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Trump’s Doomed To Fail Legal Circus
This blog post is a week late because I had some technical issues with my site, however it’s still relevant because Trump and his lawyer Rudy are still lying and making attempts to overturn the election. Stick around for the end of this post because I decided to write Trump a letter.
Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 Presidential election with 8 million more votes than losers Donald Trump and Mike Pence. They won decisively with an electoral college total of 306 to Trump’s 232. This election was not close at all. Biden and Harris won states and counties that democrats haven’t won in decades. The voters of America were very clearly choosing to fire Trump and hire someone who can do the job of a president without the constant lying, daily scandals, and embarrassing incompetence. But even though the election was fair and voters made their choice clear, of course the loser Trump wants to pretend there was mass voter fraud and actually wants courts to throw out the entire election and declare him the winner anyway.
His legal strategy was predictable. Claim fraud where there was none. Use the power of his office to pressure voting officials to co-sign the lie in front of judges he appointed, and declare himself winner. That strategy may have worked if the vote was close. But it was not close at all. No judge is going to throw out 8 million votes. There’s no way the Supreme Court is going to disenfranchise 8 million voters no matter how many justices he has appointed. The minute they do that is the minute our democracy dies. Trump’s shamelessness and appetite for corruption has gotten him very far in life thus far. But finally Judges around the country are saying HELL NO YOU ORANGE DIRTY LYING RACIST BASTARD YOU WILL NOT STEAL THIS ELECTION. Maybe not in those words but close enough.
Here are a few of the cases Trump and Giuliani have tried and failed at so far.
Trump’s lawyers filed affidavits from election challengers in Michigan saying they were not close enough in the ballot counting room to get a good view of the vote counting process. They said they felt intimidated when they raised objections and asked to move closer than the 6 feet Michigan law allows election monitors to stand. The judge asked the Trump attorneys were any of the witnesses claiming they saw fraud. Trump’s attorneys had to tell the truth and answered no. None of the affidavits presented claimed they witnessed any fraud. They were only claiming there could have been fraud. Of course the judge laughed and threw this case out citing a lack of evidence.
Then in Georgia Trump’s attorneys claimed the votes in the county with the largest percentage of African American voters should throw out all the votes because a poll watcher told them she saw a stack of 53 votes that arrived 1 hour after the 7pm election day deadline and she saw those ballots get mixed with the ballots that were on time. This was dismissed after democrat and republican poll officials all testified that all of the ballots they counted arrived on time and the poll watcher was either mistaken or not telling the truth. Even if the Trump lawyers got those 53 ballots thrown out, it still would not change the election results.
Then in Arizona the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in state court alleging voters’ ballots had been rejected because they contained “bleeds,” splotches” and “stray marks.” Election officials have said these claims are false. That case was dropped when Trump’s attorney filed a notice of mootness, which acknowledges the lawsuit was unlikely to change the election outcome. That was before the serious attorneys quit so now that Giuliani is in charge maybe they’ll refile this one.
So far none of the cases have any legitimate evidence of a vast multi state multi county conspiracy to commit fraud and steal the election for Biden. To throw out the results of a presidential election you need more than just rumor, affidavits and testimony. You need compelling evidence. So far Giuliani and Trumps shrinking legal team has presented none. That is why all of his legitimate credentialed lawyers who specialize in election law have all quit. These guys were getting paid huge sums of money and they said no. They weren’t going to destroy their careers and good names by presenting conspiracy theories with absolutely nothing to back them up. That’s the only reason Giuliani is now leading Trump’s doomed to fail legal fight; because no one else with sense will.
I kinda wish the democrats were able to fix elections because we wouldn’t have lost seats in the house and we’d gain the majority in the senate and then we could fix the huge mess Trump’s administration is leaving behind. I’m joking of course. I want both parties to follow the law and keep our elections fair. When Hillary lost to Trump a lot of democrats didn’t want her to concede. They didn’t want President Obama to invite Trump and his team to the White House and help him with the transition. But Secretary Clinton and President Obama did what was right. It’s ashamed that Trump doesn’t understand that. He’s too much of a narcissist to even realize what the right thing to do is. Maybe I should write Trump a letter and give him some good advice (a concept which is totally foreign to his staff and advisers).
Wilmington Cops Want To Kill Black People
Three police Officers in Wilmington North Carolina were caught on tape giving their real opinions on African Americans. Officer Michael “Kevin” Piner said “We’re just going to go out and start slaughtering them fucking niggers. Wipe them off the fucking map. That’ll put them back about four or five generations.” The other two officers involved in this disgusting racist hate filled conversation were Jesse E Moore II and Officer James “Brian” Gilmore. The three men fantasized about the best methods they’d use to kill the most black people and Piner revealed that he began stockpiling assault rifles to prepare for a new civil war. The officers always refereed to black people using various racial slurs and saved their most virulent words for Black Lives Matter protestors.
Officer Moore began to describe a recent arrest involving a black woman. He told Piner and Gilmore that she “needed a bullet in the head right then and there then move the body out of the way and keep going.”
After the Police Chief listened to the recording he fired all three officers right away, and began an investigation into their conduct. All 3 officers have been on the job for 20+ years. Knowing how much they hate black people can you imagine what they’ve been doing to black people in Wilmington all that time? There’s no way you can have that much hate in your heart and still treat everyone equally. I wonder how many black lives have they ruined.
To dispel the myth of “blue solidarity” officer Moore and Gilmore also complained about black officers they worked with calling one a “piece of shit” and said “let’s see how his boys take care of him when shit gets rough, see if they don’t put a bullet in his head”.
The murder of George Floyd has exposed an open wound that white America has tried to cover up and ignore since reconstruction. As African Americans we know exactly what most police officers think of us. We have experienced police brutality and murder by police since slavery ended. The way we’ve been terrorized by law enforcement isn’t new but what is new is more white Americans are finally acknowledging the problem but change is a lot harder than most think.
It’s kind of ironic that these 3 police officers are from Wilmington North Carolina. Wilmington has a horrible history that they kept hidden for almost a century. In 1898 Wilmington’s black community was thriving and gaining power. They even won elected offices against white candidates. Whites in the town were jealous of the black community’s success so they planned and executed a massacre on the black community that left 60 black residents dead and black owned businesses burned to the ground. Before the massacre black residents in Wilmington had created a successful affluent life for themselves. They owned businesses, they had doctors, lawyers, a local newspaper, opened a school, built the towns first library and educated themselves about politics. In one night everything the black community worked so hard to build was gone. Those who survived the massacre packed up what was left and moved north. Please watch the short documentary below for the full story.
When I read this quote from one of the fired officers (Officer Kevin Piner) “we’re just going to go out and start slaughtering them fucking niggers. Wipe them off the fucking map. That’ll put them back about four or five generations.” It sounds like the exact mindset the white mob had back in 1898. Here we are in 2020 and the same kind of evil is visible once again. Those three officers decided their ancestors led a successful slaughter that killed a lot of black people and destroyed their political power and wealth for generations so why not try it again.
Until we confront the ugly history of white supremacy, police brutality, and systemic racism in this country we will never be able to move forward. We can’t keep trying to sweep everything under the rug. Attending a few marches, bringing down a few statues, getting rid of a few officers and promising to do better will not work this time. We need to dismantle the entire criminal justice system and rebuild it with racial equality in mind. We want radical change and until we get that this country will never see peace.
Lessons From Impeachment
On this day, December 18th 2019 at approximately 8:45pm the 45th president of the United States Donald J Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives. For some of us this was long overdue but inevitable when you examine the character of the man who has held that office for almost 3 years. I won’t go into his many scandals, crimes, and abuses of power because I’ve written plenty about those. Instead I want to share how I understand what is really going on with the republican party, because I think most are misunderstanding their motivations.
It’s a well-known fact that Trump is a compulsive liar. Even some of his supporters will concede that point. We all know how he treats and talks about women. We all know he’s an overt racist. We all know he’s notoriously thin-skinned. We all know he’s not that smart. But some will say how can republicans like and defend a man like that. Why does the entire party seem unmoved by the actions of this man when we all know he lacks integrity and has very poor character. So why does Mitch McConnell and elected republicans defend him? Don’t Republicans care about character anymore?
What I’ve come to understand is character only mattered when they were confident they could maintain power. If you look at the huge changes in the Republican party that began after President Obama won reelection, you’ll understand that the changes in the party didn’t start with Trump and aren’t going to end when Trump leaves office. It’s all about demographics.
According to US Census projections whites will become the minority in this country within the next 20 years. Right now whites under the age of 18 are already the minority. This demographic shift along with more new voters registering as Democrats and aging Republican voters dying off means the party has to do some really messed up undemocratic stuff if they want to stay in power. McConnell knows it, Republican governors know it and they see Trump as the way forward.
Past GOP presidential candidates like John McCain and Mitt Romney didn’t have the character defects needed to do the kind of underhanded illegal stuff like soliciting Russian help to win an election, or extorting Ukraine to manufacture dirt on your democratic opponent. It takes a special kind of person to look right at voters and lie about literally everything.
Fear of this demographic shift explains why Mitch McConnell has been so focused on confirming all of Trumps judicial nominees at a record-setting pace. These appointees so far has been 90% white and male and keep in mind there are no term limits for judges. This is also why McConnell refused to confirm President Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court. This is also why getting parts of the voting rights act struck down was such a priority for Republicans. This is also why immigration has consumed the Republican party for the past 10 years and also why Republicans have refused to call the alt-right what they really are, white supremacists.
So before you start to think all we’ve got to do is get rid of Trump and Republicans will go back to the party it use to be, think about how we got here. As that party continues to shrink, their belief in democracy will also shrink. The electoral college and help from Russia saved them in 2016. What will they be willing to do when the electoral college isn’t enough? I think we’re going to find out in 2020.
I know it feels good to see Trump being held accountable in the House of Representatives through the articles of impeachment, but unfortunately it isn’t going to change anything. The Senate will acquit him and he’ll continue to find ways to cheat in 2020. Just don’t get solely focused on Trump because he isn’t the only problem we’ve got to worry about. The Republican party keeps hinting that democracy isn’t working for them anymore, and that is a lot more worrisome than the buffoonery of Trump.
The Black Woman Who Terrifies Trump
Black women candidates did extremely well during the midterm elections. All over the country judges, congresswomen, mayors, sheriff’s, city councilman, county commissioners, school board chairmen etc. A lot of them were first time campaigners.
Letitia James became the first African American woman to be elected as New York’s Attorney General in the “blue wave” (better known as the 2018 midterm elections). Her new position gives her oversight on President Donald Trump’s business, his finances, and his now defunct “Donald J Trump Foundation”.
Her predecessor began investigating The Trump Organization early last year but the new AG campaigned on expanding that investigation. She was not shy at all when reporters would ask about her plans. She highlighted a few areas of interest:
- Any potential illegalities involving Trump’s real estate holdings in New York.
- The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian official.
- Examine government subsidies Trump received, which were also the subject of Times investigative work.
- Whether he is in violation of the emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution through his New York businesses.
- The use of the Trump Foundation to funnel money to Trump and his other businesses.
Newly elected NY Attorney General said,
“We want to investigate anyone in his orbit who has, in fact, violated the law”. (If I were Don Jr, Ivanka, or Jared this statement would scare the hell out of me.)
We all know the saying “elections have consequences”. That is a truth we all need to recognize. Trump is about to learn that lesson from a Black woman. If that doesn’t make you smile then I don’t know what will.
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Kanye’s Latest Stupid Idea
*I wrote this as a response to the video and as a response to commenters saying anyone who doesn’t want to meet with President Trump is turning down an opportunity to “start a dialogue”.
There’s a right way to do things. Any organizer, activist, business person etc has to layout conditions and achievable goals (both short term and long term) before agreeing to a meeting with anyone. We’re weeks away from the midterm elections so there’s a lot of value for Trump being seen in a meeting with Kaepernick and Kanye. It could give him and his party a chance to increase their share of the black vote. Kaepernick has to come away from the meeting with something that equals that.
You also have to look at the history of the individual you’re contemplating meeting and gauge their seriousness. These are measures that must be considered to make sure you’re not being used and to make sure a meeting is a good use of your time. All of this talk about opening a dialogue or not shutting down dialogue isn’t a relevant critique in the situation Ebro laid out in the video above.
Agreeing to a meeting at the White House with Trump without a stated specific goal laid out and agreed to in advance is really just a photo op. When Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian went to the White House she had a specific goal in mind. Her visit was planned weeks before it happened. Kim made sure Trump was open to the possibility of issuing a pardon for the woman she was trying to get out of prison. Days before the meeting the White House press secretary commented publicly about the jailed woman’s story as a way to show they were taking Kim’s visit and cause seriously.
That is how these things work. Until Trump shows signs that he’s open to hearing about Kaepernick’s cause and make a public statement about police brutality and inequality in our justice system, a white house meeting would be a waste of time and will only benefit one side. A discussion about “opening a dialogue” is a classic bait and switch move that politicians use all the time when they want the appearance of action without having to do anything. Thank god Kaepernick is smart enough not to fall for it and I wish Kanye had more clarity on it.
What We Deserve
CNN does panel discussions with Trump voters sometimes and I try my best to avoid them. Partly because I’m tired of hearing journalist treat them like they’re a huge voting block when in reality they are a small group who’s numbers are dwindling day by day according to most polls. I also hate the way the host has to treat the nonsense some of the panelist say as something that deserves serious consideration. Like in the video clip here where one of the ladies says she likes Trump because she’s a Christian and she saw him on a Christian TV network. If I was hosting that panel I think that would be the day I walk off set and seek a new profession. Trump voters get coddled on most mainstream media outlets and it drives me crazy.
It’s also incredibly difficult for me to watch Trump supporters explain why they support him. Watching the people on this panel makes me question the intelligence of my fellow Americans. That leads me to a very dark and cynical conclusion; we’re getting exactly what we deserve with Trump and his circus.
If we can’t tell the difference between the truth and a lie even when the lie is obvious, maybe we deserve Trump. If we can’t tell the difference between someone speaking with intelligence and someone who sounds like a moron, maybe we deserve Trump. If we watched him call Nazi’s fine people after Charlottesville, and called the Puerto Rican victims of hurricane Maria lazy and ungrateful, maybe we deserve Trump. If we watched him retweet racist white nationalist memes about black crime statistics, and watched while his administration put South American children in cages after ripping them out of the arms of their parents as a punishment for seeking asylum in America, maybe we deserve Trump.
If we allow republicans to point to the economy whenever we bring up legitimate concerns about Trump and his chaotic presidency, maybe we deserve Trump. As if good job numbers makes his many failures and bottomless pit of shortcomings ok. If that’s the only metric we’re going to use to judge Trump’s job performance as president, then we most definitely deserve every horrible atrocity that he has already committed, and without a doubt we’ll deserve every future atrocity his abhorrent leadership will most certainly produce.
The good news is, we have a chance to finally get some badly needed oversight done on the executive branch. The midterm elections are only a month away and us democrats are expected to win back the house of representatives and maybe even gain a few seats in the senate. All we have to do is turn out and vote. That means there is hope… hope you’ll get off your ass and vote.
Can We Forgive Omarosa
I’m not a fan of Omarosa and I hate how she allowed herself to be used by Trump to deflect charges of racism when she knew damn well that he was a racist. I felt like she sold out my entire community for an ignorant bigoted man-child. She even decided to stay working for him after his disgustingly racist comments after the Charlottesville incident. To me that’s almost unforgivable. But now she no longer works for Trump and she’s exposing a lot of things she saw during her time in the White House. And she’s finally admitting the truth that Trump is indeed a racist.
There’s a lot I still do not like about her but whenever the press talks about how unqualified she was for that position in the White House I feel like defending her. She worked in the White House when Clinton was president, and also worked for former vice president Al Gore. She also worked on a few campaigns for democrat candidates. She has a graduate degree in communications and another degree in journalism. I feel like most people aren’t aware of how hard it is to come by these types of accomplishments when you’re an African American (especially an African American woman). I know from my own personal experiences that you have to constantly prove yourself and swallow a ton of racist comments if you want to climb that corporate ladder because every day you walk into work I guarantee a few of your white colleagues are looking at you and wondering why you are there and what your qualifications are. Or they’ll assume you were hired to fill some kind of diversity quota.
Another thing that bothers me is the way journalist constantly question her credibility even though she has proof of what she’s saying. The tapes she has released so far have been verified and authenticated by news organizations so why are they adding commentary about her trustworthiness and credibility right before they begin playing clips from her tapes? If she was making accusations without proof then it would be appropriate to question that. Thank god she had the forethought to record everything because if it turned into a he said she said type of situation, the black woman would be the loser in that scenario.
This extremely intelligent African American woman is taking Trump to task in a way that no one in politics can. Let’s give her a little breathing room and enjoy the show because I bet she’s just getting started. Everyone deserves a second chance especially when they’re bringing the kind of ammunition she has to our gun fight. At this point I could care less what her motives are. I’d rather focus on results.
Power To Change It All
A new release from an up and coming hip hop artist/producer adds a much needed soundtrack to the new-found activism that is energizing young men and women of color. The song is “Power” and the artist’s name is Rell. He gave me an interview and allowed Socially Urban to debut the new song and video. The full interview can be read below the video.
Thanks for sitting down with us. What inspired the song “Power” and what message were you hoping to get across with it?
“My inspiration came from seeing how with this new government is running things and giving those who still live on and believe in racial inequality the green light to exhibit racial and bigoted behavior without any consequences.”
“I’m trying to get across to the black and brown culture that we have the ability to change this all. We have the numbers, the platforms and the influence but we have to come together with unity and educate our youth since they are our future lawyers, doctors, judges and politicians.”
The lyrics in the hook says “you have the power to change it all”. Is that message specifically for the youth of today? If so how hopeful are you that the new generation can change it all?
“That’s exactly what I was referring to. The younger generations are more inclusive and accepting of all regardless of Race, Religion, or Sexual Orientation. With hearts and minds like that, they are the answer to making the old, racist raised bigots in charge extinct.”
It’s pretty incredible that you did all of this yourself, and I think the finished product is impressive. How long did it take to write record and shoot a full video for this song?
“Thanks, I really appreciate you acknowledging the process and what it takes. I’m actually a certified audio engineer by way of Omega Studios School of Recording Arts and Sciences in Rockville, MD and I’ve been producing music since about 2003. I’ve always been a lyricist at heart ever since I can remember. Me and my cousin wrote our first song somewhere around the age of 8 or 9 I think. What’s crazy is I still remember my verse. It took me about 3 days to actually write “Power”. I’ve had the beat for a while but the vibe hit me only recently. I shot and edited the video in one day. All i had was a black backdrop, iMovie, DSLR camera and a vision. My cousin has always been my drive and motivation to continue my music journey. He was the first person to put me in a professional studio and ever since then I’ve been hooked and forever grateful. I’m attending Full Sail University now to get my Bachelors in Music to close the loop and become a triple threat in the music industry.”
I think this kind of music is very much in need right now in this racially charged political environment. When can we expect a full album like this from you?
“I’m looking to drop an album around the 4th quarter this year. Hopefully around August or September at the latest.”
I’d like to thank Rell for letting us debut his new video and letting us ask him a few questions. You can follow Rell at www.twitter.com/RellDaProducer and www.instagram.com/RellDaProducer to get updates on his new material.
FACT Trump Is A Racist
While meeting with lawmakers to discuss an immigration deal, President Trump asked, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” He made this comment referring to people from African countries and people from the island nation of Haiti. He went on to ask “why can’t we have more people from Norway” instead of immigrants from countries populated by black and Hispanic people. A few weeks ago President Trump said in a staff meeting about immigration that “all Hatians have AIDS”, and once African immigrants get to the United States “we’ll never be able to convince them to go back to their huts”.
These comments from the president aren’t very surprising to anyone who has paid attention to his statements and actions over the course of his life and career in the public eye. He has a long history of making racist statements and incorporating his racist world view in his business dealings. For example refusing to rent apartments to black people in New York. Telling the manager of his casino to put black and Hispanic employees in the kitchen because he didn’t want them seen on the floor. Panicking after a visit to the office of his accountant when he saw a black accountant preparing his taxes. He told the manager that he only wanted Jewish people working on his financials. There are a lot of stories like this (that have been verified in discrimination lawsuits and deposition testimony) about Trump.
I’m highlighting these examples because I know there’s a segment of the population here in the U.S. who will defend him without knowing his history. Ignorance is never a defense but I do feel that those who know his history but still comes to his defense like some of Trump’s republican colleagues did yesterday, there’s a special place in hell for those people. One congressman said that it was ok for Trump to say what he said about preferring white Norwegian immigrants over black immigrants because Trump was voicing an opinion that a lot of Americans happen to share. Even if that were true, I fail to see how that makes it ok. How does the popularity of a comment decide it’s moral value? During the civil rights movement most white Americans wanted to maintain the status quo where blacks were discriminated against and considered second class citizens by law. But president Kennedy and some allies in congress saw that the popular opinion was wrong and morally reprehensible. They knew passing the civil rights act would probably end their chances of getting re-elected, but did it anyway (thanks to leaders like MLK who organized a movement that wouldn’t allow men of conscience to ignore the state of the oppressed).
Real leaders are supposed to lead. Presidents are supposed to be aspirational. They are supposed to project a vision that gives everyone something to aspire to. They are supposed to show us how we could be better as a country. Former President Barack Obama understood this and you could tell it was genuine because it influenced every decision he made as president. Almost to a fault he believed Americans were inherently good people whose sense of right and wrong would always move us further if presented with a choice. Our current president has a much darker view. His stated goal to “make America great again” involves taking us back to a time before the civil rights movement. He sees America as a white country with black and brown usurpers that should never have been.given equal rights. His every statement and action as president shows an intention to undo that. Those who run to his defense are showing us their intent to help him reach that goal. Trump and his apologists are mainstreaming white supremacy.
Mainstream media have been very hesitant to call Trump a racist even though the evidence continues to mount. Yes, Trump is indeed a racist but I believe the annals of history will go one step further and call him what he really is, which is a white supremacist. His defenders need to decide if that’s a title they would like to be associated with, because that’s the way history will remember them as well.
Charlottesville Reality
Everyone has seen the awful events that took place in Charlottesville Virginia (8/12/17). Neo-Nazi, anti-semitic, alt-right racist planned an attack on our country and carried it out. Lives were lost, people were injured, and those of us who watched these things happen on the news were horrified. Our president Donald Trump made a statement immediately after the attacks and refused to call these attacks terrorism and refused to denounce the alt-right white supremacists by name. Some people were shocked by his comments, and a lot of people are still hoping he will denounce these hate groups by name. I do not share this hope. I am happy he didn’t denounce these hate groups, and here’s why.
President Trump hired a leader in the alt-right white supremacist movement and made him a senior advisor (Steve Bannon). There are many more like Steve Bannon who work in Trump’s administration with very close ties to hate groups and a well documented history of their racist beliefs. Most of the people who consider themselves a part of Trump’s base are well aware of the people Trump has chosen to surround himself with. They are aware of Trump’s racist well established world view (Central Park 5, housing discrimination, birtherism, Islamophobia, staffing choices in his casinos and hotels, encouraging police brutality, Judge Curiel, etc).
They got an earful of it at every Trump rally. The nastier the rhetoric, the louder they cheered. He didn’t try to hide his racist views so it always puzzled me why establishment Republicans believed this was an act that would go away after he took the oath of office. As if putting his hand on the Bible would change the ways of a 70 year old man.
This is why I believe his supporters who are holding out hope that he’ll make another statement with a more forceful unequivocal denunciation of the neo-Nazi white supremacist hate groups, aren’t really hoping he has seen the error in his beliefs and the hate in his heart. What they are hoping for is plausible deniability. They want to pretend they are unaware of Trump’s bigoted views. They want to pretend their support of him has nothing to do with him being a racist. They want to continue ignoring the background of his advisors. They want to continue to believe that his win in 2016 had nothing to do with race. They want to continue to believe that political correctness and not race are the real problems we’re facing right now. Events like Charlottesville rips away that cover. President Trump’s non-denouncement of specific hate groups that took the lives of Americans shines a light on something that was there all along. We have a racist president with racist views who will always sympathize with people and groups who have beliefs similar to his own.
That’s why I hope he doesn’t try to walk-back his statement about “hate on both sides”. From this point on, his supporters must be honest about why they thought he would “make America great again”. Or at the very least stop acting surprised and outraged at his behavior whenever that shield of deniability slips and gives us another peek at the bigot behind it. #Charlottesville #altRightWhiteHouse #SociallyUrban