This issue is affecting everyone from tourist to communities to families to business owners and overall the economy. This problem has given me the opportunity to understand how to handle the issue effectively and efficiently everyone has voice and nothing will change if no one isn’t listening on how to create solutions that will not mask the problem but remove it. I've heard and seen the frustration and this has allowed me to be able to understand how to make the correct choices for the homeless community and the business owners we are all crying out for something to be done this is a change for good it will allow us to get back what Covid-19 has taken away from our communities and rebuild our economy.

We all believe we are under paid for our positions

Amazon wishes it could bury this headline: Their warehouses are being investigated by OSHA for workplace injuries.1 That’s because Amazon’s productivity quotas push workers past the limits of their bodies and their health. While this OSHA investigation could reveal damning evidence about how dangerous Amazon warehouse jobs are, Congress can act now to protect Amazon warehouse workers. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass legislation to protect Amazon warehouse workers from abusive productivity quotas! Workplace accidents and even deaths have been a problem at Amazon warehouses for years. So much so that in 2019 the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health named Amazon warehouses as one of the most dangerous jobs in America.2 Amazon’s obsession with placing speed above safety leads to 80% more serious workplace injuries at Amazon warehouses than non-Amazon warehouses.3 They use productivity algorithms called “Rate” and “ToT” (Time off Task) to keep a constant eye on their warehouse workers’ every movement, pushing them to go faster and faster, and even punishing them for taking bathroom breaks. This could be just the tip of the iceberg. The OSHA investigation into workplace injuries could reveal an even clearer picture of how Amazon abuses its workers for the sake of speedy delivery. But we don’t have to wait for an OSHA report to do something to protect Amazon warehouse workers. We can pressure Congress to act now and pass legislation to get rid of abusive productivity quotas at Amazon warehouses. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass legislation to protect Amazon warehouse workers from abusive productivity quotas! Sources: 1. CNBC, “Amazon faces probe by federal prosecutors and OSHA into warehouse safety,” July 18, 2022. 2. National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, “Dirty Dozen 2019,” April 22, 2019. 3. CNBC, “Amazon warehouse workers injured at higher rates than those at rival companies, study finds,” June 1, 2021.

Water is a basic human right. At a school that demands academic excellence, it is hypocritical that no water is provided for paying students. Dehydration negatively impacts academic performance and focus. How can we perform if we are not given the basic tools in order to do so. We are also in school for the HOT summer months with no AC in the classrooms as well. Water is something that should AT LEAST be provided considering the tuition we pay to attend this institution.

Ben & Jerry’s is in court protecting their decision to stop selling ice cream in occupied Palestinian territories, after a betrayal by their parent company, Unilever. To appease the Israeli government, Alan Jope, CEO at Unilever, authorized a backroom deal to sell the franchise to an Israeli company – essentially overriding Ben & Jerry’s decision. Sign the petition: tell Unilever to stop its betrayal of Ben & Jerry’s and Palestinian human rights. Ben & Jerry’s made the human rights-affirming decision in 2020 to stop doing business in occupied Palestine, following a decade of grassroots organizing and campaigning by Palestinians and allies across the globe. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s finally went public with their decision — after a particularly brutal Israeli military assault on Gaza which killed over 200 people — and during a huge surge of international support for Palestinian freedom. Now, a year after Ben & Jerry’s public announcement, their parent company, Unilever, has made a backroom deal to sell ice cream operations to the Israeli licensee rather than honor Ben & Jerry’s decision to respect Palestinian lives.

Amazon and the rest of corporate America want to reap the benefits of appearing pro-reproductive rights without actually having to stop their donations to candidates actively passing abortion bans. Companies across various industries—from AT&T and Disney to Amazon—have donated to Republicans and extremists for years including Republican governors who are now signing abortion bans into law. Amazon released a statement that “team members should get the care they need" and have offered to reimburse their staff for travel. But that’s simply not enough to combat an issue they’ve contributed to. Amazon has the opportunity to actually support their staff, by ending all donations to Republican and right-wing extremist candidates that will support abortion bans and limit worker’s rights across the country.

Big Tech companies have massive stockpiles of intimate user data that could be used to enforce laws criminalizing abortion. There’s no law or government requirement that Big Tech companies collect and keep records of its users’ data. Other tech companies like Apple says “privacy is a fundamental human right” and does not collect user location data. Although Google has said they will delete user location data for those visiting abortions, it’s not clear how Google will identify these locations. Moreover, Google will not delete search requests automatically, putting the burden on users who want to protect themselves to have to do that themselves. Google should prioritize privacy. Join us in demanding Google delete users’ location data that could be used by state governments to prosecute those seeking reproductive health care. SOURCES: 1. Ortutay, Barbara. “Democrats: Google must protect privacy of abortion patients.” Associated Press. 24 May, 2022. 2. Aten, Jason. “Apple's New Privacy Page Is a Not-So-Subtle Smackdown of Facebook and Google.” Inc. 7 Nov., 2019. 3. Rosenberg, Scott. “Roe's overturn is tech's privacy apocalypse.” Axios. 7 July, 2022.

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.

Big Tech companies can take down and stop profiting off racist violent content like the Buffalo shooting video. Google designated the Buffalo shooting as a “sensitive event,” preventing ads from running on searches related to it. Facebook has not yet decided to demonetize and remove content related to the Buffalo shooting video and replacement theory. The New York Times and Tech Transparency Project found that “Facebook is surfacing the violent video or links to websites hosting the clip next to ads.” Facebook even recommended some search terms for the Buffalo shooting video as “popular searches” on the platform. A study by Media Matters for America revealed that Facebook has profited off over 50 ads from right-wing political candidates pushing the replacement theory and allowed hundreds of similar organic posts from right-wing media outlets. Facebook doesn’t have to profit off this racist violence and white supremacy. Join us in speaking out and demanding action from Facebook. SOURCES: 1. Mac, Ryan. "Buffalo gunman’s video is surfacing on Facebook, sometimes with ads beside it." The New York Times. 19 May, 2022. 2. Gogarty, Kayla. "Facebook profited from ads promoting white supremacist “great replacement” theory." Media Matters for America. 20 May, 2022.

If it passes, the NY Deforestation-free Bill can protect some of the world's most vital ecosystems, curb deforestation, inspire other states to do the same, and help humanity actually address climate change. Deforestation is a major driver of climate change. It causes 10 to 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. What's more, keeping forests standing and promoting reforestation is a key solution to reversing climate chaos. If deforestation were a country, it would be the third largest “country” in terms of emissions. We need to fight for climate solutions on the federal AND the State level, and NY State can lead the way. Bill S.5921 is simple. It would ensure that products New York State buys are not contributing to the deforestation of the earth's most precious forests. If NY pulls this off, it'll be the first State in the US to do so. But NY won't be alone. In fact, the European Union and the United Kingdom are already creating regulations to curb imported deforestation into their jurisdictions. By having NY do the right thing, we can send a message to other countries and companies that they should do the same. Sign our petition to pass a strong law to fight deforestation! Be a forest champion and help save this planet for future generations.

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.

Over the past year, we've seen unprecedented attacks on democracy, including the ability of eligible voters – especially Black and Brown voters – to participate in elections and have their vote count. This must stop and companies need to step up and defend democracy. Unfortunately, many companies that claim to support civic participation and racial justice – including AT&T – have practically done the opposite, standing by and passively supporting the same politicians who have launched these attacks. - AT&T was one of the first companies[1] to break their commitment[2] to stop contributions to members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. - AT&T is a top corporate donor to politicians that sponsored laws making it harder for many voters to participate in elections, especially Black and Brown voters. In 2021, for example, AT&T gave Texas Gov. Greg Abbott 100,000[3] on the same day he called a special session to pass legislation that makes it harder for eligible voters to register and cast their vote. - AT&T is also a top corporate contributor[4] to the sponsors of bills designed to intimidate and criminalize peaceful, non-violent forms of protest. - AT&T needs to stop giving money to radical insurrectionists and do business in a manner consistent with its values. Actions speak louder than words and AT&T's actions often contradict the company's commitment to equal opportunity and racial justice. That cannot continue. We call on AT&T and CEO John Stankey to stop supporting extremist politicians that are making it harder to vote and participate in our democracy. ----------------------------------------------- References 1. https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-04-19/corporations-pledge-donations-politicians-opposed-election-certification-biden 2. https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-04-19/corporations-pledge-donations-politicians-opposed-election-certification-biden 3. http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/563541-watchdog-says-att-gave-over-100k-to-abbott-gop 4. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Democracy-Report-2.pdf