Posts tagged justice
Facebook good neighbor by funding financially strapped police annex.
Jul 15th
Meet Mary Ferguson, AKA the Facebook Cop, whose position was created through public-private partnership between tony Menlo Park and the social media giant.
Over the next three years, Facebook agreed to pay $600,000 to the town, where the company also happens to be headquartered.
Ferguson, 34, who’s paid $194,000 in salary and benefits per year for her services, keeps an eye on the internet behavior of potentially unruly kids by using an online persona that hides her true identity.
Ferguson’s primary duties apart from patrolling Facebook include keeping children in school, working with juvenile offenders, and helping large area businesses equip themselves for natural disasters, campus shootings or other violent crimes, reports the Wall Street Journal.
‘Mary is a pro-active police officer who enjoys working with kids,’ Commander Dave Bertini told NBC Bay Area in March, when the force first accepted the funds. ‘Her passion and enthusiasm for truancy abatement will drive the department’s program in a successful direction for the youth of Menlo Park.’
While many residents of the well-off tech town appear happy with the unusual corporate partnerships, some people see a conflict of interest.
Menlo Park Mayor Ray Mueller supports the partnership.
‘Facebook moved into a part of town that was blighted, that was hurting,’ Mueller told the WSJ. ‘One of the first things we’re seeing is this public safety net coming down to protect everyone.’
Mueller brushed off suggestions that the tech giant is acting solely out of self interest.
‘Anyone who has the perception that Facebook is trying to protect themselves really doesn’t understand the situation,’ he told the WSJ. ‘That place is a fortress—they don’t need the Menlo Park Police to protect them.’
Some experts have their doubts.
‘That raises some potential conflicts that, if I was the chief, I am not sure I’d want to wrestle with,’ University of South Carolina criminal justice professor Geoffrey Alpert told the WSJ.
Alpert said he worries about skewed loyalties. ‘What do you tell your officers about how to treat people who work at Facebook?’ he wondered.
For it’s part, Facebook has called the $600,000 donation a no-strings-attached gift.
‘We just identified a need in the community,’ Facebook spokesperson Genevieve Grdina told the WSJ. ‘It’s not the “Facebook officer”; it’s the officer for the whole community.’
by Menlo Park C1N staff
the Wall Street Journal and Guardian contributed to this story.
The future of funding for Native American programs
Nov 13th
What’s the outlook for federal funding for Native American programs in 2013, in the aftermath of November’s elections? How will Washington respond to the needs of Native Americans, Hawaiians, and Alaskans — and what will tribal organizations need to know now to compete successfully for future funding?
Get the answers to these critical questions and more by joining CD Publications and Native American Report on Thursday, November 15 for an authoritative, interactive discussion about The Future of Funding for Native American Programs.
During this 75-minute information-packed event, senior editor of Native American Report and Community Health Funding Report Dave Kittross will guide you through the maze of funding-related issues critically important to Native Americans, including:
Will federal grants be available — again — to promote economic development, tribal justice, healthcare, Native languages and culture?
Will Bureau of Indian Affairs’ direct grant programs for health, safety, and community development survive?
What about Native funding from the Education Department, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation and other agencies?
Will funding for Indian housing at least remain level, in light of budget pressures?
Will set-aside funds under the Community Development Block Grant for Native community revitalization activities again be offered?
With energy a priority for Democrats and Republicans, will the Energy Department increase grants for alternative energy on Indian lands, or will emphasis shift to traditional sources like coal and oil?
Plus, you’ll get invaluable insights on private funding for native programs
We’ll point you toward some of the most generous sources of private funding for Native American programs, from larger funders with generally broader eligibility requirements, so your programs are more likely to be eligible. And, we’ll tell you how to get your proposal in front of decision-makers at private and corporate foundations, and what you need to know to make your application stand out so your chances of funding are greatly improved.
Ample time to answer all your questions
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Source: Native American Report