Weekly Recap: What You Might Have Missed
I was back in the district this past week and was excited for the many opportunities to connect with people in the community. I was proud to see so many people practicing social distancing, wearing masks and doing their part to help the community. I want to thank all of you for everything you’ve been doing to keep each other safe and healthy.
Although the region has moved to the green phase of reopening, this pandemic is not over and we must re-open with caution. Keep wearing your mask. Keep social distancing. Keep washing your hands.
You haven’t given up the fight and I’m not done fighting for you. Here’s what you might have missed this week:
Hosted a panel to discuss the importance of protecting press freedom
Assaults on members of the press or attempts to limit their ability to report on government actions are unacceptable in a free society. In the course of covering demonstrations, many journalists have been harassed, injured, detained, or arrested. As of June 4, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has received more than 300 reports of press freedom violations.
I was proud to introduce a resolution last month with Rep. Adam Schiff to protect journalists and reaffirm the importance of press freedoms to our democracy in light of violations committed during recent protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
I’m grateful to PEN America, News Media Alliance, Committee to Protect Journalists, and local Philly Inquirer reporter Sam Melamed for taking the time to join me for this important conversation.
Listen to our conversation here: https://www.facebook.com/RepMGS/videos/602785690372093/
Joined House Judiciary Committee to formally interview Geoffrey Berman, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY
We interviewed the recently deposed US Attorney as part of Judiciary’s ongoing investigation of The politicization of the US department of justice under Attorney General Barr.
In June, Attorney General William Barr attempted to push Berman out of office and bring in Barr’s handpicked replacement to run SDNY. Berman ultimately stepped down after ensuring that his deputy would act as interim U.S. Attorney.
In his effort to push out Berman, Attorney General Barr first attempted to entice Berman to resign by offering other positions and future profitable employment, but then lied to the public when Berman refused. The AG knew that Berman had not resigned from his post when he issued his June 19th press release announcing Berman’s resignation.
Attorney General Barr’s attempt to bring in an unqualified outsider to run the Southern District of New York when it was actively pursuing high profile investigations of President Trump’s inner circle, and other politically sensitive matters. Barr’s move lacked any policy based motive and was likely to disrupt or delay ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Listen to my takeaways here: https://twitter.com/repmgs/status/1281317820438102018?s=21
Read more about the interview here: https://judiciary.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3119
Toured Novick Urban Farm and the Mifflin Square farmers market it operates
Over the past few weeks, I have toured many of our local farmers’ markets, which provide an outdoors, socially-distanced shopping alternative, including access to fresh, nutritious food and the opportunity to use WIC, SNAP, and other food supplement programs. It’s a great way to support local farmers and business districts and get some fresh air! Farmers’ markets must be part of the solution as we work to address food insecurity and economic disruption in our region.
This week, I visited Novick Urban Farm and its weekly farmers market at Mifflin Square. The urban farm is a nonprofit tucked into a plot between I-95 and Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia. In addition to hosting Headstart field trips and community gardens, the Farm supplies reduced price produce to the weekly farmers market in the multicultural community surrounding Mifflin Square. It also is a key partner with Philabundance to provide boxed nutritional goods for distribution throughout the region during COVID19.
Learn more about the Novick Urban Farm story here: https://novickbrothers.com/urban-farm.html
Hosted a roundtable with the mayors of our district
We convened a discussion with mayors across PA05 to discuss the challenges they are facing and the support they need from the federal government as we fight COVID-19. Top of mind was the need for resources beyond those already enacted by Congress in order to cover additional costs and recoup lost revenues in order to stay solvent and provide necessary services.
Met with the winner of our 2020 Congressional Art Competition, Madelyn Kieh
In June, Madelyn Kieh, a rising senior at Penn Wood High School, was selected as the winner of our 2020 Virtual Congressional Art Competition with her piece “This is Me.”
It was exciting to finally meet the talented artist who created this beautiful piece and see firsthand that it is a faithful self portrait of a beautiful and talented young woman. I’m so proud that Madelyn’s work will represent our district in the U.S. Capitol.
We should never underestimate the power of art as a platform for free expression, a source of joy, a catalyst for change, or an inspiration of hope.
Read more about this year’s competition here: https://link.medium.com/asEyrNqV57
Joined city-wide clean up project “Chester Sweeps”
The summer season has provided fresh opportunities to spend time volunteering while socially-distanced outdoors with community members passionate about taking care of our community. My husband and I spent a couple hours on Saturday with Chester Sweeps volunteers cleaning litter from neighborhoods near the interstate in Chester. A sudden downpour drenched us, but nothing dampened the spirits of the energetic crew organized by Chester Uplifting Program in partnership with ACEO Inc and Unapologetically Speaking.
Find more information about Chester Sweeps and Chester Uplifting Program on their Facebook page here: https://m.facebook.com/Chesterup610/
Next steps in challenging systemic racism — BLM festival in Media
On Saturday afternoon, community members gathered at the Media courthouse for a festival to celebrate local black owned businesses and performers in a festival of black arts and culture. Like many of the recent public discussions and protests of racial justice in our community, this event was organized by students in our community who have taken the lead in challenging and educating all of us. I was honored to speak with and learn from fearless and talented leaders in our next generation.
As always our office is here to help and answer any questions you might have. Give us a call at 610 — 626 — 2020 or visit us online at scanlon.house.gov to connect with a constituent service provider.
Every day, our constituent service providers help people in PA05 deal with federal agencies. Just one day this week, our constituent service providers reported helping constituents recover
- $1470 in wages erroneously garnished for a student loan,
- $250 in funeral benefits for a veteran’s widow,
- $2884 from the IRS for identity fraud, and
- $120,000 in back benefits plus monthly benefits of $3000 for life for a disabled veteran.
Hearing your stories helps me advocate for federal legislation and resources, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’re having trouble.
