If we are to be a country of religious freedom, then we need to be a country free from religious influence in our laws and government. For no one who lives under laws created by religious influence and zealotry has freedom of religion, only freedom to be subjugated under a singular religion.

Black Californians are about three times more likely to be seriously injured, shot, or killed by the police relative to their share of the state’s population (Public Policy Institute of California, October 2021). California has already implemented many reforms through state legislation, including requiring local law enforcement agencies to report incidents of serious use of force, permitting public access to law enforcement records for certain misconduct and use-of-force incidents, and establishing an independent board and data collection effort aimed at reducing racial disparities in police encounters (Public Policy Institute of California, October 2021). Although these efforts may be valiant, there is still room for continued change in decreasing the amount of deaths due to excessive force and police brutality. Through the passage of Assembly-Bill 89, California police officers will be required to be trained at a state standard. Along with this, officers will be required to obtain either an associates or a bachelors degree. These changes will allow police officers across the state to be held to a higher standard and training program as well as increasing education has shown that it can decrease excessive use of force. T

If the Roe v. Wade decision is overturned it will cost the abortion right a woman has in which abortion will be made illegal in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, South dakota, North Dakota, and Missouri and under potencial ban in Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Any Trans men, Women, Non-Binary folks with a uterus, and Lower Class Women will be affected by this decision, along with anyone who identifies as a women. Not to mention, globally, in 2015-2019 121 million unintended pregnancies occur each year in which 61% ended in an abortion or 73 million a year. However, in the past 30 years the number of pregnancies being terminated through abortion has risen by 14%. (https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide) I urge you to not remain a bystander and participate in the movements against this decision.

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, there was a national cry to end racist policing. Though the national outrage has fizzled, police brutality remains far too common. In 2022, Orlando Taylor was killed by Springfield Police and Miguel Estrella was killed by Pittsfield Police, both during calls for a person in mental distress. Policing is not the solution to public safety. Advocates in Amherst have continued to call for defunding the Amherst Police Department. A promising, BIPOC-led envisioning of an alternative safety department has been implemented. However, the funding proposed is inadequate. The FY23 budget proposes only $621,520 in funding for CRESS, or $2,117,780 less than CSWG’s recommendation. There FY23 budget allocates $0 to a BIPOC cultural center, $407,690 less than CSWG’s recommendation. The FY23 budget allocates $500,000 to the youth empowerment center, above what was recommended— but it provides no clear plan as to what this money will support. The FY23 budget proposes $175,257 to the DEI office, $52,390 less than CSWG’s recommendation. These proposed programs will help create community safety in a responsive, anti-racist manner. They should be fully funded with money redirected from the police budget. The demand is still DEFUND THE POLICE.

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…

We don’t have time to wait: abortion rights are under attack like never before, both federally and nationally. While Dems are in power, our elected officials in the Senate must swiftly abolish the filibuster—it’s an outdated parliamentary maneuver that Speaker Mitch McConnell and others have continued to abuse to halt any national progress in Congress.

Solitary confinement affects inmates in these three ways 1. Psychological -Inmates often experience a sense of “isolation panic” when initially put into solitary confinement -Those in solitary confinement often suffer from: depression, anxiety, psychosis and suicidal ideation -Those who have a history regarding mental health experience worsened state -The suicide rate amongst former inmates is highest among those who were in solitary confinement 2. Physical -exposure outside and amongst others is vital for “normal” brain function -lack of sensory exposure also leads to quickening memory loss -issues with long distance eyesight -Vitamin D deficiency increases risk for bone breaks and fractures 3. Societal -there is no treatment when released for trauma or solitary confinement -”Do we want people to come out better or worse than they went in” Also, Inmates that are assigned to solitary confinement during their incarceration are 3.2 times as likely to commit an act of self-harm as opposed to those who did not experience solitary confinement. Inmates that experienced solitary confinement were 2.1 times more likely to commit acts of self-harm during solitary confinement as well as 6.6 times more likely to commit acts of self-harm once outside of solitary confinement compared to inmates that never experienced solitary confinement. This study shows that Serious Mental Illness coupled with solitary confinement lead to the highest rates of potentially fatal self-harm. Solitary confinement, age, and serious mental illness overlaps showed that younger inmates were more likely to experience less lethal acts of self-harm, whereas older inmates were likely to commit more lethal acts of self-harm. Knowing this information is a clear indication of a human rights violation and we should stand to correct that. Please sign the petition in solitary to show Gov. Parson that the citizens of Missouri stand in solidarity to put human rights first.

Our nation, our state, and our city have a crime and incarceration problem. The US incarcerates a higher fraction of our population than any other country of the world. Yet, this incarceration practice is expensive, traumatizing, and ineffective. For example, the re-arrest and re-incarceration rate (recidivism rate) is extremely high at 70 to 80 %. The underlying cause of this cycle of crime is the epidemic of trauma. More than 2/3 of us have experienced trauma, and research shows that trauma heightens our fight, flight, and freeze responses, leading to more crime and trauma. We need trauma-informed justice. This is why Connection First has developed the Connection First Restorative Justice Program (Plan). What is RJ? It is an evidence-based framework that helps to heal the societal wounds of trauma. RJ brings together those that caused the harm with those who received the harm to ask: What happened? Who was impacted? What needs were not being met during the harm? How can the harm be repaired? How can we avoid future harm? Connection First has partnered with law enforcement, the public defender, and state attorney to develop an RJ program for Leon County and Tallahassee. For more information, visit our website at https://www.connectionfirst.org, or watch this youtube video: https://youtu.be/c2UcW9fzac4 Along with law enforcement and the judicial system, citizens share in the responsibility of maintaining safety and peace. To this end, Connection First proposes to split the funding in three ways: 1/3 from the county, 1/3 from the city, and 1/3 raised by citizens. This division will ensure that no one entity has sole power over the RJ process.

Our purpose is to inform and to promote social change within our education system. We want to focus on the structure first, where the students develop and learn different behaviors and attitudes. This is a vulnerable and important time for students so, we want to advocate for better staff development and implementation of non discriminatory practice in schools. We are advocating towards mental health and trauma-informed practices to be put into schools nationwide. The students need support, not to be reprimanded unfairly with punishment.

This is the petition we’ll deliver to our governor, legislators, regulators, the Attorney General, the Auditor General, and other elected and appointed officials during the Pennsylvania Climate Convergence in Harrisburg this June.

Collectively we can make changes for the betterment of our youth and the communities through work release, education, innovation and hard work.

First the Florida GOP described the “Don’t Say Gay” bill–HB 1557–as legislation that would protect parents’ rights in education. But now Governor DeSantis’ press secretary has exposed the real agenda behind this egregious bill. In a recent Twitter post, the governor’s spokesperson, Christina Pushaw, accused the bills’ opponents of being groomers of young children (aka pedophiles), going so far as to single out Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a legislator of the utmost integrity. In earlier controversies, Pushaw called the Archbishop of Miami a liar, blamed Democrats for organizing a Nazi rally to hurt the governor, and harassed members of the media for reporting factual information.