Merc misses major issues in bias treatment of protests, Liccardo house trashing

Media expert and journalist Mark Lisheron takes a close look at the Merc's coverage of San Jose's demonstrations--and responses to them--and finds that a lot of important questions have gone unasked.

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Simon Gilbert
Vandals, protestors, and the First Amendment

Noted legal scholar Tony Francois is a Senior Attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation and longtime Californian. In this exclusive interview with Opportunity Now, he examines the juridical issues around vandalizing the mayor's house, not enforcing curfew citations, and managing escalating violence.

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Simon Gilbert
Why diversity programs often fail

One of the key tactics of the Critical Social Justice and Race Theories movement is a type of "re-education," in which privileged groups are trained to see their inherent and systemic racism, classism, etc. so they will behave better and more justly in the future. While these programs are widespread, do they effect any change? Stephen Johnson explores in BigThink.

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Simon Gilbert
Amazingly, some people still think looting is wrong

Many local residents were astounded by the outpouring of support for the vandalization of Mayor Liccardo's home on social media, and the limited, tepid nature of the support for the Mayor from local leaders. Steven Greenhut opines in Reason magazine why looting is a classic form of injustice.

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Simon Gilbert
Transportation planning hits a roadblock in the post-COVID world

Taking the 22 bus or CalTrain used to be a simple, safe choice. But coronavirus has hammered mass transit ridership and put trillions of investment at risk. Karen Philbrick reports for Fox and Hounds.

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Simon Gilbert
Local advocates support the vandalization of mayor's home

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo's Twitter account provided insight into the thinking of some progressives about the validity of using violence to effect social change. Liccardo's home was trashed by protestors on August 28, after a downtown protest against police brutality. Here is a selection of tweets responding to his tweets suggesting that the people who attacked his home did not embody the spirit of Black Lives Matter.

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Simon Gilbert
The First Woke Leader?

Many journalists perceive Critical Race and Social Justice theories as new ways of understanding political issues. However, many scholars suggest that the movement's key sensibilities have been afloat for centuries, even predating Marxism. Greil Marcus explores the concept in his famous book about hidden histories and unorthodox social movements, “Lipstick Traces.”

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Simon Gilbert
Did Smart Growth Hit a Wall?

Has the coronovirus called into question urban planning principles that have held sway for decades? Whither density and mass transit? The effects of this are explored by Timothy Coyle reporting for Fox and Hounds.

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Simon Gilbert
How Cities can Help Small Businesses During a Pandemic

As small businesses are faced with the many insurmountable obstacles of COVID-19, local government can step in to help. Charles Crumpley with San Fernando Valley Business Journal explores one way local governments can relieve some pressure.

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Simon Gilbert
How some progressives defend looting and vandalism

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo's house was vandalized the night of August 28. According to San Jose Spotlight, some protestors broke off from a downtown demonstration against police brutality to start a fire on Liccardo's lawn and spraypaint political messages on the front of his house. Those wondering how some progressives condone this behavior can consider this NPR interview with Vicky Osterweil, author of In Defense of Looting.

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Simon Gilbert
The Perils of a Tourist Economy

As San Francisco suffers a major income detriment due to COVID-19, the dangers of being a tourist economy have become apparent. A report from SFGate.

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Simon Gilbert
Does Housing Density Contribute to Coronavirus Spread?

In order to comprehend California’s expansive COVID-19 numbers, it's important to understand the role density plays. Jackie Botts and Kate Cimini report for CalMatters.

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Simon Gilbert