(Photo by Jeff Turner / CC BY 2.0)
Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.
Have news, resources or events that should be included in this newsletter? Let us know. We’re reachable at wrapped@nextcity.org.
Rights Group Ask DOJ To Investigate War Criminal Visiting U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before Congress on Wednesday was met by a standing ovation from elected officials, mass protest by activists, and demands for a war crime investigation by human rights groups.
Ahead of the address, the Center for Constitutional Rights released a statement demanding that the Department of Justice investigate him for genocide, war crimes and torture “as mandated by law.” CCR sent a 23-page to the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section, which it notes is tasked with “deny[ing] safe haven in the United States to human rights violators.” A 2023 amendment to the War Crimes Act gives the U.S. jurisdiction over non-citizens accused of war crimes present in the U.S., CCR says, but Netanyahu has not yet been investigated by the Department of Justice.
The letter also cites genocidal statements by Netanyahu and members of his war cabinet; massacres carried out by the Israeli army in the last 10 days, including a bombing of the Mawasi Refugee Camp, an aid convoy, a prayer site and a school sheltering refugees; and systematic expulsions and deliberate deprivation of food and water, among other evidence. In May, the International Criminal Court issued an application for arrest warrants for Netanyahu, and the International Court of Justice ruled last week that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and constitutes apartheid.
Seattle Property Tax For Transit Upgrades Will Get Vote
Seattle’s city council approved a ballot measure for $1.55 billion tax to fund transportation infrastructure. Voters will be able to approve the measure this fall, Governing reports. The tax would result in another $20 a month in property taxes for homeowners. The funds would go toward sidewalk expansions and repairing infrastructure like bridges, as well as adding bike lanes and increasing bus service. It will replace a $930 million transportation levy that expires this year.
Washington, D.C. Rejects Fossil Fuel Pipeline
D.C.’s Public Service Commission dismissed a corporate utility’s application for the third phase of a $12 billion fossil fuel pipeline. That’s the result of two and a half years of direct action from Extinction Rebellion D.C and other organizations, one organizer writes in Waging Nonviolence.
Among the group’s tactics were publicly shaming the fossil fuel company by passing out mock flyers, installing ads at bus stops and applying pressure in Public Service Commission open meetings. The group also chained themselves to buildings and staged actions in front of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.
1,000 Oakland Residents To Get $320 in Transit Cards
West Oakland residents will be able to receive two payments of $160 to debit cards that can go toward Bay Area Rapid Transit, Amtrak and AC Transit as well as bike share services, KRON4 reports. Anyone earning less than Oakland’s area median income is eligible, but there are only 1,000 cards that will be given out on a first-come first-serve basis in exchange for filling out a survey.
The debit cards are part of a “Universal Basic Mobility” program which seeks to decrease reliance on cars. The concept is “catching like wildfire,” one expert told Next City in January. Read more about how cities from from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh are experimenting with mobility wallets.
Baltimore Lawsuit Against Fossil Fuel Companies Thrown Out
Baltimore plans to appeal a judge’s decision to throw out a six-year old lawsuit against a group of fossil fuel companies that it says misled the public about the harmful effects of its products, The Daily Record reports.
The lawsuit claims that the companies knew about the effects of fossil fuel use on the climate and sea level rise for over 50 years, and that their marketing and promotion increased fossil fuel use. A circuit court judge threw out the lawsuit, claiming that the city’s lawsuit relied on state law to bring its case despite the polluters being out of state and that Supreme Court rulings bar cities from taking up such cases against out-of-state actors.
Curated by Aysha Khan
MORE NEWS
-
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, most recent sponsor of a bill to create a federal reparations commission, dead at 74. The Houston Chronicle
-
San Diego’s Growth Plan Aims to Reverse Racial Segregation. Governing
-
Kamala Harris is the candidate caregivers have been waiting for. The 19th
-
El Paso County mum on cash assistance program to give families $500 monthly. El Paso Matters
-
Women’s sports bars are on a winning streak. The 19th
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
-
The final round of federal grants to reconnect neighborhoods split by highways and other transportation infrastructure is available. States, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, tribal governments and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply by Sept. 30. Access the application here.
EVENTS
-
July 30 at 2 p.m. Eastern: The Housing Solutions Lab at the NYU Furman Center and the Climate + Community Project will host a webinar about how localities can harness Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds to address the linked housing and climate crises. Register here.
-
Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. Eastern: The Center for Creative Land Recycling and Groundwork USA are hosting a 90-minute workshop to share how to effectively use their new guide and discover practical steps to embed environmental justice principles in every phase of the land reuse process. Register here.