Seattle becomes the first city in the US to ban caste discrimination

[JEDI]

Seattle becomes the first city in the US to ban caste discrimination | CNN

lite.cnn.com

Seattle is explicitly banning discrimination on the basis of caste, making it the first city in the US to take such a step.

The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that amends the city’s municipal code to include caste as a protected class, alongside categories such as race, religion and gender identity. The law prohibits caste discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and other arenas, and allows caste-oppressed people in the city to lodge complaints of discrimination.


Didnt think this was even a thing in the US?

 

[blackangst1]

I read this a couple days ago....I didnt think caste system was a thing here. I guess it must be in certain sub cultures? Similar to pockets of Sharia law in the US

A Closer Look at Sharia in the United States - Islamic Networks Group (ING)

 

[sdifox]

Waste of time. Caste discrimination is also outlawed in India, yet it is still there.

 

[hal2kilo]

Seattle becomes the first city in the US to ban caste discrimination | CNN

lite.cnn.com

Seattle is explicitly banning discrimination on the basis of caste, making it the first city in the US to take such a step.

The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that amends the city’s municipal code to include caste as a protected class, alongside categories such as race, religion and gender identity. The law prohibits caste discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and other arenas, and allows caste-oppressed people in the city to lodge complaints of discrimination.


Didnt think this was even a thing in the US?

Someone who is no longer on the city council, because she would have lost if she had run anyway, still needs attention.

 

[Sunburn74]

They should spend more time trying to fix their actual problems, like rampant homelessness as opposed to tackling imaginary ones.

 

[Jaskalas]

They should spend more time trying to fix their actual problems, like rampant homelessness as opposed to tackling imaginary ones.

That would require the backing of the US dollar, via the federal government.

To fund some programs that rewrite the answers to questions of mental health, well being, and social welfare. We are not talking billions of dollars here. It would require trillions annually. A complete paradigm shift. To get people off the street, they need a place to go. If they are unable or unwilling, they need a place to be taken and evaluated.

Most importantly, we need more politicians in Washington who give a shit about anyone. Americans continuously fail to vote that way, too fixated on blaming and hating others for their own misery, they cannot be bothered to work towards a common solution that would keep our humanity.

 

[Sunburn74]

That would require the backing of the US dollar, via the federal government.

To fund some programs that rewrite the answers to questions of mental health, well being, and social welfare. We are not talking billions of dollars here. It would require trillions annually. A complete paradigm shift. To get people off the street, they need a place to go. If they are unable or unwilling, they need a place to be taken and evaluated.

Most importantly, we need more politicians in Washington who give a shit about anyone. Americans continuously fail to vote that way, too fixated on blaming and hating others for their own misery, they cannot be bothered to work towards a common solution that would keep our humanity.

I don't think it would take trillions for seattle (or portland) to solve its homeless issues. Its mostly a matter of political will and deciding that if someone is choosing to break the law and be homeless they are giving up autonomy. The problem is there is no political will to both definitively get homeless people off the streets whilst pandering to the extreme left. You can't be both extremely liberal but be aggressive with trying to get these guys off the streets because in order to do you will have to violate autonomy. What do you do if someone doesn't want to go to a shelter or a clean sober living environment because they want to keep doing drugs?

You basically need to separate the homeless into three camps.
1) The ones who want to work, can work and aim to get off the streets
2) the physically disabled who wish to get off the streets
3) the mentally unstable and drug addicted ones who don't want to work or want to get off the streets.

You can't assume a strategy that works for one group will work for the other group but cities are assuming these groups are all the same when their not. Its way easier to resolve the issues with group 1, and maybe group 2 than it is with group 3.

 

[Indus]

I read this a couple days ago....I didnt think caste system was a thing here. I guess it must be in certain sub cultures? Similar to pockets of Sharia law in the US

A Closer Look at Sharia in the United States - Islamic Networks Group (ING)

I know of a former neighbor who threatened to kill his daughter because of going out with the wrong kid due to his family's caste. This happened in 1995 or so.

And just last week a woman was distraught, and asked me to help her call 911. First time I've ever been in that spot. I don't go looking for damsels in distress but I did call 911. Apparently she lied about her caste which was grounds for violence!

So maybe rare, but it is a thing with some prejudiced folks!

 

[Fenixgoon]

Waste of time. Caste discrimination is also outlawed in India, yet it is still there.

I disagree. It offers people legal recourse. Otherwise, "caste" is not a protected class and you could be discriminated against and wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

 

[BoomerD]

Someone who is no longer on the city council, because she would have lost if she had run anyway, still needs attention.

I think she's still on the council...but not running for re-election. I'm not so sure she would have lost had she run. She's run pretty successful campaigns.
Personally, (I'm not a Seattleite, but am aware of some of what goes on there) I'd like to see her get run over by a bus...then backed over and run over again...

 

[Meghan54]

that if someone is choosing to break the law and be homeless

Not having a fixed “home” is now illegal? Guess that negates the plan we have of cruising the country in an RV.

No, really…we’ve settled on a size and brand. Plan selling house in a few years and then cruise. Won’t have an”fixed” home at all. Guess we’ll have to rent an address from a UPS Store. Lol.

 

[skyking]

Not having a fixed “home” is now illegal? Guess that negates the plan we have of cruising the country in an RV.

No, really…we’ve settled on a size and brand. Plan selling house in a few years and then cruise. Won’t have an”fixed” home at all. Guess we’ll have to rent an address from a UPS Store. Lol.

We were launch partners with Boondocker's Welcome when they started in 2011, and have hosted folks from all over the world.
They were bought up by Harvest Hosts and we have lifetime free membership due to our relationship with boondockers. It is a good way to see the country and park in some really nice spots.
Drop me a PM when you get to Washington.

 

[hal2kilo]

That would require the backing of the US dollar, via the federal government.

To fund some programs that rewrite the answers to questions of mental health, well being, and social welfare. We are not talking billions of dollars here. It would require trillions annually. A complete paradigm shift. To get people off the street, they need a place to go. If they are unable or unwilling, they need a place to be taken and evaluated.

Most importantly, we need more politicians in Washington who give a shit about anyone. Americans continuously fail to vote that way, too fixated on blaming and hating others for their own misery, they cannot be bothered to work towards a common solution that would keep our humanity.

Wat?

 

[hal2kilo]

I think she's still on the council...but not running for re-election. I'm not so sure she would have lost had she run. She's run pretty successful campaigns.
Personally, (I'm not a Seattleite, but am aware of some of what goes on there) I'd like to see her get run over by a bus...then backed over and run over again...

Trying to use senior Bush voice "extremists on both ends of the spectrum bad"!

 

[Sunburn74]

Not having a fixed “home” is now illegal? Guess that negates the plan we have of cruising the country in an RV.

No, really…we’ve settled on a size and brand. Plan selling house in a few years and then cruise. Won’t have an”fixed” home at all. Guess we’ll have to rent an address from a UPS Store. Lol.

In Portland people are parking completely busted up undrivable RVs in neighborhoods or off the side of a road and just living in it in complete squalor. Like come on... its ridiculous.

If you want to buy an RV and park it in a certified RV lot/camp thats fine, go do that. But simply pitching a tent in front of someone's home or business or parking your RV in front of someones home or business isn't fine and doing so to me means the loss of autonomy. You're basically telling the world your life has been so mismanaged to the point where they basically need to take the reigns away from you and reset your path.

 

[Gardener]

During the past 20 years Seattle tore down its stock of public housing when it gifted it to developers who promised to build mixed income projects. The net result was a diminished number of low-income units, and a permanent loss of publicly owned land.

The next "master" plan was to give builders variances on height restrictions in exchange for agreeing to build a percentage (10%) of the units for low income tenants. Additionally, participating developers would be reimbursed for the rent differences, so no rent cost to them. Those subsidized rates would sunset after 10 years...the affordable units would then revert to full market rate, putting us back to square one.

But that wasn't enough for the corporate democrats on the city council...Sally Clark, Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell (now mayor) and our former mayor Ed Murray gave developers another option; simply pay a nominal fee, get the variance, and then there will be no-low income people in your buildings. A study released about a month ago revealed that developers always chose to pay the fee, and that no-low income units were created. That's what corporate democrats do, a 5 year program like MHA (Master Housing Agreement) following on the heels of another gigantic program HALA (Housing Affordability and Liveability Agreement) was nothing more than political posturing.

Sawant is a self-aggrandizing loudmouth and a distraction, but she is not the problem.

As for the caste discrimination ban, the groups who showed up at the Council hearing to protest against it were a group of conservative Hindus and a group of conservative Muslims.

 

[JEDI]

Personally, (I'm not a Seattleite, but am aware of some of what goes on there) I'd like to see her get run over by a bus...then backed over and run over again...

angry old person is old

i have no idea who she is.
just wanted to make fun of a Boomer this morning

 

[Gardener]

She's a socialist who pushed for $15/hr minimum wage and a tax on Amazon. For many years she staked out positions that provided a foil for the progressives on the city council...Nick Licata, Lorena Gonzales, Lisa Herbold, Teresa Mosquada...who were then able to get stuff done.

She doesn't play well with others. But there is no doubt that she served a valuable function on the council. The chamber of commerce (and Amazon) directly funded gay and black candidates to run against her, an effective tactic in a city where checking the right box gives you a free pass.

 

[Braznor]

It's a common misconception that caste applies only for Hindus in India. Even Muslims and Christians in India can have caste identification in India. That doesn't mean its okay to discriminate based on caste in anyway whatsoever. The sooner caste based discrimination goes away in India, the greater my happiness.

As for Seattle's decision to outlaw caste based discrimination, it is a right decision, but as I suspect it was taken for all the wrong reasons especially on the grounds of diverting attention away from the more immediate issues faced by the people of the city.