The corrosive combination of coronavirus and capitalism is tearing through our communities to underscore the deepest divide between us, that of the haves and the have-nots. The most egregious assault lands where it always does, in the most marginalized communities among us: the poor, with multi-generational (often multiple) families living together; black and brown communities, who were discarded by society long before coronavirus; single mothers, who are forced into the impossible choice between rent and food for their children; immigrants, who are deprived of any safety nets and devoid of rights; the unhoused, for whom the phrase “stay at home” is cruel and absurd; the out-of-work breadwinners who can no longer provide for their families; domestic abuse victims who are pressed to “shelter” in place with their abusers; the newly unemployed masses now frequenting foodbanks; the imprisoned, detained, or institutionalized; and the anti-stay-at-home protesters, who assert “my job is essential too.” The middle and impoverished classes lack the privilege of escaping to the Hamptons, to their personal island, or to their well-stocked yachts. In many cases, they lack the “luxuries” of running water, the room to socially distance, paid leave when they or their family members are sick, and personal protective gear for their jobs, which – in an act of cruel irony – have now been heralded as “essential.” A contagion of greed infected our society long before the arrival of coronavirus. Lulled into complacency by sleek models, shiny gadgets, and digitized entertainment, we became prime targets for hungry overlords, who amassed their spoils off our labor and consumption. Nursing at the teat of consumption, we became “unpaid data laborers,” while gaping maws scrambled to exploit our data for profit. These titans of industry filled their own pockets on the backs of their workers – fellow humans who markets invisibilized and rendered disposable. This colossal corporate greed is what informs our “Democracy.” Those who usurp our power leave us begging for scraps or working in unsafe conditions, and these immoral deficits have never been more evident than with four rounds of coronavirus stimulus packages. Profiteers advance on the imperiled masses with glee, hoarding the lion’s share of the stimulus and pillaging the coffers designated for the poor. Our representatives listen to the lobbyists in DC, where they’re plied with sweet deals and lavish funds for special interests. The lobbyists work to promote the corporate agendas of those who have money and those who will do anything to protect that money. Whether Democrat or Republican, our representatives evidently and appallingly need greater incentives to look out for the common good and essential needs of the citizens. It is up to us to demand that they do. In a world cracked open by COVID-19, it’s time for the masses to assert their own power – they and we matter. We are not dispensable. We are not disposable. We are not invisible. It is time NOW for the PEOPLE to use the powers that they still have – the powers of their vote, their voice, their pen, their labor, and their consumption. VOTE, WRITE, STRIKE, BOYCOTT together while apart like your life – and the lives of all those you love – depends on it. Because it does. At the nexus of coronavirus and runaway capitalism, it is imperative that we untangle the essential rights of citizens from profit. This is a moral choice. We must IMAGINE a better world where all are deserving of conditions that will enable us to not only survive, but thrive. The time is now for Medicare for All, for a guaranteed basic income, for housing standards that ensure shelter for all, for green jobs with livable wages, with paid sick leave, healthcare that’s not tied to our paychecks, and where workers own the rights of production. While our citizens suffer a devastating mix of uncertainty, isolation, grief, and economic despair, the richest people on the planet are poised to determine our fate. We shelter on this globe together, and the time is ripe for demanding fundamental and lasting improvements to our social safety net. Our top-heavy society is fragile in ways that leave us increasingly vulnerable to coronavirus and future pandemics. We must build resiliency from the bottom up, collaborating with our communities, and honoring the diversity therein to protect us all. We’re riding a slow train of uncertainty amidst an amorphous viral threat. If quarantine teaches us anything, it brings home the truth that the health and wellbeing of ONE is intimately connected to the health and wellbeing of ALL.

The future of our country and American Democracy where reason prevails and there are not supposed to be autocratic dictators (if it's not already too late) is at stake.

It is important because our love ones can get the disease, as we can too. All employees were exposed to this person who came out positive to Covid-19. Employees don't want to bring this disease to our loved ones. Some of these employees have new born or even month old babies and children, who are a high risk group.

Under this pandemic, WORKER SAFETY in OUR hospital must be your #1 PRIORITY Kate Becker! CEO Kate Becker has failed to protect UNMH health care workers who care for COVID-19 patients. She has refused to bargain with our Union District 1199NM over our health and safety. We raised the alarm to UNMH administrators nearly two months ago about the need for access to Personal Protective Equipment, strong internal safety procedures to prevent community spread, paid administrative leave for those under quarantine and who are infected with COVID-19, and hazard pay to acknowledge the risk we take every day. The CEO has disregarded our safety and the dangers posed to our families. WE VOTE NO CONFIDENCE in CEO Kate Becker. La SEGURIDAD de los TRABAJADORES en NUESTRO hospital deben ser la PRIORIDAD número uno. La Ejecutiva Principal de UNMH, Kate Becker (CEO por siglas en inglés) ha fallido de proteger a los trabajadores de salud que hagan trabajo expuestos al COVID-19. Ella ha negado negociar con nuestro sindicato District 1199NM sobre nuestro salud y seguridad. Hace dos meses levantamos una alerta a los administradores de UNMH, sobre las necesidades de los empleados en relación con el Equipo de Protección Personal y sobre los procedimientos dentro del hospital para prevenir el contagio de COVID 19. También sobre el tiempo pagado por ser expuestos al coronavirus durante la cuarentena, pago por el riesgo de ser expuesto. Becker ha ignorado nuestra seguridad y los peligros posados a nuestras familias. VOTEMOS… NO CONFIANZA en Kate Becker.

Because just as those who have been out of work are at risk and need help, so are the people who still have to go to work every day...

We all know these are trying times. People haven’t received the government help they were told they would and people are struggling. With that being said, there are a few things we need to take into account before we open these businesses. These are not essential service. No one has ever died or gotten sick from over grown hair, nails, or lack of massage. We currently on the brink of creating a death toll because of getting them. With Georgia being one of the first to open these businesses, they have released a new set of guidelines. Although they are not for every state, being the first, these will no doubt set the Outlines for other states. These guidelines create a wold of problems aside from just the spreading the virus. The PPE for example, who is responsible for providing them? Who is responsible for the added cost? With the shortage of PPE all over the country, where do they even find them? Will these establishments needing them for business are we taking away from the people that need them most? With other parts of these new guidelines we have to take into account the loss of money to businesses. Limiting staff and clients means less money and hours worked per individual. Someone working full time will most likely have to move to part time. With the loss of income and the possible added cost of all the PPE, some businesses may not make enough to cover overhead. The service providers will also be taking a huge loss to their income. Any business or employee that was fortunate enough to receive financial assistance from the government will no longer qualify once the state deems them able to work. Opening too soon, with a loss of income, people could not only be risking exposure but also setting them up for failure with out the safety net of the government help. How many places have had their rent put on hold until they are able to open? How are they supposed to repay that once opened making significantly less income? Let’s talk about the social distancing aspect. All of these services are hands on. There is physically no possible way to do any of these an maintain the state mandated 6 foot distance. Plain and simple. Someone may not be showing symptoms but still be contagious. Someone at their house may be sick. Asking a few questions before starting a service does not guarantee that everyone is safe or even answering truthfully. The only way to guarantee not spreading this is to maintain distance. If the WHO and all medical experts are stating that the best way to avoid spreading and contracting this virus is maintaining a distance of 6, why is there even a discussion about opening businesses that are hands on and again, NON ESSENTIAL? The incubation period of this virus is around two weeks. It is extremely dangerous to be needlessly exposing so many people to potentially life threatening harm. We are asking our government leaders that we hired to do protect us. Please look beyond the immediate issues, and do what is best for your constituents, and keep these businesses closed until there is a safer, more effective way for us to do business. Please keep hair, nail, and massage salons closed until there is longer a social distance guideline in place.

Because my brother is now sick himself and with my mom being sick I need him home ASAP and his entire family needs him home we have been praying and wishing that one day this would all be over and TIL this day we are still fighting for his release.

My name is Magaly Licolli, and I am a grassroots organizer with Venceremos, an organization dedicated to protecting poultry workers against the injustices of companies like Tyson. Every day I speak to poultry workers who are terrified for their lives and the safety of their communities. They need your help now more than ever. In Arkansas alone, where Tyson is headquartered, there are over 30,000 workers producing the chicken that ends up on plates all across the country. These workers are immigrants, refugees, minoritized communities that are not afforded the opportunity to speak out against this injustice. We demand that Tyson give paid sick leave to employees in addition to providing safer, cleaner working conditions. Poultry workers must also be compensated for being quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus that can potentially harm more workers. Finally, they must receive generous hazard pay for risking their lives as COVID-19 rapidly spreads in our communities. Worker health is public health! Please sign and share this petition.

Collapsed economy. State violence. Food, medicine, fuel shortages. Blackouts. Sanctions. Threats of war. And now, the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of Venezuelans are facing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. And the U.S. helped create this nightmare. Today we have a chance to join with a movement of progressive partners pushing to designate Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Venezuela. Because luckily, the House already passed a nonpartisan bill calling for TPS for Venezuela. And now it’s the Senate’s turn. Are you ready to get loud? Ask your Senators to support S.636 calling for TPS for Venezuela NOW!

More and more healthcare providers are turning to telemedicine to ensure continued access to health care for patients while reducing the need for patients to travel to receive medical care, risking exposure to coronavirus. Both patients and doctors win in this scenario. Medication abortion, when a pregnant person takes two types of pills that induce an abortion before 10-12 weeks, can also be conducted under the supervision of a physician via telemedicine. It is a safe and effective way to broaden access to abortion care for pregnant people. And yet, 18 states force patients to travel to a clinician's office for medication abortion, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), despite the recommendations of medical experts including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, refuses to lift restrictions on mifepristone, one of the medications needed for medication abortion, that would enable providers to mail it to patients or prescribe it for pickup at a pharmacy. These restrictions are nothing more than ideological, anti-woman excuses to restrict access to abortion. The impact of these restrictions fall disproportionately on women of color, indigenous people, disabled people, and low-income folks. But if enough of us raise our voices and demand the FDA lift restrictions on mifepristone and that state lawmakers expand access to telemedicine for abortion, we can raise enough pressure to force the FDA and state lawmakers to expand access to abortion care and allow telemedicine!

About 78,000 adults have felony convictions in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Local citizens with misdemeanor convictions adds about 195,000 people with records. For someone with a criminal record, a chance to get back on track is more difficult because they are denied a safe place to live before the rental application is completed. It is an established fact that policies ensuring those returning from incarceration have access to reliable and safe housing help reduce recidivism rates. A “Ban the Box” policy that prevents landlords from asking potential renters about their criminal background until it is determined the candidate is qualified to rent will ensure a fair and equitable process for all people applying to rental housing. Full Ordinance Proposal: https://www.dropbox.com/s/15j6a7f3qmtqrnc/FINAL-DRAFT-Equitable Access to Rental Housing Proposal.docx?dl=0

President Trump is an existential threat to this country, democracy, and society. We will remain in danger as long as he holds this office. He must resign immediately.