The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, April 20, 2022 C-7 Youth First Today By Megan Shake Trauma and the brain suing recession? Per Pew Re- search, "Blacks and Hispanics have borne a disproportionate share of both job losses and housing foreclosures." The low-income Americans gov- ernment most wanted to help were those who were hurt the most. Today, Democrats are back at it. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra is gearing up to use his almost unilateral power to show he knows better than business and the marketplace what is good for consumers. Surely, once again, those who will suffer the most will be our struggling low-income citizens. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show "Cure America with Star Parker." 54.4 percent of homicide victims. Thus, these small percentages represent an enormous problem that, for black peo- ple, is getting worse, both in relative and absolute terms. WHO'S DOING IT? With race-essentialist rhetoric at a fever pitch bemoaning the omnipres- ence of white supremacy, some might be tempted to conclude that the relative decrease in white victims and the rela- tive increase in black victims is attribut- able to a spike in racial hatred. That hy- pothesis would suggest that the relative number of white offenders is increasing, and the relative number of black offend- ers is remaining constant or decreasing. In fact, the opposite is true. Again, af- ter factoring out the cases in which the race of the perpetrator was unknown, the relative share of offenders by racial groups followed a similar trend to the share of victims. From 2011 to 2020, the percentage of total violent offenders who were white fell 3.4 percent to 58 percent. With re- spect to homicide specifically, the per- centage fell by 0.8 percent to 43.1 per- cent. By contrast, over the same peri- od, the percentage of total violent offend- ers who were black rose 2.4 percent to 39.4 percent. And with respect to homi- cide, the percentage rose 0.3 percent to 54.7 percent. This small increase hides a more dra- matic recent trend because the percent- age of black offenders fell several per- cent from 2011 until 2019. That year, it jumped 1.0 percent, and in 2020 it jumped another 1.2 percent. Again, these are small percentage changes, but considering the surging crime numbers and the fact that A frican Americans make up a relatively small percentage of the total population, the implications are huge. As for Native Americans, the percent- age of total violent offenders in this cate- gory increased by 0.4 percent to 1.3 per- cent. And as for Asians, the percentage increased by 0.3 percent to 1.0 percent. For homicide specifically, Native Ameri- can offenders increase by 0.4 percent to 1.2 percent of total homicide offenders, and Asians fell 0.2 percent to a total of 0.7 percent of homicide offenders. Other Explanations? It is possible that trendy race-essen- tialist rhetoric is playing a role in what we are seeing. Domestic studies are needed to establish a clear connection, but there are studies from abroad that suggest that race rhetoric may lead to ra- cial violence. If race rhetoric is, in fact, playing a role, it's possible that what we're seeing today we have seen before. The increase in black offenders and black victims is reminiscent of the fall- out from the Black Power movements of the 1960s. Historian C. Vann Woodward recounts that history in his magisterial book "The Strange Career of Jim Crow." Woodward observed that radicals be- gan to reject the approach of "the old civ- il rights movements," which called for peace, equality, and integration. The radicals favored "racial separatism" and "black nationalism," which gave way to "bursts of black violence, disorder, and frustration." The irony of this violence, however, was that it occurred primarily in black neighborhoods, and "the main victims" were working-class black peo- ple. The trendy race-wisdom of today shares similar traits. Like the Black Power movement, it is more focused on calling out and rebuking the supposed omnipresent specter of white suprema- cy than it is on peace, equality, and in- tegration. As with the riots of the 1960s, the an- ti-police riots of 2020 caused significant harm to black neighborhoods and black- owned businesses. Additionally, on so- cial media sites associated with these views, violent rhetoric is common. Ultimately, more research is needed before we can conclude that the pres- ent-day race-essentialist rhetoric is a causal factor in the present increase in black victims and offenders. Still, the historical parallels provide some sup- port for the theory. Regardless, whether it is caused by race rhetoric, the Minneapolis Effect, rogue prosecutors, or some combina- tion of them or other things, the spike in crime is hurting a lot of people, and black communities bear the heaviest burden. GianCarlo Canaparo is a legal fellow in The Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. PROTECTION Continued from page 6 CRIME Continued from page 6 Court Report CRIMINAL DOCKET Pike Circuit Court Jonathan Wamser charged with child solicitation, a level 4 felony. Wesley Trenton Detalente charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 6 felony; count II posses- sion of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor; count III unlawful possession of sy- ringe, a level 6 felony; posses- sion of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor; and pos- session of meth less than 5 grams, a level 5 felony. Kyle R. Horstman charged with carrying a handgun with a prior felony conviction with- in the last 15 years, a level 5 felony; count II operating a ve- hicle while intoxicated, a class C misdemeanor. Tyler S. Asbell charged with intimidation, a defendant draws or uses a deadly weap- on, a level 5 felony. Alexis Emily Brock charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 6 felony; count II possession of para- phernalia, a class C misde- meanor; count III possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 5 felony. Austin Moore charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 6 felony. Amy Moore charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 6 felony. Eric Cresgy charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 6 felony. Mark Brancaccio charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a level 6 felony. Owen Bradley Hawkins charged with assisting a crim- inal, but the criminal assisted committed a felony, a level 6 felony. Crystal Hawkins charged with assisting a criminal, but the criminal assisted commit- ted a felony; a level 6 felony. Anthony Scott Pride charged with possession of meth, less than 5 grams, a lev- el 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C mis- demeanor. CIVIL DOCKET Pike Circuit Court In re: marriage of Jacob Butler and Meleah Butler. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike Circuit Court Sheila Annette Nowark charged with invasion of pri- vacy-violate protective order; and count II domestic battery, a class A misdemeanor. Joshua Jackson charged with visiting a common nui- sance (controlled substance), a class B misdemeanor. Lacy Marie Miller charged with disorderly conduct: en- gages in fighting or tumultu- ous conduct, a class B misde- meanor. Larry Limbach Jr., charged with charged with disorderly conduct: engages in fighting or tumultuous conduct, a class B misdemeanor. Arin Danielle Dulworth charged with public intoxica- tion, a class B misdemeanor. Vernon E. Martin charged with assisting a criminal de- fendant not being parent, child or spouse of another per- son, a class A misdemeanor. Seth Michael Baker charged with possession of marijuana, a class B misde- meanor. SMALL CLAIMS Pike Circuit Court Bryan Fischer sues Jeremy Beier on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike Circuit Court Xendria M. McVey charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Elijah R. Beach charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Tammy R. Malmgren charged with distracted driv- ing. Lynna S. Colvin charged with expired plates. Bianca A. Hardiman charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Francisco J. Valdes Petroni- lo charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Brandon R. Wright charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Simone M. Sartore-Getty charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Zachary W. Mayhall charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Jody L. Petro charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Raneet Khurana charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Ryan P. Ramirez charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Lydia G. Dail charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Suha A. Alhieh charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Anthony M. Latorre charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Marino E. Felix Cuevas charged with speeding in a 70 mph zone. Timonthy Moore charged with no personal flotation de- vice. Jacob A. Leighty driving while suspended. Dear Rusty: My wife started receiv- ing her social security at 65 (her full re- tirement age) and she will be 69 years old this July. I was able to receive half of her social security under an older law. This April, I will turn 70 and will start to receive my own Social Security. I know I will no longer be receiving a spousal benefit at that time, but what I don't un- derstand is will my wife be able to claim a spousal benefit and collect 50 percent of my Social Security. She presently is receiving about $ 930, but 50 percent of my social security could be around $1,800. Can you provide any insight on this? Signed: Turning 70. Dear Turning: You are correct that you are now collecting your spouse benefit under an "old law," which was changed by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and is no longer available to any- one born after January 1, 1954. You are also correct that since you are now re- ceiving a spousal benefit from your wife on a "restricted application for spouse benefits only," you can claim your per- sonal SS retirement benefit to start at age 70, at which time your spousal ben- efit from your wife will stop. You can ap- ply for your age 70 benefit now, prior to April, but just be sure to specify on your application that you want your SS retire- ment benefit to begin in April (to avoid a reduction). FYI, you can do this on- line at www.ssa.gov - there is a question on the application which asks if you are now col- lecting benefits from any- one else, to which you should answer "yes" and provide your wife's Social Security number. To ap- ply online, you'll need to first create your person- al "my Social Security" account, which is easy to do at www.ssa.gov/myac- count. Of course, you can also apply by phone at your local SS of- fice or by calling 1.800.772.1213, but ap- plying online is by far the most efficient method. A fter you have submitted your appli- cation for your own SS retirement ben- efit, your wife can apply for a spousal benefit from you, but her spousal bene- fit amount may not be precisely as you believe. First, your wife's spousal bene- fit will be based on the benefit amount you were entitled to at your full retire- ment age (FR A) of 66, not your age 70 benefit amount. Second, your wife was born in 1953 so her full retirement age is 66 (not 65). If your wife claimed her own SS benefit at age 65, she actually claimed a year early, so it was slightly re- duced from her full benefit amount. That isn't a bad thing because it allowed you to collect your spouse ben- efit a year earlier, but it will slightly affect her spousal benefit from you and make it a bit less than 50 percent of your FR A benefit amount. When a spouse takes their own benefit early their spou- sal amount will be less than 50 percent because of the way spouse benefits are cal- culated. Your wife's new ben- efit as your spouse will con- sist of two parts - her own benefit and a "spousal boost" to bring her payment to her spousal entitlement. Her "spou- sal boost" - which is the difference be- tween her FR A benefit and half of your FR A benefit - will be added to her slight- ly reduced age 65 benefit and the total becomes her spousal payment, but it will be a bit less than 50 percent of your FR A benefit amount. Nevertheless, you were smart to take advantage of an "old law" which permitted you to get a spouse ben- efit from your wife while your own ben- efit grew to maximum. To submit a question, visit website (amacfoundation.org/programs/so- cial-security-advisory) or email ssadvi- sor@amacfoundation.org. Will my wife get a Spouse Benefit when I claim at 70? Social Security Matters By Rusty Gloor Childhood trauma is defined as ad- verse childhood experiences that are emotionally painful or distressful. Trauma can be caused by a multitude of things, including but not limited to, physical abuse or neglect, emotional abuse or neglect, sexual abuse, death of a loved one, separation from a family member, poverty, serious medical condi- tions, accidents, disasters, domestic vio- lence, a parent with a mental illness, sub- stance abuse within a family, and incar- ceration of a family member. Ultimately, there are an unlimited number of things that can be classified as traumatic. What the definition of trauma does not tell you is that trauma actually changes the brain. It overwhelms your thoughts, emotions and body. When you experi- ence something that overwhelms you, it can rewire your brain and body. According to a report from the Cen- ter on the Developing Child at Harvard University, not only does trauma cause neurological changes, but it can also cause immune system and hormone level changes. Additionally, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that children between the ages of 3 to 6 who are exposed to trauma may have dif- ficulty learning in school, be unable to trust others or make friends, show poor skill development, lack self-confidence, and may be more likely to experience stomach aches or headaches. When looking at parts of the brain, studies have shown trauma effects the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that controls emotions. Trauma can cause the amygdala to be hyperactive. That means even when danger is not present, the amygdala still might acti- vate a "fight or flight" response in a per- son. The result may be a panic attack, a flood of emotion, feelings of aggression, or constant stress. Another part of the brain affected is the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain responsible for regulating emotions. Trauma can weaken the pre- frontal cortex, causing difficulty concen- trating or zoning out. Lastly, trauma af- fects the hippocampus as well. The hip- pocampus helps store memories. For some people, the hippocampus can have difficulty preserving other memo- ries while retaining the traumatic event as clear as day. For others, the hippo- campus blocks out part of the traumat- ic memory, or all of it. So what can we do to help children who have experienced trauma? One of the most helpful things is for the child to have a caring, supportive, stable caregiv- er who can help regulate these changes and help the child better cope with ad- versity as they grow up. Just one caring and supportive adult can greatly bene- fit and positively impact a child through- out their life. It is also important to seek help from a trained professional when needed, whether that be through outpatient ther- apy or even your school's Youth First So- cial Worker. Remember, despite what these kids have been through, one car- ing adult to provide support can make a world of difference. Megan Shake, LSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Loogootee Elementary, Middle and High Schools in Martin Coun- ty. Youth First, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicat- ed to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 78 Master's level so- cial workers to 107 schools in 13 Indiana counties. Over 60,000 youth and fami- lies per year are served by Youth First's school social work and after school pro- grams that prevent substance abuse, pro- mote healthy behaviors, and maximize stu- dent success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812- 421-8336. 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