In the News

SALT LAKE CITY — It appears the west side of Salt Lake City is once again on the wrong side of the digital divide, as almost all permitted 5G antennas are being concentrated downtown and in eastern neighborhoods of the city.

It's a multifaceted issue the city has little to no control over, and one that Turner Bitton, vice chair for the Westside Coalition in Salt Lake, said needs to be addressed by the telecommunication companies behind the installations.

As the world continues to shift online, a process accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it's crucial that residents across the city have equal access to investment technology, Bitton said. When it comes to 5G specifically, those living on the west side could benefit greatly from access considering many in the area use a cell phone as a primary device.

"Many families rely on a cellphone connection to do what many of us do on a computer, and so 5G — the better the speed, the more people we can get connected, the quicker we can close that digital divide, the better it will be for our communities," Bitton said.

It's not just an issue of geographical access for residents but also an issue of not having a voice in the matter — something those living on the east side of Salt Lake also experience as cell companies call the shots on antenna locations.

Thanks to state and federal regulations that favor the tech companies, cities have almost no say in where the antennas are installed, and residents have even less of a say. There is no public engagement process when it comes to installing 5G antennas, leading to confusion and outrage among residents.

Last year, a man chained himself to a Salt Lake City pole in the middle of construction as a protest against the technology. Other residents have also voiced opposition to the location of the poles, according to city council members who cite constituent concerns.

"I think this falls on the technology companies at some level. The community engagement process needs to be much better, and then we can all celebrate the increase in access to technology," Bitton said.

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As we see many communities expanding and growing around Salt Lake, it’s important to ask who defines a community. For years, Salt Lake City’s Westside, the area west of I-15 between 2100 South and 2800 North, has been viewed by other city residents through ethnic, income, and crime-related stereotypes—as the proverbial “wrong side of the tracks.” For Charlotte Fife-Jepperson, Co-founder and Managing Editor of The West View and nearly 50-year west-SLC resident, these notions of community identity drive her to provide a vessel for the Westside community to define itself through the free, regional newspaper, The West View.

If you are a resident or business operating on the Westside, you may be familiar with The West View because a new issue arrives in your mailbox once every fall, winter and summer. Flipping through the newspaper, you will find a wide range of volunteer-produced content that Fife-Jepperson describes as “a mix of hard news (stories about serious issues and hot topics such as homelessness, evictions, calls for police reform, the U.S. census, elections, addiction, education, etc.), soft news (human-interest stories, business and nonprofit features) and opinion pieces where the author gives their perspective on a specific topic, or shares a personal story.”

“Engaging and connecting diverse populations in Salt Lake City is part of our guiding mission.”

Salt Lake’s Westside is host to an ethnically rich population where you can expect to hear a range of languages from around the globe. While there are many different groups present, aside from rubbing elbows in line at the post office, there may not be as many opportunities to better understand who our Westside neighbors are. “Engaging and connecting diverse populations in Salt Lake City is part of our guiding mission,” Fife-Jepperson says. “Our paper is a reflection of our community. Readers can expect to see people of all different shades of skin and walks of life throughout the paper, as they will while walking through our neighborhoods or strolling through the aisles of our grocery stores.”

Turner Bitton, Executive Director of The West View’s nonprofit producer, West View Media, says it is defined “first and foremost by community connection. Our volunteers, board members and staff are also our neighbors.”  Fife-Jepperson—along with her husband, Chad Jepperson, and Edie Trimmer—started the community newspaper in 2000 when they wanted to provide a counter-perspective to the local media narratives at the time, which painted a negative view of the Westside. “We had a lot of pride in our neighborhood and wanted to highlight the incredible people, projects, places and history that were a part of it,” says Fife-Jepperson.

The newspaper predates the connections neighbors find on social media now, and has served an important role in connecting and aligning Westside neighbors on important issues. “It was also a way to invite Westside residents to get more involved in their community and with their local community councils,” says Fife-Jepperson. This communal empowerment and amplification encourages and enables community members to become active in combating misconceptions and advocating for themselves.

“We had a lot of pride in our neighborhood and wanted to highlight the incredible people, projects, places and history that were a part of it.”

Stories of a sixth-grader reflecting on her experience with virtual learning, an aspiring tattoo artist and the support she receives from her family, and a close look at the “Fleet Block” murals depicting victims of police violence and their relevance to the community are a few examples from the recent edition as to how The West View shares the community experience of Westsiders.

Support for the publication has increased as Bitton has helped acquire additional funding and grants, which has allowed  for expanded distribution. “Because we mail to every business and household in SLC’s Westside, we reach everyone—not just subscribers and the usual consumers of news,” says Fife-Jepperson. “We reach folks who may not have digital access to news and information. We provide content in other languages, primarily Spanish, to reach non-English-speaking neighbors.” Their expanded reach and wide representation has made The West View a powerful resource for individuals in the community with limited connectivity and language barriers in providing accurate information on COVID-19, local politics and other important issues.

Fife-Jepperson also wants SLC residents to know that anybody who has a connection to SLC’s Westside can provide content. Community members interested in contributing or helping to drive the direction of the publication are also invited to attend monthly newsroom meetings, which are currently virtual. You can RSVP through Facebook events at facebook.com/WestViewMedia or by emailing [email protected].

 

This piece originally appeared in SLUG Magazine. Click here to read the original article.

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The former site of Seven Peaks and Raging Waters in west Salt Lake City could soon be something new.

The city-owned space hasn’t been used for years, and members of the Glendale Community Council say it has attracted dangerous activity. Now, they’ve worked to survey their community to hear what they’d like to see happen at the site.

Most people in the area have fond memories of the old water park, said Turner Bitton, who chairs the Glendale Community Council.

“Really, this was a community gathering place when it was active," Bitton said.

2News found out the city spends around $5,000 a month for 24-hour security and water at the old water park, no the site of fires, thefts, trespassing, and injuries.

"We’ve had kids skateboarding on it, sliding down the slides," Bitton said. “It’s gone from being that magnet of fun and energy to a magnet for crime."

Bitton helped survey the Glendale community on what they’d like to see in the space. Popular options included pools, splash pads, open space, and community spaces.

“I have looked at those ideas, and they’re all great ideas, and they’re all possible," said Kristin Riker, public services deputy director for Salt Lake City. "It’s just a matter of deciding what the community wants."

Riker says the city has owned the space since the 1980s, but the land was purchased with federal funding that restricts what it can be used for.

"It’s pretty vague, and it’s open what it can be used for, but it needs to be active outdoor recreation," Riker explained.

The city isn’t thinking about selling — doing so would come with penalties — but some options, like returning to a water park, could be costly.

“it’s in the neighborhood of $20 million. It could be more," Riker said.

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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Utah Department of Health is offering more free rapid testingin targeted areas throughout the state. It comes as the state sees close to a 30% positivity rate in COVID-19 testing

Health department staff looked at things like high positivity rates, lower number of tests, and wastewater samples to figure out where these testing sites should be.

Glendale is one of the areas selected for free testing this week

“We’ve been hardest hit from pretty much the beginning of the pandemic," said Turner Bitton, chair of the Glendale Community Council.

There are a number of reasons the area has been so hard hit by the virus, Bitton said.

“Many of our neighbors work in jobs that are required; they’re essential workers," he explained.

 

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — There’s been plenty of buzz about the importance of getting a flu shot this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so dozens of families on the west side of Salt Lake City seized the opportunity at a drive-through clinic put on by the Westside Coalition.

More than 200 people rolled up their sleeves Saturday to get a free flu shot at Glendale Middle School.

The Westside Coalition wanted to make sure everybody had access to the immunization because those neighborhoods have been hard hit by COVID-19.

“This year is extra important,” said Reideen Pratt, who is not rolling the dice with the flu this year.

Pratt loaded her grandkids in her van and brought them over to get immunized.

She is on medication that kills white blood cells, so she’s very cautious.

“My grandkids live with me, and I just feel like it’s important to have flu shots to keep them safe and me safe, especially with COVID going on,” she said.

Turner Bitton is on the board of the Westside Coalition and helped organize the clinic.

“This year, it’s particularly important because communities like this have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” Bitton said.

The Coalition wanted everybody in Glendale, Poplar Grove, Rose Park, Fairpark, Westpointe, and Jordan Meadows to get the protection they need from the flu, especially during the pandemic.

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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The NAACP proposes 10 things to ensure effective police civilian review boards (CRBs). Among those is the power to subpoena witnesses and officers in police misconduct investigations — including cases of excessive or deadly force.

Utah lawmakers passed a law in 2019 that ensures CRBs have no authority in disciplining police officers who are guilty of misconduct.

In Utah, only West Valley and Salt Lake have civilian review boards, which allow civilians to investigate complaints against police officers in their communities.

The Salt Lake City Council has committed to reviewing its CRB after hundreds of residents made comments to the council about police reform after the recent protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In Salt Lake City, only the CRB’s paid investigator/administrator, Rick Rasmussen, can investigate complaints that go before the CRB. After his investigation, he compiles a report and presents all the evidence and information to the board, which then takes a vote on whether an officer committed misconduct or not. Rasmussen has the ability to interview any witnesses and officers involved in a case, and he has access to all the documents involved in the investigation.

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Turner joined Radioactive with Tony Caputo to discuss HEAL Utah's 2019 Fall Party. HEAL Utah is turning 20 and they’ll be throwing a big party on October 10. Special guests will include Tony Caputo and other Old Coots Giving Bad Advice.

SALT LAKE CITY — Sex workers in Utah say it's difficult to find someone in their industry who hasn't had a client take advantage of them.

In extreme cases, they are beaten, raped or robbed. But many don't report such crimes to police for fear they'll face criminal charges stemming from their own line of work. Advocates say the dilemma gives perpetrators license to reoffend and target the vulnerable group.

A proposal now pending at the Utah Legislature seeks to change that. The bill would grant immunity from criminal charges of solicitation and prostitution — generally misdemeanor offenses — for those who report crimes like rape, extortion or aggravated robbery.

"The violence comes from criminalization and stigma," said Nicole Maestas with the Magdalene Collective, a support group for Utah sex workers. "It makes sense to keep people safe."

Several police departments already direct officers not to arrest those who come forward as victims, but not every force takes the same approach, said Rep. Paul Ray, the Clearfield Republican sponsoring the measure. He wants to ensure immunity across Utah for those reporting more serious crimes in good faith.

"These are humans. And to say that just because of what they do, it's OK to victimize them, I disagree with that," Ray said. "It gets the word out a little bit better that if they are victimized, they have the right to call and go after the perpetrators."

Ray opposes efforts to legalize prostitution but believes granting a reprieve for victims is important. He decided to sponsor the bill after hearing Maestas and others raise the concern at a meeting Salt Lake police held in the fall.

The city's police force is among the Utah departments with a policy against investigating sex workers who report crimes, Ray said. His co-sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Karen Mayne, agrees with the tack.

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Loralee ’s (not her real name) two small children were screaming outside the locked door in their rented home in West Valley City. Her husband put a movie on his iPhone and slid it under the door to distract them before returning to sexually assault his 31-year-old pregnant wife. “I felt like he just unzipped his person suit,” she says. “He was a full-on monster.”

Loralee currently lives in a domestic violence shelter in Salt Lake City, with her three children, even as her in-name-only husband pursues her through family court for custody of their kids. She survived years of being physically and psychologically attacked, while also being raped repeatedly. In late spring 2016, he was charged with assault and domestic violence and was sentenced to 36 months probation in a plea deal.

Loralee is far from alone. One in 10 Utah adults reported some form of sexual assault in 2016, according to the Utah Department of Health. One in three Utah women will be subjected to intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

Unfortunately, domestic violence and sexual assault nonprofits are also notorious for infighting. There’s lots to argue about: there’s never enough money, passionate staffers burn out and leave and agencies fight for the same small pool of state-administered federal funds. There’s been little love lost in recent years between the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition (UDVC) and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA.) Many fear that the needs of domestic violence victims are being sidelined by bureaucratic bickering.

Despite both agencies being called coalitions, only one—UDVC—actually represents a coalition, namely Utah’s 16 DV shelters. UDVC began life as a state-sponsored council, until it spun off in 1994 to apply for federal grants. While UDVC’s shelter members provide help and support for domestic violence survivors, the twenty-two year old, federally-funded UCASA focuses on training advocates, rural outreach and prevention programs.

UDVC and UCASA used to work closely together. But then the agency’s founding executive director Judy Kasten-Bell left, to be replaced by Jennifer Oxborrow.

UCASA was run by Alana Kindness until late 2016, when Turner Bitton, not quite 26, stepped into her shoes.

The state adored Bitton. He was dynamic, “a breath of fresh air, active and progressive in the things he did,” says Ned Searle, director of the state Office on Violence Against Women. Quick with a media quote and adept at social media, Bitton had shepherded the five-person nonprofit into the 21st century with a snazzy website that proclaimed UCASA’s commitment to advancing “a society in which sexual violence is not tolerated.”

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