NAACP Interim President and CEO makes statement on scheduled expiration of a Federal Stimulus Package for Food Stamp Program

BALTIMORE, Md. – A reduction of federal stimulus funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been set. Funding is set to decrease by 5.4 percent.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for families of three, the cut will be $29 a month — a total of $319 for November 2013 through September 2014, the remaining months of fiscal year 2014, and SNAP benefits will average less than $1.40 per person per meal in 2014. In response, Lorraine Miller, NAACP Interim President and CEO, released the following statement:
“The reduction in vital food assistance benefits is endangering millions of families in the United States,” said Lorraine C. Miller, NAACP Interim President and CEO. “Our elected officials have dropped the ball during a time when too many American families are still suffering from high rates of unemployment and increased homelessness. It is deplorable that in this day and age some politicians are unwilling to take care of their fellow citizens in need. Congress must act immediately to restore these essential funds.“

 NEW YORK, N.Y. – The NAACP has condemned a federal appeals court for granting a stay that will block implementation of changes to New York City’s stop-and-frisk program, and also for removing Judge Schira Scheindlin from the case.

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous:
“’Stop-and-frisk’ policing is nothing less than the largest racial profiling program in the country, and Judge Scheindlin was right to rule it unconstitutional. No matter the outcome of this appeal, the people of New York City have already voted to reform the program despite the best efforts of Mayor Bloomberg. Legalized racial profiling has been discredited and will ultimately be relegated to the dustbin of history.”

NAACP Criminal Justice Director Dr. Niaz Kasravi:
“This is a disappointing roadblock in the effort to fight profiling on New York City’s streets. Judge Scheindlin’s decision responded to vast amounts of evidence that the NYPD profiled based on race, ethnicity, LGBT-status, and faith. We will continue to fight until we end bias-based policing in New York City and across the country.”

New York NAACP and New York City NAACP President Hazel Dukes:
“Communities of color across New York City have been discriminated by law enforcement for far too long. We have fought too long and too hard to stop fighting now. We will continue to demand protections for our civil and human rights.”

Earlier this summer, in Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al, Judge Schiendlin ruled that the NYPD violated the Constitution in the way it carried out its program of stopping and questioning people. She assigned a federal monitor to help the police department change its policy and training program.
In August, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of the Community Safety Act, a bundle of legislation that bans racial and religious profiling, establishes an NYPD Inspector General Office, and provides greater protection against unlawful search and seizure.
New York City appealed the case, and this afternoon the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it would stay the decision, as well as Judge Scheindlin’s remedies.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.
Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
“This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country. We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves. Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling.” Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail.
Other characteristics of this scam include:
•    Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
•    Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
•    Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
•    Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
•    Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
•    After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:

•    If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
•    If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
•    If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.

Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.
More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.
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