Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
LAPD's 'Less Lethal' Methods Used At Protests Still Cause Harm, Cost State
Newsweek: LA Could Face Losing Millions For Police Using Nonlethal Bullets
As protests have intensified, there have been reports that the LAPD is using rubber bullets against protesters. An Australian journalist was also struck. A British news photographer said that he had to undergo emergency surgery after a plastic bullet hit his thigh. In previous cases, court ordered payments to people who officers shot with rubber bullets. In March 2023, a federal jury awarded $375,000 to Deon Jones after he was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by an LAPD officer during a May 2020 protest. (6/9)
KFF Health News: Echoing 2020, Police Use Rubber Bullets Against Protesters In Los Angeles
Weapons dubbed “less lethal” are once again being used in Los Angeles, this time against people protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids. During the 2020 protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, KFF Health News and USA Today documented the harm that rubber bullets and other “less lethal” projectiles can cause. Here’s what we found. (6/10)
WIRED: What Tear Gas And Rubber Bullets Do To The Human Body
Though not explicitly designed to kill, these so-called “less-lethal” weapons can cause serious health effects—and, in some cases, lasting harm. The use of these weapons can result in respiratory problems, head injuries, and even death. In the United States, police force of all types results in 75,000 nonfatal injuries requiring hospital treatment and 600 to 1,100 deaths every year, according to the Law Enforcement Epidemiology Project at the University of Illinois Chicago. (Mullin, 6/10)
On LGBTQ+ health —
AP: Southern Baptists Overwhelmingly Call For Ban On Gay Marriage
Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed a ban on same-sex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 10-year-old precedent legalizing it nationwide. They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The votes Tuesday came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. (Smith, 6/10)
More health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Louisiana Looks To Target Out-Of-State Doctors Who Prescribe Abortion Pills
Louisiana lawmakers on Tuesday approved a measure that targets out-of-state doctors and activists who prescribe, sell, or provide pregnancy-ending drugs to residents in the reliably red state where abortions are banned with few exceptions. Louisiana law already allows women to sue doctors who perform abortions on them in the state. The bill expands who can be sued. It includes those out of the state, who may be responsible for an illegal abortion whether that be mailing, prescribing or “coordinating the sale of” pregnancy-ending pills to someone in Louisiana. (Cline, 6/10)
AP: Silicon Valley City Makes Homeless People Eligible For Arrest If They Refuse 3 Offers Of Shelter
Homeless people who reject three offers of shelter will be eligible for arrest on trespassing after the San Jose City Council voted Tuesday for a policy change they hope will encourage unhoused people to trade in their tents on sidewalks for beds indoors. The vote was 9-2 in favor of adding a “responsibility to shelter” provision to the city’s encampment code of conduct, which also includes expectations that homeless people will not pitch tents near schools and playgrounds or block public rights of way. (Har, 6/10)
ProPublica, Street Roots: Portland Homeless Deaths Quadrupled Despite Investment In Safety
As the city of Portland, Oregon, clawed its way out of the pandemic, it faced a new set of crises: The city’s homeless population was growing. Tents lined some city blocks. High-powered business associations held press conferences demanding the city remove homeless people and touted self-funded surveys saying that without action, businesses and residents would flee the city. By late spring 2021, the city committed to a new strategy that then-Mayor Ted Wheeler said would “reprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders,” ultimately allocating $1.3 billion by the end of 2024. (Rambo, 6/11)
The Guardian: US To Put Four Prisoners To Death This Week As Trump Pushes For Executions
Four executions are scheduled across the US this week, marking a sharp increase in killings as Donald Trump has pushed to revive the death penalty despite growing concerns about states’ methods. Executions are set to take place in Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. A fourth, scheduled in Oklahoma, has been temporarily blocked by a judge, but the state’s attorney general is challenging the ruling. (Levin, 6/10)
