Mississippi is currently being represented by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and James Zachariah George, Confederate General. These statues were donated to National Statuary Hall in 1931. Earlier this year, there was even word that James Z. George was moved to the boiler room of the U.S. Capitol because his legacy was too contemptible to mention during Capitol tours. Also, neither of these figures were even born in Mississippi. The National Statuary Hall Collection is a chamber in the United States Capitol comprised of individual states donating two statues each to honor deceased people notable in that state's history that is seen by people from across the world. Since its opening, National Statuary Hall has had at least seven states replace their statues including Mississippi's neighbor Alabama with four more states undergoing the process of replacement. This trend was made possible by legislation enacted in 2000 as a way to bring the Hall Collection into the 21st century. Mississippi has the highest percentage of black people in America at a whopping 37.3% according to the 2010 census. Furthermore, Mississippi has the highest number of black elected officials. So, why is Mississippi being represented nationally by figures that are known for dehumanizing a considerable part of Mississippi's demographic? This is not how Mississippi deserves to be represented today. With a history as rich as Mississippi's, we are currently missing a prime opportunity to showcase our biggest and brightest such as B.B. King, Eudora Welty, Medgar Evers, Jim Henson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. James D. Hardy, Elvis Presley, and many more. This national moment calls for swift, decisive action. I urge you to use your platform and publicly support the replacement of Mississippi's national Confederate statues. Together, we are all one Mississippi. Let's get this done!

This issue strikes home and is of utmost importance because I am an American citizen of Latino descent that cares about the welfare of my people and humanity in all regards; regardless of color, religion, or background. My brother in-law Edgar Antonio Guerra has been detained for over a year; enough is enough. I implore to ask yourself, What would Jesus do?...

If NFL owners want to show they're committed to the fight against racial injustice and police violence against Black people, they can start by apologizing to Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in protest against police brutality and racial inequality. He faced racist abuse online and at games, and President Trump fanned the flames, telling NFL owners to "Get that son of a bitch off the field now." Kaepernick hasn't played an NFL game since that season because NFL owners colluded to follow President Trump's order and keep him off the field "for disrespecting the flag." Now, the NFL is being lauded because its commissioner, Roger Goodell, affirmed that Black lives matter and condemned "the systematic oppression of Black people." That's better than their 2016 response, but it's not enough (and it only came after leading Black players demanded it). Current and former NFL players and sports journalists have responded in unison that an apology to Kaepernick would show that the NFL is serious about its commitment. We can amplify their message to the league commissioner and owners, which include a number of President Trump supporters. The NFL's lack of support for Kaepernick's right to protest is what created space for President Donald Trump and his supporters to bash him for "disrespecting the flag," distorting the truth of his protest. Apologizing to Colin Kaepernick will send a powerful message to the NFL's fan base, especially fans who incorrectly think the protest is about the flag.

The eyes of the rest of America will be on you and your state. Failing to fully correct this gap runs the risk of an indeterminate election outcome for which you will be held accountable. The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Governor Kemp, this is YOUR purview and YOUR responsibility to insure that the residents of Georgia are represented and the residents of the other 49 states, the District of Columbia and the 16 territories are not impacted or held hostage to any disputable election outcome because of your negligence. Should you fail to insure a smooth and flawless election without incident you can expect consequences which may range from calling for your resignation, state-wide protests and/or boycotts. You are highly encourage to insure that you fulfill the responsibility of the Fifteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Black Lives Matter. This is an insult to people everywhere, but especially to black people living in Charlottesville.

Symbols of racism propagate racism. Symbols of hope propagate hope. Let's put Tennessee on the right side of history.

Because city has not met with the community and was never approved by the residents of Little Village.We are the tax payers and will not allow this company to make profit of our land.

The Confederate flag is a symbol of hate and division. It serves no place in Government buildings.

All sophomore high school students in WLWV schools are required to take a US history class. In this class, I remember learning about the civil rights movement as if racism was a thing of the past. This is far from true, and students are often shielded from this reality in insular white communities like West Linn and Wilsonville. We must do better to educate our students on the realities of racism in the country today, ask them to examine their own privilege, and teach them how to effectively join the movement against police brutality and the prison industrial complex as a whole.

In a protest situation, even though peaceful, crowds can become unpredictable placing the horse in harm's way. This was witnessed last week when a brick was thrown at a horse's face in Dallas, TX, causing injury. There are other ways to gauge crowd size that are less expensive and do not put these animals in danger (i.e., drone).

We got yet another reminder of the crying need for effective and powerful civilian oversight of the police from both the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the brutal overreactions of police departments across the country to the resulting demonstrations. But Oakland has the potential to be different and to lead the way for the rest of the country. Although we have a strong community-led police commission to oversee our police department, the City Administration’s resistance has hobbled the Commission. The Commission’s powers need to be clarified in a new ballot measure that would further amend the City Charter. The Coalition for Police Accountability has partnered with the Police Commission to create a joint Charter amendment that will allow the Commission to be truly effective in ensuring that the Oakland Police Department is firmly and permanently dedicated to constitutional policing. When this Charter amendment is enacted, we will finally be able to transition from federal court oversight through the NSA to local oversight by the Commission. Those who see political advantage in opposing progressive reform have been promoting the idea that the Commission is trying to enlarge its power and interfere with the operations of the Police Department. That is simply not true. Please look carefully at the changes we are proposing and evaluate them for yourselves. The main changes from current law that the Coalition and the Police Commission are proposing are as follows: 1. The Commission can hire its own attorneys who will report to it and not the City Attorney. 2. The Commission will be able to hire an Inspector General who will audit the police department and be able to recommend policy changes to the Commission. 3. The Commission will have access to all police department records and files. 4. The Commission will be able to impose discipline in cases where the investigations have not been completed in time or when required body camera footage has not been a component of the investigation. We want the Police Commission/Coalition draft adopted–there is strong community support for it. District 1 residents are asking Councilmember Dan Kalb and Council President Rebecca Kaplan to please move forward with these important changes. We are living through unprecedented times that demand bolder action by the Oakland City Council.

I agree wholeheartedly. He took a knee in silent protest and was blacklisted for it. Now everyone from the NFL and all his haters have remorse. His bravery, courage and activism is what has lead to where this country and other countries worldwide are at. For context he started sitting down and then was asked to take a knee, as it was felt to be so called more respectful, of which he did and still. So yes he should get it as a sign to the rest of the world that racism and police brutality is no longer acceptable in this country. https://www.npr.org/2018/09/09/646115651/the-veteran-and-nfl-player-who-advised-kaepernick-to-take-a-knee