Black Officials Travel to Africa and Sen. Perry Wants Change in Law, GOP Votes Against $13.50 Min Wage, Tonight: Carlos Clanton Briefing
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New State Senator Russet Perry Votes with Republicans and Against Due Process
Democratic State Senator Russet Perry, who defeated Republican Juan Pablo Segura in Nov. 2023 by a margin of 53-47 in a campaign featuring Segura accusing Perry of being “soft on crime,” joined with Republicans yesterday on justice reform. During a vote yesterday at a Courts of Justice Committee hearing on SB 38, Perry joined seven Republicans in support of a bill patrolled by Republican Mark Peake that would assume people guilty and deny bail for certain crimes upon being accused.
Perry, who was a prosecutor in Loudoun, joined Virginia Senate Republicans Mark Obenshain, Mark Peake, Emily Brewer Jordan, Ryan McDougle, Stuart and Bill Stanley.
The U.S. continues to lead the world in the rate of incarceration at a cost of $81 billion annually in tax money according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. Jails and prisons, and the jobs and fees connected to incarceration, are big business in America. Politicians have used the crime issue in every election cycle since the late 1960s to drive racial fear and win votes. The 2023 election cycle in Virginia was a case study, even as crime rates went down.
RELATED: Most People Think the U.S. Crime Rate is Rising. They're wrong. (NBC|Dec. 16, 2023)
Democrats in Virginia invested heavily in Russet Perry’s race with a combined $2,828,207 given to her campaign from the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus and the Virginia Democratic Party — while at the same time failing to fund a more progressive Democrat in Roanoke, Council Chair Trish White-Boyd.
Last Year 3 Black Officials Traveled to Africa, New Senator Russet Perry Offers Legislation
THREE BLACK ELECTED OFFICIALS GO TO AFRICA. SEN. RUSSET PERRY OFFERS A BILL. In a seemingly never ending series of posts on twitter (now X) and TV segments on right-wing Sinclair-owned WJLA, journalist and former Trump Administration official Nick Minock focused on Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Phyllis Randall during the summer of 2023. At the time, Randall was viewed as a possible candidate for Congress in VA-10 but on Nov. 14, 2023, she announced she wasn’t running.
🚩 RELATED: This is Sinclair, 'the most dangerous U.S. company you've never heard of' (The Guardian, 2017)
🚩 RELATED: The Growth of Sinclair’s Conservative Media Empire (The New Yorker, 2018)
Minock’s laser attention on Chairwoman Randall, who is one of the most powerful elected officials serving in Virginia’s richest county with over 60,000 votes earned in two elections, stemmed from a trip to Africa. The Loudoun County Board Chair, two other Black members of the Loudoun County Board, and staff travel to Ghana for a week at a cost of $54,000, according to The Loudoun Times-Mirror — but the trip was not all paid for by taxpayers according to Chairwoman Randall. Right-wing Sinclair-owned WJLA then completed an endless series of stories, articles and social media posts on the seven person trip to Africa.
Two Loudoun Democrats joined Republicans and Sinclair in their rightwing adjacent messaging: Then-Loudoun prosecutor and State Senate candidate Russet Perry and Loudoun County Board member Kristen Umstattd.
Last week, newly elected democratic State Senator Russet Perry offered a bill (SB 549) related to last summer’s news stories on rightwing Sinclair media on the Africa trip. Perry’s legislation would require that any travel over $2,500 would require “approval in advance by a vote of the local governing body in an open meeting.” The bill targets “local officials” and would appear to exclude the travel of the Governor, Lt. Governor or Attorney General.
Black Virginia News filed a FOIA request for the travel of Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Aug. 2023 ddd for the travel expenses of his trips to Taiwan, Texas and the Paris Air Show. The totals of that travel was over $200,000, with ground transportation in Paris allocated at $36,000 alone.
Loudoun County is the wealthiest county in the U.S. with a median household income in Loudoun is $147,111 and an annual budget of $4.2 billion. Loudoun features tech firms, data centers, a thriving wine and an exciting and iconic equine industry.
SINCLAIR AND RIGHTWING MEDIA NARRATIVES. Democrats lag behind in investments in media and communications. Conservative Republican investment in media and communications has driven the narrative of several stories that have reached “mainstream” media platforms and in some cases, have driven public policy.
After President Barack Obama was elected in 2007, a right-leaning ecosystem of politically conservative media emerged: Daily Signal (owned by Ben Shapiro), Daily Caller (owned by Tucker Carlson) and Breitbart (owned by the late Andrew Breitbart) and many others are examples. Many rightwing platforms have pushed the narrative that “crime is out of control” and immigrants at the southern border and minorities are to blame.
Sen. Perry voting with Republicans in the Virginia Senate demonstrates how gaslighting can impact public policy. Though this is typically seen on the national level, rightwing money has also focused on local news. Yesterday it was reported that righwing Sinclair has purchased The Baltimore Sun.
In his book Network of Lies, media reporter Brian Stelter writes about Fox News and the inaccurate false information that was aired around the 2020 election. Fox was sued by Dominion Voting Machines for defamation and ordered to pay a legal settlement of almost a billion dollars.
🚩 RELATED: After Right-Wing Sinclair Station Hits 3 Black Electeds for Africa Trip, Two White Democrats Assist Republicans
Yesterday, another Sinclair purchase was made as The Baltimore Sun was purchased for David D. Smith. Editorial direction is certain to change.
GOP Senators Vote Against Rasing Virginia’s Minimum Wage by $1.50 to 13.50
During a committee vote yesterday all the Republican Senators serving on the Commerce & Labor Committee voted against increasing the minimum wage in Virginia to $13.50 an hour. But Senate Bill 1 passed through committee 9-6 as Senate Democrats Democrats all voted in favor of the raise. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12.
Reminder: 🚩Virginia NAACP 2024 Legislative Day Postponed Due to Snow
The Virginia NAACP has postponed their annual legislative day at the Capitol that was to take place today, Tuesday, January 16 because snow.
Virginia NAACP: ➡️ The new date will be announced and additional information will be provided in the coming days. If you have questions or concerns, please email info@naacpva.org. Subscribe to the Virginia NAACP to receive advocacy information, programs, and events naacpva.us/SignUpForUpdates
Tonight at 6:30PM: Norfolk School Board Member Carlos Clanton
Norfolk School Board member Carlos Clanton will give a report tonight on priorities, updates, upcoming programs and community events in Ward 3 and throughout Norfolk. He will take questions, hear concerns and share valuable resources. TONIGHT: Tune in on Tuesday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. For more details, visit www.boardmemberclanton.com.
Live broadcast on:
• Facebook LIVE: @carlosclanton4NPS
• YouTube LIVE with Carlos Clanton
Del. Briana Sewell Charts Issues of Concern for Constituents
Del. Briana Sewell, who represents parts of Prince William County as a member of the House of Delegates, and recently held took part in a town hall with other elected officials.
Del. Sewell is running for Congress in Virginia’s 7th congressional district due to the retirement from Congress of Rep. Abigail Spanberger. On Saturday, December 30th, Sewell co-hosted a virtual town hall. Below is a chart of the issues constituents referenced:
Listen to historic Speaker Don Scott’s first speech as Virginia House Speaker on Episode 28 of Black Virginia News podcast!
Listen to Michael Pope and Lauren Burke on POD VIRGINIA!
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