Category: Opinions

Legislative update from Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.

Guest column
Opinion

Rep. Pam Curtis

by Rep. Pam Curtis

Last week was a very busy week. The House was on the floor Monday through Thursday and took action on 34 bills. This was also the final week for committees to meet and pass out bills for consideration.

Among the 34 bills debated on the floor was HCR 5015, which urged the U.S. Congress to reject the For the People Act of 2021. After heavy discussion on HCR 5015, it was clear that Democrats wanted to protect voting rights while Republicans would prefer to strip it away. In the last couple of weeks before we recess, we anticipate hearing controversially large bills that could each have a serious impact on the state of Kansas: sports wagering, the Brownback 2.0 tax bill, the Frankenstein school voucher bill, and the budget.

In the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee we worked and passed out the STAR Bond bill, which was set to expire. I offered an amendment, which would have aligned the economically distressed urban areas with the same criteria in the bill as the rural-small cities area. My amendment failed. However, the chairman of the committee instructed the Kansas Department of Commerce staff to work with me to draft a bill based on aligning economic development tools for our most economically distressed urban areas with rural incentives for consideration next session.

If the goal is to help economic development in the most economically distressed areas of Kansas than we should not separate out urban from rural. They share many of the same issues and challenges and if we let the data determine where those areas are, whether they are in a big city or a small city, we can align the economic development tools that are available to help those areas. I am looking forward to working on this legislation for next year.

Read more about the week’s legislative actions at https://www.curtisforkck.com/2021-legislative-update-11.

Gov. Kelly announced late last week that COVID-19 vaccinations for all adults and children over the age of 16 are open beginning this week. People over the age of 16, regardless of health or employment, are encouraged to get their vaccine.

There was no action taken on the floor by the House last week, but as we look into the next few weeks there are many controversial issues coming over the horizon. These issues include medicinal marijuana, an education bill aimed at defunding public school education, a bill that would give tax cuts to giant multinational corporations, and even a bill that discriminates against transgender people.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and appreciate your input on issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 452-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, Kansas 66612. You can reach me at 785-296-7430 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me.

Resources
My Legislative Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PamCurtisKCK.
My Twitter account, https://twitter.com/pcurtiskck.
Kansas Legislature website, http://kslegislature.org/li/.

Letter to the editor

Dear editor:

Because the Covid-19 pandemic have forced public meetings to go virtual, it seems that our elected officials do just what they want and without community input.

Two of our historic buildings have been bulldozed and the land upon which they sat, cleared. The former Western University located in Historic Quindaro and the former Wyandotte County Fair Ground office building (aka, the Annex) at 94th and State Avenue. It should be noted both were located in close proximity to cemeteries that also have historic significance.

Western University stood near the Quindaro cemetery and the Wyandotte Office Building stood near the Wyandotte Cemetery. For those who don’t know, African-Americans and Native Americans received their post-secondary education from Western University. The degree that my auntie who died a few years ago at 108, prepared her to work for a Kansas governor. She shared many stories about her days at the beloved university.

Who would make such a decision to destroy these wonderful buildings! Now, what fate awaits the cemeteries? What were they thinking?

Where is your heart, elected officials? It is clear to me that they voted profit over people. Public money spent for private gain? What is the end game and what is the good for our community? I say, “Shame on you, Mr. Mayor and UG Commissioners! Shame on you! You are showing us who you are—disrespectful of Wyandotte County history and the people who pay you to serve us.”

We, the people of Wyandotte County, should vote all the elected officials out of office beginning with the primary election in August 2021. This will be their reward for elevating profits over the community value of preserving historic hallmarks, our collective legacy.
If you believe the way that I do, vote on August 3, 2021 and vote them out of office!

Mary Martin, resident, Wyandotte County

Remembering Alvin Sykes, human rights activist

Window
Opinion column

Alvin Sykes (File photo by Mary Rupert)

by Mary Rupert

One of the most successful human rights activists in the area, Alvin Sykes, died Friday morning, nearly two years after a fall at Union Station landed him in a nursing home.

“He was such an influential part of social justice and human rights in this area,” recalled State Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist. “I can’t think immediately of anyone who worked more tirelessly toward that goal than Alvin Sykes.”

“On a personal note, my legacy as a legislator is most noted by legislation that he originated and encouraged me to support,” Sen. Haley said.

Sykes was the impetus behind Sen. Haley’s supporting the wrongful incarceration compensation law, creating a DNA cold case task force, Scruffy’s law against animal cruelty, medical marijuana, eyewitness standard benchmarks, audio-visual recording for all felony cases, and hate crimes enhancement legislation, Sen. Haley said.

Alvin Sykes, second from left, attended a bill signing for the wrongfully convicted compensation law in May 2018 at which State Sen. David Haley, right, spoke. (File photo by Mary Rupert)

Those measures and more were a result of the advocacy of Sykes bringing them to him, and then insisting that he do something with them to see them through the process, Sen. Haley said.

This year, the governor issued a statement favoring medical marijuana, but for many years, Sen. Haley was the only one proposing it in the Kansas Legislature. In 2008, Sen. Haley proposed legalizing medical marijuana after he was urged by Sykes to address the issue. Young black men were being disproportionately arrested and jailed on possession charges, and Sykes urged Sen. Haley to do something about it. More than 10 years went by, and other states passed legalization laws while Kansas still debated it.

In many ways, Sykes was ahead of his time.

Sykes did not advocate only at the Kansas legislative level, Sen. Haley said. He also was active in Missouri state advocacy, as well as at the federal level. He worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle. A high mark of Sykes’ activism was the passage of the Emmett Till legislation in Congress. Cold civil rights cases could be reopened years after they had been closed.

Sykes was on his way to visit the Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Emmett Till’s, when Sykes fell in March 2019 at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. Sykes had been instrumental in changing the federal law, allowing for prosecution to take place decades after the 1955 racially motivated lynching in Mississippi.

Sykes, 64, was at a rehab facility in Johnson County when he died. A self-taught activist, Sykes spent many hours of his life researching the laws at the area’s public libraries, then contacting legislators. He was a scholar in residence at the Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library.

“His legal acumen was far superior to me,” Sen. Haley, who has a law degree, recalled.

Sykes read to study, learn and apply what he learned, Sen. Haley said. “He was on a mission, his mission was to bring knowledge to light as it should apply in the legal system, and in parity for all people,” he said.

Sen. Haley said he would occasionally meet with Sykes at Fritz’s restaurant on 18th and at other places to discuss human rights legislation, before Sykes’ fall. They had some occasionally heated discussions on the issues.

Sometimes Haley was mindful of how the legislation would affect his chances of getting re-elected, but Sykes would continue to advocate for bills that would advance human rights. Sykes was persistent, always.

Sen. Haley said he was talking to Sykes a few days ago about legislation that Sykes was interested in getting passed, and he had been planning a meeting with him soon.

Though flat on his back at a nursing home, Sykes was still working on writing the story of his life and other issues, he said.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Sen. Haley said.

“Alvin was a wonderful advocate,” Sen. Haley said. “He shook you to the core and made you think. There’s nobody like him, just nobody like him that I’ve ever met. He called me his big little brother.”

Active for decades in the fight to maintain rights and fight for minorities, Sykes was quick to let people know that he didn’t want to be known as a “civil rights activist,” he was a “human rights activist.” He advocated for rights for everyone.

In an interview in April 2018, Sykes said that he was confident that progress was being made in human rights, and he felt he had achieved some of his goals. He told us about how Buddhist beliefs influenced his work.

So much of his work was about getting the truth, and then seeking closure, he told us in 2017.

Sykes did more than just notice that things weren’t right in this world. He took it a step further, doing the research necessary to find out why it wasn’t right, and then taking steps within the system to change it.

Services for Alvin Sykes have been scheduled. Viewing will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. April 1, followed by services at 11 a.m. April 1 at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, 2301 E. Linwood Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri.

A Go Fund Me page has been established to help with the cost of Alvin’s memorial service, at https://www.gofundme.com/f/alvin-sykes-memorial-fund?member=9501212&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer.

To see some earlier stories about Alvin Sykes and his work, visit:
https://wyandotteonline.com/closed-case-dna-bill-passes-senate/
https://wyandotteonline.com/sykes-to-receive-peace-builder-award/
https://wyandotteonline.com/kck-human-rights-activist-optimistic-about-reaching-goals/
https://wyandotteonline.com/local-activist-and-others-take-a-new-look-at-the-emmett-till-case/
https://wyandotteonline.com/human-rights-activist-to-receive-award-tonight/

To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected]