People should join this campaign for change because it presents a paradigm shift, environmentally, for the United States. Currently, our society channels water from every rainfall to be drained away. This causes dehydration of the land withheld water. Every hard surface produces rainwater run-off. These are places where rainfall could previously sink into the ground. We cannot remove every hard surface, like roofs and roads, so we must invest in managing that run-off more naturally to allow more water to soak into the aquifers. One more time, too often too much fresh water or storm water is directed into rivers and waterways before it can soak into the ground. Many of us have seen the pipes that discharge at incredible rates, and still don't seem to be enough to capture our ever-growing hard surface footprint. These pipes must be discharged before the natural environment and given spaces within the cities, towns, and farms to seep into the soils of the landscape. Every town and region will be different based upon rainfall and geologic boundaries. Securing fresh water resources for our environments will then increase the availability of fresh water for human use. Remember the power of the beaver, that is who and what we must encourage and replicate now.

On June 11th, 11 churches joined together to provide $25,000 in free gas in Prince George's County to provide direct aid to the community. Organizers were discouraged to learn that Sunoco Gas Station on Marlboro Pike increased the price per gallon by 10 cents during the event- and immediately lowered the price after. Currently, in Laurel, MD residents are receiving rent increases from $400.00 - $1600.00 as well as parking fees of varying amounts depending on rental seniority & Schweb Partners LLC based in Jackson, NJ claims this is market value for their units. Blatant exploitation and price gouging are unacceptable when our community is struggling to make ends meet, Maryland needs explicit anti-price gouging legislation to protect our citizens from industry greed.

This change lowers recidivism, decreases prison violence, reduces state spending, and increases public safety.

Please sign and pass along this petition so that New Orleans can “be in that number” of cities and states engaged in reparatory justice actions to address the glaring racial disparities in personal well-being between Black and white children and adults in the United States.

Over 6 million children in the US live with food insecurity. The expanded child tax credit, combined with the USDA program that provided free meals for all school children were a lifeline for hardworking families struggling to put food on the table. The double whammy of both these programs expiring, combined with rising grocery prices, puts America's children at further risk of hunger. No child should go to bed hungry. And we know that children can not learn if they are not fed. Universal free meals is the moral thing to do. It ensures our kids grow up healthy and well educated, which benefits us all.

Anybody who woke up in San Francisco under the orange sky on September 9, 2020 knows that climate change is undeniably upon us. But if we start now, there are still many things we can do to turn the tide and avoid the worst impacts. In our city that means rapidly switching our homes and vehicles off of fossil fuels and moving to cleaner, safer, electric alternatives powered by renewable energy; expanding transit; strengthening our ecosystems; and protecting and empowering the communities that will face the worst impacts. San Franciscans are ready to step up and do our part, but we need support and help from our city's leadership. The Department of the Environment (SFE) has outlined an $11 million budget over the next years to begin tackling the biggest sources of the city's carbon emissions, doing so in a way that focuses on justice and equity for the most vulnerable communities. Community groups are calling for additional funds for clean electrification pilots, incentives for eliminating fossil fuels in homes and transportation, and better clarity and protection from the hazards of sea level rise in Hunters Point and other contaminated areas. Additionally, planting trees to capture carbon and provide protection against extreme heat -- a key element of the CAP -- would be especially cost-effective in a city that lags most others in the extent of its tree canopy. Climate change won't wait for politics as usual to play itself out -- the longer we wait, the harder it gets to avoid the increasingly threatening consequences of a hotter planet. The Board of Supervisors will be reviewing the proposed budget in the month of June. We demand that they recognize the scale of the crisis by fully funding SFE's $11 million budget request and additional CAP priorities.

What does financial regulation have to do with the baby formula crisis? More than you might think. Just four companies sell almost all baby formula in the United States: Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle, and Perrigo. This concentration in the industry leaves the supply chain vulnerable. Abbott Laboratories, a $35 billion conglomerate, is under fire for manufacturing baby formula in dirty facilities that caused two babies to die of a bacterial infection and made at least two others sick. Now, one of the biggest factories in the country is closed while regulators work to ensure it’s free of contamination, which means desperate parents are driving hours just to find formula. How did this crisis happen? One reason is that regulators let Abbott Laboratories buy back more than $5 billion of its own stock while it covered up unsanitary conditions in its factory. Instead of making sure their product was safe, Abbott’s executives lied to safety inspectors while spending corporate cash on pumping up its stock price. Before 1980, corporations were outlawed from buying back their own stock — and there’s no good reason regulators shouldn’t outlaw it again. This year, the biggest corporations are expected to spend a record $1 trillion on stock buybacks, shattering records and showering cash on shareholders — instead of investing it in product safety, innovation, or workers. The baby formula crisis should be the last straw. It’s sickening that Abbott would buy back stock instead of keeping babies safe. Chair Gary Gensler at the Securities and Exchange Commission has the authority to slam the brakes on corporate buybacks. Chair Gensler is doing good work to rein in financial wrongdoing, but needs to hear from us that this is important. Please help us send a message to Chair Gensler that corporate stock buybacks are bad for everyone but the CEOs and executives they enrich.

Anybody who woke up in San Francisco under the orange sky on September 9, 2020 knows that climate change is undeniably upon us. But if we start now, there are still many things we can do to turn the tide and avoid the worst impacts. In our city that means rapidly switching our homes and vehicles off of fossil fuels and moving to cleaner, safer, electric alternatives powered by renewable energy; expanding transit; strengthening our ecosystems; and protecting and empowering the communities that will face the worst impacts. San Franciscans are ready to step up and do our part, and we need support and help from our city's leadership. The Climate Action Plan lays out clear strategies and action points for reducing our carbon emissions. Now, we need the Mayor and other city leaders to commit the funding to implement it. Delay at this point is inexcusable -- the longer we wait, the harder it gets to avoid the increasingly threatening consequences of a hotter planet. San Francisco has a long history of innovation and a strong progressive tradition. We should be leading the country and the world into a healthier, safer, more resilient future. (Photo credit: "The Day The Sun Didn't Rise" taken on September 9, 2020 by Christopher Michel is licensed under CC 2.0.)

If we do not start to stand up against this type of behavior, it will continue the culture that we live in an area that breeds hate. If you look at comments on the many local articles, you will see a common trend that people outside our area think of our town as racist and bigoted. We are fully aware that we are far from it, and the words of one do not reflect the ideology of the majority of us.

Addiction is a brain disease, not a choice. Individuals in Connecticut with Substance Use Disorders are overdosing on heroin and fentanyl at alarming rates. In March, 2022, Connecticut received approximately $95 million from the Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family settlement, yet addiction treatment is still not readily available. The agreement authorizes Connecticut to use a portion of the settlement funds to establish an Opioid Survivors Trust to directly aid survivors and victims of the opioid epidemic. WHERE ARE THE SETTLEMENT FUNDS? CONNECTICUT NEEDS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO ADDICTION TREATMENT NOW!

I implore all Americans to stand up, be heard & do something to help better your life & the lives of all those around you! If we don’t speak up NOW, there will never be change… We have the power to change the world, right the wrongs, unlock the chains of injustice & demand a better quality of life! Change starts with you! Your voice matters! You CAN make a difference! Stand with me in pleading… no, DEMANDING more from our government! We demand more assistance to climb our way out of poverty! We demand our government to respect & hear the people! We demand a better quality of life for our children! And lastly, we demand action from our government! If change doesn’t happen NOW, I fear those people who feel frustrated & unheard will begin to revolt. We do NOT need a revolution, we need a resolution… When parents go hungry so their children do not, you know there is something inherently wrong with the system. When the people are scared to seek medical help because of the outrageously high costs, there is something inherently wrong with the system. When a parent has to choose between working just to pay daycare or staying home to raise their children and not being able to pay rent, there is something inherently wrong with the system. We are not asking for a handout, we are asking for a leg up! I implore you to take these words seriously. For if you don’t, the people may rise up to seek justice themselves. We will no longer stand by and go unheard and unseen. We will shout from the rooftops until change happens! I will stand up for what is right, even if I have to stand alone…

There is a serious shortage of affordable housing across Boston, especially in the Pondside and Jamaica Hills sections of JP, where the monastery is located. In 2021, the City of Boston committed to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, and now requires that developers analyze and account for the history of racial exclusion and segregation in any new housing development. The monastery offers an opportunity to realize fair housing principles and create housing for folks that have been historically excluded: working class, people of color, and/or people with accessibility needs. If the city allows Holland Development to demolish the monastery, they plan to develop 26 market-rate condominiums. Under the city and neighborhood inclusionary policies, we might achieve a few affordable units. However, if we can preserve the building and win a robust planning process, then there is room for more creative re-use and more affordable housing. The City of Boston and the Landmarks Commission must put the needs of the community ahead of developers. Many community members would like to see the building preserved for its historical and architectural associations with Jamaica Plain’s development, Boston’s religious history, the significance of this Poor Clare Monastery in the history of the Order in the United States, and its organizing and charitable work domestically and abroad. The parcel at 920 Centre Street is large - nearly three acres. The wider community should have a voice in the future of this prominent, large and unique parcel. In the process of responding to the owners’ demolition request, the Boston Landmarks Commission staff has also determined that the monastery building (built in 1932) itself has historical significance. The current structure and any new construction on this parcel of land must include substantial affordable housing, in line with the inclusionary zoning requirements adopted by the JP Neighborhood Council, to preserve the diversity and meet the needs of Jamaica Plain and Boston.