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Election roundup: Janey compares vax proof to slavery, Trumpian birtherism; Campbell denounces that as 'dangerous rhetoric'
By adamg on Tue, 08/03/2021 - 9:10pm
New York City is going to require proof of vaccination to get into a restaurant and other cool places and some enterprising reporter asked our acting mayor about that and, well, she's not a fan, WCVB reports:
There's a long history in this country of people needing to show their papers. During slavery, post-slavery, as recent as you know what immigrant population has to go through here. We heard Trump with the birth certificate nonsense.
Janey later issued a series of tweets to try to clarify that her administration is working with restaurants and other public-facing concerns on things such as "signage, social media graphics and on-site vaccination clinics."
One-time council colleague and now competitor Andrea Campbell was not a fan of Janey's comments. While acknowledging past health-care discrimination, the city should be working to boost immunization among Black and Brown communities, she said:
When we are combating a deadly virus & vaccine hesitancy, this kind of rhetoric is dangerous. Showing proof of vaccination is not slavery or birtherism. We are too close to give ground to COVID. Science is science. It's pretty simple - Vax up and mask up.
Her other former colleague and now competitor Michelle Wu supports the idea of requiring proof of vaccination to get into restaurants and other venues and says "our leaders need to build trust in vaccines," not bring up slavery and the Former Guy. Also, she says that in addition to implementing a proof-of-vax requirement, she would work to strengthen the city's public-health programs so less of a burden falls on restaurants and other small businesses.
Hmm, wonder if this will come up in a mayoral forum scheduled for Thursday? It's sponsored by the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association and starts at 6 p.m. on Zoom.
Annissa Essaibi George didn't have anything to tweet about Janey today, but she did drop a TV commercial to remind you she's a Bostonian:
The Scope interviews Marissa Luse, running for the District 7 (Roxbury) seat Janey is giving up.
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Comments
Boston's race to the bottom
Janey started to look good yesterday after I heard Wu advocated failed rent control policies .
Now today she's sounding like an anti-vaxxer. This is Boston's race to see which mayoral candidate can ruin the city most.
Yeah, so tye weekly current
Yeah, so the weekly current standings are:
Janey- idiotic comment about vaccination requirements
George- Husband apparently a shady developer & she's helped him in the past
Wu- supports rent control
So Campbell is this week's winner by default...?
Wow!
I didn’t care that much for any of them, but now I know for sure who I am not voting for.
Slaves had their own papers to show?
You learn something new every day.
Yes. If they were traveling…
…or leaving the plantation for any reason.
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47db-bd06-a3d9-e040-e00a18...
Also, if you were a free person of color, you were required to register with local courts and carry freedom documents because even those free people who were born free were harassed for freedom papers or were accused of running afoul of fugitive slave laws.
Interesting
and horrifying.
Solomon Northrup
There was a 2013 film TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE; even if you didn’t see it, you may remember the ads or that it won Academy Awards.
The thing about that movie is that it was the true story of Noerthrup, a free-born Black man from New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in New Orleans and was held in slavery for 12 years in Louisiana.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Northup
What is the focus?
Yes, slavery was horrible!
The focus should be on the virus. Janey is not showing leadership skills here. We need a mayor who will guide people to get vaccines and mask in the right instances. Just lost my vote. I had hopes for her.
Gotta say
NYC is getting it right assuming they follow through…
Gotta say
NYC is getting it right assuming they follow through…
Janey's not up for this
Wu isn't 100% on all her ideas but does she have a lot of well though-out policies. I'll take 9 good ideas for every 1 dog like rent control (which wouldn't pass a legal challenge I bet anyways). Janey doesn't have any ideas other than trying to win headlines and stealing stuff from Wu and Campbell.
A dumb and dangerous comment
A dumb and dangerous comment by Janey. It’s hard to think of two things that have less in common than slaves from the 1800s and people getting a vaccine in 2021.
Speaks to character
Does she think she is in Texas or rural Colorado or Georgia?
This is worrisome - is she's going full Marjorie Taylor Greene on us? What other Qanon bullshit has she been huffing of late?
Freedom or Death
That is the stupid problem with all of the moralization here. Proof of vaccine is definitely an invasion of privacy, but the alternative is the death of other citizens.
It's only a dumb comment if
It's only a dumb comment if it hurts her election chances. It's possible that her vaxcard-slavery comment will appeal to her supporters and get her more votes. Personally, I don't see it, but it's possible.
On that topic
California has a cool system where you can get a QR code to prove you've gotten your shots. Businesses can verify it with a free app. (Edit: doesn't really protect privacy as your name is in the code.)
Hey Baker! Give us one of these!
Janey is a dope for making the slavery suggestion. Is she against IDs in general? You want to drive? Get a license. Want to eat in a restaurant? Get vaccinated.
NY has one, too
Exelscior Pass
What I can’t discern is if it has any protection against me taking a screenshot of my QR code and texting it/selling it to someone else? It seems easier to bootleg a digital WR code than the vax index card. What am I missing?
Well, off the top of my head,
Well, off the top of my head, a sensible way to do it would be like a bi-directional authentication key.
Medical personnel who can administer vaccines are provided with a version of the software that can provide users with a revocable vaccination certificate (tied to the specific medical staffperson, and probably also connecting with things like place and time of vaccination, the make and lot number of the shot, etc. It's revocable in case they turn out to be providing certificates without the shots.
Then once you've got it on there, you can show the certificate to others, who can authenticate it with the same program (which could be used to either show your own credentials or verify someone else's -- lots of people would have a need for both versions).
The underlying mechanic would probably be that your device generates a unique code that's only good for a 30-second window (and which contains identifying information so that people who try to sell their credentials can be caught) and the verifier provides a code back so that health authorities can also keep track that people are checking codes. Data would be sent back up by both devices to servers so that the functioning of the system and attempts to scam it can be monitored. (If no connection is available, it would be stored and go out at the first opportunity)
There are loads of devices out there these days, but you could also attempt to manufacture a cheap device for people without their own. (e-ink display, just good enough camera, GPS, wifi connection or maybe 4G since 3G is being decommissioned, but only for transmitting short bursts)
Of course it looks like they missed their chance to do a good job with the whole thing.
I'm sure someone spending more than five minutes thinking about it could do better.
As I understand it
The QR code is digitally signed by an authority such as the state department of health so there's a degree of trust that the information is valid. The code contains a name and vaccination details.
A business scans the code and verifies the name of the person via another ID (license, etc). So a person can't create a "fake" QR code with their own name and if they use someone else's QR they'd need a fake ID reflecting that identify.
It's not perfect but it's better then using the physical yellow cards which can't be verified for authenticity.
That’s nice for those ….
… who have smart phones. But not everyone does or can afford one.
I think Janey has a point about requiring papers of the disenfranchised. It’s like the move to go cashless in many restaurants and retail outlets.
It blows my mind that some food trucks take credit cards only. While they park in places like Dewey Square and the Common places where the unhoused congregate and might be hungry but shut out of the means to buy a meal.
I haven’t made up my mind about whether proof of vaccination should be required to enter businesses. I tend to think it’s for the greater good. But I think Janey makes a valid point and the others are taking cheap shots at her by implying she is not also for getting everyone vaccinated.
Just a FYI
Theo only people who need smart phones in this case are the businesses. The vaxxed person can present the QR code on paper. They'd still need an ID of some form if they are unknown to the person doing the verification. (And yes, not everyone has ID.)
I have a hard time wrapping my head around not requiring vaccines in most settings since they are free and you need not be a citizen. (Medical exceptions aside.)
If it's just QR codes then they could probably be printed
including at a library, neighbor's house, or even a copy shop. (I don't have a printer, so I'd use one of those options..)
See above
You would also have to print them with all the proper elements, including digital signature, and it would have to match your ID. That's the trick. If they had anti-photocopy elements in them they might need to be printed at an official location - like city hall, RMV, etc.
I think you're missing where the "digital signature" is
If I understand correctly, the point of the QR code is to point to an official site from the government that would have the correct digital signature etc. If that's the case, the QR code itself can be printed on any old piece of paper and should still work when scanned.
This is correct
A digital signature means you can verify who generated the code. That's how you can tell the code was generated by the board of health as opposed to someone in their basement. This is why the QR code is better than the yellow paper cards.
Once the code is generated it can be printed anywhere. Some people were joking about putting their code on custom T-Shirts and hats to save them the trouble of taking out their phone. The code would be the same.
The digital signature would be *in* the QR code
unless we're talking about a far dumber system than I'm imagining.
Cheap shot?
This city has a ton of money - we can help people who need better forms of ID get one. Source - my kid is in BPS and gets an ID card every year. It's not rocket science. To throw up some smoke screen about slavery to provide cover for anti-vaxxers in the black and Latino communities that Janey needs to back her in the election is cynical.
Leadership is helping people overcome obstacles and misunderstandings, not catering to them.
I hope the Globe does some digging to figure out which community leaders she's pandering to here.
It is frankly ridiculous
When the City itself requires its employees to annually provide papers proving that they live in the City. Guess the City residency ordinance is about slavery and Trump birtherism, too.
Refusing to take cash
is illegal in Massachusetts.
https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiii/titleiv/chapter255d/s...
And "retail establishment"
Great find!
Thanks for the cite. I can't find the definition of Retail Establishment though; where's that?
My bad, dropped the bottom citation
From section 1 of that same MGL chapter, all of the definitions for the chapter. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleIV/Chapter255D/S...
And Healey made a point of reminding us of this back in April of last year, when many businesses tried to start refusing cash, as if there was no way to handle money safely...
https://twitter.com/MassAGO/status/1245375858593972225
It’s not clear in the language but …
… apparently it doesn’t apply to food trucks because I was told by one that I couldn’t pay cash. Had to use my card.
Funny that street food cannot be purchased by certain street people.
Just because they refuse cash doesn't mean it doesn't apply
Businesses try to get away with illegal things all the time. The ordinance may apply to food trucks, in which case someone needs to report ones who won't take cash and push to get that enforced.
Of course she's not a fan
She doesn't need the smokescreen against allegations of fondling women.
I was going to trash New York voters for not voting against him in the 2010 primary, but it turns out he was unopposed.
NYC
I agree Cuomo is trash and should resign, but the vaccine requirement is for New York City. (Executive order through Mayor de Blasio).
I'm surprised
Surprised that Cuomo didn't wave his dick at DiBlasio over this one.
Like how he killed at least 10,000 people and spread the virus around the country by grandly waving his dick and bellowing about being in charge and delaying NYC's shut down in 2020.
Like all narcissists and fascists Cuomo was far more interested in his own IM IN CHARGE HERE bullshit that killed people than he was in listening to scientists, and should be tried for pandemicide at The Hague alongside Trump.
Time for the city council to
Time for the city council to take Janey away.
I understand Janey's point
I understand Janey's point but I totally disagree with her conclusion.
Boston Public Schools currently requires multiple vaccinations for all students. Would Janey say that that requirement should be eliminated for similar reasons? Does she think we eliminate having to show an ID to get into a bar?
My guess
Janey is saying crap like this in order to stay in the news and get free airtime. She thinks she can win the election if she drowns out coverage of other candidates. (She's probably correct.)
Yep
Probably going to work to given that useless shitposters like the JP Progressives and various unions are backing Janey. Status quo is all they really want, not change.
Listen,
I don't want to show proof of vaccination for anything I could walk into for free and normally not get ID'd. I don't want to worry about additional documentation and I think all this energy would be better spent getting the last 30% of the US vaccinated instead of creating new sub-classes.
People seem very aware that Black/Latino communities have strong reservations about the US healthcare system, so IMO this will lead to increased harassment to prove vaccination, yet another hurdle for just being.
This does have parallels to slavery though there are more current things that might not scare non-Black people as much while making the same point. Bringing up slavery definitely triggers something for y'all
Get real
Creating sub-classes? It's a free shot, widely available, which is safe and prevents the spread of a deadly virus- shout out to you who can't be bothered to do single thing for the public good other than explain what you don't want to do. I didn't want to have my kid miss 18 months of non-zoom school but guess what happened?
What a baby. Congrats on killing your grandma I assume?
Their point about carrying…
…. extra documentation is valid. I don’t exactly want to have to remember to carry my card or hope my phone battery doesn’t die on me either.
I’d much prefer seeing more efforts at getting people vaccinated and at enforcing mask wearing on the T and inside public places.
I do also see the possibility of card requirement being used as a pretext to deny entry to certain social classes or races to places where food is sold or for restroom use.
Revealing my identity to every business would be my main concern
I usually pay with cash. Businesses don't need to know who I am in order to transact with me.
Other than that, I'm actually OK with the cards thing. It's not that hard to carry a piece of paper. Generally I would carry it alongside the pieces of paper or plastic I would use to buy things in the place of business.
Parallels to slavery
Maybe these parallels exist. If they do, I'm not scared of them in the least, and I invite anyone who wants to use them to shut down public health measures to make them explicit. If you can convince me that the parallels are real and relevant to the current public health emergency, I'll happily help work on an alternate solution that meets the public health need.