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Juneteenth Takes on New Significance for Local Activist

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1760 Ocean Avenue Starting from Santa Monica, CA 90401 310.393.6711 $ Parking | Kitchenettes | WiFi Available 88 BOOK DIRECT AND SAVE SeaviewHotel.com + Taxes THURSDAY Dylan/Cash Duets Elks Noteworthy The local club celebrated recommends Dylan’s Flag Day with their National 06.18.20 Bootleg Series. President. Volume 19 Issue 179 Page 6 Page 7 @smdailypress @smdailypress Santa Monica Daily Press smdp.com CORONAVIRUS DEATHS per 100,000 LA County 80 Daily Deaths SANTA MONICA LA COUNTY CALIFORNIA USA WORLDWIDE 60 40 24.9 29.6 13.2 36.0 5.7 20 SMDP Graphic-Data from Johns Hopkins, WHO, LA County Public Health Mar 10 Jun 16 Councilman Morena resigns Juneteenth takes on new to focus on family business significance for local activist MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor Councilman Greg Morena has resigned from the Santa Monica City Santa Monica’s Juneteenth Council effective June 24 to focus on celebration will be held online his family restaurant business. this year due to ongoing fears Morena’s family owns the Albright over the spread of COVID-19 restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier. and while the event’s organizer In a statement he said he has to understands the need for safety, renegotiate the lease for the business she is also keenly aware that the or face closure and as the Pier is celebration marking the end of owned by the City of Santa Monica, slavery is desperately needed this he cannot manage the business year. interests at this time while sitting on The first local Juneteenth was File Photo a small celebration held at the SEE MORENA PAGE 11 GREG MORENA Third Street Promenade 28 years ago. LaVerne Ross brought the event to Santa Monica and said it was a small, sparsely populated Illegal firework celebration but it has grown with the help of her Juneteenth Committee and Virginia Avenue calls increasing in Park to a large, uniting festival. The term Juneteenth is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. neighborhoods The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day or MATTHEW HALL are being fired throughout the city. Freedom Day. The celebration Daily Press Editor Residents from all parts of the started with the freed slaves of city have been reporting booms Galveston, Texas. Although the Santa Monica’s Independence Day throughout the night for the past Emancipation Proclamation freed File Photo celebrations have been canceled for couple of weeks and the police JUNETEENTH: Longtime Santa Monican LaVerne Ross has been the the year but one problematic annual SEE JUNETEENTH PAGE 3 driving force behind the Santa Monica celebration. trend has returned, illegal fireworks SEE FIREWORKS PAGE 11 News 2 THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 Visit us online at www.smdp.com US coronavirus outbreaks spur debate over personal freedoms TERRY TANG, KEN MORITSUGU AND LISA MARIE seven-day average positive test rate: 17.7%, PANE or about double the national average and well Associated Press above the 10% threshold that health officials find worrisome. It also has the most new cases When the coronavirus flared in China this per capita in the U.S. in the past 14 days. The week, the country canceled flights, suspended state’s leading hospital system says it’s almost reopenings and described the situation as running out of beds. “extremely grave.” But with cases rising in some Several restaurants and other businesses WELCOME U.S. states, local officials have balked at even also have closed because staff tested positive in LOS ANGELES LEXUS DEALER ASSOCIATION requiring people to wear masks. the last week. In the United States, which has the most The same thing is happening in parts of reported cases and deaths in the world, Florida, where people under 35 are testing authorities are wrestling with balancing positive at a higher rate since the pandemic demands for constitutional rights and personal began, contributing to a surge in cases, officials freedom with warnings from health officials said Wednesday. that being lax will have deadly consequences. The coastal city of St. Petersburg had three China responded Wednesday to a new popular bars close after employees tested outbreak in Beijing by scrapping more than positive. ROOM SERVICE 60% of its flights to the capital, canceling “This is happening statewide. Ideally, we classes and strengthening requirements for would have leadership from the top and this social distancing. It was a sharp retreat for the would be a statewide decision,” Mayor Rick nation that declared victory over COVID-19 Kriseman said. ORGANIC 7OZ. WAGYU “KOBE” FLATIRON in March. The Democrat said Republican Gov. Ron “This has truly rung an alarm bell for DeSantis has encouraged people to use masks us,” Party Secretary Cai Qi told a meeting but not mandated them. [email protected] | 310.989.9444 | peprinting.com of Beijing’s Communist Party Standing Cases in Pinellas County, where St. Committee. Petersburg is located, have shifted from China’s response to about 137 new cases assisted living residences and nursing homes amounted to a fraction of the number some to younger people, county Commissioner Ken states see each day. In Arizona, more than Welch said. He said 25% of the cases are in the 1,100 people visited emergency rooms on African American community. Tuesday alone with positive or suspected cases. DeSantis said he has no intention of closing Alabama is also fast running out of hospital Florida’s economy again despite the new cases, space, leading to impassioned debate over saying many of those getting sick are young whether to require masks. Other states that and thus unlikely to suffer serious illness or haven’t mandated face coverings, like Texas death. and Florida, also are seeing infections soar. For most people, the coronavirus causes With masks becoming a political symbol, mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and cough. For some, especially older adults has taken aim at President Donald Trump’s and people with existing health problems, approach to the pandemic. it can cause more severe illness, including “Donald Trump wants to style himself as a pneumonia and death. wartime president. Unlike any other wartime Fears about growing numbers of infections leader, he takes no responsibility, he exercises in younger people pushed officials in the San no leadership, now he has just flat surrendered Antonio area to order masks in public as Texas’ the fight,” Biden said Wednesday. COVID-19 hospitalization rates keep rising. Biden has worn a mask repeatedly at public “What we are doing here is to protect the events, while Trump hasn’t, even on occasions life and safety of the San Antonio community,” such as touring auto factory floors where they Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, adding that most are required. Aides say Trump believes them to infections in the area are in people younger be unflattering and that wearing one projects than 40. weakness. It comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott The mask debate is playing out nationwide, urged people to take greater responsibility for notably in hard-hit states where face coverings stopping the spread of the virus but said he have become a political and cultural debate. would not require masks. The second-most- Hundreds of medical professionals signed populated state hit a record high for COVID- a letter urging Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey 19 hospitalizations Wednesday with 2,793, an to require them. He’s encouraged people to 85% increase since Memorial Day. use masks but hasn’t worn one during news In Montgomery, Alabama, where cases are conferences and has rebuffed calls to require spiking, the issue of masks erupted during them. He also has resisted imposing new a City Council meeting, where members restrictions on businesses, attributing Arizona’s rejected a proposal to mandate them at public surge in cases to increased testing. gatherings of 25 or more. Health officials said Arizona has been doing more tests, which they are critical to stemming the tide. can yield more cases, but health experts say Dr. Bill Saliski, a lung specialist at Jackson a better way to see if more people are getting Hospital in Montgomery, called on the city to sick is to look at the percentage of positive pass a mask requirement and declared: “If this tests. When that percentage rises, it means the continues the way we’re going, we’re going to outbreak is worsening — not just that more be overrun.” people are getting tested. Arizona leads the nation with the highest SEE COVID-19 OUTBREAKS PAGE 11 Local Visit us online at www.smdp.com THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 3 because African American men have reason to JUNETEENTH fear even minor interactions with the police. FROM PAGE 1 “Certainly I could see how some of them are running scared,” she said. “(The police) the slaves in the South in 1863, it could not have the guns and handcuffs but it appears be enforced in many places until after the end the men that have been murdered by the legal of the Civil War in 1865 with the final slaves system and police force, it appears that the being freed on June 19. person they are detaining is at a disadvantage Ross said she understands why the event and to say that you resisted arrest when you has become digital this year. have nothing to your defense, no gun, and the “With the protests and the virus, that ones that are handcuffing you have guns and happens to be something that we have to pay the back-up and you end up getting killed? I attention to with the social distancing and don’t understand that.” we certainly wouldn’t want anyone to catch She said individuals who encounter police it,” she said.
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