Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental, and social justice. If you enjoy this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them to subscribe.
25 Years Since 9/11 Attacks Shook America
Today marks twenty-five years since the 9/11 attacks in New York City and Pennsylvania, which killed 2,977 people. The attacks spurred the U.S.-led “war on terror,” which has killed more than 900,000 people through direct violence and more than 3.6 million people indirectly, and birthed a sprawling private-public surveillance infrastructure — including a multibillion dollar industry – that is still rapidly expanding.
Cancers and illnesses related to dust and smoke from the towers’ collapse have since killed more than three times as many people as the 9/11 attacks themselves, according to U.S. health officials. On Sept. 8, the Mamdani administration released 170,000 pages of city records showing air quality in lower Manhattan following the attacks was worse than previously known — and that city officials repeatedly misled residents about the toxic air quality. “People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
Texas Cities Fend Off Proposal To Disband Their Utility Companies
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing to dismantle the state’s municipally-owned electric utilities, arguing that introducing private competition will lower electricity bills for residents.
But city officials, utility operators, and independent experts say the proposal would likely do the opposite, The Texas Tribune reports. Austin and San Antonio’s city-owned utilities operate as nonprofits, returning hundreds of millions in excess revenue to fund city services like libraries, parks, and first responders. Without that revenue, city budget deficits would deepen. Plus, the process of deregulation would cost “over a billion dollars that would be paid by customers,” Austin’s mayor says.
Meanwhile, a study of federal data found that public utility customers pay 14% less on average than customers of other utility types. Houston, the state’s largest city without a municipally-owned utility, operates in a fully deregulated market and still experiences some of the highest electricity rates on the Texas grid.
Cities Are Swapping Flock Cameras for Axon Cameras
As backlash grows to Flock Safety’s now-ubiquitous automated license plate readers and its searchable national database, cities are increasingly deploying automated license plate readers from other brands, including Axon, as 404 Media first reported in August.
Newsweek mapped out where cities are deploying Axon’s readers, including Knoxville, Syracuse, Denver, Durango, and Antioch. Axon already develops body cameras and tasers and has existing relationships with law enforcement agencies around the country; on its website, Axon advertises license plate readers that can be placed on street lights as well as “vehicles, trailers or trees.”
The ACLU has warned against cities swapping one license plate reader with another brand, saying that the privacy concerns remain the same.
Judge Rules Americans Don’t Have Constitutional Right to Clean Water
A Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge ruled that Americans don’t have a constitutional right to clean drinking water, Mother Jones reports.
A 2022 lawsuit alleged that the city of Jackson, Mississippi violated the constitution’s due process clause by failing to provide accurate information about contamination and failing to provide clean water.
A Trump-appointed judge claimed there would be no historical basis for those rights. Clean drinking water is a protected right in at least nine other states, in some cases protected by state constitutions, as in New York.
New Solar Is Mostly In Trump Country
Grist reports that the nation’s solar buildout is mostly taking place in states that voted for Trump in the last election. This is happening as Republican policies are making it more challenging to build solar — including the phase-out of Biden-era tax credits and the introduction of layers of review to wind and solar projects on federal land.
According to a report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association, solar has made up 70% of new electric generating capacity this year, whereas gas made up only 8% of new capacity. But gas is phasing out more slowly than anticipated thanks to a nationwide buildout of data centers, many of which rely on new gas because it’s faster to build out.
MORE NEWS
-
U.S. bond yields spike after Bessent increases buybacks. Semafor
-
Smithsonian’s secretary to resign as Trump tries to rule the institution. The New York Times
-
Japan halves speed limits on all narrow city streets. The Guardian
-
Austin edits development rules to encourage affordable housing near transit. Austin Current
-
Sand Branch, Texas, has no clean drinking water. She’s trying to fill the gap. The 19th
-
Cops won’t fight federal election interference, so citizens will have to. Mother Jones
-
London mayor to have his texts and emails searched following Palantir lawsuit. The Guardian
-
Homeless services contracts to get a ‘reset’ in San Francisco. Smart Cities Dive
-
Developers eye Native nations, tribal communities for new data center projects. Nebraska Examiner
-
Train crashes destroyed their towns. Will yours be next? In These Times
OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
-
Stanley 1913 is accepting applications for its Creators Fund, which supports bold and innovative leaders of nonprofits anywhere in the world (with budgets between $200K and $2M to be eligible) working to strengthen their communities. Apply by Sept. 13.
-
The Park Foundation is accepting funding proposals for work related to democracy, civic participation, and media. Apply by Sept. 22.
-
Impact Fund is accepting grant applications for impact litigation advancing economic, environmental, and social justice. Submit a letter of interest by Sept. 29.
Roshan Abraham is a contributing editor for housing and homelessness at Next City. Based in Queens, New York, he has written extensively about city policy, including prisons and policing, housing and homelessness for The Guardian, The New York Times, Slate, The Baffler, Village Voice, The Verge, Pacific Standard, The Appeal, Vice and other outlets. At Vice, he was formerly a staff writer covering the housing beat. He is a former Open City Fellow and Witness Fellow at the Asian American Writers Workshop and a former Equitable Cities Fellow at Next City.
Add to the Discussion
Next City sustaining members can comment on our stories. Keep the discussion going! Join our community of engaged members by donating today.
Already a sustaining member? Login here.