At first glance the Marin County initiative to take services offered at the county complex in San Rafael out to various communities sounded like a good idea. Take the government to the people. Make it easier to extract services from “the system.”
Then I read the details.
The new county plan is called the “Clean Slate” program. It is specifically designed for people who have had a run-in with the criminal justice system.
The county’s press release sells it as the “first-of-its-kind” event to “ensure that every community member can succeed following a criminal conviction.”
And what Marin community do county leaders think is filled with people in need of fixing their criminal convictions?
That would be Marin City, the only predominantly Black community in Marin.
Jesus, did anyone think that through? The county is saying in word and deed that if you want to reach out to former criminals in Marin, the place to go is where Black people live.
Look, I have nothing against the idea behind Clean Slate. But, damn, this plays into an ugly, racially charged stereotype.
There are a lot of smart people working in Marin County government. Somebody should have seen this coming.
THE HIGHWAYS WE DRIVE
In the file called “You Never Know” comes the tragic story of the death of Cal’s 70s basketball star Gene “The Dream” Ransom. The 65-year-old Ransom was driving his Honda Civic on a Bay Area highway when the driver of a black Lexus sedan pulled up next to him and shot Ransom dead. One shot to the head. No good reason.
It’s brutal out there.
I don’t have a good answer to how random life can be other than to cite the obvious: It’s wild out there; be careful.
MASK WITHDRAWAL
Just because Marin health officials have announced that mask mandates for indoor spaces will end on Feb. 16, you can bet the mask fight won’t go away. People are invested in wearing masks. Others are invested in not wearing masks. Most of us are, as usual, caught in the middle.
Take a look at these comments on social media on our story about the mask change:
– Marin is one of the most vaxxed counties in the country. I’m ready to stop having to bring a mask every time I leave the house.
– I think we should keep them for a while longer. Plus, certain sectors in Marin had very low vaccine participation rates, and they are the ones working low wage jobs in places we frequent.
– Not my fault if you still haven’t gotten a vaccine.
– Given that vaccines are effectively useless against the dominant strain, masks are our only protection. If people are still nervous they can wear a mask.
ONE MORE THING
– The first testicular guard, called the “cup,” was used in hockey 1874. The first helmet was used in 1974. It took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important?
– Do British people still do the accent when no one’s around?
– I’m on the seafood diet – I see it and I eat it.
– Life Pro Tip: If you tuck one pant leg into your sock, people will expect less of you.
Thanks for reading, everybody. Until next week, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.
(Sherman Frederick is an award-winning journalist and publisher of Marin’s community newspapers — the Novato Advance, San Rafael News-Pointer, Mill Valley Herald, Ross Valley Reporter, Twin City Times and the Sausalito Marin Scope. He is co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
First time reader, you seem to be a very logical person, which is refreshing now days.