A12 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019 WST LATIMES.COM
peril facing Buttigieg’s cam-
paign.
He may be a fundraising
powerhouse. He may have
surged into contention in
Iowa and New Hampshire,
the two early-voting states
that will help cull the vast
Democratic field. But it
seems impossible for him to
win the nomination without
drastically improving his
standing among African
Americans, the base of the
party, here in South Car-
olina and across the country.
Surveys show Buttigieg’s
support among black voters
in the low single digits and
his approval rating, while
positive, lagging far behind
those of his main rivals, Bid-
en and Sens. Elizabeth War-
ren of Massachusetts and
Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
A good part of the reason
may be a lack of familiarity
with the 37-year-old mayor
of a midsized city.
“So much depends on a
sense of knowing you,”
Buttigieg told reporters af-
ter speaking at a service for
black congregants from the
region. (Worshipers were
greeted by a stack of Biden
fliers on a table outside the
sanctuary.)
“When you’ve been on the
scene for years or for dec-
ades you have the benefit of
voters feeling like they have a
sense of you,” Buttigieg said.
“I think that we can create
that at an accelerated pace,
but that means I’ve got to do
the work.”
Some resistance may
stem from controversies
back home in South Bend,
Ind., over the 2012 firing of
the city’s black police chief
and last summer’s fatal
shooting of a black man by a
white police officer. There
have also been campaign
missteps. Earlier this
month, Buttigieg returned
thousands of dollars con-
tributed by a Chicago lawyer
who tried to block the re-
lease of a video in the 2014 po-
lice killing of a black teen.
Some of it owes to Butti-
gieg’s relative inexperience,
especially compared with
Biden’s nearly half-century
in public life — including
eight years as Barack Oba-
ma’s vice president.
“It’s not so much his age,”
said Vaughn Wilson, 59,
pausing at Columbia’s his-
torically black Benedict Col-
lege, where he serves as a
dorm manager. “If he was
the governor of Indiana, that
wouldn’t be a problem.”
And part of it may be the
fact Buttigieg is openly gay,
offending the sensibilities of
some more socially conser-
vative African Americans,
like Charles Brooks III. “Notmy cup of tea,” said the 80-
year-old theater professor,
as the candidate prepared to
address a campus forum on
racial justice being held a
short walk down the hall.
Black voters make up
about 20% of the Demo-
cratic electorate nationwide
and more than half in several
Southern states, including
South Carolina, which is
fourth on the 2020 political
calendar, after Iowa, New
Hampshire and Nevada.The numbers aren’t enough
to decide who will be the no-
minee. But African Ameri-
cans may determine who
won’tbe the nominee if they
vote en masse like they did
for Obama over Hillary Clin-
ton in 2008, and for Clinton
over Bernie Sanders in 2016.
Buttigieg has worked in
several ways to improve his
standing among black vot-
ers. He has prioritized hiring
people of color as his flush
campaign rapidly expands.He was introduced at
church and at his Rock Hill
rally by black supporters;
questions submitted before-
hand were read onstage by
the African American presi-
dent of Winthrop Universi-
ty’s Democratic club.
More substantively, he
proposes what he calls the
Douglass Plan, named for
the famed abolitionist, to
address the systemic racism
that has plagued the coun-
try from its inception.
Among its initiatives, the
18-page proposal would di-
rect 25% of federal contract-
ing go to historically disad-
vantaged businesses; estab-
lish government-funded
“Health Equity Zones” to ad-
dress racial and demo-
graphic inequities in health-
care; enact a modern Voting
Rights Act to prevent voter
suppression; tighten the
standard for police officers
to use deadly force; abolish
the death penalty; and elimi-
nate federal incarceration
for drug possession.
“It is not enough to re-
place a racist policy with a
neutral policy and expect
justice to find its way for-
ward on its own,” he said at
the Benedict College forum.
“We have to bring intention,
as much intention and re-
sources as we brought into
the Marshall Plan that re-
built Europe” after World
War II.
Buttigieg is careful to ac-
knowledge that he can’t say
what it’s like to be black in
America. “I have not had the
experience of being more
likely to be pulled over, or
less likely to be called back
for a job interview. Or less
likely to be believed describ-
ing symptoms of pain,” he
said.
But as a gay man, he went
on, he knows what it’s like to
face phobia, prejudice and
the threat of violence for
simply being oneself. “All of
us in different ways have
been led to question
whether we belong,” he told
the audience of black wor-
shipers. “And I know what it
is to look on the news and see
your rights up for debate.”
(In a turnabout from his
rally, Buttigieg was the only
white face in a sea of hun-dreds of African American
congregants.)
Buttigieg has spent
months answering ques-
tions about his paltry black
support. He did so again af-
ter church, in a parking lot
across the street, behind
Soul Gourmet restaurant.
He acknowledged that
some in the churchgoing
South have a problem with
his sexual orientation and
the fact he has a husband,
but said they would grow
more comfortable once they
got to know him and his poli-
cies, as voters in his city
have.
“I think as long as I can
convey to voters here and
across the country what my
presidency would mean to
their everyday lives, then a
lot of the other stuff will fall
away,” he said.
Victory in Iowa or New
Hampshire, Buttigieg add-
ed, would help. “People need
to know that you can win,”
he said before ducking into a
black SUV bound for his
next stop, a traveling version
of the Vietnam War memori-
al. “One of the best ways to
settle that question is to do
well someplace else.”
Lamont Williams, who
drove two hours from Win-
ston-Salem, N.C., so his wife
could cheer Buttigieg, sug-
gested as much.
“I was a staunch Hillary
supporter and kind of had
my reservations about
Obama,” he said of the 2008
Democratic race. “But once
he gained traction in Iowa,
New Hampshire ... you
started to feel momentum
and it seemed like the elect-
ability was there.”
Resistance to Buttigieg’s
sexual orientation may be
harder to overcome.
Although polls show a
narrow majority of African
Americans support gay
marriage, they are far less
supportive than other
Democrats. Older black vot-
ers, the likeliest to turn out,
are particularly resistant.
Alexander Brown be-
lieves age, gender and sexual
orientation are irrelevant to
a candidate’s qualifications.
“When it comes to judg-
ing a president, it should be
policy,” said Brown, who is 17
and eager to cast his first
presidential ballot in 2020.
Although still uncommitted,
he likes how Buttiegieg
“takes the time to actually
break down policies that
youth like myself don’t really
understand but will one
day.”
Older black voters — the
likeliest to turn out — are
less accepting.
“If that’s what he says he
is, I mean, we can’t change
that,” said Phyllis Bouler, 65,
as she awaited the start of
services. “But that would be
a problem for some people.”
Henry Jones, for in-
stance. He knew little about
Buttigieg but immediately
soured on his candidacy
when he learned of his mari-
tal status. “I don’t think it’s
right for gay people to
marry,” said Jones, 75.
“They’re not going up there”
— he pointed heavenward,
before turning a judgmental
thumb down — “they’re go-
ing down there. I’m not say-
ing he wouldn’t make a good
president. But I’m not going
to vote for him.”
Jones likes Biden in the
Democratic primary, but if
he falls short, the retired tex-
tile worker said without
hesitation that he would
support Buttigieg over Pres-
ident Trump.Buttigieg struggles for black support
[Buttigieg,from A1]
LAMONT WILLIAMSwore a Pete Buttigieg sticker at a recent rally to be a good
sport for his wife, Lauren, but he’s leaning toward voting for Joe Biden.Photographs by Mark Z. BarabakLos Angeles TimesHENRY JONESbelieves homosexual-
ity is a sin, but will vote for Buttigieg
if he wins the Democratic nomination.VAUGHN WILSONisn’t bothered by
Buttigieg’s relative youth, but believes
he falls short on experience.UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHARLOTTE DIVISION
In re
KAISER GYPSUM COMPANY,INC.,et al.,^1
Debtors.)
)
)Chapter 11
Case No.16-31602 (JCW)
(Jointly Administered)
NOTICE OF (I) DEADLINE FOR CASTING VOTES TO ACCEPT OR REJECT PROPOSED JOINT
PLAN OF REORGANIZATION, (II) HEARING TO CONSIDER CONFIRMATION OF PROPOSED
JOINT PLAN OF REORGANIZATION AND (III) RELATED MATTERS
PLEASETAKENOTICEOFTHEFOLLOWING:- On October 21, 2019, (a) Kaiser Gypsum, Inc. and Hanson Permanente Cement, Inc. (formerly known as Kaiser
Cement Corporation) (together, the “Debtors”), Lehigh Hanson, Inc., the Official Committee of Asbestos Personal
Injury Claimants and the Future Claimants’ Representative filed their Third Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization
of Kaiser Gypsum Company,Inc.and Hanson Permanente Cement,Inc.,dated October 14,2019 (as it may be amended,
the“Plan”) and (b) the Debtors filed the Disclosure Statement Pursuant to Section 1125 of the Bankruptcy Code for the
Third Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization of Kaiser Gypsum Company,Inc.and Hanson Permanente Cement,Inc.dated
October14,2019(asitmaybeamended,the“DisclosureStatement”). - Pursuant to an order of the Court dated October 23, 2019 (the “Disclosure Statement Order”), the Disclosure
Statement and certain related materials (collectively,the“Solicitation Packages”) have been approved for dissemination
to holders of claims against and interests in the Debtors and for solicitation of votes from holders of asbestos-related
personal injury claims to accept or reject the Plan. All Plan-related documents that have been filed with the Court,
including the Disclosure Statement, are available via the Internet at http://www.ncwb.uscourts.gov and https://cases.
primeclerk.com/kaisergypsum. You may obtain a paper copy of the documents otherwise available on the Internet and
provided on CD-ROM or USB Flash Drive by sending a request,in writing,to Prime Clerk LLC,Kaiser Gypsum Company,Inc.
BallotProcessing,c/oPrimeClerk,8303rdAvenue,3rdFloor,NewYork,NewYork10022. - A hearing to consider confirmation of the Plan (the “Confirmation Hearing”) has been scheduled for March
30, 2020 to April 4, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) before the Honorable J. Craig Whitley, United States
Bankruptcy Judge, in the Judge’s courtroom at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North
Carolina,401W.TradeStreet,Charlotte,NorthCarolina28202. - Pursuant to the Disclosure Statement Order, the Court approved certain procedures for tabulation of votes to
accept or reject the Plan,which are attached to the Disclosure Statement as Exhibit II. Only holders of asbestos-related
personal injury claims,including claims for contribution and indemnification,as of October 17,2019 (the voting record
date as established in the Disclosure Statement Order),which are classified in Class 4 of the Plan,are entitled to receive
a ballot for casting a vote on the Plan (a“Ballot”). Holders of claims and interests in all other classes of the Plan are not
impairedbythePlanand,therefore,aredeemedtoacceptthePlan. - For a vote to accept or reject the Plan to be counted, a Ballot must be completed and returned to the address
indicatedontheBallotsothatitisreceivedby5:00p.m.(prevailingEasternTime),onFebruary20,2020.
6.The Plan proposes a channeling injunction, applicable to all persons and entities, that permanently
channels to a trust established pursuant to section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code for resolution all claims,
remedies, liabilities or demands against one or both of the Debtors or certain other protected parties
for death or personal injuries caused directly or indirectly by the presence of, or exposure to, asbestos,
including any claims or demands for reimbursement, indemnification, subrogation or contribution. In
addition, the Plan proposes (i) an injunction that permanently enjoins the pursuit of any claim against or
interest in the Debtors, the reorganized Debtors, or any of their respective property to the extent that such
claim or interest has been discharged, released, waived, settled or deemed satisfied in accordance with the
Plan (other than the enforcement of any right pursuant to the Plan to a distribution); and (ii) an injunction,
applicable to all persons or entities, that permanently enjoins the pursuit of any claims, obligations, suits,
judgments, damages, demands, debts, rights, causes of action or liabilities that are released pursuant
to the Plan against any released entity or its property; except that, pursuant to the Plan, with respect to
the Debtors’ insured asbestos claims, asbestos claimants may initiate, continue and/or prosecute suits
against the reorganized Debtors in name only in the tort system to collect available insurance. For the
specific terms and conditions of these injunctions and the precise scope of the claims and demands to be
channeled, please refer to the specific terms of the Plan, which can be obtained as described above. - Objections, if any, to confirmation of the Plan must be filed with the Bankruptcy Court and served so as to be
actually received on or before 5:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) on February 20, 2020, as set forth in the Disclosure
StatementOrder.
(^1) TheDebtorsarethefollowingentities(thelastfourdigitsoftheirrespectivetaxpayeridentificationnumbersfollowin
parentheses): Kaiser Gypsum Company,Inc.(0188) and Hanson Permanente Cement,Inc.(7313). The Debtors’address is
300E.JohnCarpenterFreeway,Irving,Texas75062.
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