Delegate Nicole A. Williams Newsletter: George Floyd, Police Accountability, COVID-19 and more
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
This past week has been rough. I learned that one of my dearest friends has COVID-19. She is hanging in there. Her husband and son are also sick with the virus. If you are a spiritual person, I ask that you please keep them in their prayers.
This is in addition to the conversations and protests taking place across our country in response to the killing of George Floyd. Racism is a stain upon the history of our country that we cannot ignore. We must be willing to have tough and honest conversations about the subject with people of all backgrounds about all aspects of racism, not just the overt displays and actions.
This past Saturday, Maryland Speaker Adrienne Jones announced the formation of a workgroup to study police accountability here in Maryland. I strongly support Speakers Jones’ leadership on this issue and I look forward to seeing the legislative recommendations that will come from this group.
There were also elections on Tuesday. We are still trying to figure out the results, especially for the races in Baltimore City. The numerous mistakes that occurred must be corrected prior to the November election.
Lastly, Governor Hogan announced that starting at 5 PM today we are moving to stage two of his reopening plan. However, local jurisdictions have the option to enact more restrictive measures. After the Governor’s announcement, Prince George’s County Executive, Angela Alsobrooks released a statement saying that Prince George’s is not ready to move to phase two.
I agree.
Nicole
Maryland House of Delegates Workgroup on Police Accountability
Maryland Speaker, Adrienne Jones and House Judiciary Chairman Luke Clippinger announced the formation of a workgroup to address Police Reform and Accountability. This announcement comes on the heels of the high-profile murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The group will be chaired by Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary from Howard County.
The workgroup will look at
Policies and procedures related to the investigations of police misconduct, including Maryland’s Law Enforcement Bill of Rights statute;
Determine the viability of uniformed statewide use of force policies and arrest procedures;
Review the use of body cameras and disclosure of body camera footage; and
Identify national best practices of independent prosecution of law enforcement related crimes.
The workgroup will begin meeting this summer.
June 2nd Election Results?
The election is over. However for a number of races, especially in Baltimore City, the results are not very clear. Some of the ballots were printed incorrectly so the scanner cannot scan the votes for certain races correctly. The Board of Elections is manually duplicating all of the vote-by-mail ballots cast in the races where the printing error occurred. They are not certain how long this will take as ballots are still arriving in the mail. This error is in addition to all of the previous errors that occurred before election day. Speaker Jones and Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson announced that at 1 PM on June 16th the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs and the House Ways & Means Committees will hold a joint oversight hearing regarding the problems with the election. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. We must ensure that these errors do not occur again in the November election.
Phase 2 for Maryland
Governor Hogan announced on Wednesday that the State is ready to enter into Phase 2 at 5 PM today. This means that businesses can now reopen but the wearing of masks, social distancing, health screening of workers and limits on the number of people working at one time is strongly encouraged. So what is now open?
Personal services such as nail salons, massage therapists, tanning salons and tattoo parlors
Retail stores
Manufacturing
Wholesalers
Warehouses
Banks
Auto Showrooms
Travel Agencies
Office Buildings
The Motor Vehicle Administration and other customer Government Agencies by appointment-only.
Even with the reopening certain businesses remain closed such as eating indoors at restaurants, indoor gyms, indoor theaters, shopping malls and miniature golf. Houses of Worship must still limit gatherings to 50% capacity with face masks and social distancing requirements. For a copy of the Governor’s press release click here. To stay up to date with the administration's response to COVID-19, please click here.
Community Exchange via Zoom
If you missed our Community Exchange on Wednesday about our essential works and police accountability you can check it out on my Facebook page. I want to thank Senator Cory McCray, Senator Paul Pinsky, Delegate Gabriel Acevero, Delegate Anne Healey, Delegate Alonzo Washington, Dr. Rashawn Ray with the Brookings Institute and Ms. Dyanna Forester with UFCW Local 400 for their participation.
Grab and Go Meals for Students
PGCPS will continue to provide grab and go meals twice a week from 10 AM to 1 PM which now includes breakfast, lunch and supper. Click here for a list of all of the school locations in the County for grab and go meals.
Mental Health Forum
Unemployment Insurance
There is an article in the Baltimore Sun today about the problems that people are still facing in trying to obtain unemployment benefits. We have not received any new updates from the Department of Labor about the website. I know that people still have not received benefits and are still having problems. If you are continuing to have problems, please let my office know. Please use this Unemployment Insurance Tracker Form or contact my office directly for additional assistance. This not acceptable.
To directly access the new BEACON One-Stop site, visit https://beacon.labor.maryland.gov/claimant/ The website will be down between the hours of 1 AM – 3 AM to perform maintenance and resolve any ongoing technical issues.
Prince George's County to Start Modified Bulky Trash
The Department of the Environment will operate modified nine (9) bulky trash drop-off sites on a biweekly, rotating schedule beginning Thursday, June 11, from 11 AM – 7 PM.
Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling Acceptance Sites located within the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill (BSRSL) in Upper Marlboro will return to regular service on June 11, and will be open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8 AM – 3:30 PM Residents may bring up to eight (8) bulky trash items for disposal at all modified drop-off locations. For a list of accepted items, frequently asked questions and a complete schedule of drop-off locations, visit environment.mypgc.us.
Please note, due to COVID-19 restrictions, County employees are not allowed to assist, handle, or touch any bulky trash items brought to the sites. Therefore, residents must be able to independently lift and place their items in the back of the packer truck for disposal and are encouraged to bring an extra person should they require assistance. There will be no exceptions to this guideline. In addition, residents are encouraged to utilize the designated drop-off locations within their County Council District on June 6th.
Federal Stimulus Checks
People are accidentally throwing out their stimulus payments because they look like junk mail. The latest round of stimulus checks was issued in the form of prepaid debit cards in plain white envelopes that don't bear any federal markings. Some Americans may be unwittingly throwing their long-awaited stimulus payments in the trash. That's because, starting last week, the Treasury Department and the IRS started sending out economic impact payments in regular white envelopes that could be confused for junk mail. Read the Story Here.
Food Distribution Sites and Resources
For those who live in Councilwoman Dannielle Glaros’ District, on Wednesday, June 17th in partnership with the County Department of Family Service, her office will distribute 500 frozen, prepackaged meals prepared by Martin’s Catering to residents 60 and over. Each resident will receive a box with 1 breakfast and 3 lunches. You must reserve your meal by filling out this form. Meals must be picked up between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM at the New Carrollton Municipal Building located at 6016 Princess Garden Parkway, New Carrollton MD. You can also request home delivery but you must be home on June 17th between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM to accept delivery. Every Wednesday at 12:00 PM there is a Free Food Distribution at the East Pines Community Center located at 5819 East Pine Drive, Riverdale MD Food Pantry Locations In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several food pantries have been setup throughout the county and in neighboring jurisdictions. Enter your zip code or address to search for the food pantry nearest you. SNAP Assistance SNAP is now approved in Maryland for online grocery purchases for delivery or pickup. Walmart, Amazon and ShopRight are among the participating retailers. Call Maryland Hunger Solutions at 866-821-5552 for assistance and questions related to SNAP applications. They can assist with completing and submitting SNAP applications over the phone, submit any changes to your active SNAP case, answer questions about your benefits, and direct you to additional food resources
County COVID-19 Resources
The COVID-19 Hotline If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Prince George’s County Health Department Coronavirus hotline at (301) 883-6627 from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm to receive updated information about the coronavirus disease. *Please contact 911 for medical emergencies only. Nonprofit Resources Listing of resources and grants specifically for nonprofit organizations in the County. Hourly Employee Relief Fund The County is accepting applications for its Hourly Employee Relief Fund to assist residents who were laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing $200 cash cards for those in need. Childcare for Essential Employees All child care centers are closed in the State, except for those providing child care for essential workers such as doctors, nurses, police officers, and others. Click here if you are an essential worker that needs child care. To keep track of confirmed COVID-19 cases within the county please click here.
2020 Census
Complete the 2020 Census TODAY. Call 1-844-330-2020, no code needed to complete your form over the phone Go to www.2020census.gov to fill out the census online. Let your friends know you've been counted--share this status on your social media: I am #ProudtobeCounted in PGC #pgcensus We need you to complete the 2020 Census TODAY.