The Me-Too Movement will Never Go Away

 The Daily Grind -View as a web page | [View Online]( [The DAily GRIND News]( Grind for January 2, 2018 # First sip "Time, the devourer of all things." - Ovid   [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Dark Roast The Headline Drug Pushers are Charged with Overdose Deaths The Grind Since opioid addiction and overdoses are at an all-time high, some law enforcement departments and prosecutors are taken a stricter stance on not only drug dealers, but also those involved in overdose deaths. After discovering drug overdose victims in the past, officials would rarely continue the investigation. But detectives in Hamilton County, Ohio are continuing to investigate these deaths by interviewing relatives, witnesses, and others involved to see if anyone is accountable for the overdose. Last year, Daniel Eckhardt's lifeless body was discovered and the local authorities have continued the investigation, which has led to a series of prosecutions. "Detectives interrogated witnesses and obtained search warrants in an effort to hold someone accountable for Mr. Eckhardt's death. The prosecutor for Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati and its suburbs, charged three of Mr. Eckhardt's companions, including his ex-wife and her boyfriend, with crimes including involuntary manslaughter, an offense carrying a maximum prison sentence of 11 years," writes the Wall Street Journal. The Facts The three individuals charged were deemed partly responsible for Eckhardt's death because they bought and used the drug with him. In Hamilton County, the overdose death rate has almost more than tripled from 2006 and 2016. The county has a newly created heroin task force to look closely at the overdose cases and charge those who were at least partially responsible. But this move to expand investigations isn't only happening in Ohio. In Maryland, a drug dealer was charged with manslaughter after one of his clients was found dead. "It takes two to tango," said the victim's mother "It takes two, and the victim has paid the ultimate price with their life. So it's fair that the other person should be charged." Maryland prosecutors are coming after dealers. "They're dealing in death," said Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington. "It's our job to hold them accountable." Since 2014, 21 people in Maryland have been charged with manslaughter in overdose cases. "The drug dealers have to pay the consequences," said St. Mary's County State's Attorney Richard Fritz. "For $50, they do not mind killing our children, our wives, our fathers, our brothers, our sisters. This has got to stop." A man in Wilmington, NC was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison after his girlfriend died of an overdose from Heroin. "If you inject another person with an opiate and they die from this, the law holds you responsible for their death. The fact that you also consumed the substance yourself does not absolve you of this: there is no doubt you are criminally responsible. Our office remains committed to use every tool in our tool box to save our community from the ravages of opiates and will prosecute those who contribute to the demise of others," said Assistant District Attorney Timothy Severo. Stricter prosecutions are part of a national movement and will hopefully help to get the opioid epidemic under control. This has evidently led to more arrests. "At least 86 people nationwide received federal prison sentences last year for distributing drugs resulting in death or serious injury, up 16% from 2012, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, a federal agency that determines sentencing guidelines for judges. An analysis of news reports found 1,200 mentions nationally about drug-death prosecutions in 2016, three times the number in 2011, according to a recent report by the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit group that supports decriminalizing drug use," writes the Wall Street Journal. "But in courtrooms around the country, prosecutors are also sweeping up low-level dealers who are addicts trying to support their habit, as well as friends and family members of overdose victims who bought or shared drugs with the deceased. Some critics of the prosecution tactic say these users need treatment, not harsh prison sentences." The stricter penalties have also caused smaller dealers to give information to the police about the big suppliers where they are getting the drugs from. "When someone is looking at 20 years to life, they're gonna tell you whatever they know to save themselves," said Kerry B. Harvey, a former U.S. attorney in Kentucky, who made prosecuting drug-deaths from 2010 to 2017 a priority. In the last year, 64,000 people died due to overdoses from these types of drugs. This is an 86% in the national death rate from 2006. [share]( [tweet]( You Might Like        [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Trending The Headline The #metoo Movement Isn't Going Away Any Time Soon The Grind Since Alyssa Milano's #metoo campaign tweet, where she asked her followers to open up and share their story on sexual harassment at the workplace, many men across the country are thinking twice about flirting or treating women differently at work. Men are getting a bad rap nowadays, and it seems that co-ed relationships at work are being viewed with a magnifying glass. Regardless if a male coworker is kind, helpful, and respectful, society now sees them as guilty until proven innocent, making many men think twice before asking a female coworker to lunch, and being in a meeting alone with a female behind closed office doors. Men like Vice President Mike Pence know the vulnerabilities of men and women working together, which is why he's long said he doesn't have one-on-one meals with any woman except his wife and wants her by his side anywhere alcohol is served, as part of the couple's commitment to prioritizing their marriage. These guidelines have "been a blessing to us," Pence told Christian Broadcasting Network News in an interview. The "me too" campaign was originally created by a black woman, Tarana Burke, ten years ago in 2007 as a way to connect with survivors. Milano gave Burke credit for founding the "me too" wave and shared a link to Burke's youth organization, Just Be Inc., where the mission is "the health, well-being, and wholeness of brown girls everywhere," according to its website. "It wasn't built to be a viral campaign or a hashtag that is here today and forgotten tomorrow," Burke told Ebony. "It was a catchphrase to be used from survivor to survivor to let folks know that they were not alone and that a movement for radical healing was happening and possible." The recent movement created more than 12 million Facebook posts, comments and reactions to the #metoo hashtag, and around 1.7 million tweets, reaching 85 countries. With the campaign still gaining popularity, each new allegation seems to give women even more strength to tell own their story. Famous men like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Friedman, along with several others are on the growing list of Hollywood sexual misconduct accusations. But Tinseltown isn't the only one with accusers on the rise, with claims against both democrats and republicans, several politicians are also shaking in their boots, including Rep. John Conyers D-Mich, Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold, Rep. Bobby Scott D-Va, and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. The Implication What's going to become of the workplace now? Author and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg wrote in a recent post "I have already heard the rumblings of a backlash: `This is why you shouldn't hire women.'" If Sandberg is right, then we may see a shift in hiring trends. However, this scenario is highly unlikely since the EEOC states for businesses "it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information." No one has the right to assault or harass anyone at the workplace, regardless of their title, how much money is in the bank, their perceived power, control, social influence, and general popularity. A scumbag is a scumbag, and that's all there is to it. So what will the workplace look like in 2018? Will men eventually stop talking and engaging with women altogether, turning the future of the workplace into a more segregated work society? It's tough to say, but one thing is for sure, the movement isn't over. [share]( [tweet]( Good to the last drop Did you know... It takes twelve ears of corn to make a tablespoon of corn oil. [share](#) [tweet](#) Help The Daily Grind support our Friends at Lady Freethinker You Might Like    [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}" TO OPT OUT [OPT OUT]( your email address from our list. We respect your right to privacy. [View our policy.]( This email was sent by: The Daily Grind News 6890 E. 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