Private security to bolster RPD | Durham sanitation on strike
No. 36 — Sep. 3-Sep. 9, 2023
Raleigh planning to hire private security to patrol downtown
Raleigh plans to hire private security to combat rising crime in downtown - WRAL
Raleigh to hire private security to help police patrol parts of downtown, Baldwin says - N&O
Raleigh city leaders looking to ramp up security efforts in downtown area - CBS17
City of Raleigh planning to hire security to help patrol downtown - ABC11
With a reported rise in crime surrounding the Blount Street Bus Terminal, the city of Raleigh is planning to hire private security firm to bolster the police’s efforts to keep the area safe.
To me, the city hiring private security agents to take over police duties seems like it could quite possibly be the worst of both worlds: government power, without the same government accountability measures that have been imposed on traditional law enforcement agencies.
With 100 out of 800 sworn officer positions on the Raleigh Police vacant, it appears that the city is suffering from the same post-George Floyd recruitment difficulties as law enforcement agencies across the country. (It probably doesn’t help that a quote by St. Floyd himself was etched in stone at the recently opened North Carolina Freedom Park).
Durham trash collectors go on strike
Did your trash get picked up today? Durham solid waste workers on strike for increased pay - WRAL
As Durham sanitation workers' protest hits 3rd day, city turns to contractors for trash pickup - ABC11
‘Overworked and underpaid’: Durham sanitation workers call for pay raises - N&O
‘Trash has got to go’: Most garbage routes go uncollected on third day of Durham sanitation worker strike - CBS17
Trash in Durham has gone uncollected as Solid Waste Management workers have gone on strike demanding more money from the city. According to WRAL:
Workers say they're overworked and underpaid. They're asking for a cost-of-living increase and a $5000 bonus.
Union representatives say wages have gone up 15% since 2019, but they say the cost of living in the area has gone up even more – and the pay isn't keeping pace.
According to CBS 17, sanitation employees reported earning between $19 to $25 per hour.
After days with no trash pickup, the city has turned to contractors for a stopgap measure until the labor dispute is resolved.
'Oh no. Not again': How the UNC shooting reminded Asian Americans of a long history of violence - WUNC
There’s an adage about mainstream media coverage of gun crime (and mass shootings in particular): if you can’t blame it on racism, blame it on the gun. This article from WUNC on last week’s shooting of a Chinese UNC professor by his Chinese PhD student manages to do both. As Jimmy Patel-Nguyen, communications director at North Carolina Asian Americans Together is quoted as saying:
“I think any violence against the Asian community is violence against the Asian community,” Patel-Nguyen said. “It doesn’t matter what race [the shooter] is. I think it’s just boiling it down to gun violence.”
Interesting narrative!
January 6th sidenote
This week, I released a documentary I have been working on related to the Capitol Riot on January 6th, 2021. Titled 79 Minutes: Breach of the Capitol, it follows the timeline and sequence of events between the initial violence at the edge of Capitol Grounds to the breach of the Capitol Building. It’s been referred to as “a great synopsis of police failures on J6”, as well as “the most factual explanation, to date, of what went wrong at the US Capitol on J6” by journalists familiar with the subject matter. And, best of all, it’s available to watch for free on Rumble, as well as j6documentary.com.
I’m not sure what next week’s roundup will look like, as I will be in trial in DC on the 13th-15th. As many of y’all know, the DOJ has charged me with four misdemeanors for covering January 6th as an independent journalist. There’s a bit more information in the related GiveSendGo fundraiser I finally opened.
Want to get in touch? I appreciate to getting your tips, thoughts, feedback, etc: thisweekinthetriangle@substack.com