police Department began using pepper spray on the crowd and arresting demonstrators, the News & Observer reported. Melanie Mitchell told the outlet that her daughters, who are 5- and 11-years-old, were both pepper sprayed.

“My 11-year-old was terrified,” Mitchell said, saying that both of her daughters vomited after coming into contact with the pepper spray.

Police said a Saturday statement that officers "deployed a pepper based vapor onto the ground to assist in the dispersing the crowd. At no time during this event did any member of the Graham Police Department directly spray any participant in the march with chemical irritants."

The crowd allegedly tried to move to a nearby courthouse, but sheriff's deputies sought to take apart their sound system. Deputies and police officers allegedly used pepper spray on the crowd again to move the marchers away from the courthouse.

One woman, Veronica Holman, said her 3-year-old great-nephew also vomited after coming into contact with pepper spray by law enforcement.

A video quickly went viral across social media that showed a woman in a wheelchair reacting to the pepper spray, according to the News & Observer

Later, approximately 100 marchers demonstrated outside of the county jail after at least 12 individuals were arrested at the scene of the demonstration, including a local news reporter.

The march was also billed as a demonstration against police violence.

In a Saturday statement, the Graham Police Department said that marchers did not follow guidelines for holding the demonstration and that organizers did not submit the necessary petition to close roads in the North Carolina city.

The department also defended the use of pepper spray, claiming “[T]he assembly reached a level of conduct that led to the rally being deemed unsafe and unlawful by unified command.”

The incident comes just days before the Nov. 3 election, where former Vice President Joe Biden and President Trump are running a tight race in the critical Tar Heel state, the Democratic nominee holding a marginal lead in most recent polls. d

The Supreme Court this week rejected a bid from the Republican Party to fast-track a case to block mail-in ballot extensions in the state.

Millions of Americans have already cast their ballots through early voting or voting by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic.

David Frum

@davidfrum

Oct 31, 2020

.@natfrum and @beatrice_frum were at this event, recorded the whole thing on video - and were both tear-gassed for being there, @natfrum repeatedly. (He was tear-gassed the first time when he tried to retrieve an elderly woman's wheel chair for her after police tear-gassed her.)

Will Doran

@will_doran

Voters marching to the polls in Alamance County today were turned back after sheriff's deputies pepper-sprayed them 

Alamance is one of the key counties that will likely decide which party controls the state legislature next year #ncpol #ncga https://newsobserver.com/news/local/article246861942.html…

Nat Frum

@natfrum

@SheriffAlamance caused this woman in a wheelchair to have a seizure, then sprayed those who tried to help with tear gas

2:58 PM · Oct 31, 20203.1K

2.8K people are Tweeting about this

A North Carolina town refused to remove Black Lives Matter flags from an early voting site after some complained of 'voter intimidation'

Anti-racism protesters with the Burlington-Alamance March For Justice and Community march in Graham, North Carolina on July 11, 2020. LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images

Town officials in Carrboro, North Carolina, elected to leave Black Lives Matter flags flying at the town hall, which is an early voting site, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

The State Board of Elections had requested officials remove it until after the early voting period ended on Saturday, according to the report.

The chairman of the local Republican Party said he'd received numerous complaints about the flags, which began flying above the town hall in July.

Officials in Carrboro, North Carolina, this week refused a request from the state Board of Elections to remove Black Lives Matter flags flying at the city Town Hall, which is an early voting site.

According to a report from the Raleigh News & Observer, town officials met during a closed-door Zoom meeting on Thursday to discuss a "legal matter," which was later revealed to be about the flags.

"After consulting with the town attorney, the Mayor and Town Council have chosen to leave the flags in place," town spokesperson Catherine Lazorko told the News & Observer.

Waddy Davis, the chairman of the Orange County, North Carolina, Republican Party told the newspaper he'd received approximately 18 written complaints about the four flags and had also fielded verbal complaints about the flags, which the town council unanimously authorized in July, according to the report.

Davis told the News & Observer poll workers had expressed concerns about staffing the early voting site due to the flags.

"Sometimes a voter comes over there and says, 'I'm not comfortable with that,' " Davis said. "'Why aren't they American flags?' "

In a letter to the Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle reported by the News & Observer, State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell requested the flags be removed until after the early voting period, which ends Saturday.

"As Executive Director of the State Board and the state's chief elections official, I take seriously the complaint of any voter who may be offended by the presence of that symbol when exercising their right to vote. I know you, too, care about the sensibilities of all of the voters in Orange County," the letter said.

It continued: "The flags are attached to the front of the one-stop site and therefore could be interpreted as an official endorsement by the board of elections in favor of a particular movement. While these flags may be a supported symbol of the Town of Carrboro, the one-stop early voting site is open to any Orange County voter and therefore the site must provide the opportunity for all voters to exercise their right to vote without intimidation or hindrance."

Bell said the state had received several complaints about the flags.

According to copies of the complaints obtained by ABC 11, people charged that the flags were politically motivated.

"The BLM flags represent the views of one party," one complaint read, according to the outlet. "Will the town council be flying all lives matter flags as well?"

Another complainant said the BLM flags were an example of "voter intimidation at its finest," according to ABC 11. The News & Observer reported that one complaint noted the flags were past a sign that banned electioneering.

Mars Wrigley warehouse workers say they're getting yelled at for washing their hands and wiping down equipment amid an $8 billion boom for candy this Halloween

© Hollis Johnson/Business Insider Inside the battle to get hazard pay at a Mars Wrigley's warehouse. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Workers at an Illinois distribution center for candy maker Mars Wrigley have been demanding the company provide hazard pay and improve safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mars Wrigley produces popular candies like Twix, Skittles, and M&M's. Ahead of this Halloween, the National Confectioners Association reported a 25% increase in chocolate sales.

Michael Samuel, a former worker at the Mars warehouse in Illinois, told Business Insider supervisors reprimanded him for taking extra time to wipe down equipment. Samuel helped get 100 signatures in a petition for safer working conditions before being fired on October 1, he said.

Mars declined to comment on the claims regarding working conditions in its Joliet, Illinois, warehouse because it said the workers are employed by third-party firms XPO Logistics and DHL.

"They are not employed by Mars Incorporated," said Caitlin Kemper, external affairs manager at Mars, regarding Samuel and his colleagues.

DHL refuted "any allegations of unfair labor practices," but declined to comment further due to an ongoing NLRB complaint regarding the Joliet warehouse. XPO Logistics spokesperson Joe Checkler said the company's "primary focus is the health and safety of our employees."

Michael Samuel said he used to spend 10 hours a day, seven days a week loading trucks with popular Halloween candy like Snickers, M&M's, and Twix — until October 1, when he was fired from his job at a Mars Wrigley distribution center.

Samuel, 45, said he joined the Mars distribution center near Chicago in 2017 as a forklift operator, having been hired through the logistics firm DHL.

Samuel was part of a group of workers from the warehouse in Joliet, Illinois, organizing to demand hazard pay and better working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential employees of many large companies have fought for better benefits since the pandemic broke out earlier this year.

As shoppers are set to spend $8 billion on Halloween this year, including 25% more on candy purchases than in recent years, some workers warn of a nightmare within the Mars distribution center.

Samuel said he had been reprimanded by supervisors for taking bathroom breaks to wash his hands and spending extra time wiping down equipment.

© Courtesy of Warehouse Workers for Justice Mars Wrigley workers demonstrate outside company headquarters on September 4. Courtesy of Warehouse Workers for Justice

Because logistics companies DHL and XPO Logistics hired all workers in the Illinois warehouse where Samuel worked, Mars declined to comment on the claims detailed in this story. "They are not employed by Mars Incorporated," said Caitlin Kemper, external affairs manager at Mars. A DHL spokesperson said the firm refutes "any allegations of unfair labor practices," and XPO Logistics spokesperson Joe Checkler said the company's "primary focus is the health and safety of our employees."

But Samuel said after his experience working at the Mars plant, he'll be buying candy from someplace else.

"You cannot find a better worker that was dedicated, came in every day, put my life in danger every day," Samuel told Business Insider. "Candy should not be more important than our lives."
Inside the battle to get hazard pay at a Mars Wrigley warehouse

© Hollis Johnson/Business Insider Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Samuel said problems at the Mars Wrigley warehouse in Joliet began in March.

When the coronavirus pandemic began spreading in the US, the federal government shut down businesses except for those deemed "essential," which included manufacturing plants and transportation operations. Samuel and his colleagues at the distribution center continued to go to work, risking exposure to the virus.

Samuel said he and other workers felt Mars did not do enough to keep them from contracting the virus. He said they initially did not receive masks to wear, and that the company did not offer hazard pay. Samuel said he made $16.30 an hour at the distribution center.

A DHL spokesperson said the company provided $350 to all frontline workers in September 2020. XPO Logistic's Checkler said the company added $2 to the hourly rate for frontline workers at the Joliet warehouse from April 22 to the end of May.

Sandy Moreno and Tommy Carden, representatives for Warehouse Workers for Justice (WWJ), began organizing with Samuel and others at the Mars warehouse in May. Moreno and Carden said DHL told workers to use vacation time to quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 at the warehouse. DHL said there was a "low number" of positive COVID-19 cases in the Joliet warehouse, but did not disclose the total number of cases.

DHL, which has a contract with Mars, employed Samuel and other workers who load and ship candy, per WWJ. But some warehouse employees are employed by XPO Logistics, a transportation company that also has a contract with Mars. Ninety percent of US Fortune 500 companies sought assistance from at least one third-party logistics provider as of 2017, according to supply chain consultancy Armstrong & Associates.

In the past, some large companies that use third-party companies to staff factories and warehouses have distanced themselves from contract workers when facing criticism. After a contractor died making chocolate for Hershey in 2009, for instance, the US federal government didn't cite the large brand for his death because it didn't technically employ him.

Carden said Mars has put responsibility for not meeting safety requirements on DHL and XPO Logistics, even though Samuel and his colleagues performed work for Mars.

"Although Mars can throw up their hands here, they are effectively hiding behind their contractors," Carden said. "This is Mars Wrigley candy going through this warehouse at one of the most critical points in their supply chain, and Mars has the power to stop the retaliation and ensure that the workers' basic demands for safety are met."

WWJ helped Mars workers write a petition addressed to Mars, as well as DHL and XPO Logistics, asking for paid sick leave during mandated COVID-19 quarantine, hazard pay, more protective equipment like masks, and adequate sanitation.

Samuel and some other warehouse workers began circulating the petition addressed to Mars, XPO Logistics, and DHL in May. He helped to get over 100 signatures.

"A lot of people look up to me because I'm a very positive guy," he said. "Once I got the petition moving, people wanted to sign the petition. Because they know if I believe in it, and I'm not scared or worried about it, they're going to follow me."

© Hollis Johnson/Business Insider Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

In mid-July, the group of workers handed the petition to a general manager of DHL who worked with the Joliet plant, but DHL handed the petition back to workers the next day. DHL did not comment on the petition.

The group has since held multiple virtual press conferences and protests outside Mars headquarters. The petition, now open to the public, has more than 2,000 signatures.

Moreno said the company began intimidating workers who were active in circulating the petition. Raise the Floor, a low-wage worker advocacy group in the Chicago area, has filed four complaints with the National Labor Relations Board against XPO Logistics and DHL claiming they retaliated against employees who worked at the Mars warehouse and signed the petition. Neither XPO or DHL commented on the NLRB complaints.

In Samuel's case, he said he was fired. On October 1, after working a 10-hour shift, Samuel said his managers called him into their office to tell him he'd been let go. He was terminated, they told him, for not wearing his mask when talking to another colleague at the warehouse. DHL did not comment on Samuel's termination.

Samuel didn't buy it. "If you review the cameras, I wear my mask every day, all day, for the whole day," he said.

Still, Samuel said he handed in his badge, got his bag, and left in silence.
Mars' sour history with labor issues

The Mars family, America's third-richest family dynasty, has amassed an $89.7 billion fortune. Frank Mars founded the private company, worth around $37 billion according to Forbes, in 1911 selling hand-dipped chocolate from his Tacoma, Washington, kitchen.

Mars's empire expanded in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis with the help of fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, who helped orchestrate a deal that allowed Mars to buy out his stake in Wrigley, the chewing gum maker. Buffett had pocketed $6.5 billion from the deal by 2016

The Mars family is worth an estimated $89.7 billion. Pictured: Jacqueline Mars and granddaughters. Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images

Mars has made billionaires out of a handful of Americans in its 100-year history — but along the way, some people that make the candy said the job wasn't so sweet.

Mars and other US chocolate makers' use of African child labor within the cocoa supply chain created an uproar after a report from the BBC in 2000 documented the use of child slave labor on cocoa farms sourced by Mars and other big US confectioners. After the high profile investigation, Mars vowed to eradicate use of child labor completely.

However, The Washington Post reported in 2019 the company continues to source from farms that use child labor. In general, child labor continues to be an issue in West Africa, as the Department of Labor recently determined the prevalence of child labor and hazardous child labor in the region's cocoa sector has gone up by 14% in the last 10 years.

Mars chairman Stephan Badger told Business Insider's Cadie Thompson in 2018 the company, which has not gone public and has no plans to do so, agreed to become more transparent, in part to address "labor issues" in its supply chain.

"Child labor has no place in the cocoa supply chain which is why Mars Wrigley has committed $1 billion USD as part of its Cocoa for Generations strategy to help fix a broken supply chain," Mars Wrigley said in a statement to Business Insider.

Mars's website lists four actions the company is taking to reduce child labor in its supply chain, including sourcing from plants that implement Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems, or CLMRS. The company also committed to increase access to education for women and children in areas it sources cacao from.

But Charity Ryerson, the executive director and founder of the Corporate Accountability Lab, told Business Insider that tribal leaders and farmers at cacao growing villages in Cote d'Ivoire told her agency they had not been impacted by corporate social programs touted by Mars and other candy makers. Ryerson said Mars does not clearly indicate how many of the farms it sources from have protections against child labor.

"Corporate social responsibility representation should be assessed by impact, and not by commitments or public claims, because that is not actual responsibility," said Ryerson. "That is PR."

Mars workers are planning to spook the company on Halloween

© Courtesy of Warehouse Workers for Justice Mars Wrigley workers hold a press conference on October 27 Courtesy of Warehouse Workers for Justice

Today, the battle to get hazard pay for the Mars distribution center workers continues, but without Samuel leading the charge.

The federal government had proposed federal hazard pay for essential workers in March, but it never materialized as Democrats and Republicans could not reach a consensus on how much to offer.

"These workers are taking on a greater risk for wages that did not incorporate that risk when they were hired," said Pamela Meyerhofe, a post-doctoral researcher at Montana State University who has studied the demographics of COVID-19 frontline workers.

Sophia Zaman, executive director of Raise the Floor, told Business Insider her group is pushing for a statewide just-cause campaign that would make it harder for DHL and other firms to fire workers like Samuel. Montana is currently the only state that demands employers have a "good cause," or proven work-related reason that "disrupts" business operations, before firing, NOLO states.

Zaman said the company should offer hazard pay and additional safety requirements before Halloween, when candy sales boost Mars' bottom line. This year Mars could benefit more than ever, as the National Confectioners Association reported a 25% increase in Halloween chocolate sales in 2020, per The Washington Post.

"We shouldn't be fired for demanding quarantine pay, these are just basic protections and benefits that many of us have and should be in place for a candy company that's owned by the richest family in the world," Zaman said. "In anticipation of their most profitable day of the year, Mars Wrigley certainly has the resources to offer these benefits."

Current and former Mars workers and Warehouse Workers for Justice will host a "Halloween action" on October 31 in front of the company's headquarters in Chicago.

Samuel said he will continue to be a "big voice" outside of Mars by advocating for his former colleagues to get better workplace protections.

But first, Samuel said he's on a much-needed vacation.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A feminist agenda for the new Senate means equality for all
Christian F. Nunes, opinion contributor

If women voters propel a blue wave that puts Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) in the White House, and flips party control of the Senate, the nation's issue agenda will shift dramatically. The Senate that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) turned into a legislative graveyard could be reborn as a proactive chamber that stands for equality and justice for all.

© Greg Nash A feminist agenda for the new Senate means equality for all

Our country's ingrained culture of structural racism and misogynoir has set women of color and low-income communities up for hardships concerning access to health care, economic opportunities and violence at an early age. Women and specifically women of color are tired of waiting for equal pay and economic justice.

One of the factors driving women - particularly women of color - to the polls is the glaring inequity that perpetuates discrimination, violence against women and threats to women's choice and autonomy. We are voting not only for new leaders but also for a new way of leading. This direction is feminist, intersectional, and long overdue.

A feminist agenda is based on feminist principles - including standing against racial injustice, toxic masculinity, misogynoir (anti-Black sexism faced by Black women), anti-womanhood and policies, laws and campaigns that weaken or erase women's rights. It's a way of seeing the world and feeling compelled to act.

Violence against women should be treated as a public safety and public health crisis that impacts schools, the workplace, and our families. And every woman and girl should have the same access to protect and make decisions about their bodies.

Women have too much on the line this election and we will be the deciding vote. We are demanding a feminist agenda would prioritize policies that protect women and marginalized groups under the law. We know that many voters are energized by our core principles of autonomy, justice and equality.

One of a woman's most basic rights is the right to make autonomous decisions about her own body and her health care. A newly supercharged conservative majority on the Supreme Court in place to overturn Roe v. Wade threatens that right. Protecting abortion rights and access to a wide range of affordable reproductive health care services must be a top priority for the new Senate.

The Senate's failure to improve and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is one of McConnell's darkest legacies. He continues to propel a culture of toxic masculinity by supporting legislation favored by the NRA that protects the "boyfriend loophole," allowing access to guns by physically abusive ex-boyfriends and stalkers with previous convictions.

The EMPOWER Act to stop workplace harassment and discrimination and the SAFE Act to help survivors of domestic and sexual violence continue to sit in the Senate graveyard once again, proving that this Senate wants to maintain the status quo - a culture that disregards women and treats them as second-class citizens. New legislators must promote policies and services that stop this culture of violence, hold perpetrators accountable and bring justice to survivors.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) corrects an error in the Constitution that fails to guarantee the same rights for citizens irrespective of sex. The next Senate will have to deal with the issue of validating the process that currently came to a successful conclusion when Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment.

This historic amendment not only provides equality for all women under law but also helps proactively fight the injustices often felt by women of color. The Senate's disregard for equality does not stop there. The Equality Act, which would strengthen anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ persons in all areas of life, sits on the Senate floor even though the Supreme Court affirmed employment protections for LGBTQIA+ people under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

If elections are said to have consequences, this one has more than most and women have the most at stake. If we want women's rights protected, candidates must listen to what voters want. We have less than two weeks to mobilize our efforts to protect women's rights and change the makeup of the U.S. Senate. We won't stop until our representatives truly reflect our values and prioritize a feminist agenda. After all, women's lives depend on it.

Christian F. Nunes is president of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez offer bill to create national public banking system

Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) on Friday introduced a bill to create a federally chartered and supported public banking system.

© Greg Nash Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez offer bill to create national public banking system

Called the Public Banking Act, the bill would develop a system through which the Federal Reserve System and Treasury Department would recognize, offer grants and open credit facilities for nonprofit banks. These banks would be intended to compete with the commercial banking industry and would be barred from charging fees on checking or savings accounts, requiring minimum balances and levying interest rates of more than 15 percent.

Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez said the bill is intended to expand access to financial services in areas where a large portion of the population is unable to afford conventional banking services. Nearly 30 percent of those without bank accounts cited an inability to meet minimum balance requirements as the main reason they did not use a bank, according to a June 2019 survey conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and nearly 49 percent said it was at least a contributing factor.

"From overdraft fees to charging for having a checking account period, Wall Street-run banks put key financial services out of reach for many of my residents who are struggling to make ends meet," Tlaib said in a statement

"It's long past time to open doors for people who have been systematically shut out and provide a better option for those grappling with the costs of simply trying to participate in an economy they have every right to-but has been rigged against them."

Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez said the bill is also intended to give local governments, community development projects and small businesses easier access to loans and federal financial relief programs as they grapple with the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

"The creation of public banks will also facilitate the use of public resources to construct a myriad of public goods including affordable housing and local renewable energy projects," Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. "Public banks empower states and municipalities to establish new channels of public investment to help solve systemic crises."

The bill from Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez, both members of the House Financial Services Committee, is the latest push from progressive Democrats to create federally funded and supported alternatives to the financial sector.

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in June introduced a bill that would order banks within the Federal Reserve System to offer "FedAccounts" with similar terms as specified in the Public Banking Act.

A task force set up by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in July also called for the creation of a government-run banking system set up through the Federal Reserve and U.S. Postal Service.

AOC Says She Doubts 'Spineless' Lindsey Graham 'Believes in Anything'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed the "spinelessness" of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Friday in response to a remark that his Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison supports her "radical agenda" on environmental issues.

Graham touted his membership in the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus while warning that going "down the AOC road" could "destroy the economy" during a final debate with Harrison on Friday. In a tweet responding to a video of Graham's remarks, Ocasio-Cortez declined to directly address the senator's "climate denialism" while launching a blistering attack on what she believes is his lack of

"@LindseyGrahamSC I'm not sure you believe in *anything* except preserving yourself," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "& let's not get started on your climate denial. I've seen a lot of spinelessness in DC, but you're at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin. SC deserves better."

.@LindseyGrahamSC Iâ€™m not sure you believe in *anything* except preserving yourself. & letâ€™s not get started on your climate denial.

Iâ€™ve seen a lot of spinelessness in DC, but youâ€™re at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin.

SC deserves better. https://t.co/daiXUObkTX — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 31, 2020

Ocasio-Cortez have had several public arguments in the past. Last year, Graham called Ocasio-Cortez and like-minded progressives "a bunch of communists" who "hate our own country." The congresswoman responded that Graham's "biggest issue" with President Donald Trump's "racism" is that "it doesn't go far enough," while insisting that he "wants to bring back 1950s McCarthyism, too."

Graham is locked in what has become a closer-than-expected battle to retain his seat against Harrison, with some recent polls showing the Democrat tied or even slightly ahead in heavily Republican South Carolina.

While Graham attempted to tie Harrison's environmental policy to that of Ocasio-Cortez, the candidate does not support the Green New Deal that the congresswoman is known for, calling it "expensive, not feasible and highly partisan," in and interview with The Charleston Post and Courier. However, he did offer a firm dismissal of Graham's record on climate change while denouncing the senator for sponsoring a 2012 bill to allow energy companies to drill off the coast of South Carolina.

"The senator said that he's a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus that has no solutions," Harrison said during the debate. "Where's the bill, where's the act, how are we dramatically reducing carbon emissions in this country? I don't see it... Where are the solutions? Here's Senator Graham's solution—the South Carolina Offshore Drilling Act."

"Nobody wants to look out their window to see oil rigs off the coast of Charleston," he added. "But our senator is the one waving the flag, 'Here oil and gas company, you can drill off of our coast.' Not on Jaime Harrison's watch."

There is only one way to guarantee there won't be a tragic oil spill on our beautiful coastline:

ðŸ—£ï¸ STOP DRILLING FOR OIL ðŸ—£ï¸ pic.twitter.com/hKfsZGU1YO — Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) October 30, 2020

A debate between the candidates planned for October 9 was called off after Graham refused to be tested for COVID-19 before the event, which followed an outbreak of the virus among top Republicans, some of whom serve alongside Graham on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The virus was an issue in their final debate, with Harrison accusing the incumbent of focusing on partisan Washington, D.C. politics while thousands in South Carolina died, including Harrison's aunt, while "over 750,000 people" lost jobs as a result of the pandemic.

Graham has accused his challenger of using misleading campaign ads against him, including some that encourage conservatives to vote for a third party candidate who remains on the ballot but dropped out of the race and endorsed Graham. The Senate race is the most expensive in the nation, with the Harrison campaign raising over $109 million, according to The Greenville News.

Newsweek reached out to Graham's office for comment.

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Ocasio-Cortez responds to Lindsey Graham debate swipe: You folded 'like a wet napkin'
Kaelan Deese

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Saturday responded to Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) debate swipe against her the previous night, saying the GOP senator folded "like a wet napkin."

© UPI Photo Ocasio-Cortez responds to Lindsey Graham debate swipe: You folded 'like a wet napkin'

During Graham's final debate against his Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison, the incumbent senator said his rival would go "down the AOC road" on South Carolina's climate policy, warning it would be devastating to the state's economy.

Ocasio-Cortez tore into the longtime GOP lawmaker in a tweet Saturday, writing, "I'm not sure you believe in *anything* except preserving yourself. & let's not get started on your climate denial."

"I've seen a lot of spinelessness in DC, but you're at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin. SC deserves better," Ocasio-Cortez added.

Friday's debate in South Carolina was not the first time the incumbent senator took a jab at the New York congresswoman.

In 2019, he called her and other progressive lawmakers "anti-America" communists, prompting a retort from Ocasio-Cortez.

"I see @LindseyGrahamSC's biggest issue w/ Trump's racism is that it doesn't go far enough," she tweeted at the time, accusing him of rhetoric akin to 1950s McCarthyism.

Democrats have long lambasted Graham and accused him of hypocrisy over his reversal on supporting President Trump, whom he called a "kook" before he won the 2016 election. Graham has since become one of Trump's staunchest defenders on Capitol Hill.

During the debate Friday night, Graham defended his stance on climate and the environment, saying, "I'm in the Climate Solutions Caucus" and that he has "worked to set aside lands all over this state so future generations can enjoy it."

"If I'm in the Senate, we'll work for solutions to help the environment without destroying the economy," Graham said.

Harrison called Graham's response empty-handed, saying, "The senator said that he's a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus that has no solutions."

"Nobody wants to look out their window to see oil rigs off the coast of Charleston," he added. "But our senator is the one waving the flag: 'Here, oil and gas company. You can drill off of our coast.' Not on Jaime Harrison's watch."

Painting Mr. Chi Pig, A Punk Rock Legend Who Lived Out His Days in the Downtown Eastside

A mural in memory of a legend of the Vancouver and Edmonton punk rock scene is going up at the Cambie Pub in Gastown.

Kendall Chinn, also known as Mr. Chi Pig, was a fixture of the Downtown Eastside for years, known for holding court at bars like the Cambie, Pub 340, Funky Winker Beans and other venues. He died July 16 at the age of 57.

Chinn was the frontman of the Edmonton-based punk bank SNFU and was known for his intense live performances, over-the-top fashion sense and wicked sense of humour. He moved to Vancouver in the early 1990s, and was also a prolific visual artist.

He was openly gay in the early 1990s when that was rare for a punk rock musician, and in the 2009 documentary Open Your Mouth and Say Mr. Chi Pig, he spoke candidly about his struggles with addiction and schizophrenia.

“He was a wild, crazy guy with a ton of energy,” Joe Keithley, a member of renowned Vancouver punk band D.O.A. and now a Burnaby city councillor, told Vancouver Co-op Radio host David Ball in an interview that aired this August.

“He inspired people that way and he was funny and sarcastic and talented and moody. He was strong and weak all at the same time.”

Jameson Trenholm works at the Cambie Pub, where he got to know Chi Pig well. Chinn would visit the pub almost daily and often made art there.

“When he passed, I thought holy smokes — we have to honour the Gastown and Vancouver and world legend,” Trenholm said.

Trenholm started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the mural, and the Cambie Pub donated the space. The fundraiser’s goal of raising $5,000 has now been reached, so any extra money will be donated to a foundation Chi Pig’s family is starting in his honour. The foundation will be focused on mental health and addictions.

Trenholm said he hopes the mural will stay up for at least two years.

Artists Layla Folkmann and Lacey Jane Wilburn took on the project, and it’s a labour of love for the friends who also run an art practice together. The artists hope to paint a similar mural in Chi Pig’s hometown of Edmonton.

Like Chi Pig, Folkmann and Wilburn are originally from Edmonton, and SNFU played a huge part in their lives. Folkmann was introduced to SNFU by her dad, and describes herself as a “second generation punk rocker.”

LAYLA FOLKMANN IS THE DAUGHTER OF DECEASED LOCAL VISUAL / FILM ARTIST HELENE FOLKMAN, AND IS MY GODDAUGHTER

“We grew up as punk rock kids in the scene,” Wilburn said. “SNFU was one of those humongous moments, when we got to go seem them live.”

Keithley said the last time he saw Chi Pig, “He was doing OK but not super great — he was wandering from bar to bar trying to sell artwork. I think between tours, it was pretty tough.”

An artist to the end, Chi Pig recorded a song called “Cement Mixer” that was released the day he died. In the song, Chi Pig visualizes his last resting place in a cement mixer to become part of the pavement and the ultimate “dead man around town.”

“Goodbye to all my friends,” the song concludes. “Gonna miss you guys.”

Jen St. Denis, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee

Interior official called Black Lives Matter 'racist,' defended alleged Kenosha shooter

JEREMY CARL: A recently appointed Interior Department official has called the Black Lives Matter movement racist and defended Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen charged with killing two people after opening fire at a protest in Kenosha, Wis.

Jeremy Carl was appointed as Interior's deputy assistant secretary of fish, wildlife and parks in early October, joining the department without any publicity from the agency. His appointment, as well as his history of controversial comments, was first reported by HuffPost.

Interior did not respond to multiple requests for comment on his appointment, instead referring The Hill to the White House, which also did not comment.

In July, Carl penned a piece arguing that the Black Lives Matter movement "is not marxist, it's racist."

"I don't mean to pick on these individuals in particular; many of them are good patriots and conservatives who have explicitly denounced BLM's racial politics," Carl wrote on the American Greatness blog after referencing posts from a number of other conservatives.

"But at the same time, we must be clear: Marxism doesn't define the Black Lives Matter movement-anti-white racism does," he added.

On the same blog, he argued that peaceful protests over George Floyd's police killing were more harmful than the looting that followed.

"[T]he non-violent protesters actually are far more damaging to the long-term fabric of our civil society than the rioters," he wrote. "Though many of the protesters have entirely sincere intentions, they are dangerous because their protests - often using ritual humiliation of their adversaries - are based fundamentally on lies and slander about white people, about police, and about America."

President Trump has also been highly critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, calling a mural on New York City's Fifth Avenue a "symbol of hate." He has also defended Rittenhouse, suggesting the teen was acting in self defense.

House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) called Carl "an avowed white nationalist" and argued his hiring does further damage to an agency that is among the least diverse in government.

"Hiring Jeremy Carl, an avowed white nationalist, to run major portions of the Interior Department is the culmination of a long and intentional process that started early in the Trump administration," Grijalva said in a statement to The Hill.

"It's clear that [Interior] Secretary [David] Bernhardt either doesn't know racism when he sees it or he doesn't care, and the restoration of DOI's credibility will have to start with the removal of the racist ideologues he put in place," he continued. "Addressing DOI's well-known problems with diversity and inclusion will take time and demand serious attention from the next Interior Secretary regardless of who he or she may be."

Carl's Twitter account is private, but the Washington Post pointed to tweets defending Rittenhouse's action in Kenosha.

Carl retweeted an image the day after the Aug. 25 shooting featuring men carrying rifles with the caption, "With law enforcement incapable of defending private property ... Armed groups have begun protecting the city."

Carl also reportedly linked to a white supremacist blog when he penned a 2018 op-ed questioning if Starbucks would "become America's largest chain of homeless shelters."

The op-ed came shortly after two Black men were asked to leave a Starbucks. The two had not purchased coffee while waiting for another party to arrive for their meeting.

The piece posits that if customers cannot be asked to leave for failure to make a purchase, "Starbucks may soon find its customers don't really enjoy sharing their space with transients."

But in criticizing former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder, whom Starbucks hired as an adviser, Carl linked to the American Renaissance website, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as "one of the vilest white nationalist publications."