Thread by @PeteFacts2020

THREAD: Today, @PeteButtigieg unveiled details of the #DouglassPlan which is a “comprehensive investment in the empowerment of Black America.” For anyone wondering why he didn’t do any of this in SB, I have some news… peteforamerica.com/Douglass-Plan

2/ Note: this plan is *comprehensive* and thus, there are a number of things he proposes to do with the power of the presidency that are not powers he enjoys as a mayor. Some of these things include his proposals to…

3/
-Revitalize the Office of Civil Rights at HHS
-Free tuition for low-income students
-Preservation of cultural & historical sites
-Eliminate private federal prisons & mandatory minimums
-DC Statehood
-End racial gerrymandering

4/ You'll notice that some specifics in Mayor Pete’s Douglass Plan may differ from what he has enacted in South Bend. It’s important to learn from the cities and states around us - find what worked and what didn’t and what we can build upon to make better & that’s what he did.

5/ Now for the fun part...let’s put Mayor Pete’s money where his mouth is and see if he has implemented any of the Douglass Plan policies (or similar policies) in South Bend. (Mine is not a comprehensive list, and I probably missed stuff - I’ll add as I find.)

6/ Buttigieg rightly notes that the educational opportunity gap far too often leaves students of color behind. This gap creates a huge economic disparity. Our schools need to be given the tools and resources to make sure EVERY child can thrive…

7/ South Bend has a specific position (since ‘13) - the Director of African American Student and Parent Services - with the goal of embracing “every child’s uniqueness” while “honoring diverse backgrounds, values and various points of view.”
sb.school/district_infor…

8/ Buttigieg also wants to increase readiness and competitiveness for Black men & women in STEM and fields with growing employment opportunities. Sort of like South Bend’s Center for Learning, Innovation, Connectivity & Knowledge (CLICK)...

9/ …which is a partnership btwn Metronet Zing, St. Joseph County Public Library & City of SB with a focus on helping community members gain technology & digital literacy skills necessary to thrive in 2018 & beyond. medium.com/metronet-zing/…

10/ Pete wants to provide funding to empower states to provide better opportunities for individuals to prepare for life after incarceration, which could include expanding programs like SC’s Second Chance program… dew.sc.gov/tools-resource…

11/ There is a similar, albeit state-run, program in South Bend. This program could be built upon, expanded, and made to look like the most successful programs in our country - but they’re not currently without services…

12/ Most prisoners leave IN DOC w/ $50 & a set of clothes. Those who enter South Bend’s Community Re-entry Center before their release will leave with a job & money they’ve earned. “SB’s center...boasts some impressive results…” southbendtribune.com/news/local/sou…

13/ The Douglass Plan also seeks to #BanTheBox to ensure people with criminal records have equal access to employment. In 2015, he removed the criminal history question from city employment applications...2 years before the state did. wsbt.com/news/local/ban…

14/ Buttigieg wants incentives to encourage states to make use of force, line-of-duty deaths, policing activities, arrests and charging, and crime data public & as precondition of federal grants, publish documents like protocols & manuals available…

15/ ...which is something he has already instituted in South Bend. You can find transparency information, including protocols and manuals on the South Bend Police Department Transparency Hub. police-southbend.opendata.arcgis.com

16/ The Douglass Plan would create a federal Walker-Lewis Entrepreneurship Fund to invest in entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly based in low-income & minority communities. Sounds similar to South Bend’s Plan an Inclusive Economy. southbendtribune.com/news/business/…

17/ In conjunction with non-profits, the city also opened the West Side Small Business Resource Center to stimulate minority entrepreneurship and economic growth. projectimpactsouthbend.org/business-devel…

18/ The Douglass Plan will set the aim to award 25% of federal contracts to small business owners from underserved communities. Last year, South Bend commissioned a study on diversity in city contracting. southbendtribune.com/news/local/sou…

19/ And South Bend’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has comprehensive resources available for Inclusive Procurement and Contracting to help facilitate more minority contracts with the city. southbendin.gov/wp-content/upl…

20/ SB also recently received an Inclusive Procurement grant to “pursue a range of projects to find innovative, effective, locally-tailored strategies to leverage publish purchasing power to develop firms owned by people of color.” sbrchamber.com/news/2019/06/2…

21/Buttigieg seeks to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour. In '13, Mayor Pete proposed to raise SB’s minimum wage (although not to $15) for city employees - something the state of Indiana has not done, and something he accomplished a year ahead of schedule. wndu.com/content/news/B…

22/ I’m going to take a quick aside to also point out that the CBO recently released a report on raising the minimum wage to $15: the CBO paints a pretty solid picture of increased wages for 27M low-wage Americans. These broad benefits outweigh the costs. cbo.gov/publication/55…

23/ The Plan would also create a coordinated effort between EPA, HUD & CDC to address lead-based paint in aging houses. In 2018, after it was denied the year before, SB received a $2.3M federal grant to address lead in local homes. southbendtribune.com/news/local/sou…

24/ Buttigieg also established Lead Safe South Bend with more information and resources about lead paint, including how to remedy and where to get kids tested. southbendin.gov/leadsafesouthb…

25/ While Mayor Pete certainly has not single-handedly solved centuries of systematic racism with the tools available to a mayor in Indiana, he has certainly taken many steps to try to alleviate racial gaps in various areas of life.

26/I’m also not saying his programs were perfect, they likely weren’t. Also not saying that the Douglass Plan proposals will be identical to SB’s programs - they likely won’t. But what I’m saying is the Douglass Plan is totally in line with his values - which are in action now