Violence & Protests

The World is Watching Minneapolis

George Floyd Murder Trial Begins March 8th

- Public Buildings/Offices Fortified -
- Thousands of Law Enforcement & National Guard -
- Businesses Boarded Up -
- Public Hearing Today at 10 am CT -

Downtown Minneapolis businesses torn: Project confidence or board up
for Derek Chauvin trial?

Some don't want to send a wrong message; others fear more damage could do them in.

Some of the downtown Minneapolis businesses are considering tacking protective plywood to their storefronts and sending staff home in anticipation of protests when former police officer Derek Chauvin stands trial for murder and manslaughter.

As one of the most significant police brutality trials in American history is scheduled to start soon, months after George Floyd's death, pandemic-squeezed business owners and building managers are torn between putting on a show of confidence by staying open or boarding up in case riots erupt.

Amid conflicting advice from city and neighborhood leaders, many are wondering whether authorities will make good on their promise to quell violence quickly, unlike last summer.

HCGC security measures and street closure

South 6th St. between 3rd Av. S. and 4th Av. S. and sidewalk access in downtown Minneapolis will be closed starting March 1. Access to HCGC will be limited to the parking garage checkpoint and a pedestrian access checkpoint.  startribune.com

US: Over 29M Cases - 525K Dead - 19.7M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 114M Cases - 2.5M Dead - 90M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 279   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 256
*Red indicates change in total deaths

A Few More Months & the Situation Could Be Much Better
Governors lift COVID-19 restrictions despite risks of new spike
Governors across the country are lifting coronavirus restrictions, including mask mandates and capacity limits, despite warning signs ahead of a new spike from virus variants.

The Biden administration on Friday raised new alarms about the need to keep restrictions in place. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing that data indicates recent declines in cases "may be stalling" in a "very concerning shift in the trajectory. "Things are tenuous," she said. "Now is not the time to relax restrictions."

The White House is avoiding a face-off with governors by declining to call out specific states easing restrictions too soon. However, Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for the coronavirus response, made it clear their advice contradicts several states recently moving ahead with downgrading lockdown measures.

"We couldn't say it in stronger terms: We think it is a mistake to take our foot off the gas too early, especially when we are accelerating our vaccination efforts right now," he said Friday.

In Massachusetts - there will no longer be any capacity limits on restaurants, and that indoor performance venues like concert halls can reopen at 50 percent capacity starting next week.

Republican governors in Iowa and Montana lifted statewide mask mandates earlier this month.

In Texas, Gov. said Thursday he is considering removing all statewide coronavirus orders, including the mask mandate.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday eased some limits, allowing bars at 30 percent capacity and restaurants at 50 percent.

New York Gov. allowed indoor dining to reopen at 25 percent capacity in New York City ahead of Valentine's Day.

Almost 60 percent of people over 75 have received at least one vaccine shot, and almost 50 percent of those over 65 have, according to the White House. But that still leaves significant percentages of those high-risk age groups who remain vulnerable.

If the country can get through a few more months, until vaccinations are more widespread, the situation could be much better by summer. thehill.com

Only 72% Effective in U.S.
FDA Approves Johnson & Johnson Single-Shot Vaccine
But the Johnson & Johnson shot also has a lower efficacy rate, leading some public health experts and government officials to worry that it will be viewed as substandard compared with the other vaccines. The Johnson & Johnson efficacy rate is 66 percent overall and 72 percent in the United States in preventing moderate to severe cases of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The vaccines by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and by the biotech company Moderna are about 95 percent effective following their two-shot regimens.

For now, consumers are unlikely to have a choice of vaccines because there simply isn't enough supply. That is poised to change in coming months. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have committed to delivering a total of 220 million doses by the end of March. They say they have solved manufacturing challenges and are in a position to overcome scarcity that has hampered the nation's fight against the coronavirus.

"Dose for dose, this vaccine is as good as any of the other ones," said Paul Goepfert, director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic and one of the scientific leaders of the Johnson & Johnson trial, "I think the messaging needs to be this vaccine is comparable to the other two vaccines, and as soon as you have the availability [to take any vaccine], you should take it." washingtonpost.com

Experts 'Cautiously Optimistic'
Covid-19 Picture Brightens in U.S., but Virus Isn't Done Yet

Case counts have fallen from records but remain high, and vaccination effort races against variants

Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all sharply dropped in recent weeks as the country comes down from its deadliest surge yet, and vaccination campaigns are getting more shots into people's arms. Warmer weather is around the corner.

Yet the hard-won progress against the coronavirus pandemic remains fragile, public-health experts say. Case counts are still high and might be plateauing; current levels of built-up immunity aren't enough to safely drop precautions; and more dangerous variants are threatening to gain a foothold in the U.S. and exploit safety lapses.

"Things are tenuous. Now is not the time to relax restrictions," Rochelle Walensky, director CDC, said Friday. "We cannot get comfortable." wsj.com

No More Road Warriors & Reversing Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Pay Cuts, Taxes, Child Care: What Another Year of Remote Work Will Look Like

Here's how big companies are wrestling with thorny work-from-home issues.

Companies are anticipating another largely remote work year, and new questions about compensation and benefits are weighing on managers.

Discussions about the future of work, such as whether to reduce the salaries of employees who have left high-cost cities, are priority items in board meetings and senior executive sessions across industries, according to chief executives, board members and corporate advisers.

Among the questions companies are trying to resolve: Who should shoulder tax costs as employees move to new locations while working remotely? And what is the most effective way to support working parents?

Companies such as payments firm Stripe Inc. have offered employees leaving San Francisco, New York or Seattle the chance to relocate for a one-time bonus of $20,000 if they agree to a salary cut of up to 10%. Others, such as Microsoft Corp., have indicated that benefits and pay may change based on the company's compensation scale by location.

A number of Fortune 500 companies across industries are considering potential pay changes if an employee relocates from a city like San Francisco to Texas,

Some companies have offered Covid-related stipends that workers can use for anything from child care to workout equipment. Technology company Palo Alto Networks Inc. now offers workers an allowance of $1,000 that can be applied to a menu of options.

For workers who were accustomed to frequent business travel before the Covid-19 era, another question is emerging: Will their clients want visitors when the pandemic ends? wsj.com

Part of the Answer is 'Forcing Down Crime'
The Old New York Won't Come Back
It will be decades before we fully appreciate what the pandemic did to us, and I mean our entire society-our culture, power structures, social ways, economic realities.

Look at the cities. I'm not sure we see the implications of what has happened there. In New York we are witnessing, for the first time in a century and a half, the collapse of the commuter model. wsj.com

The office towers of Midtown are empty & You can't tax them higher for the privilege of being mugged.

If you love NYC this is a realistic, great visionary picture of what's happening there - Continue Reading

"Fourth Wave Resurgence Coming?"
Minnesota's COVID cases are down, but for how long?
Despite the decline, there's considerable uncertainty about whether it can be sustained, particularly as more contagious versions of the virus spread.

"We're seeing some increases in what is coming. ... We are by no means out of the woods yet," said Kris Ehresmann, the director for infectious diseases at the Minnesota Department of Health.

The pattern resembles seasonal flu with cases rising to a peak in winter before turning. Yet seasonal changes can't fully explain the drop, he said. Some countries in the southern hemisphere, where it is now summer, have seen a similar case declines.

Boulware said he worries that spring break travel might trigger more cases. Like Osterholm, he thinks the U.S. should strongly consider a delay in administering second doses of vaccines so more people can quickly receive first shots, giving them at least some protection.

Dr. Gregory Poland, a vaccine immunology specialist at Mayo Clinic, believes we will see a fourth wave - a resurgence." startribune.com
 

National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine: Finale The National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine, a 3-day virtual event, highlighted vaccination efforts at all levels of government, across non-governmental organizations and at the individual level. The Forum brought together COVID-19 vaccine practitioners and champions from across the country to Watch video here

United States COVID-19 hospitalizations lowest since early November 2020

House Passes $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Plan
 

Feds Arrest 244 & 114 Sentenced - FIT Crackdown To Continue
Federal Prosecutions Demonstrate A Sustained Effort To Bring Law And Order To The Tenderloin District Of San Francisco
On August 7, 2019, U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson announced a new federal initiative to address crime in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. The program, called the Federal Initiative for the Tenderloin (FIT), has brought together the resources of more than 15 federal law enforcement agencies to combat endemic drug trafficking, firearms offenses, robberies and other crime in the neighborhood. U.S. Attorney Anderson pledged to assign 15 federal prosecutors to handle cases brought against offenders violating federal law in the neighborhood.

The Tenderloin neighborhood encompasses about 50 square blocks of downtown San Francisco. "It is not fair to tolerate lawlessness in the Tenderloin that we simply would not accept in other neighborhoods in San Francisco. The good people of the Tenderloin should have equal access to schools, stores, transportation, and other services without having to run a gauntlet of crime."

Since announcing the initiative, cases have involved a broad array of criminal conduct ranging from mail theft to attempted murder. Cases brought against defendants also include charges of bank fraud, escape, firearms offenses, transportation of child pornography and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. So far, 244 defendants have been charged and 114 have been sentenced. Sixteen cases were resolved in just the past six months.

U.S. Attorney Anderson pledged to continue with the effort for a minimum of one year and there are no current plans to terminate or provide an end date for the initiative. justice.gov

Security at the forefront of reopening
How implementing facial recognition tech now can help bolster security later
In 2020, facial recognition technology may be a silver bullet for ensuring safety and security inside venues. In addition to fostering an environment free from crime, facial recognition can ensure a convenient and contactless entry method, as well as improve and streamline the customer experience. From a sales perspective, this technology can give security professionals an advantage in an especially challenging time.

Adding an Increased Level of Safety
Facial recognition technology offers venue managers an ability to keep fans safe from lewd or offensive behavior as well as harmful crimes. When installed as a security checkpoint before entry, this technology can be used to screen potentially risky individuals, who may have committed previous crimes that could cause an issue at a public gathering, before they enter. Whether this is a rowdy fan who picks fights, shoplifters, pickpockets, or other security hazards, facial recognition technology provides venue management teams with the advantage of preventative action

Preventing the Transmission of COVID-19
Some facial recognition systems can be paired with thermal scanning technology to prevent a patron with a fever from entering a facility. Additionally, these systems can be used to detect hotspots where people may have gathered together, so security can step in and help spread people out to a safe distance.

Over the past few years, some facial recognition technology has evolved to the point where it can detect faces despite masks and facial coverings. As a result, patrons who do not wear or remove required preventative facial coverings can be blocked from entering, reprimanded or asked to leave.

Enhancing the Consumer Experience - Ensuring Privacy and Proper Use of Data securitymagazine.com

If the Public Buys It - How Can They Deny It Elsewhere if Used Properly
Facebook weighs adding facial recognition to smart glasses
Facebook is weighing whether to add facial recognition technology to the smart glasses it's developing, one top executive says.

"It's really a debate we need to have with the public," Bosworth said during a Thursday Q&A on his Instagram page. "If people don't want this technology, we don't have to supply it. The product's going to be fine either way."

Bosworth spoke up publicly after BuzzFeed News reported that Facebook was examining whether it could legally build facial recognition features into the high-tech glasses it's planning to roll out later this year.

During a company meeting on Thursday, one Facebook employee asked whether people could "mark their faces as unsearchable" when smart glasses become widely used given fears about the technology leading to "real-world harm," according to the outlet.

In addition to those concerns, current state laws may prevent Facebook from allowing people who use its glasses to look up others based on images of their faces, Bosworth reportedly said in the meeting.

He noted on Twitter that facial recognition is a "hugely controversial topic and for good reason," but said the technology has some good practical uses "if it could be done in a way the public and regulators were comfortable with."

For instance, he said, it could help people who have prosopagnosia, a neurological condition that prevents them from recognizing others' faces. Or if you see someone you recognize but can't remember their name. nypost.com

Has McKinsey Lost Its Luster?
More tough headlines for the consulting firm.
Partners at McKinsey yesterday voted out their leader, Kevin Sneader, as the company deals with blowback over its role in the U.S. opioid crisis. It was the latest tough headline for the consulting firm, which may face growing threats to its status as a trusted adviser to companies and governments - and as a magnet for top talent.

Mr. Sneader was denied a second three-year term as global managing partner, weeks after McKinsey agreed to pay nearly $600 million to settle investigations by 49 states into sales advice it gave drug makers about opioid sales. It was the first time since 1976 that a McKinsey leader had failed to win a follow-on term.

McKinsey's reputation has taken a hit in recent years. Beyond the opioid crisis, the firm has been criticized for some high-profile missteps:

In 2019, McKinsey paid $15 million to settle a Justice Department investigation into its failure to disclose potential conflicts of interest in its corporate bankruptcy practice.

Concerns about the firm's culture could hurt its status as a premier destination for elite M.B.A. graduates, just as more budding business tycoons are favoring tech companies - whether for money, prestige or more progressive social cultures - over consulting and banking. nytimes.com

Last Weeks Big Prediction Worth Remembering:
NRF Forecasts Retail Sales to Exceed $4.33T in '21 as Vaccine Rollout Expands
Anticipating that retail sales will grow between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent to more than $4.33 trillion in 2021.