tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/new-york-1469/articlesNew York – The Conversation2024-03-14T12:46:04Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2250532024-03-14T12:46:04Z2024-03-14T12:46:04ZHow for-profit nursing home regulators can use the powers they already have to fix growing problems with poor-quality care<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579738/original/file-20240304-22-wj7pxu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5760%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nursing homes care for more than a million people in the U.S.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/NursingHomeHigh/7c838b5ffe0a4558bde70f78d42f123e/photo">AP Photo/Richard Drew</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Governments at both state and federal levels have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prad001">yet to fully wield their authority</a> to fight poor-quality care at for-profit nursing homes nationwide, leaving the pressing need for elder care accountability unmet.</p>
<p>Medicare has the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prad001">power to improve financial accountability</a> at nursing facilities by capping profits while requiring that a percentage of revenues be spent on direct care expenditures. Already, four states – New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prad001">have shown this can be done</a>, passing laws requiring minimum percentages of expenditures on direct care while limiting profits.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/charlene.harrington">behavioral scientist</a> at the University of California, San Francisco who studies the economics of nursing homes and the implications for care. I am also the co-author of an <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-profit-nursing-homes-are-cutting-corners-on-safety-and-draining-resources-with-financial-shenanigans-especially-at-midsize-chains-that-dodge-public-scrutiny-225045">investigative piece in The Conversation</a> about for-profit nursing homes.</p>
<p>States also have the power to suspend and disqualify nursing home owners from the Medicaid program when they provide poor-quality care, commit fraud or harm residents. </p>
<p>For example, after the New Jersey comptroller <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/princeton-care-center-abrupt-closure-law-violation/">concluded that the abrupt closure</a> of the Princeton Care Center nursing home in September 2023 jeopardized the health and safety of residents, the state took action. It <a href="https://nj.gov/comptroller/news/2024/20240116.shtml#:%7E:text=The%20Office%20of%20the%20State,other%20Medicaid%2Dfunded%20nursing%20homes.">moved in January 2024 to impose an eight-year ban</a> on the owners’ ability to receive Medicaid reimbursement at any nursing home and to require them to divest themselves from <a href="https://nj.gov/comptroller/news/2024/20240116.shtml#:%7E:text=The%20Office%20of%20the%20State,other%20Medicaid%2Dfunded%20nursing%20homes.">two other facilities they already ran</a>.</p>
<p>The federal government can also take aggressive actions to force the industry to shape up, even without new legislation. A 2023 <a href="https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4001&context=wmlr">law review article</a> demonstrates that state and federal governments could use state licensure laws and federal nursing home certification requirements to prevent abuse. The article argues that governments could set clear nursing home ownership and operation criteria for individuals and companies, which can include experience, expertise, reputation, past performance and financial solvency standards.</p>
<p>Even federal prosecutors have largely unused powers to crack down on the industry. The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-launches-national-nursing-home-initiative">has taken actions</a> against many nursing home owners and chains but rarely has moved to remove the certification of facilities despite having the authority to do so. Instead, nursing homes subject to legal action by the department generally are placed under what is known as a corporate integrity agreement and assigned a monitor to oversee regulatory compliance.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/cia/agreements/Saber_Healthcare_Holdings_LLC_et_al_03312020.pdf">Saber Healthcare Holdings</a>, which owned <a href="https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/nursing-home-affiliated-entity-performance-measures/data">126 nursing homes</a> in 2024, was placed under a <a href="https://oig.hhs.gov/faqs/corporate-integrity-agreement-faq/">corporate integrity agreement</a> in 2021. </p>
<p>The question remains: Why haven’t governments fully flexed their existing regulatory muscles to enforce vital reforms in nursing homes? With the welfare of vulnerable residents at stake, the urgency for decisive action has never been clearer.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/for-profit-nursing-homes-are-cutting-corners-on-safety-and-draining-resources-with-financial-shenanigans-especially-at-midsize-chains-that-dodge-public-scrutiny-225045">Read The Conversation’s investigation</a> to learn more about the nation’s for-profit nursing homes and how they’re cutting corners on safety.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Harrington is a advisory board member of the nonprofit Veteran's Health Policy Institute and a board member of the nonprofit Center for Health Information and Policy. Harrington served as an expert witness on nursing home litigation cases by residents against facilities owned or operated by Brius and Shlomo Rechnitz in the past and in 2022. She also served as an expert witness in a case against The Citadel Salisbury in North Carolina in 2021.
</span></em></p>Governments can do more to protect patients at for-profit nursing homes. A behavioral scientist who studies nursing homes weighs in.Charlene Harrington, Professor Emeritus of Social Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San FranciscoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2245712024-02-29T07:17:42Z2024-02-29T07:17:42ZAndy Warhol’s textiles: how the king of kitsch honed his pop art sensibility in fabric design<p>The printed fabrics created by <a href="https://www.warhol.org/andy-warhols-life/">Andy Warhol</a> during the 1950s and 1960s reveal the artist’s recurring fascination with quirky motifs rendered in his trademark inky lines. This fresh, exciting style was acquired while working as a commercial illustrator in New York’s fledgling advertising industry. </p>
<p>Before establishing himself as the seminal influence in the <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pop-art">pop art movement</a> – best known for his silkscreens of 1960s cultural and consumer icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s soup – Warhol had an extremely successful career in illustration and graphic design. </p>
<p>But it is only recently that his commercial textile designs have been unearthed – few even realised they were part of the artist’s story. Now these designs are being showcased in <a href="https://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/andy-warhol-the-textiles">Andy Warhol: The Textiles</a> at the Dovecot, a design and textile gallery in Edinburgh, featuring 35 of Warhol’s whimsical patterns. </p>
<h2>Creating the look</h2>
<p>Things start off strongly showing lithographs and early textile designs on paper, juxtapositioned with lengths of repeating-pattern fabrics and vintage garments. These set the scene for a chronological display of Warhol’s illustrative approach to textile design, and the translation of his imagery onto a variety of garments gives the exhibition a nostalgic thrift-shop appeal. </p>
<p>Lots of cool little details abound. For example, vistors learn how a typo from an advertising job misspelled his original name – Warhola – cutting off the “a”, accidentally creating the name that would become forever synonymous with pop art. This is reflected in the inclusion of a printed advertising mail-shot he designed for the Moss Rose Manufacturing Company in 1949 featuring his Czechoslovakian birth name in full. </p>
<p>The start of the exhibition focuses on the timeless yet largely unrecognised process of converting artwork on paper into patterned fabrics for clothing. “Happy Bug Day” (1955-56), a textile print produced by D.B. Fuller & Co, highlights the journey of an illustration as it translates to a repeating pattern that eventually becomes a swimwear piece typical of the 1950s. </p>
<p>Warhol’s process is celebrated throughout the exhibition by examining the different stages of textile making and clothing production. Throughout fashion history, it is often a bold or striking print that “makes” a garment, even though textile designers are rarely acknowledged. More usually it is fashion designers who receive the acclaim.</p>
<p>Turning this on its head, there is much referencing around the textile manufacturers creating the fabrics, and much less focus on garment designers or fashion boutiques that would have stocked the pieces. </p>
<p>Thanks to their vintage nature, some of the hanging fabric pieces and garments on show would look just as at home in a charity shop window. But it is the garment details that provide some of the most visually pleasing and exciting use of textiles in the exhibition space.</p>
<p>“Pens, pencils and brushes” (1956) and “Perfume and scent bottles” (1958-59) are two beautiful examples of printed fabrics showing how clever manipulations create wonderful effects by distorting the uniformity of graphic patterns through fabric pleating, for example. </p>
<p>Often using quirky motifs such as socks, potted plants and ice cream cones, Warhol rendered them with an established “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Hb0c2IAyk">blotted line</a>” technique or a simple <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TthaqYYQU7w">print stamp</a>. These bright quirky designs brought some much-needed colour to a drab post-WWII America, exuding a fresh, optimistic and light-hearted quality.</p>
<p>But Warhol’s image-making could easily be mistaken for the work of a contemporary children’s book illustrator and would look equally at home on a pattern-obssessed Instagram account in 2024.</p>
<p>Like many other professional designers, Warhol often used variations and combinations of ideas that he had employed in other graphic works. The exhibition highlights the skilled professional practice of generating fabric colourways with repeating patterns, including an example of fabric with large colourful butterflies (1955-56), again produced by D.B. Fuller & Co. </p>
<h2>Finding Warhol</h2>
<p>Alongside the textiles and garment collections the exhibition also includes huge back-lit black and white portraits of Warhol that act as much-needed context for the celebrity artist who was then just finding his way with his commercial designs.
This was long before before he embarked on his <a href="https://www.artlife.com/news/inside-the-factory-the-studio-where-andy-warhol-worked">Factory exploits</a> where he created experimental works across a variety of media that would garner him fame and notoriety, and secure his place in art history books.</p>
<p>The final pieces in the exhibition bring together what are believed to be his last commercial textile designs, translated into predominantly silk and synthetic fabrics by the Stehli Silks Co, dating from 1962-63. These exhibits show much closer links to his pop art oeuvre, with clashing colour and more contemporary culture references for motifs, such as pretzels on printed silk. </p>
<p>As a textile designer who has seen a number of exhibitions in this space, it’s hard not to compare this show with the beauty and technical innovation behind other Dovecot shows. For me these high points include <a href="https://dovecotstudios.com/exhibitions/making-nuno-japanese-textile-innovation-from-sud-reiko#:%7E:text=Set%20against%20the%20backdrop%20of,of%20the%20traditional%20and%20the">Making Nuno</a>, which showcased the work of Japanese textile designer Sudō Reiko a couple of years ago, and the iconic approach to wallpaper sampling in <a href="https://dovecotstudios.com/exhibitions/the-art-of-wallpaper-morris-co">The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps unlike these exhibitions, Andy Warhol: The Textiles doesn’t claim to present the pop art pioneer as a pioneer of textile design too. But it does bring a most enjoyable and fresh perspective to his work, revealing the DNA and origins of Warhol’s iconic style.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224571/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Parker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Few know Warhol started out designing quirky printed fabrics, but they reveal the origins of his iconic style.Mark Parker, Assistant Professor in Textile Design, School of Textiles and Design, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2210592024-01-17T17:49:49Z2024-01-17T17:49:49ZHow a New York Times copyright lawsuit against OpenAI could potentially transform how AI and copyright work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569551/original/file-20240116-23-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5858%2C3920&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dnipro-ukraine-0507-new-york-times-2361003783">Stas Malyarevsky / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On December 27, 2023, the New York Times (NYT) <a href="https://nytco-assets.nytimes.com/2023/12/NYT_Complaint_Dec2023.pdf">filed a lawsuit</a> in the Federal
District Court in Manhattan <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/01/23/microsoftandopenaiextendpartnership/">against Microsoft</a> and <a href="https://openai.com/">OpenAI</a>, the creator of <a href="https://chat.openai.com/auth/login">ChatGPT</a>,
alleging that OpenAI had unlawfully used its articles to create artificial intelligence (AI) products.</p>
<p>Citing copyright infringement and the importance of independent journalism to democracy, the newspaper further alleged that even though the defendant, OpenAI, may have “engaged in wide scale copying from many sources, they gave Times content particular emphasis” in training generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPT). This is the kind of technology that underlies products such as the AI chatbot ChatGPT.</p>
<p>The complaint by the New York Times states that OpenAI took millions of copyrighted news articles, in-depth investigations, opinion pieces, reviews, how-to guides and more in an attempt to “free ride on the Times’s massive investment in its journalism”.</p>
<p><a href="https://openai.com/blog/openai-and-journalism">In a blog post</a> published by OpenAI on January 8, 2024, the tech company responded to the allegations by emphasising its support of journalism and partnerships with news organisations. It went on to say that the “NYT lawsuit is without merit”. </p>
<p>In the months prior to the complaint being lodged by the New York Times, OpenAI had entered into agreements with large media companies such as <a href="https://openai.com/blog/axel-springer-partnership">Axel-Springer</a> and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-chatgpt-associated-press-ap-f86f84c5bcc2f3b98074b38521f5f75a">Associated Press</a>, although notably, the Times failed to reach an agreement with the tech company.</p>
<p>The NYT case is important because it is different to other cases involving AI and copyright, such as the case brought by the online photo library <a href="https://newsroom.gettyimages.com/en/getty-images/getty-images-statement">Getty Images against the tech company Stability AI</a> earlier in 2023. In this case, Getty Images alleged that Stability AI processed millions of copyrighted images using a tool called Stable Diffusion, which generates images from text prompts using AI.</p>
<p>The main difference between this case and the New York Times one is that the newspaper’s complaint highlighted <em>actual outputs</em> used by OpenAI to train its AI tools. The Times provided examples of articles that were reproduced almost verbatim.</p>
<h2>Use of material</h2>
<p>The defence available to OpenAI is “fair use” under <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html">the US Copyright Act 1976</a>, section 107. This is because the unlicensed use of copyright material to train generative AI models can serve as a “transformative use” which changes the original material. However, <a href="https://nytco-assets.nytimes.com/2023/12/NYT_Complaint_Dec2023.pdf">the complaint</a> from the New York Times also says that their chatbots bypassed the newspaper’s paywalls to create summaries of articles. </p>
<p>Even though summaries do not infringe copyright, their use could be used by the New York Times to try to demonstrate a negative commercial impact on the newspaper – challenging the fair use defence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="ChatGPT" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569550/original/file-20240116-15-9vwxs9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/screen-smartphone-chatgpt-chat-ai-tool-2261871805">Giulio Benzin / Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/08/openai-responds-to-new-york-times-lawsuit.html">This case</a> could ultimately be settled out of court. It is also possible that the Times’ lawsuit was more a <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/new-york-times-co-s-openai-microsoft-suit-is-a-negotiating-tactic">negotiating tactic</a> than a real attempt to go all the way to trial. Whichever way the case proceeds, it could have important implications for both traditional media and AI development. </p>
<p>It also raises the question of the suitability of current copyright laws to deal with AI. In a submission to the <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/126981/pdf/">House of Lords communications and digital select committee</a> on December 5, 2023, OpenAI claimed that “it would be impossible to train today’s leading AI models without copyrighted materials”. </p>
<p>It went on to say that “limiting training data to public domain books and drawings created more than a century ago might yield an interesting experiment but would not provide AI systems that meet the needs of today’s citizens”.</p>
<h2>Looking for answers</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence">The EU’s AI Act</a> – the world’s first AI Act – might give us insights into some future directions. Among its many articles, there are two provisions particularly relevant to copyright.</p>
<p>The first provision titled, “Obligations for providers of general-purpose AI
models” includes two distinct requirements related to copyright. Section 1(C)
requires providers of general-purpose AI models to put in place a policy to respect EU copyright law.</p>
<p>Section 1(d) requires providers of general purpose AI systems to draw up and make publicly available a detailed summary about content used for training AI systems.</p>
<p><a href="https://copyrightblog.kluweriplaw.com/2023/12/11/a-first-look-at-the-copyright-relevant-parts-in-the-final-ai-act-compromise/">While section 1(d)</a> raises some questions, section 1(c) makes it clear that any use of copyright protected content requires the authorisation of the rights holder concerned unless relevant copyright exceptions apply. Where the rights to opt out has been expressly reserved in an appropriate manner, providers of general purpose AI models, such as OpenAI, will need to obtain authorisation from rights holders if they want to carry out text and data mining on their copyrighted works.</p>
<p>Even though <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/01/the-guardian-blocks-chatgpt-owner-openai-from-trawling-its-content">the EU AI Act</a> may not be directly relevant to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/25/new-york-times-cnn-and-abc-block-openais-gptbot-web-crawler-from-scraping-content">New York Times</a> complaint against OpenAI, it illustrates the way in which copyright laws will be designed to deal with this fast-moving technology. In future, we are likely to see more media organisations adopting this law to protect journalism and creativity. In fact, even before the EU AI Act was passed, the New York Times blocked OpenAI from trawling its content. The Guardian followed suit in September 2023 – as did many others.</p>
<p>However, the move did not allow material to be removed from existing training
data sets. Therefore, any copyrighted material used by the training models up until then would have been used in OpenAI’s outputs – which led to negotiations between the New York Times and OpenAI breaking down.</p>
<p>With laws such as those in the EU AI Act now placing legal obligations on general purpose AI models, their future could look more constrained in the way that they use copyrighted works to train and improve their systems. We can expect other jurisdictions to update their copyright laws reflecting similar provisions to that of the EU AI Act in an attempt to protect creativity. As for traditional media, ever since the rise of the internet and social media, news outlets have been challenged in drawing readers to their sites and generative AI has simply exacerbated this issue.</p>
<p>This case will not spell the end of generative AI or copyright. However, it certainly raises questions for the future of AI innovation and the protection of creative content. AI will certainly continue to grow and develop and we will continue to see and experience its many benefits. However, the time has come for policymakers to take serious note of these AI developments and update copyright laws, protecting creators in the process.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221059/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dinusha Mendis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The lawsuit could see other media companies move to protect their copyrighted content.Dinusha Mendis, Professor of Intellectual Property and Innovation Law; Director Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Managament (CIPPM), Bournemouth University, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2207282024-01-12T18:29:42Z2024-01-12T18:29:42ZWayne LaPierre leaves a financial mess behind at the NRA − on top of the legal one that landed him in court<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568942/original/file-20240111-29-i3s8bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4442%2C3072&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Former NRA Leader Wayne LaPierre arrives for his civil trial at New York State Supreme Court on Jan. 8, 2024, in New York City.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/former-nra-leader-wayne-lapierre-arrives-for-his-civil-news-photo/1917197606?adppopup=true">Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association’s longtime leader, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/05/nyregion/wayne-lapierre-resigns-nra.html">plans to retire by the end of January 2024</a>. He cited “<a href="https://home.nra.org/statements/nra-evp-wayne-lapierre-announces-resignation-from-nra/">health reasons</a>” when he announced his departure three days before the organization’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nra-national-rifle-association-wayne-lapierre-lawsuit-42f90bf1690c326afcd0b6cdc4234ef8">civil fraud trial</a> got underway in Manhattan.</p>
<p><a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-announces-settlement-former-nra-senior-strategist-eve">New York authorities have accused the NRA</a>, LaPierre and three of his current or former colleagues of squandering millions of dollars the gun group had obtained from its members. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://fisher.osu.edu/people/mittendorf.3">nonprofit accounting scholar</a> who has <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nras-financial-weakness-explained-108582">followed the NRA’s finances</a> for years, I believe the organization is not only at a legal crossroads but also at a financial one.</p>
<h2>NRA business model</h2>
<p>To see why the NRA finds itself in this difficult spot, it helps to first see how its business model allows for only a small margin of error. Despite the nonprofit’s <a href="https://home.nra.org/about-the-nra/">long history</a>– it was founded in 1871 by <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-nra-evolved-from-backing-a-1934-ban-on-machine-guns-to-blocking-nearly-all-firearm-restrictions-today-183880">Civil War veterans who fought for the Union</a> – the NRA has never had enough money stowed away to inoculate it from financial problems.</p>
<p>Consider the NRA’s circumstances in terms of its <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-nras-financial-weakness-explained-108582">unrestricted net assets</a>, which reflect the money an organization has available to spend after accounting for its commitments to donors.</p>
<p>Comparing this with the scale of an organization’s annual budget can provide a sense of how much of a rainy day fund is on hand.</p>
<p>In 2015, the NRA <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/530116130/201623149349300602/full">had unrestricted net assets</a> that constituted just 9% of its total expenses. In contrast, that same year, the AARP, another long-standing <a href="https://theconversation.com/hillary-clinton-is-starting-a-social-welfare-group-what-does-that-mean-78221">social welfare organization</a> with millions of members, <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/951985500/201622429349300037/full">had unrestricted net assets</a> that amounted to 87% of its expenses.</p>
<p>In other words, the NRA’s coffers reflected a circumstance more in line with an employee living paycheck to paycheck than an heir living off a trust fund. For this reason, the NRA has always relied on its members’ annual dues to cover its costs, and it is less able to weather financial storms that can last years.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/19/politics/nra-2020-campaign/index.html">The controversies over the NRA’s spending</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-campaigns-gun-politics-election-2020-lawsuits-949361ea529ea37139f401a64c7fa362">the organization’s political entanglements that have swirled around</a> since 2016 constitute that kind of turbulence.</p>
<h2>Declining financial fortunes</h2>
<p>Following its substantial spending spree during the 2016 election cycle, the NRA found itself needing to dig out of a hole, with a budget deficit of <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2017/11/audit-shows-nra-spending-surged-100-million-amidst-pro-trump-push-in-2016/">more than US$40 million</a>.</p>
<p>Subsequent years saw <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-nras-finances-deepening-debt-increased-spending-on-legal-fees--and-cuts-to-gun-training/2019/06/14/ac9dc488-8e30-11e9-b08e-cfd89bd36d4e_story.html">fluctuations in spending</a> along with ongoing <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nra-national-rifle-association-membership-revenue-2022/">challenges to generate sufficient revenues</a> to keep up with spending.</p>
<p>In recent years, the organization’s approach to its budget shortfall has been to cut costs, or at least some of its costs.</p>
<p>Spending on programming went from <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4823792-NRA-Audit-FY-2017">nearly $176 million in 2017</a> to just <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24074735-nra-audit-2021-2022">$73 million in 2022</a>, its most recent reporting year.</p>
<p>Its traditionally core programs have taken the biggest hit: Spending on education and training fell from <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4823792-NRA-Audit-FY-2017">$7.7 million</a> to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24074735-nra-audit-2021-2022">$3.2 million</a>; law enforcement support dropped from <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4823792-NRA-Audit-FY-2017">$3.8 million</a> to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24074735-nra-audit-2021-2022">$1.8 million</a>; recreational shooting slipped from <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4823792-NRA-Audit-FY-2017">$7.2 million</a> to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24074735-nra-audit-2021-2022">$5.1 million</a>; and field services declined from <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4823792-NRA-Audit-FY-2017">$11.9 million</a> to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24074735-nra-audit-2021-2022">$1.3 million</a>. </p>
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<h2>Back in the red</h2>
<p>The NRA hasn’t cut all of its spending, however.</p>
<p>During the same time frame, the NRA’s budget for <a href="https://theconversation.com/nras-path-to-recovery-from-financial-woes-leaves-the-gun-group-vulnerable-to-new-problems-201144">administrative legal costs ballooned</a>, from $4 million in 2017 to over $40 million in each of the past three reporting years, with this amount hitting $43.7 million in 2022.</p>
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<p>The organization’s shrinking programming budget helped eliminate its deficit, at least for a time.</p>
<p>Thanks to its reduced spending, the NRA was able to finish the year with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/nras-path-to-recovery-from-financial-woes-leaves-the-gun-group-vulnerable-to-new-problems-201144">surplus in both 2020 and 2021</a>. However, that surplus, which came from slashing costs – particularly those geared toward core programs for members – proved short-lived.</p>
<p>The organization has also seen the ranks of its members dwindle. Fewer members mean less revenue from dues. In 2022, <a href="https://thereload.com/nra-has-lost-over-a-million-members-since-corruption-allegations-surfaced/">revenues were down by more than $100 million</a> from their 2017 levels, a drop of more than one-third.</p>
<p>The declining revenues meant that, despite its trimmed-down budget, the NRA was back <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/national-rifle-association-wayne-lapierre-trial/677056/">in the red in 2022</a> and again facing a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24074735-nra-audit-2021-2022">negative unrestricted balance in net assets</a>.</p>
<p><iframe id="jdiY1" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/jdiY1/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>The NRA, in short, is in a financial spiral. Its shrinking budget has begotten a shrinking member base, leading to an even smaller budget. It may be hard to stem.</p>
<p>The organization has <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2023/11/nra-budget-spending-cuts-4h-boy-scouts/">pared what it spends on its programs</a> to the bone. </p>
<p>While there are no easy answers for what the organization can do about its financial predicament, it’s not the only pressing question the organization faces.</p>
<p>How long will the <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2023/02/nra-membership-decline-corruption/">NRA’s remaining members</a> stay loyal to it? When will <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-05/nra-spending-more-on-lawyers-as-revenue-falls-membership-lags?embedded-checkout=true">high legal costs</a> subside enough to ease the budgetary pressures? What does a smaller NRA mean for its <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/17/nra-gun-lobby-gun-control-congress">ability to flex its political muscle</a>?</p>
<p>Despite its many challenges, the NRA’s imminent changing of the guard does <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/national-rifle-association-wayne-lapierre-trial/677056/">offer an opportunity</a> to make more drastic shifts in its priorities, spending approaches and the pitches it makes to members and donors.</p>
<p>Further, with its large legal budget being the last remaining area ripe for cost cutting, perhaps the NRA’s next generation of leaders will set the stage for the organization to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nra-distances-longtime-leader-wayne-lapierre-opening-remarks-civil-tri-rcna133076">rid itself of its oversized legal burdens</a> and refocus on core programs.</p>
<p>What is clear, however, is that financial constraints will dictate much of whatever course the new leadership seeks to chart.</p>
<p><em>Earlier versions of these charts ran in a related article on <a href="https://theconversation.com/nras-path-to-recovery-from-financial-woes-leaves-the-gun-group-vulnerable-to-new-problems-201144">March 23, 2023</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220728/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Mittendorf does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The NRA’s new leaders have to make important decisions as they confront a shaky financial future.Brian Mittendorf, Professor of Accounting, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2134392023-11-01T12:34:43Z2023-11-01T12:34:43ZA century ago, a Black-owned team ruled basketball − today, no Black majority owners remain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556712/original/file-20231030-15-31tku3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C1%2C1194%2C955&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The New York Rens played from 1923 to 1948.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAq0dD0VAAAeSwU?format=jpg&name=medium">Black History Heroes/Twitter</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For the first time in 20 years, the NBA began its season with no Black-owned franchises.</p>
<p>In fact, there’s been only one Black majority-owned team in league history.</p>
<p>In late 2002, the NBA awarded an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats, to Black Entertainment Television co-founder Bob Johnson. Four years later, former NBA star Michael Jordan bought a minority stake in the franchise, and in 2010, he bought Johnson’s stake. However, <a href="https://andscape.com/features/michael-jordans-hornets-sale-leaves-nba-with-no-black-majority-team-ownership/">Jordan sold his majority stake</a> in the franchise in July 2023.</p>
<p>This lack of diversity in basketball team ownership is especially disappointing considering the rich history of Black ownership in sports, which began when the top leagues in the U.S. were still segregated.</p>
<p>A century ago, one of the top pre-NBA professional franchises began play in Harlem thanks to the efforts of a Black business owner named <a href="https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/robert-douglas">Bob Douglas</a>. </p>
<h2>A challenge to the dominance of white sports</h2>
<p>My students are often surprised that the history of professional team sports in the U.S. goes far beyond the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB. But the media’s focus on the “big four” leagues can cause fans to overlook the incredible accomplishments and leadership of many pioneers in athletics, including those from marginalized groups whose <a href="https://store.cognella.com/84292-1a-001">participation in mainstream leagues were limited or banned</a>.</p>
<p>The first 50 years of professional basketball was an amalgam of regional leagues and barnstorming teams. As with baseball and football, basketball teams from this era were segregated. But white teams and Black teams would square off against one another in exhibitions as they toured the country. </p>
<p>On the business side, many white businessmen were profiting from – if not exploiting – this Black talent pool, arranging tournaments and competitions and taking a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/illinois-scholarship-online/book/30355/chapter-abstract/257397248?redirectedFrom=fulltext">disproportionate cut of the earnings</a>. But Black entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to support Black communities through sports by keeping the talent – and money – from exclusively <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2023/02/04/negro-league-baseballs-demise-assured-once-mlb-integrated-1947/11082330002/">lining the pockets of white owners</a>.</p>
<p>Douglas helped found the Spartan Field Club in 1908 to support his and other Black New Yorkers’ interest in playing sports. These clubs provided facilities and organized amateur teams across a number of sports, with <a href="https://www.historicstkitts.kn/people/robert-douglas">cricket and basketball being among the most popular</a>.</p>
<p>Douglas had fallen in love with basketball after first playing in 1905, only a few years after he had immigrated to New York from St. Kitts. Despite encountering discrimination as a Black man and immigrant, he founded and played for an adult amateur basketball team within the club named the Spartan Braves. He transitioned to managing the club in 1918.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black bald man wearing sunglasses and a suit poses while folding his arms." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556713/original/file-20231030-26-jlbs88.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bob Douglas was nicknamed the ‘Father of Black Professional Basketball.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://djn2oq6v2lacp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bob-douglas-rens-owner-harlem-2.jpg">Harlem World Magazine</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Douglas was searching for a permanent home for his team and offered to rename the Spartan Braves the Harlem Renaissance in exchange for the use of the Black-owned <a href="https://onetwentyfifth.commons.gc.cuny.edu/non-fiction/the-historical-renaissance-ballroom/">Renaissance Ballroom & Casino</a> on Seventh Avenue between 137th and 138th streets. The team played its first game as the Renaissance on Nov. 3, 1923, with Douglas signing his players to <a href="https://www.blackfives.org/new-york-rens/">full-season contracts</a>.</p>
<p>Two years later, the “Rens,” as they came to be called, were declared the World Colored Basketball Champions. The squad went on to establish itself as a national powerhouse and competed in some of the first professional basketball games between <a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/7032039">white teams and Black teams</a>. In 1925, <a href="https://archive.org/details/hotpotato00bobk">the Rens bested the Original Celtics</a>, a white team from <a href="https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/original-celtics/">Manhattan’s West Side</a> that many viewed as the top team in the nation.</p>
<p>The next year, another all-Black team claiming Harlem as its home was founded. Unlike the Rens, however, the Harlem Globetrotters had no connection to the New York City neighborhood. They were based out of Illinois and had a white owner, <a href="https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/abe-saperstein/">Abe Saperstein</a>, who sought to profit from the connection between Black Americans and the place that served as the epicenter of Black culture. </p>
<h2>A stretch of dominance</h2>
<p>During the 1932-33 season, the Rens won 120 of the 128 games they played, including 88 in a row. Six of the losses came at the hands of the Original Celtics, although the Rens did end up winning the season series, beating their all-white rivals eight times. </p>
<p>Basketball’s influence on Black culture continued to grow throughout the interwar period. During Duke Ellington concerts, basketball stars like <a href="https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/clarence-jenkins/">Fats Jenkins</a> would entertain the crowd between sets, facilitating the deep cultural connection between <a href="https://www.blackfives.org/spin-magazine-mentions-harlem-rens-basketball-music-connection/">basketball and Black music that continues today</a>.</p>
<p>By the end of the 1930s, the Rens and Globetrotters were not just looking to prove themselves as the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-fives-basketball/">best Black teams</a> but also establish themselves as the best basketball teams in the nation. </p>
<p>In 1936, the New York Rens played a two-game series against the formidable <a href="https://www.nba.com/bucks/features/history-of-basketball-in-oshkosh">Oshkosh All-Stars</a>, who played out of Wisconsin. The popularity of the games led to Douglas and Oshkosh founder <a href="https://www.blackfives.org/early-racial-inclusion-puts-wisconsin-on-pro-basketball-map/">Lon Darling</a> to agree to a longer series, with the Rens winning three of the five games. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Old program for the first Basketball World's Championship features two players jumping for a ball above a map of the United States, wtih Chicago's skyline emerging from the center of the map." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1192&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1192&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1192&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556710/original/file-20231030-25-zgcuj4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Rens won the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1939.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.blackfives.org/museum/world-pro-tournament-programs/#foogallery-23466/i:1">Black Fives Foundation</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Douglas agreed to extend the competition another two games to create a “world series.” Oshkosh ended up winning them both to take the series. The victories led Darling and the All-Stars to join what would become the National Basketball League, a predecessor to the NBA. The NBL signed its <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/first-black-african-american-nba-players-history">first Black player in 1942</a>, five years before Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut.</p>
<p>As the NBL grew in popularity, the World Professional Basketball Tournament was created. In the 10 years the tournament was played, NBL teams won all but three championships, with all-Black teams claiming the other three. But only one of those teams – <a href="https://www.blackfives.org/new-york-rens-won-first-world-pro-basketball-tournament-on-todays-date/">the Rens</a> – had a Black owner.</p>
<h2>War, competition and integration</h2>
<p>The Rens struggled to maintain their dominance after the newly established Washington Bears, another all-Black team, <a href="https://www.blackfives.org/washington-bears/">poached a number of Ren players in 1941</a>. The Bears were founded by legendary Black broadcaster <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/nyregion/hal-jackson-pioneer-in-radio-and-racial-progress-dies-at-96.html">Hal Jackson</a> and backed by theater owner Abe Lichtman, who lured players with higher pay and a lighter schedule. </p>
<p>After the war, a number of NBL franchises struggled, including the Detroit Vagabond Kings, <a href="https://nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/NBL/Teams/DetroitVB/index.html">who dropped out of the league</a> in December 1948. Since the league needed a replacement, the Rens moved to Dayton, Ohio, and finished the season with the NBL, becoming the first Black-owned team in a primarily white league. </p>
<p>The NBL shuttered following the season, and several teams joined the newly formed NBA, leaving the Rens behind. The NBA was segregated during its first season after the merger was completed. But in 1950, several Black players – including former Rens player <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/how-chuck-cooper-nat-clifton-earl-lloyd-changed-nba-racial-integration">Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton</a> – integrated the league.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young Black man in white basketball jersey palming a basketball in each hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555637/original/file-20231024-29-vu17bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton played for the New York Rens and went on to become one of the first Black players in the NBA.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/nat-sweetwater-clifton-of-the-new-york-knickerbockers-news-photo/517727432?adppopup=true">Bettmann/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As professional sports grew and continued to integrate over the course of the 20th century, all-Black teams lost much of their top talent to white-owned teams. Despite <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/how-chuck-cooper-nat-clifton-earl-lloyd-changed-nba-racial-integration">quotas that limited the number of Black players on white-owned teams</a>, the loss of top talent led to the end of teams like the Rens.</p>
<p>The unique community and fan experiences fostered by these all-Black franchises <a href="https://theconversation.com/on-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-negro-leagues-a-look-back-at-what-was-lost-129678">was forever lost</a>.</p>
<h2>The Rens legacy</h2>
<p>In 1963, the 1932-33 Rens squad was enshrined in the <a href="https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/new-york-renaissance">Basketball Hall of Fame</a>. Several individual players, along with Douglas, would enter the Hall in later years.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Black man wearing suit jacket and orange shirt seated courtside during a basketball game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556705/original/file-20231030-19-k2soqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">BET co-founder Bob Johnson owned the Charlotte Bobcats from 2002 to 2010.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/charlotte-bobcats-team-owner-bob-johnson-watches-his-team-news-photo/577765474?adppopup=true">Chris Keane/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Today there are no Black majority owners in any of the four major North American professional leagues. There are a handful of Black Americans who are <a href="https://andscape.com/features/michael-jordans-hornets-sale-leaves-nba-with-no-black-majority-team-ownership/">minority owners of teams</a> – former NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill have minority stakes in the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks, respectively – but it isn’t clear how much influence they wield.</p>
<p>It’s an especially discouraging situation for the NBA. In a league <a href="https://43530132-36e9-4f52-811a-182c7a91933b.filesusr.com/ugd/403016_901e54ed015c44fb83df939d2070dc17.pdf">that is over 70% Black</a>, the dearth of Black owners and executives can lead to a disconnect between <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-racial-politics-of-the-nba-have-always-been-ugly">the players and the people running the league</a>. </p>
<p>In recent years, players have clashed with owners <a href="https://www.complex.com/style/a/jackson-connor/stylish-nba-players-who-were-affected-by-leagues-dress-code">over dress codes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ja-morant-shows-how-a-good-guy-with-a-gun-can-never-be-black-206161">discipline</a> and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/09/27/kareem-abdul-jabbar-protest-pushback/710808001/">political protests</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sportsvalue.com.br/en/nba-has-surpassed-us-10-billion-in-revenue-increasingly-disruptive-valuation-reached-us-86-billion/">As league revenue continues to soar</a>, and the NBA serves as an example for <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38156961/nba-grade-racial-gender-hiring-practices">inclusive hiring practices</a>, the lack of Black ownership is harder to ignore 100 years after the Rens first stepped on the court.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213439/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jared Bahir Browsh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Led by a Black businessman named Bob Douglas, the New York Rens, who played their first game on Nov. 3, 1923, became one of the best basketball teams in the country.Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado BoulderLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2115912023-10-20T12:27:13Z2023-10-20T12:27:13ZA memorial in Yiddish, Italian and English tells the stories of Triangle Shirtwaist fire victims − testament not only to tragedy but to immigrant women’s fight to remake labor laws<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554421/original/file-20231017-27-ejzl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C16%2C5582%2C3710&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Victims' names engraved in a metal overhang, part of the Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial, are reflected in mirroring panels along the sidewalk.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Triangle%20Shirtwaist%20Memorial/d4e18df9d4384eab9925fac331f75255?Query=triangle%20shirtwaist&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=42&currentItemNo=2">AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 10-story Brown Building, site of one of the deadliest workplace disasters in United States history, stands one block east of Washington Square Park in New York City. Despite three bronze plaques noting its significance, it has long been easy to pass by without further thought.</p>
<p>On March 25, 1911, however, thousands of New Yorkers gathered outside what was then known as the Asch Building, home of <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/150.html#screen">the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory</a>. Drawn by <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/newspapersMagazines/nyt_032611.html">a brief but raging inferno</a>, they bore horrified witness to dozens of factory workers with no way to escape gathering on the ninth-floor window sills, desperately jumping, and smashing onto the sidewalks far below.</p>
<p>Horse-drawn fire crews <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/146.html#screen">responded within minutes</a> to reports of the fire, which broke out on a Saturday afternoon at closing time, and it took only a half-hour to douse the flames. But the fire had had its way.</p>
<p>One hundred and forty-six people lost their lives. Most of those who died worked on the ninth floor, where safety measures consisted of little more than pails of water, despite the potential fire bomb around them: overflowing bins of discarded cloth and lint, combined with tissue-paper patterns hung across the ceiling. Locked doors, an inadequate fire escape and other fire code violations meant many workers could find no way out except the windows.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and white photo of a man looking from a few feet away at dead bodies crumpled on a sidewalk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554416/original/file-20231017-27-ur12ud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trapped behind locked doors, some workers saw no escape but the windows.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/policeman-stands-in-the-street-observing-charred-rubble-and-news-photo/3112343?adppopup=true">Hulton Archive/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Firemen were left to stack the lifeless bodies <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/151.html#screen">on the sidewalk</a>. The vast majority were girls or young women: meagerly paid laborers, and most of them Jewish or Italian immigrants.</p>
<p>On Oct. 11, 2023, the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition <a href="https://apnews.com/article/triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-memorial-6696231893baecf72da373ebd3a94680">dedicated a striking memorial</a> at the site of this tragedy. The initial installation features a stainless steel ribbon extending in two parallel strands along the ground floor, displaying victims’ names and survivors’ testimony, written in their native languages: English, Yiddish and Italian. Over the next few months, another gently twisting ribbon traveling from the window sill of the ninth floor to the ground level and back up again will be added.</p>
<p>The memorial offers a bold and graceful reminder not only of the fire but of its imprint on the world we inhabit today.</p>
<p>When I asked the students in my history class at the University of Michigan if they had heard of the Triangle fire, I was shocked to see almost all raise their hands. Many were familiar with how the disaster inspired <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/04/1033177379/labor-day-history-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-patco-strike">the growth of labor activism</a> and worker protections. Few of them, however, had thought about the central role of American Jewish women, <a href="https://ssw.umich.edu/faculty/profiles/tenure-track/kargold">the focus of my research</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and white photograph of a crowd of women in long coats, holding banners that say 'We mourn our loss.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554417/original/file-20231017-23-g9inov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Demonstrators from Local 25 and the United Hebrew Trades of New York mourn fire victims.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/demonstrators-mourn-for-the-deaths-of-victims-of-the-news-photo/642536674?adppopup=true">PhotoQuest/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tense 2 years</h2>
<p>Only two years before the fire, a walkout over working conditions at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory had sparked a series of labor actions that culminated in the <a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/uprising-of-20000-1909">Uprising of the 20,000</a>, the largest <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/275.html#screen">American women’s strike</a> ever. </p>
<p>That disciplined activism was led by a small cadre of <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography-clara-lemlich">young Jewish immigrant working-class women</a>. Years earlier, they had essentially created a branch of their own – Local 25 – within the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. Their example led to a surge of strikes nationwide and forced the labor movement to finally take the needs of unskilled workers and women workers seriously.</p>
<p><a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/142.html#screen">The Triangle bosses</a> and other owners hired thugs to assault strike leaders and picketers. The police likewise felt free <a href="https://uncpress.org/book/9781469635910/common-sense-and-a-little-fire-second-edition/">to beat the picketers</a>, which only abated when upper-class partners in the <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/286.html#screen">Women’s Trade Union League joined the picket lines</a> – raising fear among the police that they might be striking society matrons. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and white photo of formally dressed women around a dining table decorated with plants and candles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554418/original/file-20231017-23-v5l3s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Suffragettes and socialites attend a dinner held by Mrs. Martin Littleton in support of the striking workers, circa 1910.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-physician-anna-howard-shaw-leader-of-the-womens-news-photo/1393779912?adppopup=true">Paul Thompson/FPG/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>The Triangle Factory was among the 339 shops that “<a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/uprising-of-20000-1909">settled” with the union</a> in February 1910, with concessions that included higher wages, a 52-hour week, four paid holidays per year and a promise to no longer discriminate against union members. </p>
<p>The strikers’ <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/triangle/">call for better safety standards</a>, however, <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/triangle/">had been ignored</a> by the male union representatives and owners who had worked out the settlement. </p>
<h2>Moral force</h2>
<p>Local 25 grew from a few hundred to 10,000 members over the course <a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/uprising-of-20000-1909#pid-18206">of the 1909-10 strike</a>. That organizing prowess would be seen again in the wave of protest and indignation that followed the 1911 fire.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/triangle/">unions’ strength</a> could be seen in the <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/184.html#screen">funeral march</a> that accompanied the fire’s seven unidentified victims to a municipal burying ground, as a crowd of 400,000 assembled to march or <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/187.html#screen">watch the procession</a>.</p>
<p>The power of the <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801477072/the-triangle-fire/#bookTabs=1">activists’ moral indignation</a> emerged in full force
at a memorial meeting held a few days later. Workers grew restive as wealthy philanthropists, city officials and liberal reformers promised investigatory commissions – which they feared would mean little real change.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A close-up formal portrait of a woman with dark hair in a black and white photograph." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=879&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=879&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=879&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1105&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1105&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554415/original/file-20231017-23-fagv3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1105&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Feminist and union labor activist Rose Schneiderman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-feminist-and-labor-union-leader-rose-news-photo/461192915?adppopup=true">Interim Archives/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/schneiderman-rose">Rose Schneiderman</a>, one of the working-class <a href="http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/slides/221.html">immigrant labor activists</a> who had helped organize the 1909 strike, was also on the platform. <a href="https://francesperkinscenter.org/learn/her-life/">Reformer Frances Perkins</a>, who would soon become a close ally, noted Schneiderman trembling over <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801477072/the-triangle-fire/#bookTabs=1">the loss of comrades, friends and co-workers</a>.</p>
<p>Schneiderman took the podium, excoriating the industry’s brutality and focusing on the unrealized power of the workers themselves. “I would be a traitor to those poor burned bodies,” <a href="https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/115844?lang=bi">she declared</a>, “if I were to come here to talk good fellowship. We have tried you good people of the public – and we have found you wanting.”</p>
<p>“I know from experience it is up to the working class to save themselves,” Schneiderman told the audience.</p>
<h2>Birth of the New Deal</h2>
<p>Yet the working class ended up needing allies like Perkins, who was instrumental in establishing a citizens’ Committee on Safety, and then <a href="https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/mono-regsafepart07">a legislative Factory Investigating Commission</a> as well.</p>
<p>On the day of the fire, Perkins had been enjoying tea at a friend’s house on Washington Square and rushed toward the commotion across the park, arriving on the scene to see bodies falling from the sky. That scene and Schneiderman’s speech <a href="https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/lectures/FrancesPerkinsLecture.html">left an indelible impression on her</a> – as they did on many New Yorkers. </p>
<p>For several reasons, including public outcry about the fire, this was the moment when New York City’s political machine began to shift its focus and <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/triangle/">address workers’ needs</a>. Schneiderman and other activists worked with Perkins on investigations that led to the overhaul of <a href="https://www.nysarchivestrust.org/exhibits/industrialization">New York’s safety and labor laws</a>, such as <a href="https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-hearing-about-t/91238764/?locale=en-US">a 54-hour maximum work week</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Young men hold posters printed with black and white photographs of women as they stand on a city street." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/554420/original/file-20231017-15-vy8u4i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">New York City commemorated the 108th anniversary of the fire in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/holding-flowers-pictures-and-traditional-dresses-people-news-photo/1138302794?adppopup=true">Spencer Platt/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The young women whose pain had galvanized public response continued their union work, traveling around the country to help organize many of the strikes their activism inspired. Some also made an impact at the governmental level. Schneiderman became a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and <a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/schneiderman-rose">influenced her views on workers’ needs</a>, as well as those of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt.</p>
<p>Perkins became President Roosevelt’s secretary of labor in 1933 and was the first woman to serve in a U.S. cabinet position. She brought the New York reforms born in the wake of the fire into <a href="https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/franklin-delano-roosevelt-and-the-new-deal/">the New Deal</a>, the slew of social programs the Roosevelt administration introduced to help Americans struggling through the Great Depression. </p>
<p>Schneiderman, too, had a role: the only woman to serve on the New Deal’s Labor Advisory Board. As Perkins later recalled, the day of the Triangle fire was “<a href="https://francesperkinscenter.org/learn/her-life/">the day the New Deal was born</a>.”</p>
<p>For 112 years, the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory have called out silently from the sidewalks and window frames of the Brown Building, which is now part of New York University’s campus. The new memorial calls on the passersby to stop, note and honor that one horrific half-hour, etched indelibly into the story of the city and the nation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karla Goldman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A memorial at the site of the 1911 fire remembers those who died; a cadre of young Jewish women helped push for change in the wake of the tragedy.Karla Goldman, Professor of Social Work and Judaic Studies, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2097842023-10-02T19:23:59Z2023-10-02T19:23:59Z50 years of hip-hop: Its social and political power resonates far beyond its New York birthplace<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/50-years-of-hip-hop-its-social-and-political-power-resonates-far-beyond-its-new-york-birthplace" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Some historians say hip-hop culture all started at a <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hip-hop-is-born-at-a-birthday-party-in-the-bronx">party one hot August night in the South Bronx in 1973</a>. DJ Kool Herc plugged his parents’ record gear into a street lamp and began creating what is known as breaks — longer instrumentals in records created by replaying the musical interludes over and over. </p>
<p>In 1980, the first <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192750303/rappers-delight-how-hip-hop-got-its-first-record-deal">commercial rap record</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-sugarhill-gangs-rappers-delight-becomes-hip-hops-first-top-40-hit"><em>Rapper’s Delight</em>, was recorded</a>. With its large distribution network and popularity, this song reached the Billboard Top 40.</p>
<p>Soon hip-hop culture and rap music became a global phenomenon — leading to this year marking the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-global-musical-phenomenon-turns-50-a-hip-hop-professor-explains-what-the-word-dope-means-to-him-200872">50th anniversary of hip-hop</a>. </p>
<p>Today, hip-hop culture, and <a href="https://medium.com/just-to-talk-about/the-4-pillars-of-hip-hop-and-cinema-59e99acf73a5">its four main elements</a> — MCing (rap), DJing, breaking (dance) and graffiti, are staples of youth culture <a href="https://www.pbs.org/articles/q-a-chuck-d-lorrie-boula-and-yemi-bamiro-on-fight-the-power-and-the-50th-anniversary-of-hip-hop/">all over the globe</a>. </p>
<p>Beyond being a billboard sensation and generating celebrity artists, hip-hop culture and art are <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1152139160/50-years-of-hip-hop">still as youthful and popular as ever</a> far beyond where they originated.</p>
<h2>Social and political power of hip-hop</h2>
<p>Scholars of hip-hop and popular culture, such as Tricia Rose and Richard Iton, have highlighted the important <a href="https://www.triciarose.com/books/thehiphopwars">social and political power of hip-hop</a>.</p>
<p>For example, Iton examines how through extra-political means, such as mass movements, uprisings and protests, Black people both today and historically have used <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/in-search-of-the-black-fantastic-9780195178463?cc=ca&lang=en&">popular culture and art to ignite calls for social and political change</a>. </p>
<p>Created as an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/hip-hop-standing-black-lives-decades-15-songs/story?id=71195591">art of resistance</a> by young Black people struggling against oppression, hip-hop culture has found a home in resistance struggles globally.</p>
<p>As is commemorated in a radio documentary about the rap group Public Enemy, Chuck D, Public Enemy’s leader, once famously stated rap music <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jun/25/black-cnn-hip-hop-took-control">is “the Black CNN</a>.” He believed rap functioned similarly to news channels through “informing people, connecting people, being a direct source of information.” </p>
<h2>Connecting people, exposing issues</h2>
<p>For decades hip-hop artists have <a href="https://youtu.be/gYMkEMCHtJ4">used their power as</a> popular culture stars to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTuRPuhneAs">influence the political sphere</a>. As <a href="https://www.okayplayer.com/news/hip-hop-professors-in-academia.html">academics have begun to take notice</a> of the power of hip-hop to inspire youth and impact social change, more and more research on the history and power of hip-hop has developed. </p>
<p>Hip-hop is being used for <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/17/us/cnn-heroes-alvarez/index.html">therapeutic purposes</a> and can help provide young people with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2014.974433">sense of self and community</a>. Young people have been using hip-hop in their respective communities <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2014.992322">to shed light on important social issues and demand change</a>.</p>
<p>Youth all over the world are using hip-hop both as the means and the fuel to fight for social and political change.</p>
<h2>Speaking up</h2>
<p>There are many Indigenous artists using <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/a/kyle-mullin/indigenous-rap-renaissance">rap music</a> to engage in Indigenous resurgence as well as speak up about colonialism and racism. </p>
<p>Artists such as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/music/prism-prize-2023-snotty-nose-rez-kids-damn-right-1.6899919">Snotty Nose Rez Kids</a>, the rap duo <a href="https://www.socanmagazine.ca/news/video-interview-snotty-nose-rez-kids-create-life-after/">from the Haisla Nation</a> in British Columbia, combine socially conscious rap lyrics with music and dancing from their culture, often to question colonial Canadian policies and demand change for social problems. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Snotty Nose Rez Kids official music video ‘I Can’t Remember My Name.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Their music video for “I Can’t Remember My Name,” intersperses footage of performers stripping off western suits and people in traditional regalia dancing. Lyrics like “I’m smudging the dirt off my shoulder” melds traditional practices with hip-hop culture.</p>
<h2>Forging hybrid identities, outlets for stress</h2>
<p>Scholars Mela Sarkar and Dawn Allen have documented how Québec-based rappers of Haitian, Dominican and African origin <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15348450701341253">use rap music to build community and forge hybrid identities in the context of migration, the globalization of youth culture</a> and systemic barriers like poverty and racism. </p>
<p>In Toronto, several organizations offer after-school hip-hop programming in order to support young people in finding <a href="https://www.toronto.com/life/wellness/unity-charity-celebrates-10-years-of-helping-youth-through-hip-hop/article_f2ca403f-5097-5c28-9e93-573a9b42b4aa.html?">positive outlets for stress</a>. </p>
<p>Hip-hop artists in Toronto are using their art to challenge dominant stereotypical narratives of Black and racialized communities and highlight important social issues, such as racism, poverty, violence or substance use. For example, RISE Edutainment offers Black youth a community to use <a href="https://www.breakfasttelevision.ca/videos/this-organization-strives-to-empower-young-bipoc-artists/">art as a way to understand systemic inequality</a>.</p>
<h2>A classic: ‘Jamaican Funk Canadian style’</h2>
<p>To mark this momentous anniversary in hip-hop history, special events have been popping up including concerts and <a href="https://www.torontodance.com/rolling-loud-hip-hop-festival-in-toronto-september-9-11/">festivals</a>. </p>
<p>The Juno Awards 2023 <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/2023-junos-will-celebrate-the-50th-anniversary-of-hip-hop-with-all-star-performance-1.6764442">celebrated this anniversary</a> by showcasing some of the talented rappers north of the border including <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/urban-music-emc#">the first Canadian MC</a> to sign an American record label, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1864239259">Michie Mee</a>, playing her hit classic, “<a href="https://youtu.be/ObqLwv7UtP8">Jamaican Funk Canadian Style</a>.” </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC Music Video - The Making of Michie Mee’s ‘Jamaican Canadian Funk Style’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Positively impacting young people</h2>
<p>Over the last 50 years, hip-hop has been positively impacting young people who identify with its messaging and find comfort and solidarity in the community it creates. </p>
<p>This culture has grown and spread over the last half-century and shows no signs of stopping. </p>
<p>Hip-hop’s message of empowerment and the platform it provides to marginalized communities means we can expect another transformative 50 years ahead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209784/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Lippman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Created as an art of resistance by Black artists in the U.S., hip-hop culture has inspired global struggles and youth culture across the world, including in Canada.Anna Lippman, Sociology Instructor, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2095682023-07-13T12:37:12Z2023-07-13T12:37:12ZClimate change is increasing stress on thousands of aging dams across the US<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536900/original/file-20230711-19-5at0w3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C0%2C5472%2C3604&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Flood damage in Edenville, Mich., after a dam failed on May 19, 2020.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/MidwestFlooding/29e7a5cbb920467d9c1b84db02553cd0/photo">AP Photo/Carlos Osorio</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Heavy rainfall in the Northeast on June 9-11, 2023, <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/weather/2023/07/11/montpelier-vermont-floods-possible-dam-breach/">generated widespread flooding</a>, particularly in New York’s Hudson Valley and in Vermont. One major concern was the <a href="https://dec.vermont.gov/water-investment/dam-safety/dec-owned-dams#Wrightsville%20Dam">Wrightsville Dam</a>, built in 1935 on the Winooski River north of Vermont’s capital city, Montpelier. The reservoir behind the dam rose to within 1 foot of the dam’s maximum storage capacity, prompting warnings that water could <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/weather/2023/07/11/montpelier-vermont-floods-possible-dam-breach/">overtop the dam</a> and worsen already-dangerous conditions downstream, or damage the dam.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1IjEUscAAAAJ&hl=en">Hiba Baroud</a>, associate professor and associate chair in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University, explains how flooding stresses dams in a changing climate.</em></p>
<h2>How serious is the risk when flooding overtops a dam?</h2>
<p>Dam overtopping can result in erosion, which subsequently could lead to a dam breach or failure and a sudden, uncontrolled release of impounded water.</p>
<p>The risk of dam overtopping results from the combined effect of a hazardous event, such as heavy rainfall, and the vulnerability of the dam. A vulnerable dam could be old, poorly maintained or not have enough <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/spillway-engineering">spillway capacity</a> to safely release water from the dam.</p>
<p>A dam’s design can affect its ability to withstand overtopping and resist failure. For example, concrete dams can typically better withstand certain levels of overtopping compared to soil embankment dams. </p>
<p>Overtopping is the leading cause of dam failures in the U.S. It accounts for <a href="https://damsafety.org/dam-failures#The%20Causes%20of%20Dam%20Failures">34% of all dam failures</a>. How long water flows over a dam and the volume of water that flows over it are important factors in determining the likelihood that a dam will fail. </p>
<p>The consequences of a dam overtopping, and possibly failing, depend on several factors, such as the purpose of the dam, its size and its location. If a dam is designed for flood protection and is surrounded by homes, businesses or critical infrastructure, a large uncontrolled release of water could be catastrophic. Dams that are small and located in rural areas may cause less damage if they are overtopped or fail. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1678798286939881472"}"></div></p>
<h2>How old are most US dams?</h2>
<p>There are <a href="https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/#/">more than 91,000 dams</a> across the U.S., in all 50 states, with diverse designs and purposes. The average dam age is 60 years, and more than 8,000 dams <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/problem-america-neglected-too-long-deteriorating-dams">are over 90 years old</a>. </p>
<p>Every four years, the <a href="https://www.asce.org/">American Society of Civil Engineers</a> produces a report card for the nation’s infrastructure that assigns grades based on the condition of structures like roads, bridges and dams, and the investments that they need. The most recent report card estimates that 70% of U.S. dams <a href="https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/dams-infrastructure/">will be more than 50 years old by 2030</a>. </p>
<p>Overall, the report gave U.S. dams a “D” grade and estimated that more than 2,300 <a href="https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/dam-safety/rehabilitation-high-hazard-potential-dams">high hazard potential dams</a> – those that could cause loss of life or serious property damage if they fail, based on the level of development around them – lacked emergency action plans.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">This video captures the failure of the 90-year-old central spillway of the Lake Dunlap Dam in Seguin, Texas, on May 14, 2019. The collapse led to lawsuits and the creation of a water control district to replace the dam and others like it nearby.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Are there ways to strengthen older dams against flooding without completely replacing them?</h2>
<p>Decommissioning or replacing dams can be complicated and cost-prohibitive. It also can have cascading effects on the surrounding community, and possibly on other infrastructure. Regularly maintaining and upgrading older dams can be a cost-effective way to strengthen them and make them resilient to natural hazards. </p>
<p>When dams no longer serve the purposes for which they were built, they may be partially breached or <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-dams-cause-more-problems-than-they-solve-removing-them-can-pay-off-for-people-and-nature-137346">entirely removed</a> to restore the river’s natural flow. </p>
<p>The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that it would cost <a href="https://damsafety-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/files/2023%20ASDSO%20Costs%20of%20Dam%20Rehab%20Report.pdf">US$157.7 billion</a> to rehabilitate all nonfederal dams in the U.S. Of this amount, about one-fifth ($34.1 billion) is for rehabilitating high hazard potential dams. The 2021 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/06/fact-sheet-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/">Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act</a> includes <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684/text">approximately $3 billion</a> for dam safety projects, focusing on rehabilitation, retrofitting and removal.</p>
<h2>Is climate change increasing stress on older dams?</h2>
<p>Climate change is <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-climate-change-intensifies-the-water-cycle-fueling-extreme-rainfall-and-flooding-the-northeast-deluge-was-just-the-latest-209476">increasing the frequency and intensity</a> of natural hazards like storms that threaten dams. And these shifts don’t follow historical trends. Conditions that once were considered extreme will likely be more common in the future. </p>
<p>For example, one recent study on predicting coastal flooding found that in New England, a 100-year flood – that’s an event of a magnitude that now has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11755-z">could become an annual occurrence</a> by the late 2100s. </p>
<p>The fact that the climate is changing also means that extreme events are becoming more extreme. In 2015, a 1,000-year rainfall event in South Carolina resulted in <a href="https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/9780784480458.024">breaches of 47 dams</a>. </p>
<p>Designing new dams and upgrading existing infrastructure will need to be based on updated design procedures that take into account future climate projections, not just historical hazardous events. While older dams aren’t necessarily unsafe, they were constructed following outdated design standards and construction procedures and for different environmental conditions. That influences the likelihood and consequences of their failure during disasters. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jxNM4DGBRMU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The near-failure of California’s Oroville Dam in February 2017 led to the evacuation of nearly 190,000 people living downstream. A review cited multiple causes, including design and construction flaws, the bedrock upon which the dam was built and lapses in ongoing inspections.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Do you see this event in Vermont as a warning for other communities?</h2>
<p>The disasters that have hit the U.S. in recent years should spur government agencies and communities to prepare and plan for disasters through proactive steps such as developing emergency action plans. </p>
<p>While the number of high hazard potential dams in the U.S. has <a href="https://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Dams-2021.pdf">more than doubled in the last 20 years</a> as development has moved farther into rural areas, the proportion of these dams with an emergency action plan has also increased. <a href="https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/#/">It is now at 76%</a>, which is much higher than just a few years ago.</p>
<p>Vulnerable dams and the risk of dam failure cascade through our economy and affect many sectors. Dams serve many purposes: They provide water for drinking and irrigation, generate energy and protect communities from flooding. They are also part of a large navigation network that transports <a href="https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Value-to-the-Nation/Fast-Facts/Inland-Navigation-Fast-Facts/">more than 500 million tons of commodities</a> across the U.S. each year. </p>
<p>As my colleagues and I have shown, it’s important to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12223">understand the direct and indirect costs</a> when critical infrastructure systems like dams fail. This information is crucial for developing strategies that can help the U.S. prepare for future disasters.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209568/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hiba Baroud receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Transportation. </span></em></p>More extreme rainfall and frequent storms are raising the risk that floodwaters could spill over dams, or that dams could fail.Hiba Baroud, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2090202023-07-10T12:32:42Z2023-07-10T12:32:42ZHow small wealthy suburbs contribute to regional housing problems<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535644/original/file-20230704-21-62j51z.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=962%2C138%2C1310%2C888&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The line between Atherton, Calif., (right) and its neighbor is obvious in property sizes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The odd headlines about little towns in the San Francisco Bay Area just keep coming.</p>
<p>First Woodside, a tiny suburb where several Silicon Valley CEOs have lived, tried to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/us/woodside-mountain-lion-housing.html">declare itself a mountain lion habitat</a> to evade a new California law that enabled owners of single-family homes to subdivide their lots to create additional housing.</p>
<p>Then wealthy Atherton, with a population of 7,000 and a <a href="https://therealdeal.com/sanfrancisco/2023/05/01/development-fight-heats-up-in-countrys-richest-city/">median home sale price</a> of US$7.5 million, tried to update its state-mandated housing plan. Until very recently, <a href="https://belonging.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/atherton_zoning_map_0.png">100% of Atherton’s residentially zoned land</a> allowed only single-family houses on large lots. When the City Council considered rezoning a handful of properties to allow townhouses, strenuous objections poured in from such notable local residents as basketball star <a href="https://padailypost.com/2023/02/05/atherton-rejects-plea-of-the-currys-will-keep-controversial-development-in-housing-plan/">Steph Curry</a> and billionaire venture capitalist <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/12/technology/nimby-housing-silicon-valley-atherton.html">Marc Andreessen</a>. </p>
<p>A council member <a href="https://padailypost.com/2023/04/24/mayor-athertons-specialness-is-being-overlooked-in-quest-to-find-more-housing/">argued</a> that the town should “express and explain the specialness of Atherton … to succeed in reducing [the state’s] expectations of us.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A garden walk with parallel gravel pathways on either side of carefully manicured flower beds and old trees." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536376/original/file-20230707-19-711ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A formal garden and estate operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation reflects the aesthetic of Woodside, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/formal-garden-with-flowers-set-among-hedges-designed-to-news-photo/803294050?adppopup=true">Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On first glance, these might seem like extreme cases of privilege, oddities from quirky California. But as <a href="https://tupress.temple.edu/books/regional-governance-and-the-politics-of-housing-in-the-san-francisco-bay-area">our new book</a> on the politics of housing shows, the ability of small suburban municipalities to limit multifamily housing is more the rule than the exception.</p>
<h2>Small governments’ big role in limiting housing</h2>
<p>Adding new housing is one of the few ways to limit the escalation of <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/housing/2022/10/07/new-york-city-housing-supply-demand">rents</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/upshot/home-prices-surging.html">home prices</a> in high-cost metros like <a href="https://www.spur.org/publications/research/2021-04-19/what-it-will-really-take-create-affordable-bay-area">San Francisco</a>, <a href="https://cbcny.org/research/strategies-boost-housing-production-new-york-city-metropolitan-area">New York</a> and <a href="https://www.urban.org/research/publication/meeting-washington-regions-future-housing-needs">Washington</a>, D.C. Even new “luxury” apartments or condos can <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apartment-rents-fall-as-crush-of-new-supply-hits-market-2403c6ea?page=1">reduce competition</a> for older units, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/joeg/article-abstract/22/6/1309/6362685">taking some pressure off rents</a> for <a href="https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/105/2/359/100977/Local-Effects-of-Large-New-Apartment-Buildings-in">people with lower incomes</a>.</p>
<p>However, locating new apartments and townhomes near jobs can be difficult. It means building them in existing communities, where small local governments often constrain housing development.</p>
<p>To study the impact small governments’ opposition is having on housing, we used census tract data from California’s metro areas to examine multifamily housing development between the Census Bureau’s 2008-2012 American Community Survey and its 2014-2018 survey, a time when the housing market was rapidly recovering from the Great Recession.</p>
<p>Over that span, according to our statistical estimates, a typical neighborhood-size <a href="https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/about/glossary.html#par_textimage_13">census tract</a> located within a city of 100,000 residents saw the development of 46 more new multifamily units than an otherwise very similar census tract located within a smaller city of 30,000 residents. In other words, smaller cities, which typically are suburban in nature, added far fewer multifamily units.</p>
<p>An extra 46 new apartments might sound like a small number, but it can make a real difference at the neighborhood level. Nearly half the census tracts in our sample – each with around 1,200 to 8,000 residents – gained five or fewer multifamily units.</p>
<h2>Cities across the US face similar struggles</h2>
<p>This pattern of slower rates of multifamily housing development in smaller jurisdictions is hardly unique to the Bay Area.</p>
<p>When we examined census data from metro areas nationwide, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087420988598">similarly found</a> that neighborhoods in small jurisdictions gained fewer multifamily units. We took into account a lengthy list of economic, geographic and demographic factors that could influence neighborhood growth rates, as well as the size of the jurisdiction.</p>
<p>Most big American cities in high-cost regions – think Boston, Denver and Los Angeles – are surrounded by a sea of mostly small independent suburbs.</p>
<p>In many of these communities, residents actively participate in local politics to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/neighborhood-defenders/0677F4F75667B490CBC7A98396DD527A#fndtn-information">fight increases in density and multifamily housing</a>. As proposals for new housing are deflected away from these small communities, housing either doesn’t get built, thus raising rents by limiting residential supply, or it gets pushed to far-flung exurbs that are distant from most jobs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A map shows little change near the city and more housing added over the mountains to the east and down a valley to the south of San Jose and San Francisco." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535405/original/file-20230703-259537-cg8fma.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows the change in housing units in the San Francisco Bay Area between the survey’s 2012 and 2018 five-year estimates.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html">Nicholas Marantz</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the San Francisco Bay Area, the communities with relatively high increases in housing in our study tended to be at the urban fringe, while many close-in suburbs had stagnant housing development or even a decline in units.</p>
<h2>Inner suburbs could offer housing closer to jobs</h2>
<p>Just because a suburb is small in population does not mean that it is far off the beaten track or irrelevant to a region’s economy.</p>
<p>Atherton, for example, maintained its estate-style residential zoning for decades, smack-dab in the middle of a job-rich area. In fact, our data shows that among the Bay Area municipalities with the best geographic proximity to employment, about half are small suburbs of 30,000 or fewer residents.</p>
<p>Transportation is the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#transportation">largest single contributor to U.S. carbon emissions</a>, yet many people end up commuting long distances because housing is so limited and expensive in job-rich areas. However, many inner suburbs’ land-use plans were set decades ago in vastly different economic eras, and many now claim to be “built out” and done with adding housing.</p>
<h2>What’s standing in the way?</h2>
<p>Why does a municipality’s size matter so much for how many apartments and condos get built? In a word, politics.</p>
<p>Homeowners tend to be the dominant political interest in small suburbs. They may worry that larger or denser residential buildings will decrease their property values, increase traffic or strain local infrastructure. Fears about even minor projects – like the proposal for <a href="https://padailypost.com/2023/02/05/atherton-rejects-plea-of-the-currys-will-keep-controversial-development-in-housing-plan/">16 townhomes</a> near Curry’s estate in Atherton – can get magnified.</p>
<p>To be sure, many homeowners in big cities have similar worries. But in a large, diverse city, anti-growth voices often are counterbalanced by pro-housing interests active in city politics, such as large employers, developers, construction unions or affordable-housing nonprofits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man guides a sign reading " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536377/original/file-20230708-21-xumjge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Urban redevelopment efforts can create more housing through projects such as turning warehouses into apartment buildings like this one in Washington, D.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/brian-dwyer-sign-technician-guides-an-ivy-city-sign-being-news-photo/496784922">Ricky Carioti/ The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And though a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/business/economy/housing-crisis-conor-dougherty-golden-gates.html">growing set of YIMBY activists</a> – those advocating “yes in my backyard” – agitate in favor of more housing, suburban elected officials typically feel much more political heat from longtime homeowners than from YIMBY activists.</p>
<h2>How to unlock more housing where it’s needed</h2>
<p>State legislators can unlock the potential for new housing by requiring local governments to relax single-family-only zoning and similar land-use restrictions. <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/03/22/colorado-local-housing-preempetion-bill/">Colorado’s governor proposed</a> doing that in 2023, and <a href="https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/research-and-policy/california-housing-laws/">California has passed similar laws</a>. However, that can be politically risky. Local control of land use is an article of faith in many states.</p>
<p>New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s effort to enact land-use reforms that would push localities to rezone for more housing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/nyregion/nyc-suburbs-affordable-housing.html">hit a dead end in that state’s Legislature</a> in 2023. In California, meanwhile, lawsuits by local governments and neighbors of proposed projects proliferate. And some cities – like Woodside, with its mountain lion sanctuary – attempt to creatively dodge state rules.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in a winter jacket, ball cap and face mask walks at night by tents in San Jose used by people who have no solid housing options." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536378/original/file-20230708-25-76fnql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A survey of California’s homeless population published in June 2023 by the University of California San Francisco found the median monthly household income in the six months before a person became homeless was $960. The average one-bedroom rent in the Bay Area is more than twice that.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/mayor-sam-liccardo-takes-part-in-the-2022-point-in-time-news-photo/1238901446?adppopup=true">Aric Crabb/MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>States could also create incentives for local governments to approve more housing. Certain types of state-collected revenues, such as sales taxes or gasoline taxes, could be distributed to local communities based on each community’s count of bedrooms, with additional credit given for affordable units. This type of incentive might lead local officials to view new apartments as improving their community’s bottom line.</p>
<p>Another approach is for state governments to create metro-level mechanisms designed to represent the needs of housing consumers throughout the region.</p>
<p>States could set up regionwide housing appeals boards authorized to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10511482.2020.1712612">reconsider and potentially overturn anti-housing decisions</a> by cities and towns. Oregon took a more ambitious approach in its largest urban region, Portland. Voters created and then strengthened an elective <a href="https://www.oregonmetro.gov/regional-leadership/what-metro">metro government</a> to not just plan but actually carry out key regional land-use priorities. </p>
<p>With that big-picture view and authority, Portland can put more housing in locations most accessible to jobs and transit while protecting sensitive countryside in outlying areas from vehicle-dependent sprawl. In other words, it can put housing where it’s needed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209020/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul G. Lewis received funding for the research project discussed in this article from the Emmett Shear Charitable Trust.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas J. Marantz received funding for the research project discussed in this article from the Emmett Shear Charitable Trust.</span></em></p>Small suburbs have a track record of blocking new housing. Two urban policy experts explain why that’s a problem and what metro areas could do about it.Paul G. Lewis, Associate Professor of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State UniversityNicholas J. Marantz, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of California, IrvineLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2010052023-06-12T12:15:45Z2023-06-12T12:15:45ZCranogwen: statue unveiled for pioneering Welsh sailor, poet and gender equality campaigner<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513127/original/file-20230302-26-9gw4z9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C1162%2C683&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sarah Jane Rees was also known as Cranogwen.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Library of Wales</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>You can read this article in <a href="https://theconversation.com/cranogwen-dadorchuddio-cerflun-ir-arloeswraig-yn-llangrannog-203682">Welsh</a>.</em></p>
<p>A statue has been unveiled in the small seaside village of Llangrannog in Ceredigion, to honour a pioneer in the development of gender equality in Wales. It pays tribute to <a href="https://www.uwp.co.uk/book/cranogwen/">Cranogwen, the bardic name of Sarah Jane Rees</a> (1839-1916). </p>
<p>Sarah was a sea-captain’s daughter, who followed various careers, as a sailor, teacher, poet, lecturer, journal editor, preacher and temperance movement leader. </p>
<p>She rose to sudden fame in September 1865, when she won a National Eisteddfod prize for which the most highly-esteemed Welsh language bards of the age, <a href="https://biography.wales/article/s-THOM-WIL-1832?&query=islwyn&lang%5B%5D=en&sort=score&order=desc&rows=12&page=1#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=10&manifest=https%3A%2F%2Fdamsssl.llgc.org.uk%2Fiiif%2F2.0%2F4832868%2Fmanifest.json&xywh=587%2C587%2C1223%2C1055">Islwyn</a> and <a href="https://biography.wales/article/s-HUGH-CEI-1832#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&manifest=https%3A%2F%2Fdamsssl.llgc.org.uk%2Fiiif%2F2.0%2F4674472%2Fmanifest.json&xywh=1075%2C1485%2C3868%2C3121">Ceiriog</a>, had also competed. The audience’s shock was immense: no one had expected a woman to emerge as winner, understandably enough as most of Ceredigion’s women were still illiterate at this time, signing their marriage certificates with a cross. </p>
<p>But well before 1865 her life had already followed different paths from those expected of women in her era. Sarah was born in Dolgoy-fach, a cottage high up on the hillside above Llangrannog’s shore. As soon as she was in her teens, she was required to start contributing to the family’s income: the choice was domestic service or needlework. She was apprenticed to a needlewoman in the nearby town of Cardigan, but returned home after a few months announcing her utter distaste for that work. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lady-rhondda-the-little-known-suffragette-whose-efforts-led-to-greater-equality-for-women-200767">Lady Rhondda: the little-known suffragette whose efforts led to greater equality for women</a>
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<p>Instead she persuaded her father to take her on board his two-masted ketch, the Betsy, as a crew member. So started her three year stint as a sailor, at that time an unusual occupation for a woman. But with that experience, she was enabled in 1860, at 21 years of age, to take up the schoolteacher’s post at Llangrannog, teaching young sailors as well as the local children.</p>
<p>Her triumph on the national stage changed her prospects: it made her an instant celebrity. The whole of Wales wanted to see and hear the young woman who had beaten Islwyn and Ceiriog at their own game. </p>
<p>The mid-19th century was the age of the public lecture, particularly among the <a href="https://welshchapels.wales/nonconformity/">Welsh Nonconformists</a>. If a chapel managed to secure the services of a popular lecturer, they could make a substantial profit from the ticket price, a sum often much needed to pay off chapel building debts. Cranogwen, as she became known, was persuaded, against her initial inclination because it meant giving up her hard-won teaching post, to become a public lecturer.</p>
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<img alt="A statue of a woman reading a book" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531281/original/file-20230612-91400-zhacx5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The statue of Cranogwen stands in the village of Llangrannog yn Ceredigion.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Molyneux Associates</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>She started on her lecture tours in the winter of 1865. In packed chapels up and down the country she addressed congregations who had never previously seen a woman in the pulpit or the deacons’ pew. Between 1869 and 1871, she visited the United States and lectured to every emigrant Welsh-speaking settlement across the continent, from New York to San Francisco. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, Cranogwen never published her lectures, but according to the many descriptions of them in the contemporary press, they focused on the need for all those among her audience who aspired to live fully to recognise their own abilities, to cultivate them through acquiring education, and then to put them to work for the benefit of their communities. Only thus could they hope to find true happiness and fulfilment. And this message was for girls as much as boys, for women as well as men.</p>
<p>It was a message she went on to repeat in her new role, after her return to Wales, as the first Welsh woman to become a journal editor. In each of her careers Cranogwen challenged her era’s narrow conception of gender roles which confined women to the domestic sphere. Her primary aim was always to take other women with her, “out of their caves”, as she puts it, and into the public world as writers, speakers and leaders. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1667529363154255874"}"></div></p>
<p>She considered the patriarchal system’s refusal to allow women access to professional roles a lamentable waste of female talents and abilities. As editor of <a href="https://journals.library.wales/browse/2649281/">Y Frythones</a> journal, she disseminated these ideas widely, particularly in her responses to readers’ queries in her Questions and Answers column. </p>
<p>“Gender difference”, she says, “is nothing”. She saw the gender system of her mid-Victorian era as a man-made fabrication, which had no grounding in any real difference between the two categories male/female in terms of their intellectual, cultural and professional potential. </p>
<p>Her influence was profound. <a href="https://biography.wales/article/s-EDWA-MOR-1858">Sir O. M. Edwards</a>, a leading figure in Welsh fin-de-siècle culture, said of her in 1916: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Cranogwen had a mission and a noble aim. And she succeeded. No woman in our history to date has done as much to increase the intellectual confidence, the self-respect and the usefulness of the women of Wales as Cranogwen.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is indeed fitting that a statue be raised in her honour. It is part of a wider campaign - <a href="https://monumentalwelshwomen.com">Monumental Welsh Women</a> - dedicated to marking the contribution of women to the history of Wales. The statue, by sculptor Sebastien Boyesen, stands in the village in which Cranogwen lived throughout her life, first with her parents and subsequently, after their death, with her partner Jane Thomas.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201005/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Aaron does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Cranogwen was a trailblazer who challenged expectations of women during the Victorian era.Jane Aaron, Emeritus professor of English, University of South WalesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2064392023-05-31T21:26:23Z2023-05-31T21:26:23ZDaniel Penny’s GiveSendGo campaign: Crowdfunding primarily benefits the most privileged<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528707/original/file-20230528-147502-41rsji.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=315%2C0%2C3079%2C2254&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Daniel Penny, centre, is walked by New York Police Department detectives out of a Manhattan precinct in May 2023. He was charged with manslaughter in the death of Jordan Neely.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A former United States Marine was recently charged with second-degree manslaughter <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/20/daniel-penny-breaks-silence-on-jordan-neely-nyc-subway-death/">for fatally choking a 30-year-old Black man, Jordan Neely, on a New York subway train</a>. </p>
<p>A GiveSendGo <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/daniel_penny">crowdfunding campaign</a> has raised over $2.8 million from 57,000 donations for Daniel Penny’s legal expenses. It’s the <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/marine-vet-daniel-penny-givesendgo-legal-defense-fund-sites-second-biggest-campaign">second largest</a> fundraiser on that platform. </p>
<p>While many people on the left have <a href="https://twitter.com/FredTJoseph/status/1657731710824456195">expressed dismay</a> at the success of this fundraiser, GiveSendGo isn’t necessarily wrong to host it. </p>
<p>What’s more objectionable about this campaign isn’t so much that it helps someone defend himself in court but what it demonstrates about the larger, and highly inequitable, enterprise of crowdfunding itself.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1657566582510350336"}"></div></p>
<h2>Violent crime ban</h2>
<p>Penny’s fundraiser was likely created on GiveSendGo rather than the much larger and better known GoFundMe website because GoFundMe <a href="https://medium.com/gofundme-stories/gofundme-policy-on-fundraisers-for-the-legal-defense-of-violent-crimes-975aff8ba5f6">has a policy</a> against allowing fundraisers for the legal defence of people accused of violent crimes. </p>
<p>After Illinois teenager Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with the death of two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, GoFundMe announced a policy banning campaigns for the “<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/c/terms">legal defence of alleged financial and violent crimes</a>.” </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A round-faced dark-haired young man closes his eyes tightly." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528708/original/file-20230528-158323-uyhxuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kyle Rittenhouse closes his eyes and cries as he is found not guilty on all counts in Kenosha, Wis., in November 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://time.com/6150317/givesendgo-trucker-convoy-canada-profits/">This has made GiveSendGo a home</a> for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/13/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-defense-fund">right-wing legal causes</a>, including legal defence funds for Rittenhouse, police officers accused of homicide, Jan. 6 rioters, Canada’s so-called Freedom Convoy activists and, most recently, Penny. </p>
<p>In many cases these fundraisers have been enormously successful, raising hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-gofundme-violating-its-own-terms-of-service-on-the-freedom-convoy-176147">Is GoFundMe violating its own terms of service on the 'freedom convoy?'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There are many compelling reasons to condemn the kinds of crowdfunding campaigns that GiveSendGo often hosts. Its lax moderation policies have made it home to a wide range of activities and organizations that spread <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-research-finds-extremists-and-bigots-raise-millions-dollars-through">hate and bigotry, harming specific groups</a>. </p>
<p>But helping people accused of violent crimes to defend themselves in court is a different matter. Legal defence and due process in the courts are a basic civil right. While many of us find Penny’s actions horrific and welcome the charge of manslaughter against him, it’s his right to defend himself in court and to access legal counsel to do so.</p>
<h2>Unfair advantage</h2>
<p>Nonetheless, Penny’s fundraiser shows crowdfunding is a wildly unfair way of securing this and other rights. </p>
<p>It was initiated by his legal team even before charges were laid against him. He has benefited from the politicization of his actions and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/14/nyregion/daniel-penny-jordan-neely-conservative.html">wide support on the political right</a>, including calls to support the fundraiser from politicians like <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1657212176178855939">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</a> and Republican congressman <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1657145179306950657">Matt Gaetz</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1660243054329036801"}"></div></p>
<p>After Penny was charged with manslaughter, funds began pouring into the 24-year-old’s campaign, helped by exposure on mainstream and social media. As a result, Penny will have the finest legal defence money can buy, likely with ample money left over.</p>
<p>This isn’t the case for the vast majority of people accused of crimes — violent or otherwise — who are equally deserving of effective legal counsel. </p>
<p>Most crowdfunding campaigns <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13568">fall well short of their goals</a>. White beneficiaries generally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soab076">fare better</a> than Black and other racialized minorities, and people in relatively wealthy and well-educated communities <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229760">raise more money</a> than those in less affluent areas. </p>
<p>All campaigners rely on networks of donors for support. People with more privileged networks can expect better outcomes than people in positions of greater relative need. </p>
<h2>Campaigns with no support</h2>
<p>What this means is that crowdfunding isn’t a fair means for people accused of violent crimes to pay for their legal defence.</p>
<p>For every Daniel Penny or Kyle Rittenhouse, there are thousands of campaigns that get little or no public support. </p>
<p>Perhaps their alleged crimes are abhorrent and people would have no interest in financially supporting those accused of them. But the bottom line is that some of these people are innocent of the crimes they’re accused of and, regardless, everyone is deserving of an effective legal defence. </p>
<p>In the United States and most other democracies, all people in principle have access to public defenders and their basic right to legal due process is secured in this way. But the reality is that public defenders are often <a href="https://stateline.org/2022/06/21/public-defenders-were-scarce-before-covid-its-much-worse-now/">under-resourced</a>, <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/if-you-care-about-freedom-you-should-be-asking-why-we-dont-fund-our-public-defender-systems">overburdened</a>, and struggle to provide their clients with effective counsel even with their best efforts. </p>
<p>In other cases, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/is-this-the-worst-place-to-be-poor-and-charged-with-a-federal-crime">these defenders fail</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/17/poor-rely-public-defenders-too-overworked">outright</a> in their duties to their clients. </p>
<p>That means a defendant with a multi-million-dollar legal fund is in a wildly different position than the much larger mass of people navigating public defender systems. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="College graduates in blue robes hold up anti-racism signs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528709/original/file-20230528-201140-yysxz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">College graduates hold signs reading ‘A Black child was lynched yesterday! Jordan Neely’ and ‘Stand up, Fight Back, Black People Under Attack’ as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at Howard University’s commencement in Washington, D.C., in May 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reputational damage</h2>
<p>GoFundMe’s decision to ban campaigns for the legal defence of people accused of violent crimes was likely driven by reputational concerns rather than principle. </p>
<p>It’s understandable that a company that brands itself as <a href="https://medium.com/gofundme-stories/how-gofundme-will-accelerate-progress-towards-our-vision-to-be-the-most-helpful-place-in-the-world-b1e60c95009e">the most helpful place in the world</a> doesn’t want to invite criticism for hosting high-profile campaigns for police officers who killed Black Americans during arrests, political insurrectionists and people who shoot racial justice protesters. </p>
<p>We can question the priorities and values of donors who enthusiastically support primarily white defendants accused of violence against protesters and people experiencing mental health crises while ignoring others in need. </p>
<p>But helping people secure due process in the courts is a noble goal, as are crowdfunding campaigns that help pay for medical care, housing and education. </p>
<p>The problem is that crowdfunding operates largely as a popularity contest, distributing help in deeply inequitable ways. That, among other things, is what Penny’s campaign reveals: Leaving it up to the public to pick who should have access to basic rights leads to deeply unfair outcomes. </p>
<p>If people on the left and right can agree that a legal defence is something everyone deserves, then we should also agree that crowdfunding isn’t the way to secure this right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206439/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Snyder receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Greenwall Foundation. </span></em></p>Helping people secure due process in the courts is a noble goal. But the problem with crowdfunding campaigns is that they largely operate as popularity contests.Jeremy Snyder, Professor, Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2047212023-05-25T15:10:22Z2023-05-25T15:10:22ZListen: A 5th generation New Yorker traces her family history and finds the roots of anti-Asian violence – and Asian resistance<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/de138b12-ba9e-4e14-9a19-46cdefce0299?dark=true"></iframe>
<p>In this episode of <a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/episodes/a-5th-generation-new-yorker-reveals-tales-of-asian-resistance-since-the-19th-century"><em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em></a>, author and CUNY professor Ava Chin, a 5th generation Chinese New Yorker, discusses her new book, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563929/mott-street-by-ava-chin/"><em>Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming</em></a>. </p>
<p>The book artfully explores themes of exclusion as it relates to all Chinese Americans, plus personally for Chin with her father, a “crown prince” of Chinatown that she didn’t meet until adulthood. Chin reveals personal family stories against the backdrop of the U.S. eugenics movement and draws a connecting line between <a href="http://aapidata.com/blog/year-after-atlanta/">the current rise in violence against Asians in North America</a> and anti-immigration laws more than 100 years old. </p>
<p>Chin also showcases the resilience, love lives and dreams of Chinese immigrants as well as their resistance to the attitudes and laws of the era.</p>
<p>In our conversation, Chin said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This story goes back to a period in time, in the era of reconstruction, when the young country was asking itself, who is an American and who is not…And the decisions that they made back then in the 19th century set us on a course as a nation towards viewing all Asians as being foreign and suspicious. And so the great aim of this book is to shed light on Asian American stories and place Asian Americans into our proper space into the larger American story.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Listen and Follow</h2>
<p>You can listen to or follow <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em> on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dont-call-me-resilient/id1549798876">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9qZFg0Ql9DOA">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/37tK4zmjWvq2Sh6jLIpzp7">Spotify</a> or <a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com">wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts</a>. </p>
<p><a href="mailto:DCMR@theconversation.com">We’d love to hear from you</a>, including any ideas for future episodes. Join The Conversation on <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationCA">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheConversationCanada">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theconversationdotcom/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theconversation">TikTok</a> and use #DontCallMeResilient.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="(Alfred A. Hart Photographs, 1862-1869, Stanford University Libraries)" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528034/original/file-20230524-17-dehexd.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chinese railroad workers were often left off the official story. Here, they construct a section of the First Transcontinental Railroad on the Humboldt Plains of Nevada. Archival research by Gordon Chang.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Resources</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=913&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=913&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=913&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1147&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1147&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528157/original/file-20230525-17-si8tvn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1147&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ava Chin’s ‘Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Penguin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674260351"><em>The Chinese Must Go: Violence, exclusion and the making of the Alien in America</em></a> by Beth Lew-Williams </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=29278"><em>The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental Railroad</em></a> by Gordon Chang and Shelley Fisher Fishkin</p>
<p><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2022/05/18/confronting-the-invisibility-of-anti-asian-racism/">Confronting the invisibility of anti-Asian racism</a> by Jennifer Lee</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100232">Anti-Chinese stigma in the Greater Toronto Area during COVID-19: Aiming the spotlight towards community capacity</a> - <em>Social Sciences & Humanities Open</em> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/asian-american-anti-racism/"><em>“Multiple Things Can Be True”: Understanding the Roots of Anti-Asian Violence</em></a> - <em>The Nation</em></p>
<h2>From the archives, in The Conversation</h2>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-model-minority-myth-hides-the-racist-and-sexist-violence-experienced-by-asian-women-157667">The model minority myth hides the racist and sexist violence experienced by Asian women</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/year-of-the-tiger-an-opportunity-for-bold-changes-in-combatting-anti-asian-racism-174385">Year of the Tiger: An opportunity for bold changes in combatting anti-Asian racism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204721/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Author Ava Chin, a 5th generation New Yorker, traces the roots of today’s high rates of anti-Asian violence back to 19th century U.S. labour and immigration laws.Vinita Srivastava, Host + Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2050092023-05-23T12:27:30Z2023-05-23T12:27:30ZMore than two dozen cities and states are suing Big Oil over climate change – they just got a boost from the US Supreme Court<p>Honolulu has lost <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6801979/Honolulu-Climate-Lawsuit-3-9-2020.pdf">more than 5 miles</a> of its famous beaches to sea level rise and storm surges. Sunny-day flooding during high tides makes many city roads impassable, and water mains for the public drinking water system are corroding from saltwater because of sea level rise.</p>
<p>The damage has left the city and county spending millions of dollars on repairs and infrastructure to try to adapt to the rising risks.</p>
<p>Future costs will almost certainly be higher. More than US$19 billion in property value, at today’s dollars, is at risk by 2100 from projected sea level rise, driven by greenhouse gas emissions largely from the burning of fossil fuels. Elsewhere in Honolulu County, which covers all of Oahu, many coastal communities will be cut off or uninhabitable.</p>
<p>Unwilling to have their taxpayers bear the full brunt of these costs, the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6801979/Honolulu-Climate-Lawsuit-3-9-2020.pdf">city and county sued</a> Sunoco LP, Exxon Mobil Corp. and other big oil companies in 2020.</p>
<p>Their case – one of <a href="https://climateintegrity.org/cases">more than two dozen</a> involving <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527655/original/file-20230523-14019-49gxsv.png">U.S. cities, counties and states suing the oil industry</a> over climate change – just got a break from the U.S. Supreme Court. That has significantly increased their odds of succeeding.</p>
<h2>Suing over the cost of climate change</h2>
<p>At stake in all of these cases is who pays for the staggering cost of a changing climate.</p>
<p>Local and state governments that are suing want to hold the major oil companies responsible for the costs of responding to disasters that scientists are increasingly <a href="https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2021/10/04/attribution-science-linking-climate-change-to-extreme-weather/">able to attribute</a> to climate disruption and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acbce8">tie back to the fossil fuel industry</a>. Several of the plaintiffs accuse the companies of lying to the public about their products’ risks in violation of state or local consumer protection laws that prohibit false advertising.</p>
<p><iframe id="j1ckJ" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/j1ckJ/20/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>The governments in the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6801979/Honolulu-Climate-Lawsuit-3-9-2020.pdf">Honolulu case allege</a> that the oil companies “are directly responsible” for a substantial rise in carbon dioxide emissions that have been driving climate change. They say the companies should contribute their <a href="https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/fair-share-for-the-fossil-fuel-industry/">fair share</a> to defray some of the costs.</p>
<p>The gist of Honolulu’s complaint is that the big oil companies <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063">have known for decades</a> that their products cause climate change, yet their public statements continued to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-big-oil-knew-about-climate-change-in-its-own-words-170642">sow doubts</a> about <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-was-an-exxon-funded-climate-scientist-49855">what was known</a>, and they failed to warn their customers, investors and the public about the dangers posed by their products. </p>
<p>Were it not for this deception, the lawsuit says, the city and county would not be facing mounting costs of abating the damage from climate change.</p>
<p>Importantly, the complaint is based on state – not federal – law. It alleges that the defendants have violated established common law rules long recognized by the courts involving nuisance, failure to warn and trespass.</p>
<p>The city and county want the companies to help fund climate adaptation measures – everything from building seawalls and raising buildings to buying flood-prone properties and restoring beaches and dunes.</p>
<h2>Supreme Court could have killed these cases</h2>
<p>Not surprisingly, the oil companies have thrown their vast legal resources into fighting these cases.</p>
<p>On April 24, however, they lost one of their most powerful arguments.</p>
<p>The U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/042423zor_1p24.pdf">declined to hear challenges</a> in the Hawaii case and four others involving the seemingly technical question of which court should hear these cases: state or federal.</p>
<p>The oil companies had “<a href="https://www.bonalaw.com/insights/legal-resources/requirements-for-removing-a-case-from-state-court-to-federal-court">removed</a>” the cases from state court to federal court, <a href="http://climatecasechart.com/case/city-county-of-honolulu-v-sunoco-lp/">arguing that damage lawsuits</a> for climate change go beyond the limits of state law and are governed by federal law. </p>
<p>That theory would have derailed all five cases – because there is no federal common law for greenhouse gases.</p>
<p>The court made that position clear in 2011 in <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2010/10-174">American Electric Power Co. v. Connecticut</a>. Several state and local governments had sued five major power companies for violating the federal common law of interstate nuisance and asked for a court order forcing these companies to reduce their emissions. The Supreme Court refused, holding that the federal Clean Air Act displaced federal common law for these gases. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/09-17490/09-17490-2012-09-21.html">Native Village of Kivalina v. Exxon Mobil Corp.</a>, a federal court of appeals extended that holding to also bar claims for monetary damages based on federal common law.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Sandbags sit outside a home near a beach in Oahu, Hawaii, where waves have eaten into the shoreline almost up to the house." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527383/original/file-20230521-128284-x96kaz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Several coastal communities, including in Honolulu County, facing increasing erosion want oil companies to help pay for protective infrastructure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/4c2fc5b90f894fe7963daeb19724bce4?ext=true">AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>To avoid this fate, Honolulu and the other plaintiffs focused on violations of state law, not federal law. Without exception, the federal courts of appeals sided with them and sent the cases back to state court.</p>
<h2>What happens next?</h2>
<p>The Honolulu case leads the pack at this point.</p>
<p>In 2022, the 1st Circuit Court in Hawaii <a href="http://climatecasechart.com/climate-change-litigation/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/case-documents/2022/20220203_docket-1CCV-20-0000380_ruling.pdf">denied the oil companies’ motion</a> to dismiss the case based on the argument that the Clean Air Act also preempts state common law. This could open the door for discovery to begin sometime this year.</p>
<p>In discovery, senior corporate officers – perhaps including <a href="https://theconversation.com/exxons-rex-tillerson-and-the-rise-of-big-oil-in-american-politics-70260">former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson</a>, who was secretary of state under Donald Trump – will be required to answer questions under oath about what the companies knew about climate change versus what they disclosed to the public.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Rex Tillerson, a smiling older man in a suit and tie, walks out of a courthouse with security guards." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527353/original/file-20230521-106641-dkrcqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In 2019, former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson testified in a securities fraud lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general’s office. The judge ruled in Exxon’s favor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ExxonClimateLawsuit/cc7e743167614cb4bf7a4ec99319422f/photo">AP Photo/Seth Wenig</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Evidence <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063">from Exxon documents</a>, described in a recent study by science historians Naomi Oreskes and Geoffrey Supran, shows that the company’s own scientists “knew as much as academic and government scientists knew” about climate change going back decades. But instead of communicating what they knew, “Exxon worked to deny it,” Supran and Oreskes write. The company overemphasized uncertainties and cast doubt on climate models.</p>
<p>This is the kind of evidence that could sway a jury. The standard of proof in a civil case like Honolulu’s is “preponderance of the evidence,” which roughly translates to 51%. Ten of the 12 jurors must agree on a verdict.</p>
<p>Any verdict likely would be appealed, perhaps all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and it could be years before the Honolulu case is resolved.</p>
<h2>Lawsuits don’t begin to cover the damage</h2>
<p>It is unlikely that even substantial verdicts in these cases will come close to covering the full costs of damage from climate change.</p>
<p>According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/2022-us-billion-dollar-weather-and-climate-disasters-historical-context">in 2022 alone the U.S. sustained</a> 18 weather and climate disasters that each exceeded $1 billion in damage. Together, they cost over $165 billion.</p>
<p>But for many of the communities most at risk from these disasters, every penny counts. We believe establishing the oil companies’ responsibility may also discourage further investments in fossil fuel production by banks and brokerage houses already nervous about the <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_it/banking-capital-markets-risk-regulatory-transformation/climate-change-and-risk-three-key-challenges-facing-banks">financial risks</a> of climate disruption.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205009/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Honolulu, Baltimore, Charleston, S.C. and several other cities harmed by rising seas and extreme weather are suing the oil industry. At stake is who pays for the staggering costs of climate change.Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law Emeritus, Vermont Law & Graduate SchoolJohn Dernbach, Professor of Law, Widener UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2014972023-05-12T11:14:01Z2023-05-12T11:14:01ZSeinfeld: how a sitcom ‘about nothing’ changed television for good<p>A quarter of a century ago, on 14 May 1998, the final episode of Seinfeld was broadcast, ending one of the most significant sitcoms of all time after nine seasons and 180 episodes. In fact the self-styled “show about nothing” was so important we can talk about the pre-Seinfeld and post-Seinfeld eras. </p>
<p>Set in Manhattan, Seinfeld focused on the minutiae of daily life for four friends: Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), his best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and his neighbour Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). </p>
<p>Such a setup might sound familiar to fans of 90s American comedy shows. But Seinfeld abandoned the traditional sitcom structure of an A story and a B story and instead gave each character their own storyline, full of self-aware and metatextual jokes.</p>
<p>While co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld wanted a single-camera, filmlike aesthetic, the network, NBC, forced them to adopt a multi-camera setup taped in front of a live studio audience to supply the laughter track. </p>
<p>Eventually, David and Seinfeld subverted that by shooting more scenes using single cameras and externally so that they could not be taped in front of a studio audience. They also employed a rapid-paced, quick-cutting, music-led style that was then unusual for sitcoms. </p>
<p>This created the opportunities for expanding the narrative and cinematographic possibilities we’ve seen since. Seinfeld was a forerunner of the cinematic television we watch today. </p>
<p>Consider the elaborate single-camera set pieces of the comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime, or the epic, cinematic look of Netflix’s Better Call Saul.</p>
<p>Seinfeld tackled a host of then-taboo topics, which were part of everyday life, including antisemitism, same-gender relationships and masturbation. But because censorship and social mores at that time would not allow the characters to say the word “masturbation”, instead they referred to who can be the “master of their domain”. Such topics are commonplace these days.</p>
<p>All four characters are antiheroes. None of them is particularly likeable nor were they intended to be. They are morally ambiguous, malicious, selfish, self-involved and extremely petty. They refuse to improve themselves, evolve or even manifest the slightest desire for change. They learn no lessons and the arc of the entire series revisits those they have wronged. </p>
<p>Similar characters can be found in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/">Arrested Development</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472954/">It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia</a>. Also, consider Walter White from <a href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/70143836">Breaking Bad</a> and <a href="https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos">Tony Soprano</a>.</p>
<p>If all four leads in Seinfeld are bad, then George is the worst. Modelled on co-creator, Larry David, he is the epitome of male privilege. Such characters populate the televisual landscape today, not least in David’s later show, <a href="https://www.hbo.com/curb-your-enthusiasm">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a>, in which he stars as a version of himself. </p>
<p>Elaine Benes stands out as a strong female character for the time. In one episode, in the face of a shortage of contraception, she judges whether her sexual partners are “sponge-worthy” or not. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her with a tremendous physical comedy, as well as comic timing. She was unapologetic, and her sexuality and work life are foregrounded. Clearly, this set the template for her later series, <a href="https://www.hbo.com/veep">Veep</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Festivus is celebrated on December 23 each year, thanks to Seinfeld.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The show generated billions of dollars in revenue, making NBC US$150 million (about £93 million) a year at its peak. By the ninth and final season, Jerry Seinfeld was earning US$1 million an episode. NBC executives tried to get him to return for a tenth season by offering him US$5 million an episode, but Seinfeld turned it down. </p>
<p>Among the show’s fans was the legendary director Stanley Kubrick. “He was crazy about The Simpsons and Seinfeld,” his friend <a href="https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/kubrick-by-michael-herr/">Michael Herr recounted</a>. As a Kubrick expert, I even suspect that the set design influenced his final film, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/">Eyes Wide Shut</a> (1999).</p>
<p>Watching Seinfeld again now – and I have re-watched every episode – some of it lands terribly today. Take the episodes with Babu Bhatt, a Pakistani immigrant who runs a restaurant across the street from Jerry’s apartment. He appears in three episodes of the show and is known for his catchphrase, “Very bad man!” which he uses to insult Jerry. </p>
<p>The problem is that Babu is played by actor Brian George, who was born in Jerusalem to Iraqi Jewish parents, and is clearly wearing makeup and affecting a south Asian accent. </p>
<p>At the same time, the lack of diversity in Seinfeld is striking. New York is represented by Manhattan alone, rather than any of the other four boroughs that make up the metropolis. Its image of the Big Apple is white and middle class. </p>
<p>As journalist and screenwriter Lindy West has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/09/politically-correct-jerry-seinfeld-comedy-marginalised-voices">observed</a>, the series featured only 19 black people, 18 of whom were one-off characters such as “the waiter” and “the guy who parks cars”. There was only one recurring black character – Kramer’s lawyer, Jackie Chiles – whose mimicry of OJ Simpson’s lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, makes him look like a real shyster. </p>
<p>So, while Seinfeld may feel like a dated product of the late 1990s, it was ahead of the curve aesthetically, structurally and in terms of narrative and characterisation. Today’s television would be unthinkable without it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201497/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Abrams has received funding from research councils and charities including the AHRC and The British Academy among others. </span></em></p>The 90s sitcom featuring Jerry Seinfeld influenced the type of cinematic television we are so familiar with nowadays.Nathan Abrams, Professor of Film Studies, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2032202023-04-11T20:58:11Z2023-04-11T20:58:11ZTragedies, not accidents: Tougher Canadian and U.S. border policies will cost more lives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520082/original/file-20230410-22-108fhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Migrants on the Mexican side of the border wait for nightfall before attempting to cross into the United States from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico a day after dozens of migrants died in a fire at a migrant detention centre in the city.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Fernando Llano)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/tragedies--not-accidents--tougher-canadian-and-u-s--border-policies-will-cost-more-lives" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>A fire recently broke out at a detention centre in Ciudad Juarez on the Mexico-United States border. The <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/fire-migrant-center-us-mexico-border-ciudad-juarez-rcna76943">blaze killed 38 men and injured another 29</a> from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. All of them had been detained because they had crossed borders to seek protection and safety.</p>
<p>The detention centre, run by Mexico’s National Migration Institute, is one of many migration facilities in Mexico <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/20/fact-sheet-update-on-the-collaborative-migration-management-strategy/">financed by the United States.</a> </p>
<p>It is embedded within the Safe Third Country political environment created <a href="https://theconversation.com/u-s-canada-agreement-on-refugees-is-now-unconstitutional-98227">by the U.S. and Canada since the early 2000s</a> to outsource migration management to Mexico — and ultimately prevent people seeking protection and better lives from crossing their borders. </p>
<p>The most recent example of this environment of rejection in North America is the closure of Roxham Road between Québec and New York state. The closure was enforced as of midnight on <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/policies-operational-instructions-agreements/agreements/safe-third-country-agreement.html">March 24, 2023</a> to stop asylum-seekers from entering Canada at unofficial border crossings.</p>
<p>These are not isolated events but part of deliberately constructed transnational border infrastructure that slams the door on certain people moving across borders, even though freedom of mobility <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights">is a fundamental human right.</a></p>
<h2>A tragedy but not an accident</h2>
<p>Detainees in the Ciudad Juarez detention centre lit mattresses on fire as a form of protest against their rejected U.S. asylum claims, the looming prospect of deportation back to where they felt forced to flee and the conditions of their detention.</p>
<p>At first, the detained were blamed for the fatal outcome. Yet a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-fire-migrant-facility-dead-eea0b6efafd77f9868ef27ed1cf572b3">surveillance video shows the deaths</a> resulted from the security guards’ refusal to unlock cells even as smoke engulfed the detainees and family members outside could hear their screams for help.</p>
<p>The Ciudad Juarez fire is a tragedy but not an accident. It is the result of a systematically constructed anti-immigration policy that increases the vulnerability of people seeking protection.</p>
<p>Most of the day-to-day suppression of migrants is unseen and unheard here in Canada. As one Mexican migrant rights defender put it to me in an interview conducted in Mexico in 2022: “The lethal and painful outcomes experienced by migrants only become visible in moments of rupture, such as an ‘accident.’” </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/migrant-deaths-in-mexico-put-spotlight-on-us-policy-that-shifted-immigration-enforcement-south-202896">Migrant deaths in Mexico put spotlight on US policy that shifted immigration enforcement south</a>
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<h2>Millions denied entry</h2>
<p>Combined with national immigration laws, regional political agreements <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/08/the-race-to-dismantle-trumps-immigration-policies">to control and outsource migration management</a> aggravate situations of violence and containment for those trying to cross borders.</p>
<p>In 2021, the U.S. expelled <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2212184120">more than a million people</a> to Mexico, including 200,000 families with children.</p>
<p>In 2022, more than <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/19/u-s-mexico-border-arrests-record-2022/">two million people</a> aiming to reach the U.S. and Canada were detained in Mexico.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line of dozens of people are seen standing on a hill." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520083/original/file-20230410-28-iuj2l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Migrants watch from the Mexican side of the border as others cross the Rio Grande into the United States from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in March 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Fernando Llano)</span></span>
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<p>Mexico manages detention and stops migrants from moving north in exchange for financial and political incentives under the umbrella of Safe Third Country agreements, including the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/01/06/im-drowning/children-and-families-sent-harm-us-remain-mexico-program">“Remain in Mexico”</a> policy formally known as <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/migrant-protection-protocols">Migration Protection Protocols</a> enforced by the U.S.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/migrant-protection-protocols">Since 2019, asylum applicants to the U.S. are expected to remain in Mexico</a> while awaiting a response under deplorable conditions.</p>
<p>In 2022, medical teams for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Mexico treated <a href="https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/MSF-public-comment-on-proposed-rule-to-curb-access-to-asylum-in-the-US">more than 40,000 migrants suffering illness or physical trauma, including sexual assault experienced in transit or while waiting</a> for a decision on their asylum claims. </p>
<p>Many of MSF’s consultations also relate to mental distress due to the violence, loss and uncertainty people have experienced in their home countries and en route.</p>
<h2>Prison-like conditions</h2>
<p>Since the fire in Ciudad Juarez in late March 2023, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-65111258">human rights organizations have strongly condemned how migration is managed</a> and what they refer to as prison-like circumstances under which people seeking safety are held at the Mexico-U.S. border and elsewhere in Mexico.</p>
<p>People receiving medical attention in MSF’s clinics report having attempted, in desperation, to cross the border only to be apprehended, abused and assaulted. </p>
<p>The Mexican government is investigating the Ciudad Juarez fire <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-65120624">as a homicide</a> and says the perpetrators will not escape punishment for the “painful tragedy.”</p>
<p>Still, the fire wasn’t an isolated incident, but the result of the domino effect of discriminatory practices framed as safe and humanitarian alternatives.</p>
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<h2>Roxham Road closure</h2>
<p>Three nights before the fire in Ciudad Juarez — on March 24, 2023 — the government of Canada unveiled <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-united-states-border-deal-reach-1.6789815">a deal with the U.S. to turn away migrants at Roxham Road and other unofficial crossings along the Canada-U.S. border</a>. </p>
<p>People trying to enter Canada via Roxham Road are now arrested and <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/once-popular-rural-que-road-for-asylum-seekers-quiets-down-after-u-s-canada-deal-1.6345219">reportedly sent to an official border crossing where their eligibility to apply for asylum will be determined</a>. If deemed ineligible, they will be returned to the U.S., where they are likely to be forced back to the countries they fled from. </p>
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<img alt="A police officer with a ponytail stops people bundled in parkas and pulling suitcases along a snowy road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517779/original/file-20230327-22-85xfis.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">An RCMP officer stops people as they enter Canada via Roxham Road near Hemmingford, Que., hours after amendments to the Safe Third Country agreement enabled authorities to turn asylum-seekers away from unofficial border crossings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
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<p>Canada has said it <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/u-s-canada-migration-deal-aims-to-end-walk-around-crossings-1.6327647#:%7E:text=Canada%20also%20agreed%20to%20allow,an%20alternative%20to%20irregular%20migration.%E2%80%9D">will welcome 15,000 migrants</a> on a humanitarian basis in 2023. </p>
<p>Given that approximately <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9574455/roxham-road-migrants-asylum-journey/#:%7E:text=Last%20year%2C%20nearly%2040%2C000%20migrants,arrived%20in%20Canada%20in%202021.">40,000 people sought asylum at the Roxham Road crossing alone last year</a> — and amid global estimates of forcibly displaced people reaching over <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/insights/explainers/100-million-forcibly-displaced.html#:%7E:text=These%20would%20have%20led%20to,global%20total%20above%20100%20million.">100 million in 2022</a> — this move appears to reflect more of a desire to assuage public opinion than a genuine intent to offer safe alternatives to asylum-seekers. </p>
<p>The closure of Roxham Road must be understood in the context of a broader plan to expand the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement signed in 2002. </p>
<h2>More tragedies ahead</h2>
<p>The plan ultimately rests on outsourcing migration responsibilities — through murky and quite possibly <a href="https://theconversation.com/u-s-canada-agreement-on-refugees-is-now-unconstitutional-98227">unconstitutional means</a> — to Mexico and other countries.</p>
<p>On the southern border of the United States — with fewer resources and significantly higher numbers of asylum-seekers in Mexico, many of whom are exposed to very real dangers — such a policy is tantamount to a violent act. </p>
<p>On the northern border, Canada’s decision to close Roxham Road and expand the scope of the Safe Third Country Agreement is another brick in increasingly impenetrable anti-migration infrastructure aimed at keeping migrants well away from the Canadian border and denying entry to the few who arrive. </p>
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<p>The Safe Third Country Agreement at both borders will lead to more tragedies like the fire in the Ciudad Juarez detention centre and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/akwesasne-search-river-casey-oakes-1.6799287">the recent drownings in the St. Lawrence river</a> of eight migrants during a border crossing from Canada into the United States. Some of them were <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-family-found-dead-in-river-felt-they-had-no-other-option-but-to-flee-canada-lawyer-says-1.6342953">failed refugee claimants set to be deported</a> who felt they had no other option but to flee Canada.</p>
<p>These types of closed-door policies simply force people to take increasingly dangerous risks.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Joseph Belliveau, Executive Director at Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders Canada.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203220/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linn Biörklund receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Here’s why the newly amended Safe Third Country Agreement will inevitably lead to more deaths for migrants in hazardous conditions in both official and non-official migration pathways.Linn Biörklund, PhD Candidate in Geography, Research Fellow at the Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2033442023-04-05T11:48:24Z2023-04-05T11:48:24ZDonald Trump: what he’s charged with, what happens next, and what it may mean for the 2024 election<p>On April 4, Americans lived through a new experience: a former president of the United States <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/03/30/nyregion/trump-indictment-news#trump-investigation-timeline">officially charged</a> with a criminal offence. Donald Trump has achieved many firsts across his media and subsequent political career – but it’s unlikely this was a first he was aiming for. </p>
<p>Not that you could tell from his demeanour. Although news reports from journalists in the courtroom noted he appeared “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65183929">sombre</a>”, on his own turf Trump pulled few punches. On his social media platform TruthSocial, shortly before he left Trump Tower to head to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/110140871617863827">blasted</a> the judge in charge of the hearing, Justice Juan Merchan, as “highly partisan” and whose family are “well-known Trump haters”. He repeated these accusations during <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FJc5d2tAw">his speech</a> from his Mar-A-Lago home in Florida a few hours later. </p>
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<p>Denying he did anything illegal, Trump also repeated now-familiar claims that his prosecution is politically motivated, asserting that this process is an “insult” to the US. He claimed: “The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”</p>
<h2>The charges</h2>
<p>The official reading of the charges against Trump in court revealed few surprises. In effect, he has been <a href="https://www.manhattanda.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Donald-J.-Trump-SOF.pdf">charged with falsifying business records</a>. The charges allege that having reimbursed his lawyer for payments to two women (unnamed, but widely believed to be former adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy Bunny Karen McDougal) to ensure their silence about allegations of extra-marital relations, Trump then claimed those payments as legal expenses in his accounts.</p>
<p>The payments themselves were not illegal, but recording them as something else in the business records is. Trump is charged with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/16/nyregion/trump-indictment-annotated.html">34 counts</a>, each relating to a particular instance of financial accounting for these payments.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most surprising element after days of speculation was that Trump was charged with felonies – the more serious level of crime – rather than the lower-level misdemeanours that had been expected. The argument here is that the falsification of business records occurred to cover up another crime. </p>
<p>The district attorney bringing the case, Alvin L. Bragg, appeared to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/us/politics/trump-bookkeeping-fraud-taxes.html">keep options open</a> regarding exactly what that other crime might be. Violations of state and federal election laws are one possible claim, but may be difficult to prove. A second possible avenue appears to be that these financial records were intended to mislead state tax authorities. Bragg may well seek to establish both at trial, giving a jury options for conviction.</p>
<p>The charges may seem relatively insignificant for anyone expecting something in keeping with Trump’s larger-than-life personality and the vehemence of his criticisms of those involved in the process. And he certainly faces other, more serious <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/briefing/trump-surrender-manhattan.html?action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&state=default&module=styln-trump-manhattan-inquiry&variant=show&region=BELOW_MAIN_CONTENT&block=storyline_flex_guide_recirc">legal investigations</a> around both his role in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-capitol-protesters-egged-on-by-trump-are-part-of-a-long-history-of-white-supremacists-hearing-politicians-words-as-encouragement-152867">January 6 2021 riots</a> on Capitol Hill and potential <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/17/trump-report-georgia-crimes-charges-grand-jury-investigation-explained">election tampering</a> regarding the closely fought Georgia election. Both could lead to future criminal charges.</p>
<p>But, as Bragg noted in his post-hearing <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-arraignment-manhattan-district-attorney-alvin-bragg-holds-briefing-watch-live/">statements</a>, prosecuting business crime is a large part of what the New York district attorney’s office does – and white-collar crime is still criminal behaviour. Each felony count carries a maximum sentence of four years, meaning if convicted on all counts, Trump could face up to 136 years of prison time, although it is more likely that he would face a hefty fine.</p>
<h2>The process</h2>
<p>Little moves quickly in the US justice system. The <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-new-york-court-arraignment-04-04-23/index.html">next step</a> is for the prosecution to file what is known as “discovery”, or the evidence they will use at trial. This will be followed by a similar filing by Trump’s defence team. According to New York law, these must be filed by May 9 and June 8 respectively.</p>
<p>The defence then has until August 8 to raise any claims or queries. This might include a motion to dismiss the case entirely, if they feel there is insufficient evidence on which to proceed. The prosecution has the option to respond and Judge Merchan will have until early December to rule. </p>
<p>While the Trump team’s motions might well garner attention, the most significant date is December when both sides – and the rest of the country – will find out whether the case will go to trial or not. The timing is significant as it comes just before the first voting in the primary elections for the 2024 presidential campaign.</p>
<p>If the case is discharged, it may prove to be a major boost to his chances of electoral success. Alternatively, the spectacle of a presidential candidate fighting to prove his innocence in a criminal case while simultaneously campaigning for the nation’s highest office is hardly likely to undermine the outsider’s perception of a broken American political system.</p>
<h2>What of Trump’s presidential bid?</h2>
<p>Trump’s indictment and official charging have brought him national media attention at a level he hasn’t really received since he left office in January 2021. But the presidential election is 18 months away and a lot can happen between now and then. </p>
<p>Recent events have invigorated Trump’s base, but we already knew that there are a core group of voters who continue to support Trump and believe he was unfairly denied the election in 2020. And, despite claims of a boost in the polls, poll-tracking website FiveThirtyEight indicates that Trump’s <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/favorability/donald-trump/">approval ratings</a> are around 39% – not a low for him, but not an historic high either (Joe Biden’s <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/">approval ratings</a> stand not much higher at 43%).</p>
<p>Trump’s ability to win in 2024 will depend on his ability to secure the votes not only of his base but of moderate Republicans and centrist swing voters, many of whom were convinced in 2016 that Trump represented the change the nation needed. Four years later, those voters reversed course and chose the moderate, non-confrontational Biden instead.</p>
<p>After the tumult of the pandemic and massive inflation, the nation’s appetite for a return of the political disruptor remains in doubt, irrespective of the status of his legal troubles. All we can be sure about is that Trump will not back down and will continue his campaign for the office he believes he deserves – which means we’ll all be hearing more from and about him in the coming months.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203344/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Long does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It is the first time an incumbent or former US president has been charged with a criminal offence.Emma Long, Associate Professor of American History and Politics, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1865832023-03-29T15:47:52Z2023-03-29T15:47:52ZHow branding can show people’s love for a place and also help to highlight local challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518005/original/file-20230328-18-uoj98c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=71%2C53%2C3868%2C2550&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/new-york-city-15-may-2019-1743364979">Ingus Kruklitis/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The I ♥ NY logo was launched in the 1970s when New York City was at its grittiest and most dangerous. Since then graphic designer Milton Glaser’s creation has been emblazoned on every kind of souvenir imaginable, not to mention inspiring <a href="https://tribecafilm.com/films/i-heart-ny-2018">movies</a>, <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/news/a20354/raf-simons-new-york-fashion-show/">clothing</a>, <a href="https://newyorkcityfeelings.com/buff-monster-i-love-new-york-graffiti-art-mural/">graffiti</a> and even <a href="https://www.eater.com/2013/3/1/6474109/first-look-the-i-heart-ny-cookbook-from-daniel-humm-will-guidara">food</a>.</p>
<p>More than 50 years later, New York has just updated its iconic branding – <a href="https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/story-behind-iconic-post-911-i-heart-new-york-more-ever-logo">not for the first time</a> – to say We ♥ NY as part of an attempt to revitalise the city after COVID lockdowns.</p>
<p>And while lots of people <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-we-heart-nyc-logo-flop">hate the rebrand</a>, it still reflects the intent behind the much-loved original logo. These days it’s hard to argue that the brand hasn’t done the job of communicating exactly how New Yorkers – and many tourists – feel about the city. </p>
<p>Indeed, unlike the kind of brand advertising created for a product, this campaign was never designed to sell anything, but to communicate a feeling about the city by its people. And if people feel more positive about a city or an area, they will be more ready to help improve it. </p>
<p>Such campaigns are developed as part of a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02672571003683797">branding process</a> used to whip up feelings about a place. These so-called “place branding” efforts can gather communities around whichever ideas matter most to these people, whether they are social, economic, or even environmental. </p>
<p>Developing a place brand can be complex and challenging, but also immensely rewarding. It can involve government, companies and society in general. It can include events, ideas and investments focused on winning over visitors, residents and investors – all to help social community and local businesses thrive and grow. </p>
<p><a href="https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/">People Make Glasgow</a> is an example of a flexible place brand that can be associated with a wide range of assets and activities. But this kind of brand doesn’t have to convey a straight, positive message about an area, town or city, it can also be connected to specific challenges. </p>
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<img alt="The famous shopping district in the city, Buchanan Street, is shown filled with people during an afternoon day. A pink sign on a lamp post says " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518007/original/file-20230328-14-n561dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Crowds pass underneath a sign emblazoned with Glasgow’s place branding logo on Buchanan Street in the city.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/glasgow-scotland-june-8-2019-famous-1431162593">Kilmer Media/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>More recent attempts at branding a location have aimed to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0267257X.2013.800901">galvanise</a> communities to work together to create and communicate a shared identity – not just right now, but also in the future. In many cases, this includes highlighting challenges such as the impact of climate change. </p>
<h2>Using branding to inspire support</h2>
<p>As <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.12581">climate change increasingly affects areas in different ways</a>, communities are starting to use place branding to help address specific environmental challenges. This makes sense since <a href="https://josis.org/index.php/josis/article/view/209">people tend to be attached to where they live</a>, and <a href="https://egin.org.uk/learn-more/renew-wales/">communities often seek ways to act locally</a> to work against or mitigate the effects of climate change. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/">Inspired by Iceland</a> is a good example of this. The country launched a “<a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2019/06/07/iceland-gives-tap-water-luxury-branding-in-plastic-free-tourism-push">premium tap water</a>” brand in 2019 to encourage residents and visitors to go plastic-free while in Iceland by drinking its tap water.</p>
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<p>Integrating climate-related issues into the branding process communicates to everyone – including tourists, investors, residents and public and private sector bodies – that climate action is a priority. It shows that it’s integral to <a href="https://josis.org/index.php/josis/article/view/114">local identity and discourse</a>, as residents seek to protect their home’s environmental features. </p>
<p>Place branding may also affect local or even national government policy making. This is what happened in Palau, a Micronesian island in the western Pacific. In 2017 its government started to <a href="https://palaupledge.com/#:%7E:text=Palau%20Pledge&text=Palau%20is%20the%20first%20nation,and%20future%20generations%20of%20Palauans.">require all visitors to sign a pledge</a> to be “ecologically and culturally responsible” before they could set foot in the country.</p>
<p><a href="https://visitfaroeislands.com/en/closed">The Faroe Islands</a> in the north Atlantic, took a slightly different approach in 2019 by declaring itself “closed for maintenance, open for voluntourism”. This initiative was used by islanders and local businesses to promote community cohesion. It also offers tourists a unique chance to connect with the core values of the country.</p>
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<h2>Adapting to new challenges</h2>
<p>Most places are limited in their ability to adapt to challenges such as climate change. Unlike residents, local businesses and tourists, a city or country can’t relocate itself. Instead, an area must adapt, which can become <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026151771400212X">a multifaceted and politically challenging process</a> simply due to the range of people and organisations involved. Diverse community needs and imbalances of power held by public and private sector organisations only add to the challenge. </p>
<p>In reality, even though place branding is very much about community cohesion, diverse communities are not necessarily equally involved in the decision-making process. It’s important to recognise that initiatives – whether national, regional, or local – can only go so far, and policy-led change is also required, especially when dealing with challenges such as environmental degradation.</p>
<p>Place branding has become a useful tool to accompany such policies. People can also become quite attached to these brands. Indeed, rather than any reluctance to help the city face new challenges, the opposition to the We ♥ NY update shows the strength of feeling for the city and perhaps even for its brand.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186583/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sonya Hanna receives funding through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award, respectively for projects titled: 'Lucozade and Litter: how can we prevent single-use plastic pollution' and 'Capitalising on the Slate Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Development of Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism in Northwest Wales'.. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thora Tenbrink works for Bangor University and currently receives funding through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award, by SellSTEM MSCA ITN Project No. 956124, and by the UKRI-funded RECLAIM Network Plus grant (EP/W034034/1).</span></em></p>Places as diverse as New York City and the Faroe Islands have developed brands to build positive feelings that translate into tourist dollars and, increasingly, support for the environment.Sonya Hanna, Lecturer in Marketing, Bangor UniversityThora Tenbrink, Professor of Linguistics, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1991682023-03-22T19:58:14Z2023-03-22T19:58:14ZCentring race: Why we need to think about gentrification differently<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515348/original/file-20230314-6490-w1cjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C51%2C4896%2C3202&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A poster highlighting rising rental costs due to gentrification in Hackney, London. Gentrification often results in the dislocation of marginalized communities who can no longer afford to live in their communities. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/centring-race--why-we-need-to-think-about-gentrification-differently" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>When we think of <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Gentrification/Lees-Slater-Wyly/p/book/9780415950374">gentrification</a>, we often think of how a neighbourhood’s demographics and landscape are transformed. Luxury apartment blocks replace single family homes. Trendy cafes replace independent businesses. Affluent families and businesses move in, often pushing out longstanding residents who can’t afford to stay.</p>
<p>Over the decades, gentrification has had a significant impact on cities across the world. <a href="https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/new-york-neighborhood-gentrification-new-report">One 2016 study</a> by New York University on the city’s gentrifying neighborhoods estimated that some of them had seen an average rent increase of 78.7 per cent between 1990 and 2014, compared to 22.1 per cent citywide. New York consistently ranks among <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/world-most-expensive-cities/">the most expensive cities in the world</a>, along with Singapore, Zurich and Hong Kong.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/urban-lab/news/2015/jan/how-ruth-glass-shaped-way-we-approach-our-cities">When gentrification was first introduced into our vocabulary a few decades ago</a>, it was used to describe the economic dimensions of neighbourhood changes. But more recently, it has become clear that gentrification has dramatic effects on racialized communities in particular.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://www.bcnuej.org/2020/03/24/how-one-of-montreals-poorest-neighborhoods-became-ripe-for-green-gentrification/">Montréal</a> to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/realestate/black-homeowners-gentrification.html">New York</a>, <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/black-women-leaving-london">London</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/remembering-hogan-s-alley-hub-of-vancouver-s-black-community-1.3448080">Vancouver</a>, and elsewhere, racialized people continue to disproportionately feel the detrimental impacts of urban development and gentrification.</p>
<p>In the context of <a href="https://inequality.org/facts/inequality-and-covid-19/">growing inequalities prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic</a>, skyrocketing housing prices and racial unrest, the process of gentrification and its sociocultural effects on communities of colour is especially pertinent right now.</p>
<h2>Montréal’s Chinatown</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Chinese style red and gold gateway above a road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515350/original/file-20230314-4703-hx0f7a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of the paifangs that mark the entrance to Montréal’s Chinatown.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once a refuge where Chinese immigrants could celebrate their culture and enjoy a sense of belonging, Montréal’s Chinatown has faced a number of <a href="http://www.sfu.ca/chinese-canadian-history/montreal_chinatown_en.html">threats from gentrification over the past 50 years</a>. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the neighborhood was downsized to make space for developments like the Complexe Guy Favreau, Complexe Desjardins and the Place du Quartier.</p>
<p>Construction of the Complexe Guy Favreau led to the demolition of several buildings used by the Chinese community including churches and grocery stores. These major urban projects eventually propelled <a href="https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2021/11/the-struggle-to-save-quebecs-last-chinatown/">the displacement of Chinese families</a>. In their stead, whiter and wealthier people and businesses moved in.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.canvasjournal.ca/read/the-aestheticization-of-chinatown-a-sociopolitical-account-of-montreals-paifangs">The construction of four paifangs</a> — a type of traditional Chinese gateway — in 1999 marked the beginning of Chinatown’s estheticization. Signaling a desire to create marketable authenticity, <a href="https://mcgilltribune.com/constructing-chinatown/">the arches grew out of orientalist representations of Chinese culture</a> and a wish to promote the area’s fantasized “Chineseness” to tourists.</p>
<p>In addition, the municipality installed the paifangs following expropriations and redevelopments responsible for <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8590373/montreal-chinatown-future-at-risk/">the erasure of the Parc de la Pagode, three Chinese churches, many local businesses and an entire residential area</a>. Through <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-013-0297-1">the marketization of Chinese exoticized “otherness,”</a> the arches have become symbolic of the redevelopment that has turned Montréal’s Chinatown into a tourist destination where Chinese culture is reduced to a spectacle for Western consumption.</p>
<h2>Brooklyn’s Crown Heights</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The top of a row of buildings in New York." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515351/original/file-20230315-4237-ams0aa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Buildings along Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights, New York. The neighbourhood’s gentrification has led to many racialized long-time residents being priced out of their homes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Located in the east of Brooklyn, New York, <a href="https://wp.nyu.edu/crownheights/history-and-geography/crown-heights-from-the-1950s-to-today/">Crown Heights has been historically home to a large West Indian, Caribbean and Hasidic Jewish working-class population</a>. For more than two decades, the neighborhood has witnessed the arrival of high-income, predominantly white renters. Over the last decade, <a href="https://patch.com/new-york/prospectheights/northern-crown-heights-doubled-its-white-population-decade">while the neighborhood’s Black population dropped, its white population has doubled</a>. That has led to many racialized long-time residents <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/nyregion/gentrification-in-a-brooklyn-neighborhood-forces-residents-to-move-on.html">being priced out</a> of their homes and businesses.</p>
<p>Particularly noteworthy are the changes that came to Crown Heights’ dining scene, with the establishment of new and sometimes controversial restaurants. One such establishment, Summerhill, opened in 2017. The restaurant, <a href="https://gothamist.com/food/new-crown-heights-restaurant-proudly-advertises-cocktail-next-to-bullet-hole-ridden-wall">branded as a “boozy sandwich shop,”</a> was owned by Becca Brennan, a white newcomer from Canada. Soon after opening, the restaurant faced backlash after <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/brooklyn-bullet-hole-walls-racism-becca-brennan-1.4217971">Brennan advertised her cocktails next to a “bullet hole-ridden wall”</a> — remnants of a rumoured backroom illegal gun shop, Brennan claimed. She was accused by long-term residents of downplaying poverty and racism while fetishizing the area’s violent history.</p>
<p>New restaurants and businesses — owned by and catering to wealthier outsiders who are indifferent to the local history — often act as a renewed form of violence and exclusion for local communities. Following intense resistance, Summerhill eventually closed its doors.</p>
<h2>Gentrification is about more than housing</h2>
<p>Ethnic enclaves, such as Chinatown and Crown Heights, have long served as safe spaces for marginalized immigrants and racialized communities. But many are now disappearing as cities look to maximize their profit and attractiveness. With gentrification, those areas are turned into an environment that caters to upper-middle-class white norms, tastes and sensibilities. </p>
<p>At the same time, what’s perceived as “authentic” or “ethnic” often acts as a gentrification booster. By turning local cultures into commodities for consumers, gentrification manifests a broader effort to rebrand our cities. </p>
<p>It is an effort that denies racialized people cultural ownership over their own spaces. As such, gentrification is about much more than housing or physical displacement: it is also about <a href="https://shelterforce.org/2017/08/23/cultural-ramifications-gentrification-new-orleans/">cultural appropriation</a> and racial exclusion.</p>
<p>Gentrification is a complex, multi-faceted and multi-layered phenomenon. As gentrification expands and intensifies, it is essential that we develop definitions that accurately reflect such complexity and address the ways race and racism inform the process. We need to think about how white privilege and gentrification configure one another.</p>
<p>We also have to consider the role played by corporate and institutional forces in the cultural displacement and social dislocation of racialized communities. Last but not least, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/15356841211054790">we need to place gentrification in a broader and ongoing history of racial violence</a>. In order to stop gentrification from perpetuating racial segregation within cities, its racial dynamics need to be discussed and addressed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199168/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mieko Tarrius receives funding from Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQSC). Mieko Tarrius is a Policy Researcher Fellow at the Office of the Manhattan Borough President.</span></em></p>Gentrification is often used to describe the economic impacts of urban development. However, racialized communities in particular disproportionately feel its detrimental impacts.Mieko Tarrius, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography and Urban Studies, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2016002023-03-10T17:01:51Z2023-03-10T17:01:51ZMeet Me in the Bathroom: documentary shows how 9/11 shaped New York’s indie music scene<p>In 2021, trend forecaster <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@oldloserinbrooklyn?lang=en">Mandy Lee</a> predicted the return of “indie sleaze”, referring to the hedonistic and unfiltered UK and US indie music scene which stretched from 2006 to 2012. As of March 2023, the Instagram account “@indiesleaze”, which shares images of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/indiesleaze/?hl=en">“the decadence of the mid-late aughts and the indie sleaze party that died in 2012”</a>, has amassed over 135,000 followers.</p>
<p>The appetite is there, then, for Meet Me in the Bathroom. Based on <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/meet-me-in-the-bathroom-lizzy-goodman?variant=32117003419682">the 2017 book</a> of the same name, the documentary is an oral history of and an “<a href="https://www.meetmeinthebathroomfilm.com/synopsis/">immersive journey through</a>” the New York scene.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Me5tBSPdN0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for Meet Me in the Bathroom (2023).</span></figcaption>
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<p>Before indie’s “sleaze” era, the New York music scene exploded in the early years of the 2000s, with bands such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWSK-3CN4Nw">LCD Soundsystem</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkpgz3uQ58U">Interpol</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY">The White Stripes</a> transforming the genre for the rest of the decade. </p>
<p>Its influence is still felt today. Sheffield band, Arctic Monkeys, opened their 2018 album Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino with a lyric referencing the defining band of the New York indie scene: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_2rM8A_1-w">I just wanted to be one of The Strokes.</a>”</p>
<p>The documentary pieces together fan footage, band video diaries and news broadcasts. These frames are stitched together with audio – some from slick media interviews, others that sound like they were recorded in a tin can. </p>
<p>Indie music is a sonic collision of alternative rock, pop and electronica. The indie artist, like their punk predecessor, is a “<a href="https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/levistrauss.pdf">bricoleur</a>” – a performer of large number of tasks who takes whatever tools and material that are available to them and creates something new. </p>
<p>The structure of the documentary is presented in a bricolage fashion through its fragmented narration of a city experiencing huge changes. The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11 2001 reshaped New York’s indie music scene. Shock waves were sent through the city and its inhabitants, including a generation of young musicians.</p>
<p>Indie, like the bricoleur, works with a collection of fragments to form something new. In response to the 9/11 attacks, the New York indie scene transformed both sonically and physically, just as bands including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs moved from Manhattan to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. </p>
<h2>The impact of 9/11 on New York’s indie scene</h2>
<p>To ask Meet Me in the Bathroom to be as expansive as its source material would be an impossible task. The 621-page book follows the New York music scene from 1999 up to 2011, whereas the prominent moment in the documentary is 9/11 and its aftermath.</p>
<p>The claustrophobia and paranoia of the city is represented through shots of news channel coverage of 9/11 as music by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play in the background. The documentary also uses harrowing amateur footage that captures a grieving city and a community of musicians processing that in their music.</p>
<p>Scenes of a mass exodus from Manhattan transition into an acoustic performance of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUcoRjhynB0">NYC’s Like a Graveyard</a> (2001) by The Moldy Peaches, the first indie band the documentary follows. Although not written as a response to 9/11, the song’s release coincided with the attacks. It takes on a specific meaning, distinct from its original intention, as it is paired with the footage.</p>
<p>A notable shift in the documentary occurs here as gig footage no longer represents the youth culture surrounding indie music. Rather, New York’s indie gigs represent a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340103292_Emotion_memory_and_re-collective_value_shared_festival_experiences">loss of innocence</a>. </p>
<p>As the camera pans across a sweaty crowd, both audience and musician are experiencing a collective trauma. The experience of both the loss of loved ones and a once-familiar city. In one scene, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O shares that, for her, performance offered escapism.</p>
<p><a href="https://whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1867/poems/184">Walt Whitman’s poem Leaves of Grass</a> bookends the documentary and acts as a reminder of the New York music scene’s resistance, resilience and growth. The music coming out of New York in the early 2000s shaped the next decade of music. But, as Meet Me in the Bathroom shows, it was forged in a time of collective trauma.</p>
<p><em>Meet Me in the Bathroom is in UK cinemas from 10 March 2023</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201600/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy McCarthy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The oral history showcases how the indie music scene became a way for many New Yorkers to channel their grief after 9/11.Amy McCarthy, PhD Researcher in English Literature, York St John UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1931882022-12-13T18:06:08Z2022-12-13T18:06:08ZDrawn to bustling markets, shops or malls this holiday season? Good vibes could explain it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500454/original/file-20221212-112724-3bblu5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4138%2C2744&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Customers ride escalators designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas at the Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship in New York in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/drawn-to-bustling-markets--shops-or-malls-this-holiday-season-good-vibes-could-explain-it" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The holiday season is here, and some may plan to go shopping along local Main Streets, popular city districts, malls or to enjoy time with friends and family in restaurants.</p>
<p>If you plan a trip to New York or Toronto for the coming holiday, you might have places like Fifth Avenue or Yorkville on your list as destinations. </p>
<p>But what makes some shops different than others? What makes Fifth Avenue or Yorkville different than other streets? </p>
<p>How we perceive our surrounding environment depends on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1068/a3383">how we approach and explore places, our perception of time spent doing so and many other components of how a space is designed.</a></p>
<h2>Do we really enjoy shopping?</h2>
<p>Aside from finding our preferred brands in certain shops or along these major shopping streets, many of us enjoy spending time strolling those streets or in our local malls. </p>
<p>After all, the concept of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2004.07.001">retail therapy</a> emerged in the 1980s and centred around getting good feelings and positive vibes from shopping in your preferred location. </p>
<p>Entire malls have been built as awe-inspiring or feel-good destinations, whether or not we agree that shopping itself is really something we enjoy. Is it buying merchandise that gives us a good feeling or is it more the atmosphere of the place we’re visiting?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-holiday-gift-giving-eco-friendly-and-more-meaningful-128387">How to make holiday gift-giving eco-friendly — and more meaningful</a>
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<h2>Components of a space</h2>
<p>In his book <em><a href="https://www.designersandbooks.com/book/questions-perception-phenomenology-architecture">Questions of Perception</a></em>, New York-based architect Steven Holl discusses how we perceive our surrounding environment by approaching and walking in a space (also known as circulation) and the components of that space. </p>
<p>According to Holl, we capture a frame of the space we are experiencing with every single step. But our experience depends on many different components, including lights, colours, textures, details, greenery and even the people around us. </p>
<p>All these components are merged into one single frame that forms our experience of a space. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="people walk on a wintry street festooned with christmas decorations anda lighting." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499874/original/file-20221208-17827-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Visitors flood the streets in the Petit Champlain district of old historic Québec City in December 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot</span></span>
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<h2>Colours, light and sound</h2>
<p>Scientific evidence shows different colours have different impacts on our moods. For instance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368">the colour red can increase appetite</a> in a restaurant; that’s likely why so many seats in fast-food restaurants are in warm colours. </p>
<p>Similarly, green can make us feel peaceful and safe; that’s the reason behind using it in your local health-care clinic. </p>
<p>But colours alone won’t do the job — light is a major component in our built environment. Lighting design contributes significantly to how we perceive our environments. </p>
<p>Many restaurants, for example, use lighting to create an atmosphere at each table and might combine it with candles for an elevated experience. Libraries, on the other hand, provide sufficient lighting levels to desks so people can read with ease. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A restaurant dining room with overhead and table-top lighting." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500731/original/file-20221213-16037-ldz4mf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Restaurant lighting can be critical to the dining experience.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Nick Karvounis/Unsplash)</span></span>
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<h2>Ambient sounds of streets and malls</h2>
<p>Sound is another major contributor to our perception. The sound of rain can intensify a romantic walk by the river. Similarly, you might recognize some streets by the ambient sound. We all experience this ambient sound in our local malls. </p>
<p>We might also experience a particular space through a specific smell. We all have the common experience of smelling perfume that reminds us of someone. </p>
<p>All these space components are used in shopping districts or malls to give visitors a unique experience. It’s all intended to give visitors a positive vibe that will make them return and spend time and money. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People seen on escalators and walking through a mall next to a large Christmas tree." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499871/original/file-20221208-24-ltinl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People wind their way through the Eaton Centre in Toronto.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese </span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Details and materials</h2>
<p>Details are an essential element in architecture to the extent that some brands are known simply for the unique architecture of their retail stores. A golden placard on a black background or golden linear light amid a dark ambient hue are details that can contribute to surrounding environments. </p>
<p>These details can expand into our malls and shopping districts to include greenery and ornamental water fountains, for example. Materials are another vital component of our built environment. </p>
<p>Sitting on a wooden chair feels different than sitting on a metal chair. In a similar fashion, we perceive our environments based on the materials that are used to create a space.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Shoppers pass a large Christmas tree with a Nordstrom store behind it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C458%2C5370%2C3132&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500438/original/file-20221212-110120-qh64s7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People pass a large Christmas tree as they go shopping on Christmas Eve at an Ottawa mall.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Perception of time</h2>
<p>The past and future are two concepts in our minds. The present is the reality that we continuously experience as a series of single frames through our senses. For a better understanding, think of a film that we perceive through our seven senses.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-senses-in-fact-architects-say-there-are-7-ways-we-perceive-our-environments-193179">5 senses? In fact, architects say there are 7 ways we perceive our environments</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Technically, duration is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2018.02.012">the recognition of changes in that series of single frames</a>. Duration is how we experience more than one frame.</p>
<p>For instance, if we walk down a long straight street, the task of walking might become arduous, resulting in thinking about why it’s taking so long to reach the destination. </p>
<p>In contrast, when we browse different retail stores, coffee shops and so on in a local market or mall, there are constantly changing frames. That’s why we find ourselves shopping for hours in a mall without feeling tired — and why walking for 20 minutes down a long straight street feels too long. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Shoppers walk along an outdoor shopping mall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499873/original/file-20221208-12769-rjmsjy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People make their way along a holiday-decorated Sparks Street in Ottawa in December 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When more senses are stimulated in perceiving our surroundings, our experience is elevated, resulting in different perceptions of time.</p>
<p>Now we know why sometimes walking on a uninteresting street for 30 minutes might seem arduous to us, but browsing and shopping for five hours in our local shopping mall or bustling street is fun. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/christmas-already-tis-the-season-to-think-about-time-52631">Christmas Already? ‘Tis The Season to Think About Time</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Details, materials, light and all other components of our built environment impact our experiences of the spaces surrounding us. These, in turn, affect our perception of time and duration. </p>
<p>So, next time, whether you are planning to visit your local mall or a new city, you can identify what components most impact your perception in our built environment. This can help you decide whether you want to visit a specific location again next time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193188/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Farzam Sepanta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When we visit city streets, shops or malls during the holiday season, is it spending money that we like? Or is it about experiencing our surroundings?Farzam Sepanta, PhD Candidate, Building Engineering, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1949532022-11-18T20:03:54Z2022-11-18T20:03:54ZWhat causes lake-effect snow like Buffalo’s extreme storms?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496302/original/file-20221120-6248-3fwep2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C13%2C2995%2C1976&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Parts of the Buffalo area saw more than 6 feet of snow over three days in November 2022.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APTOPIXWintryWeather/aeeb2499dca64e22ab85c9da7ae267ad/photo">AP Photo/Joshua Bessex</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s hard for most people to imagine more than 4 feet of snow in one storm, but such extreme snowfall events happen along the eastern edges of the Great Lakes.</p>
<p>The phenomenon is called “lake-effect snow.”</p>
<p>It starts with cold, dry air from Canada. As the bitter cold air sweeps across the relatively warmer Great Lakes, it sucks up more and more moisture that falls as snow.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A satellite image shows wind blowing snow across Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario on Nov. 20, 2014" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C18%2C6032%2C4027&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496201/original/file-20221118-12-5hv833.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canadian winds pick up moisture over the Great Lakes, turning it into heavy snowfall on the far shore.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/noaa_glerl/16056567472/">NOAA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=h3tGrwsAAAAJ&hl=en">climate scientist</a> at UMass Amherst. In the Climate Dynamics course I teach, students often ask how cold, dry air can lead to heavy snowfall. Here’s how that happens.</p>
<h2>How dry air turns into snowstorms</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.theweatherprediction.com/winterwx/lesnow/">Lake-effect snow</a> is strongly influenced by the differences between the amount of heat and moisture at the lake surface and in the air a few thousand feet above it. </p>
<p>A big contrast creates conditions that help to suck water up from the lake, and thus more snowfall. A difference of 25 degrees Fahrenheit (14 Celsius) or more creates an environment that can fuel heavy snows. This often happens in late fall, when lake water is still warm from summer and cold air starts sweeping down from Canada. More moderate lake-effect snows occur every fall under less extreme thermal contrasts.</p>
<p>The wind’s path over the lakes is important. The farther cold air travels over the lake surface, the more moisture is evaporated from the lake. A long “fetch” – the distance over water – often results in more lake-effect snow than a shorter one.</p>
<p>Imagine a wind out of the west that is perfectly aligned so it blows over the entire 241-mile length of Lake Erie. That’s close to what Buffalo experienced during a storm that brought 6 feet of snow to the region in November 2022.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An animation overlays wind direction on satellite imagery of snow accumulation during a lake-effect event." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496208/original/file-20221118-11-imi2ax.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wind directions from a storm in 2016 show how lake-effect snow piles up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://noaaglerl.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/lakeeffectsnow_dec2016.gif">NOAA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once the snow reaches land, elevation contributes an additional effect. Land that slopes up from the lake increases lift in the atmosphere, enhancing snowfall rates. This mechanism is termed “<a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-orographic-precipitation.html">orographic effect</a>.” The <a href="https://tughill.org/tug-hill-region/">Tug Hill plateau</a>, located between Lake Ontario and the Adirondacks in western New York, is well known for its impressive snowfall totals.</p>
<p>In a typical year, annual snowfall in the “lee,” or downwind, of the Great Lakes approaches 200 inches in some places.</p>
<p>Residents in places like Buffalo, New York, are keenly aware of the phenomenon. In 2014, some parts of the region received upwards of 6 feet of snowfall during an <a href="https://www.weather.gov/buf/lake1415_stormb.html">epic lake-effect event</a>. The weight of the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/buf/lake1415_stormb.html">snow collapsed hundreds of roofs</a> and led to over a dozen deaths. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two people shovel knee-deep snow off a roof." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496230/original/file-20221118-24-nv4slv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A lake-effect snowstorm in November 2014 buried Buffalo, N.Y., under more than 5 feet of snow and caused hundreds of roofs to collapse.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/residents-work-to-remove-snow-from-the-roof-on-november-21-news-photo/459384792">Patrick McPartland/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Lake-effect snowfall in the Buffalo area is typically confined to a narrow region where the wind is coming straight off the lake. Drivers on Interstate 90 often go from sunny skies to a blizzard and back to sunny skies over a distance of 30 to 40 miles.</p>
<h2>The role of climate change</h2>
<p>Is climate change playing a role in the lake-effect snow machine? To an extent. </p>
<p><a href="https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-midwest">Fall has warmed across the upper Midwest</a>. Ice prevents lake water from evaporating into the air, and it is forming later than in the past. Warmer summer air has led to warmer lake temperature into fall.</p>
<p>Models predict that with additional warming, more lake-effect snow will occur. But over time, the warming will lead to more of the precipitation falling as lake-effect rain, which already occurs in early fall, rather than snow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194953/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael A. Rawlins receives funding from the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>Snowstorms that sweep across the Great Lakes can dump several feet of snow on the other side. A climate scientists explains why.Michael A. Rawlins, Associate Director, Climate System Research Center, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1879612022-08-02T12:58:26Z2022-08-02T12:58:26ZWhat is a flash flood? A civil engineer explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536602/original/file-20230710-17-awc1e1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4460%2C2962&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pickup trucks creep through flood waters in Richland, Miss., following a morning of torrential rains in August 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/FlashFloodingMississippi/577c058ef3e845479fbeacf1b44625ca/photo">AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Flash flooding is a specific type of flooding that occurs in a short time frame after a precipitation event – <a href="https://www.weather.gov/mrx/flood_and_flash">generally less than six hours</a>. It often is caused by heavy or excessive rainfall and happens in areas near rivers or lakes, but it also can happen in places with no water bodies nearby.</p>
<p>Flash floods happen in both rural and urban areas, as in July 2023 in <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/09/water-rescues-underway-after-flash-flooding-wallops-parts-of-northeast-with-53-million-at-risk-through-monday/">New York state’s Hudson Valley</a>. When more rainfall lands in an area than the ground can absorb, or it falls in areas with a lot of impervious surfaces like concrete and asphalt that prevent the ground from absorbing the precipitation, the water has few places to go and can rise very quickly.</p>
<p>If an area has had recent rainfall, the soil may be saturated to capacity and unable to absorb any more water. Flooding can also occur after a drought, when soil is too dry and hardened to absorb the precipitation. Flash floods are <a href="https://www.blm.gov/flash-floods-tread-safely#:%7E:text=Flash%20floods%20can%20happen%20at,fast%2Dmoving%2C%20high%20water.">common in desert landscapes</a> after heavy rainfalls and in areas with shallow soil depths above solid bedrock that limits the soil’s ability to absorb rain.</p>
<p>Since water runs downhill, rainfall will seek the lowest point in a potential pathway. In urban areas, that’s often streets, parking lots and basements in low-lying zones. In rural areas with steep terrain, such as Appalachia, flash flooding can turn creeks and rivers into raging torrents. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GBPnZXIp94g?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Heavy rain generated flash flooding in the lower Hudson River Valley on July 9, 2023.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Flash floods often catch people by surprise, even though weather forecasters and emergency personnel try to warn and prepare communities. These events can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n93QKa_LgUg">wash away cars</a> and even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/29/us/kentucky-flooding-west-virginia">move buildings off their foundations</a>. </p>
<p>The best way to stay safe in a flash flood is to be aware of the danger and be ready to respond. Low-lying areas are at risk of flooding, whether it happens slowly or quickly and whether it’s an urban or rural setting. </p>
<p>It’s critical to know where to get up-to-date weather information for your area. And if you’re outdoors and encounter flooded spots, such as water-covered roadways, it is always safer to wait for the water to recede or turn back and find a safer route. Don’t attempt to cross it. Flood waters can be much faster and stronger than they appear – and therefore more dangerous.</p>
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<h2>Building for a wetter future</h2>
<p>Engineers design stormwater control systems to limit the damage that rainfall can do. Culverts transfer water and help <a href="https://civiltoday.com/construction/bridge/115-what-is-a-culvert-definition-materials-purpose-location-installation">control where it flows</a>, often directing it underneath roads and railways so that people and goods can continue to move safely. Stormwater containment ponds and <a href="https://www.asce.org/communities/institutes-and-technical-groups/environmental-and-water-resources-institute/design-of-stormwater-control-methods">detention basins</a> hold water for release at a later time after flooding has ceased. </p>
<p>Many cities also are using <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/water/stormwater/green-infrastructure/gi-annual-report-2020.pdf">green infrastructure systems</a>, such as rain gardens, green roofs and permeable pavement, to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/city-green-innovative-green-infrastructure-solutions-downtowns-and-infill-locations">reduce flash flooding</a>. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/incorporating-wetland-restoration-and-protection-planning-documents">Restoring wetlands</a> along rivers and streams helps mitigate flooding as well. </p>
<p>Often the design standards and rules that we use to engineer these features are based on historic rainfall data for the location where we’re working. Engineers use that information to calculate how large a culvert, pond or other structure might need to be. We always build in some excess capacity to handle unusually large floods. </p>
<p>Now, however, many parts of the U.S. are experiencing more intense storm events that drop significant amounts of rainfall on an area in a very short time period. On July 9, 2023, West Point, New York, received more than 7.5 inches of rain in 6 hours – a scale that statistically would be expected to occur there <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/weather/northeast-storms-flooding-excessive-rainfall/index.html">once in 1,000 years</a>. </p>
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<p>With climate change, we expect this trend to continue, which means that planners and engineers will need to reconsider how to design and manage infrastructure in the future. But it’s hard to predict how frequent or intense future storm events will be at a given location. And while it’s extremely likely that there will be more intense storm events based upon climate projections, designing and building for the worst-case situation is not cost effective when there are other competing demands for funding.</p>
<p>Right now, engineers, hydrologists and others are working to understand how best to plan for the future, including modeling flood events and development trends, so that we can help communities make themselves more resilient. That will require more, updated data and design standards that better adapt to anticipated future conditions.</p>
<p><em>This article has been updated to reflect flash flooding in New York in July 2023.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janey Camp is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee for America’s Infrastructure, the American Association of State Floodplain Managers and the Tennessee Association of State Floodplain Managers.</span></em></p>Flash flooding can happen in both urban and rural areas, with deadly results in either setting.Janey Camp, Research Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1830982022-05-15T16:52:10Z2022-05-15T16:52:10ZMore mass shootings are happening at grocery stores – 13% of shooters are motivated by racial hatred, criminologists find<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463131/original/file-20220515-35526-n9i0ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C191%2C4928%2C3083&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Racial hatred is a factor in 13% of mass shootings at grocery stores.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/buffalo-police-on-scene-at-a-tops-friendly-market-on-may-14-news-photo/1240669163?adppopup=true">John Normile/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An apparently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/14/us/buffalo-ny-supermarket-multiple-shooting/index.html">racially motivated</a> attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, resulted in 10 deaths on May 14, 2022, with the teenage suspect allegedly targeting Black shoppers in a prominently African American neighborhood.</p>
<p>Mass public shootings in which four or more people are killed have become <a href="https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/public-mass-shootings-database-amasses-details-half-century-us-mass-shootings">more frequent, and deadly</a>, in the last decade. And the tragedy in Buffalo is the latest in a recent trend of mass public shootings taking place in retail establishments.</p>
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<p>We <a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/jillian-peterson/">are criminologists</a> <a href="https://www.metrostate.edu/about/directory/james-densley">who study</a> the <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/">life histories of public mass shooters</a> in the United States. Since 2017, we have conducted <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Violence-Project-Stop-Shooting-Epidemic-ebook/dp/B08WJV7W3P">dozens of interviews</a> with incarcerated perpetrators and people who knew them. We also built a <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">comprehensive database</a> of mass public shootings using public data, with the shooters coded on over 200 different variables, including location and racial profile.</p>
<h2>What do we know about supermarket mass shootings?</h2>
<p>Only one shooting in our database prior to 2019 took place at a supermarket. In 1999, a 23-year-old white male with a history of criminal violence <a href="https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/drugs-abuse-and-a-zest-to-kill-zane-floyds-path-to-nevada-death-row-limbo">killed four people at a supermarket in Las Vegas</a>. However, there has been a raft of mass shootings at American supermarkets since.</p>
<p>The Buffalo shooting on May 14, 2022, is similar to an August 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. On that occasion, the 21-year-old white suspect posted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/us/patrick-crusius-el-paso-shooter-manifesto.html">a racist rant on social media</a> before allegedly driving some distance to intentionally target racial and ethnic minority shoppers. He has been charged with killing 23 people.</p>
<p>Another shooting in 2019 took place at a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/11/jersey-city-shootout/">Kosher grocery store in Jersey City, New Jersey</a>. Two perpetrators, a man and woman, both Black and around the age of 50 with a criminal and violent history, murdered four people before being killed in a shootout with police. Social media posts and a note left behind indicated an antisemitic motive.</p>
<p>Then in March 2021, a 21-year-old man of Middle Eastern descent with a history of paranoid and anti-social behavior entered a King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado, and <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/boulder-shooting/boulder-king-soopers-shooting-one-year/73-cc012646-e3b8-4972-a28f-953915c3d322">shot dead 10 people</a>. Six months later, in September 2021, a 29-year-old Asian man killed one person and injured 13 others at a Kroger supermarket in Tennessee. The perpetrator, who worked at the store, was asked to leave his job that morning. He died by suicide before the police arrived on the scene.</p>
<h2>No one profile of a retail shooter</h2>
<p>Mass shootings are <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/08/06/748767807/mass-shootings-can-be-contagious-research-shows">socially contagious</a>. Perpetrators study other perpetrators and learn from each other, which may explain the rise in supermarket shootings in the past few years. However, the data shows there is no one profile of a supermarket mass shooter.</p>
<p>Racial hatred is a feature of about 10% of all mass public shootings in our database. Our analysis suggests that when it comes to retail shooters, around 13% are driven by racism – so slightly above the average for all mass shooting events.</p>
<p>Some grocery stores by their nature may be frequented predominantly by one racial group – for example, Asian markets that cater to local Asian communities.</p>
<p>But racial hatred appears to be just one of many motivations cited by retail shooters. Our data points to a range of factors, including the suspect’s own economic issues (16%), confrontation with employees or shoppers (22%), or psychosis (31%). But the most common motivation among retail shooters is unknown (34%).</p>
<p>Like the Buffalo shooter, 22% of perpetrators of retail mass shootings left behind something to be found, a “manifesto” or video to share their grievances with the world. And nearly half of them leaked their plans ahead of time, typically on social media.</p>
<p>The lack of a consistent profile doesn’t leave us helpless. <a href="https://www.startribune.com/two-minnesota-professors-have-devoted-their-careers-to-researching-mass-shooters/600123369/">Our research</a> suggests many strategies to prevent mass shootings – from <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/02/1095489487/trigger-points-mark-follman-how-to-stop-mass-shootings">behavioral threat assessment</a> to restricting <a href="https://rockinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/policy-solutions-public-mass-shootings.pdf">access to firearms</a> for high-risk people. And the way to stop the social contagion of mass shootings is to stop providing perpetrators with the <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1177/0002764217730854">fame and notoriety</a> they seek.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183098/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jillian Peterson receives funding from the National Institute of Justice</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Densley receives funding from the National Institute of Justice</span></em></p>A suspect apparently motivated by a white supremacist agenda shot dead 10 shoppers. Analysis shows that mass shootings – and those at grocery stores – are on the rise.Jillian Peterson, Professor of Criminal Justice, Hamline University James Densley, Professor of Criminal Justice, Metropolitan State University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1817582022-04-29T12:25:06Z2022-04-29T12:25:06ZNew Englanders support more offshore wind power – just don’t send it to New York<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460405/original/file-20220428-4047-ybokgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3335%2C2380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Several offshore wind farms are planned for the U.S. Northeast.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-ge-alstom-block-island-wind-farm-stands-3-miles-off-of-news-photo/609896054?adppopup=true">Scott Eisen/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Rhode Island, home to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/science/wind-power-block-island.html">first offshore wind farm in the U.S.</a>, most people support expanding offshore wind power – with one important caveat.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629622001037?casa_token=d3_SujZuP5QAAAAA:ihDKdXI6KqM37HkGw3d0MneKJbu7F9S3RKjedb2YWBaiH1_1ixSrre_9NLv4v3MKvh4wItaeVnE">research</a> shows they’re less likely to support a wind power project if its energy flows to another state, and especially if it goes to a rival state. We found the same sentiment holds true on the New Hampshire coast.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uYGKlfIAAAAJ&hl=en">Social</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=831LSZ8AAAAJ&hl=en">scientists</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=N3QuuSIAAAAJ&hl=en">like us</a> call this “regionalism,” and our research suggests it could have serious repercussions for the renewable energy transition.</p>
<p>Think about the rivalries and sometimes outright animosity among baseball fans. Few regional rivalries are as intense as the one between Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans. More than mere bluster, these place-based identities can strongly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610397667">influence people’s thoughts</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430217712834">attitudes</a> about rival cities in ways that extend far beyond the game. An allegiance to the Yankees <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212442228">can even influence perception</a> of the distance between New York City and Boston.</p>
<p>But do regional identities affect attitudes toward energy development? Our studies of public attitudes toward offshore wind energy development indicate they might.</p>
<h2>Which state gets the power matters</h2>
<p>We conducted two surveys – one in Rhode Island and the other on the New Hampshire coast – to see how people felt about offshore wind power, including energy exports.</p>
<p>Overall, both groups supported wind power off their shores.</p>
<p>People were happiest if the power was produced for their home states. That wasn’t a surprise. Studies have showed that the public generally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111872">objects to energy exports</a>, perhaps fueled by concerns over <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2016.1267614">distributive justice</a>. Distributive justice refers to discrepancies between who bears costs, like having power plants and equipment in sight, and who benefits, such as from revenue and energy produced.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tourists play on a beach with the Block Island Wind Farm in the distance." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Block Island Wind Farm’s five turbines power the island with renewable energy. The rest of the electricity goes to the mainland grid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-ge-alstom-block-island-wind-farm-stands-3-miles-off-of-news-photo/609854808?adppopup=true">Scott Eisen/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The answers got more interesting when we asked about exporting power to specific states.</p>
<p>For people in New Hampshire, wind power projects that send power to their North Woods brethren in Maine were more palatable than projects that would connect to more urban Massachusetts.</p>
<p>For Rhode Islanders, a wind power project serving Massachusetts was OK, but not one serving New York. That reaction was consistent with the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, with people in <a href="https://harvardsportsanalysis.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/finding-the-true-border-between-yankee-and-red-sox-nation-using-facebook-data/">Red Sox-loving</a> Rhode Island preferring the electricity be sent to New England instead.</p>
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<p>Our study demonstrates that not only are people less supportive of other states claiming electricity produced off their shores, but it also matters which state is involved. It’s important to remember that once electricity goes into the Northeast grid, power from those wind turbines could go anywhere in the region. The power company and state that contract with a wind farm can benefit from the price and credit for contributing that clean energy, but electricity itself isn’t limited to that state, and the climate and clean energy benefits are also global. However, perceptions of who benefits matter for public acceptance.</p>
<h2>What this means for the future</h2>
<p>How will this regionalism play out for actual projects? We are not sure, but these are not just hypothetical situations.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.capegazette.com/article/%C3%B8rsted-selected-expand-windfarm-area-delaware-coast/232524">project off the Delaware coast</a> will supply power to Maryland. A <a href="https://www.nationalfisherman.com/northeast/final-approval-for-south-fork-wind-project">project recently approved</a> for development off Rhode Island will provide electricity to Long Island, New York.</p>
<p>The U.S. is poised for a rapid rise in offshore wind power. The Biden administration has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">committed enthusiastically</a> to offshore wind development, and coastal states have already committed to generating nearly 45 gigawatts of offshore wind power. That’s close to the <a href="https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2022/">global total of around 57 gigawatts</a>, and about 1,000 times the current U.S. production from its seven existing offshore wind turbines. The first large-scale project, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-approves-its-first-big-offshore-wind-farm-near-marthas-vineyard-its-a-breakthrough-for-the-industry-160747">Vineyard Wind</a>, is under construction south of Martha’s Vineyard to ultimately provide up to 800 megawatts of electricity to its home state of Massachusetts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of coasts showing lease areas offshore" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The maps show areas leased for future offshore wind projects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/mapping-and-data/renewable-energy-gis-data">BOEM</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p>Offshore wind energy has faced some controversy in the U.S. An early proposed project, Cape Wind, was scuttled by <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2015/01/09/cape-wind-faces-uncertain-future">two decades of litigation</a>. Public objections often arise over potential impacts to ocean views, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.404">fishing industry</a> and whales and other wildlife. Concerns over distributive justice could also turn public opinion against future projects. </p>
<h2>What to do about it</h2>
<p>One means of addressing fairness for energy projects is by providing “community benefits” such as <a href="https://revenuedata.doi.gov/how-revenue-works/gomesa/#:%7E:text=The%20Gulf%20of%20Mexico%20Energy,in%20the%20Gulf%20of%20Mexico.">sharing revenues</a> with communities affected by offshore energy projects. We believe offshore energy developers and policymakers should <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101393">broaden engagement</a> to neighboring states and communities and consider how the project might affect nearby communities.</p>
<p>The energy transition may also be expedited by acknowledging <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110044">place-based identities</a> and planning accordingly, downplaying rivalries. For example, the federal government could move away from naming areas of the ocean designated for offshore wind development after specific states.</p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.</em>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181758/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Bidwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Firestone is a former (uncompensated) Director of First State Marine Wind (FSMW), which owns a land-based wind turbine adjacent to the University of Delaware's Lewes campus. UD is the controlling owner of FSMW, with SGRE, the turbine manufacturer, owning a minority interest. Wind turbine revenues are used for research, and here provided grant funding for the Rhode Island research. Firestone has never received industry support from SGRE or any other entity. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Ferguson receives funding from New Hampshire Seagrant</span></em></p>The regionalism that fuels the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is also found in U.S. attitudes about energy production, a new study shows. That could have repercussions for the renewable energy transition.David Bidwell, Associate Professor, Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode IslandJeremy Firestone, Professor, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of DelawareMichael Ferguson, Assistant Professor in Recreation Management and Policy, University of New HampshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1804752022-04-15T12:12:46Z2022-04-15T12:12:46ZI’ve studied stadium financing for over two decades – and the new Bills stadium is one of the worst deals for taxpayers I’ve ever seen<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458186/original/file-20220414-24-huglhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=371%2C97%2C3068%2C2191&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Buffalo Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula received a sweetheart deal from the state to finance their new stadium.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/terry-pegula-the-new-owner-of-the-buffalo-bills-and-his-news-photo/457118438?adppopup=true"> Brett Carlsen/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After New York lawmakers blew past the deadline to approve the state budget, they finally came to an agreement <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-highlights-historic-fy-2023-new-york-state-budget">on April 9, 2022</a>, that included <a href="https://www.fieldofschemes.com/2022/03/29/18635/hochul-announces-plan-to-funnel-record-1-01b-to-bills-owners-but-its-okay-because-economic-impacts/">a US$850 million subsidy</a> for a new stadium in Buffalo for the NFL’s Bills. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jR65pQoAAAAJ&hl=en">As a sports economist</a> who has studied stadium deals for over two decades, I am not exaggerating when I write that the New York Legislature has managed to craft one of the worst stadium deals in recent memory – a remarkable feat considering the high bar set by other <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2021/04/07/raiders-go-on-defense-to-keep-tax-exemption/">misguided state and local governments</a> across the country.</p>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4022547">Study after study</a> has shown that stadiums are terrible public investments. The taxpayers financing them rarely want to pay for them. So why are governments willing to subsidize them?</p>
<h2>A return to the bad old days</h2>
<p>There were many things to dislike about the Bills stadium project. At $850 million, it is the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-07/nfl-s-bills-get-600-million-stadium-subsidy-in-n-y-budget">largest taxpayer handout</a> for a new stadium in U.S. history even before additional subsidies such as annual maintenance costs, property tax exemptions and tax exemptions for municipal bond interest are considered. These factors could easily drive the total government price tag well over $1 billion. </p>
<p>With taxpayers footing over 60% of the $1.4 billion price tag, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/04/the-bills-stadium-deal-is-indefensible-and-understandable.html">it also runs counter to the trend of the past decade</a> toward lower levels of public funding for stadium construction. </p>
<p>State and local governments on average had covered roughly <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/p/hcx/wpaper/1102.html">two-thirds of stadium construction costs</a> during the first wave of the modern stadium boom that began in 1991. During the Great Recession, however, government leaders found it <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-financial-crisis-reaches-a-new-arena-professional-sports/">politically unpalatable</a> to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars to billionaire owners as they were laying off teachers and firefighters. </p>
<p>Over the past decade, my ongoing research has shown that public subsidies have fallen to only one-third of building costs, on average. In fact, the most recent Super Bowl was played in the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-09-04/stan-kroenke-nfl-owners-coronavirus-workers-sofi-stadium-rams-chargers">entirely privately financed</a> SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The Bills deal evokes the bad old days.</p>
<p>Stadium subsidies in general are terrible public policy, and this arrangement is no exception.</p>
<p>The Bills and their owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, don’t need a handout. With a net worth of $5.8 billion, Terry Pegula ranks as the <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfls-richest-owners-revealed-cowboys-rams-and-panthers-top-list-of-15-wealthiest-for-2022/">ninth-richest owner in the NFL</a>. The generous revenue-sharing structure of the NFL means that even playing in one of the league’s smallest markets, the Bills <a href="https://www.forbes.com/teams/buffalo-bills/">have earned over $300 million</a> in operating income since the Pegulas <a href="https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/terry-and-kim-pegula-submit-aggressive-1-4-billion-bid-to-acquire-bills-franchise/article_2e33bbba-d682-5813-8487-f1d95ff6f23f.html">purchased the team for $1.4 billion</a> just seven years ago. And since then, the value of the Bills has risen by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/teams/buffalo-bills/">another $900 million</a>. The Pegulas have earned enough on their investment in just seven years to pay for the entirety of a new stadium on their own.</p>
<p>But the only thing better for a team owner than a new stadium is a new stadium that someone else pays for. Indeed, the new stadium is likely to further drive up the value of the Bills far more than the $350 million the Pegulas are contributing to the stadium’s construction costs.</p>
<h2>Stadiums make poor neighbors</h2>
<p>These taxpayer-funded deals are <a href="https://cbcny.org/research/determining-appropriate-buffalo-stadium-subsidy">often pitched</a> as an investment in the local economy, but <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4022547">two decades of academic research</a> on the topic have conclusively shown that stadiums and franchises have little or no impact on local economies. The Bills are not likely to be an exception. </p>
<p>For one, most of the customers at a sports venue are residents of the metro area who would simply spend money elsewhere in the local economy in the absence of the team. Second, stadiums often make poor neighbors. NFL venues, like the Bills’ current home, Highmark Stadium, are huge facilities that are rarely used: The Bills play eight home games each year in the regular season. This creates little incentive for investing in the surrounding neighborhoods. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Aerial view of football stadium." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458185/original/file-20220414-20-4bhig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Buffalo Bills’ current home, Highmark Stadium, sits perched upon an island of concrete.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-aerial-view-of-the-ralph-wilson-stadium-as-the-buffalo-news-photo/78689906?adppopup=true">Claus Andersen/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And don’t think that NFL stadiums typically host a multitude of other events. Over its 50 years of existence, aside from a pair of annual high school football games and a few miscellaneous competitions, Highmark Stadium has hosted a grand total of 30 major concerts, three college football games and two large hockey games. And Buffalo’s venue is not out of the ordinary for any large, outdoor stadium.</p>
<p>Rather than creating a dense area of housing, retail establishments and restaurants, Highmark Stadium instead sits alone as an island of concrete in a sea of parking lots. </p>
<h2>The threat of relocation</h2>
<p>The stadium project is deeply unpopular, with one survey finding that <a href="https://www.wivb.com/sports/buffalo-bills-stadium-discussions/poll-majority-of-nyers-oppose-850m-for-bills-stadium/">55% of New Yorkers are opposed</a> to the plan, versus only 22% in favor of it.</p>
<p>So why did it get included in the state budget?</p>
<p>For one, stadiums are a perfect example of the classic special-interest problem. For a handful of passionate fans in Buffalo, a new stadium may determine which candidate gets their vote. But for the rest of the state, a small increase in their tax burden is unwelcome but not problematic enough to compel a voter to switch sides.</p>
<p>Teams have also gotten smart about <a href="https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/11210-buffalo-bills-stadium-hochul-ethics-legislature">minimizing transparency</a>, which is bad for public policy but good for team owners. The Bills stadium proposal was added to the state budget and dropped on unsuspecting taxpayers <a href="https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/11210-buffalo-bills-stadium-hochul-ethics-legislature">just days before a final vote</a> was scheduled in the Legislature. With such a short timeline, it was impossible for lawmakers to fully analyze the issue, and there was little time for public interest groups to mobilize against the handouts.</p>
<p>The Pegulas were essentially able to extort New York taxpayers by <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bills-future-in-buffalo-uncertain-after-2022-team-wont-renew-lease-in-city-without-new-stadium-deal-in-place/">threatening to relocate</a> the team if they didn’t pay up. Buffalo is only <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area">the 49th-largest metro area</a> in the U.S. At least half a dozen cities across the U.S. without NFL franchises are both richer and at least twice as populous, including San Diego, St. Louis, Portland and Austin, not to mention <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/nfl/nfl-london-2021-franchise-fixtures-b1942220.html">the possibility of a franchise in London</a>. </p>
<p>With their current lease expiring in 2023, the team had already indicated that the 2022 season could have been its last in Buffalo.</p>
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<p>This threat was a slap in the face of loyal Bills fans who have supported the team for over 60 years through subzero temperatures, <a href="https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/buffalo-shatters-daily-snowfall-record-as-lake-effect-snow-brings-near-whiteout-conditions-to-western-new-york">lake-effect snow</a>, <a href="https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/revisiting-super-bowl-xxviii-bills-lost-fourth-straight-20-years-ago-today/article_9e3f9bac-c5f7-546b-9bf4-131f2622a3df.html">four straight Super Bowl losses</a> in the 1990s and more losing seasons than winning ones.</p>
<p>The NFL has long kept the number of teams lower than the number of cities that could profitably support a franchise. So as long as owners are willing to use the threat of relocation, I don’t believe any city’s fans – and any state’s taxpayers – are safe.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180475/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victor Matheson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Study after study has shown that stadiums are terrible public investments. Taxpayers rarely want to pay for them. So why do governments keep subsidizing them?Victor Matheson, Professor of Economics and Accounting, College of the Holy CrossLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.