Originally Published: September 17, 2017
Florida State Senator Daphne Campbell tried to use her connection to a Florida Power & Light (FPL) lobbyist to turn on power for members of her family, one day after Hurricane Irma impacted South Florida.
Campbell made the claim herself, at an event in North Miami on Saturday night.
While most politicians usually downplay their relationships to lobbyists, Campbell is proud of her connection to FPL, especially at a time when millions of Floridians have had to rely on the utility to turn their power back on.
Campbell is so proud of this connection that she let RISE NEWS take pictures of text messages between herself and FPL lobbyist John Holley.
The text messages show Campbell trying to get power turned on for members of her family.
At 1:55 PM on Monday afternoon, Campbell texted Holley:
“John good afternoon. Can someone helps [sic] me with the power. I do have a sick person in my house and she’s using oxygen. The address is… [address redacted]. Same than my children’s house…[address redacted]. Thanks Senator Campbell.”
Two minutes later, Holley responded:
“Let me see what we can do. It’s ugly out there. How are you doing?”
Six minutes later, Campbell responded with a new request:
“[Address redacted]. This one is my sister.”
After a series of text exchanges about the conditions in her district and the lack of Creole language FPL outreach, Campbell double backed to her initial reason for contacting Holley:
“Thank you very much but my sister one [sic] still not on yet. Million thanks. My sick mom thanked you too.”
Holley responded nine minutes later:
“Working on it.”
A few hours later, Campbell sent:
“The power for my mom off again. Can you please ask someone to take care of that ASAP.”
Three minutes later, Holley responded:
“I will def [sic] let them know.”
RISE NEWS is not able to independently verify at which point the power came back on at the houses of Campbell’s family members.
FPL refused to supply that information, citing customer privacy.
But Campbell claims that the power came back on almost immediately after she sent her requests to Holley.
“As soon as I sent it, the guy got it done,” Campbell said. “This man is phenomenal. He is awesome. He’s great. As soon as I text him an address, you got the light.”
When reached via phone Saturday night, Holley refused to comment.
An FPL spokesperson admitted that the text message exchange did occur but that Holley did nothing improper.
“I am positive that she did not receive special treatment,” FPL spokesperson Mark Bubriski said via phone.
Campbell, a Democrat, is one of only 40 elected members of the Florida State Senate.
Her district comprises much of northeast Miami-Dade County including Miami Beach, Aventura, North Miami, Miami Shores, and large chunks of the city of Miami, including the Midtown and Wynwood neighborhoods.
Many of those areas were among the worst hit by Hurricane Irma in South Florida due to pockets of strong wind gusts that ravaged tree-lined streets, according to FPL.
Large parts of Campbell’s district, including the entire city of Miami Beach were under a mandatory evacuation order due to fears of devastating storm surge from Irma.
Residents weren’t allowed back to Miami Beach for days after the storm.
The text message record shows that Campbell also used her perceived direct line to FPL to forward power restoration requests from constituents who aren’t blood relatives.
Campbell showed RISE NEWS texts and Facebook messages from dozens of constituents and people from other districts desperate to get their power turned back on.
Campbell said that anytime someone reached out to her about a power outage, she forwarded it on to FPL lobbyist John Holley.
These included requests from a Miami Beach synagogue, primary care clinics in Miami and Lauderdale Lakes, an Aventura nursing home and scores of private residences that had been without power for days.
“Something Can Be Done About It”
Campbell gave RISE NEWS remarkable access to her communications with an FPL lobbyist at an event that she was obviously proud of.
The event- a joint effort between Campbell’s Senate District 38 Youth Taskforce and the Church of Scientology was touted as a way to relax from Irma related stress.
“Let’s have a massage and a pizza party post Irma”, the official event flyer said.
The event was held at Campbell’s company office, the Florida Nurses Home Health Agency located at 640 NE 149th St in North Miami.
Music blared as Campbell sat under a tent provided by the Church of Scientology that declared “Something Can Be Done About It”.
A young French national named Maelle Loeffler, a member of Scientology International, provided “massages”- at least what unsuspecting guests were told were massages.
In reality they were what Scientologists call an “assist“, a process developed by L. Ron Hubbard himself.
Campbell’s close relationship with the Church of Scientology began in 2010.
She said that after the earthquake devastated her home nation of Haiti, the church gave her nursing group a plane to fly down to the country.
The Miami chapter of the Church has been an integral part of Campbell’s response to Irma.
“Senator Campbell is one of the active participants in the community and we’ve found that she actually is involved in helping,” Katrina Furlin, the Director of Community Affairs for the Church of Scientology Miami told RISE NEWS. “For the past three days, we’ve been consecutively helping her do whatever she needs for the community.”
Campbell danced with constituents at the event and talked often about her achievements.
She claimed that she ordered 1,000 pizzas to feed the small crowd at the event.
She repeatedly bashed other Miami politicians for not doing enough to help people in the aftermath of Irma.
She attacked fellow Democrat and Haitian-American politician Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime for not showing up to help relief efforts at North Miami shelters.
“I didn’t see Jean Monestime at all,” Campbell said. “We all the same ability. But if the other people don’t do it, I’m not responsible. I took an oath to serve everyone in District 38. My district is a progressive district. It’s a diverse district so of course I have to help them. If other elected officials don’t do what they’re supposed to do, then I’m sorry to Floridians. We all took a oath to make sure we abide to the law to help people.”
Campbell summed up why she feels that people turned to her to get FPL to get their lights back on.
“Everybody’s only calling one person, Daphne Campbell,” she said. “They know I’m a people person. That’s why I’m unbeatable.”
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The View Of Trump’s Election From Alabama’s Black Belt
I have never been one to follow the crowd.
But as a writer, I feel I should discuss how I feel about this election for the sake of my personal journalistic ethics.
Politics have never been something I have cared for.
We rarely discussed them in my house, because we agreed on everything.
I was taught to never ask someone who they voted for, as it was none of my business. I still live by that rule.
Previously, I have voted in two local elections, but those did not compare to the tremendous amount of pride I felt when I walked into my polling place in rural Providence, Alabama.
The right to vote is something we are truly privileged to have as Americans.
As a woman walking into the polling place, I felt extremely privileged and humbled as my right to vote is something still relatively new in our country’s history.
At first, this election felt like one big joke, where we all waited for someone to jump out and yell “GOTCHA.” But as time went by, it became evident we were not being fooled.
The two major political parties nominated Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to compete for the highest job in the country – President.
My home state of Alabama has always been and will always be a red state. But my particular area, The Black Belt, has always been blue.
The term is said to have a double meaning; the most popular coming from the type of soil found in the area.
Additionally, the area was heavily populated with African-American slaves and sharecroppers.
Some of the most important moments from the Civil Rights Movement happened in the area such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Bloody Sunday, and The Voting Rights Act of 1965.
I do not conform to the idea of a two party system because there are elements of both that I can get on board with.
I am also extremely neutral in almost every opinion I form because I can always see both perspectives.
I do not like Donald Trump.
That being said, I do not like Donald Trump. Of all the qualified candidates the GOP could muster up, they chose him?
A reality TV star, an actor, and a sketchy businessman? Trump successfully mastered the art of a bad deal.
From unreleased tax returns to failed business ventures (i.e. Trump University, Trump Steaks, Trump Airlines etc.) he has proved he cannot be trusted with responsibility. How can a man who is offended by a Saturday Night Live skit, have the strength it takes to defeat one of the world’s biggest and dangerous terrorist organizations?
He also finds joy in making fun of those who are not affluent white men.
From disabled reporters, to immigrants, and women who do not conform to his standards, he is insensitive and just plain rude.
I also do not care much for Hillary Clinton.
While I adore the fact she is a woman who ran for office with all the odds against her, I am uncomfortable with her role in foreign affairs.
I do not doubt her knowledge (as she knows more than I), but it is what she does with that knowledge that scares me.
Foreign policy is not why the Black Belt is blue, though.
Simply put, the area depends on the democratic view of Clinton’s social policy, which helps the majority of the area’s population.
Democratic views on public housing, education, healthcare, and other social aspects are the main reason why Alabama’s poorest counties are blue.
The presidential election of 2016 will be something that we one day will look back on and laugh.
But for now, we need to keep a close eye on our country and our friends.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Kinsey Haynes
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Miami’s Shame: Little Farm Trailer Park Sinks Into Slum As Chinese Land Owners Ignore Resident’s Plight
The closest that most of the world has come to the Little Farm was during the pilot episode of HBO’s original series Ballers.
In the show, retired NFL player Charles Greane works as a salesman at the very real Tropical Chevrolet car dealership (8800 Biscayne Blvd) before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson swoops in to convince him to get back on the field.
But three blocks away at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal (8500 Biscayne Blvd), the HBO cameras wouldn’t dream of going. No luxury to be found there. Just unspeakable despair.
There, one of Miami’s former great working class neighborhoods has been turned into a slum by years of bad landlords and poor governmental oversight.
Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
The Little Farm is not talked about much- mostly because few people seem to know about it and even fewer care.
There’s lots of poor people in Miami and the area’s middle class is somewhat used to the idea that poverty is close to home.
Homeless men and women are a ubiquitous site at most I-95 off ramps in the area, meaning that it is near impossible to avoid the thought of abject poverty on your daily commute.
And yet, we ignore it and go home to our comfortable lives filled with Netflix and minor inconveniences.
But the Little Farm is different.
Empty trailer at the Little Farm in El Portal. Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
I’ve lived six minutes away my entire life and didn’t know about it until a few months ago when one of our reporters wrote about it.
And even then, I didn’t fully comprehend what was happening there until I got off my ass and drove into the development last week.
“They Didn’t Tell Us Nothing”
Clairmise Blanc is fed up.
A youthful looking Haitian woman in her early 70’s, Blanc is the defacto point person for outsiders to the Little Farm. She also lives right next to a burnt out trailer that stinks to high heavens.
“My husband died on April 22, 2011 and left me here alone,” Blanc said to me, causing me to pause and offer my condolences. “I’d like to live here. But there’s no future in this. Everything is down, especially at the nighttime. Too many people are drug addicts here. I don’t like it no more. I’ve tried to find other places to go.”
Clairmise Blanc. Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
Born in Haiti, she moved to the United States in 1981 and has lived at the Little Farm for eight years. She owns her own trailer, but it is poor shape, with holes in the windows and a sagging look to it. She also pays $450 a month for the trailer to sit on her small plot.
At one time, hundreds of trailers dotted the 17 acre property, but after a Chinese company bought the property last year, people started getting evicted. Then came the buy out offers– $2,000 to up and leave.
If you didn’t take the deal, it wouldn’t matter much because you had to leave under the terms of a deal the Village of El Portal signed with the Chinese company- Wealthy Delight.
From a Miami New Times report on Little Farm a few months ago:
“One day last February, everything changed. Little Farm was sold for $14.25 million, and Wealthy Delight, a company based in Coral Gables but whose owners are difficult to trace, took over. Soon it became clear the Village of El Portal had agreed to forgive more than $8 million in liens on the site if the new owners paid $575,000 and razed the mobile home park.”
Many people took the buy outs and soon their trailers were razed.
A lot where a trailer once stood. Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
Legal action has delayed the complete eviction of the remaining residents at Little Farm, but only around 40 people remain according to Blanc. And they will all certainty will be pushed out in the coming months.
“They didn’t tell us nothing,” Blanc said. “They’ve tried to push us away. It’s not fair.”
The Fire
According to multiple witnesses, a fire broke out in a Little Farm trailer on the evening of February 19th.
“It was a mother, son and a daughter was living in there,” Blanc said.
While no one was hurt, the fire was intense and devastating.
The family living there had to move- one less eviction for Wealthy Delight to conduct.
Blanc’s trailer sits less than 15 feet away from the burnt out trailer. Nearly two months after the blaze, little has been cleaned up and the smell is starting to become unbearable for the remaining residents in the area.
Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
“I’m tired of that smell, it just stinks,” Blanc said. “I want them to clean this thing. It is a mess. People can’t live like this.”
I start to cough after the breeze picks up and I notice how disgusting the burnt out remnants really are.
“That’s the office right there,” Blanc said while pointing towards the land lord management building across the road.
The view of the burnt out trailer from Blanc’s trailer. Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
The view of the burnt out trailer (behind the trees) from the porch of the land lord management building. Photo Credit: Rich Robinson/ RISE NEWS.
The burnt out unit is directly in front of the office, which means that the land lord would have to see it everyday as they arrive for work.
“They don’t care,” Blanc said of Wealthy Delight. “You think if they cared, they would have cleaned it a long time ago. But it’s been two months now. If they cared, they would have cleaned it because people are living here.
I ask her if she thinks the trailer hasn’t been cleaned up as a way to get her to move.
She demurs and says that in order for her to leave they are going to have to fork out more money.
El Portal Village Manager Jason Walker told RISE NEWS that he had not been aware of the fire but that it was the landlord’s responsibility to clean it up.
A representative for Wealthy Delight refused to answer questions on the phone and asked for questions via email, which they have also not answered.
Have a tip? Email us at [email protected]
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us
All Photo Credits: Rich Robinson/RISE NEWS.
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Big Brother Time: China in Process of Creating “Social Credit” Scores
China is in the process of creating a nationwide database of “social credit” in order to not only rate the financial strength of their citizens, but also their trustworthiness.
Unlike the US or UK, China does not have a nationally recognized credit score system. However, also unlike the aforementioned countries, China’s new initiative will not only determine how good people are at paying bills. It will also be used to rate how obedient they are to the state.
Currently, this plan is in somewhat of a beta stage, as eight Chinese companies have set up sites to issue these credit scores.
Possibly the most high-profile of these is called Sesame Credit, a joint venture between Alibaba, Asia’s largest online retailer, and Baihe, China’s largest matchmaking service.
However, neither company will reveal how they determine or calculate the scores, nor will they directly speak to Western media out of fear of losing the lucrative government contract.
Conversely, they will admit that shopper’s purchases will be taken into account. As Li Yingyun, Sesame’s technology director, told the Chinese magazine Caixin:
“Someone who plays video games for 10 hours a day, for example, would be considered an idle person, and someone who frequently buys diapers would be considered as probably a parent, who on balance is more likely to have a sense of responsibility.”
This is a very controversial point, as it leaves the door open to the government deciding who can do and buy certain things based on subjective, and possibly stereotyped, life decisions.
From a different angle, this type of credit system is being valued as little more than another authoritarian propaganda tool.
In the extensive government planning outline, the Chinese government states in Article 5, Section 1 that it will actively encourage competition between citizens to work for high scores by incentivizing trust-keeping and punishing trust-breaking.
Many Westerners are beginning to see this as China hiding an Orwellian “big brother” behind the façade of a game. For more on that angle, there is the relatively short, but oft-linked video from Extra Credits on the matter.
Watch:
As of now, the system is opt-in. However, as part of China’s most recent Five-Year Plan, the “social credit” system, in one form or another, will be mandatory in 2020.
Cover Photo Credit: Danny Mekic’/Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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