Federal officers in camouflage and tactical gear filled Portland streets with tear gas, shot at protesters, and used unmarked vehicles to arrest and detain protesters. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon calls it “flat-out unconstitutional” that protesters in Portland are being “shot in the head, swept away in unmarked cars, and repeatedly tear-gassed by uninvited and unwelcome federal agents.” Federal authorities have no right to police an American city against the wishes of local leaders. Sources: 1. “Feds Vowed to Quell Unrest in Portland. Local Leaders Are Telling Them to Leave.” The New York Times, July 17, 2020 https://act.moveon.org/go/141155?t=10&akid=268993%2E23524057%2EFCty61 2. "It was like being preyed upon’: Portland protesters say federal officers in unmarked vans are detaining them,” The Washington Post, July 17, 2020 https://act.moveon.org/go/141156?t=12&akid=268993%2E23524057%2EFCty61 3. “Tear gas, unmarked cars are used in protest arrests in Portland,” Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2020 https://act.moveon.org/go/141157?t=14&akid=268993%2E23524057%2EFCty61

John Lewis is the real American hero and patriot. Rename the bridge!

Atlanta must ensure the safety of its communities of color who are more susceptible to COVID-19 due to more residents who are considered “high risk” (specifically pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and other respiratory challenges). With cases surging in Fulton County, including within the mayor’s own family, this lawsuit and emergency order are both rooted in partisanship and a lack of scientific reasoning. Atlanta is home to a vibrant college and working community—the governor’s weak stance will be the root cause of continuous death in Atlanta. This decision is not only ignoring the safety of the people of color who reside in Atlanta, but shows bias as he has not also sued other mayors mandating masks. Kemp must halt his biased actions against Keisha Lance Bottoms and do his job by supporting the mayor by ending his divisive and ineffective partisan policies NOW!

Brian Kemp exercised unconstitutional authority over localities and undermined their right to "Home Rule" and the ability to take action to prevent the spread of a deadly virus.

400 plus years of racial oppression. Black codes. Jim Crow laws. Texas’ convict leasing system. Black lives matter. Brown lives matter. Trayvon Martin. Philando Castile. Eric Garner. Pamela Turner. Michael Brown. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd. No justice. No peace. All our words and images being cried-out in the streets worldwide among protestors, asking for an end to institutional systemic racism. Undeniably, racial disparates have existed for too long in the streets of Texas in the form of police brutality and misconduct. This has also led to, and amplified, disproportionate sentencing of black and brown minorities in the criminal justice system, and has caused Texas to lead the national race in mass incarceration. Adding insult to injury, many inmates have been inappropriately labelled “violent offenders,” when actually many were too young, and thus could potentially outgrow delinquent behavior. Tough-on-crime prosecutors, who often used illegal and deceitful tactics to obtain convictions, never gave them a viable chance. Instead the court’s mentality was overbearingly: “Lock them up, and throw away the key.” Right now, the barbarically outdated attitude is evident. Amid a pandemic, Texas officials have refused to grant “compassionate release” to any of its offenders in a coldhearted effort to unrelentingly warehouse offenders. Meanwhile, mothers and families are crying-out (to unsympathetic official ears) for the lives and welfare of their loved ones -who were sentenced to time, not a COVID-19 related death sentence. In these unprecedented times, the words “I CAN’T BREATHE” ring loud and true for the stifling oppression inmates and their families have yet to find relief from. Rightfully, they want-what we all should want – the removal of the institutional systemic “knee” from their loved ones’ necks. Afterall, the law should apply equally. Needless to say, there are plenty of good “people” in TDCJ that should have been permitted to return to society many years ago. It’s, therefore, high time to level the playing field, and open the political playbook to repeal and replace laws that have adversely and largely impacted black and brown minority communities. Inarguably, our elected, legislative officials can no longer be allowed to hold seats of passiveness or indifference amid these tumultuous times. Prison reform actions, which finely terminates mass incarceration, must began NOW!

Right now, many of the wrongdoings that frequently occur inside the TDCJ and the BPP are shrouded in a veil of secrecy. This lack of transparency enables and perpetuates a broken system – which allows incarcerated individuals and their families alike to suffer. Regrettably, behind this veil of secrecy, inmates are subjected to deadly heat, non-working fans, guards denying access to cool areas when inmates are in medical distress, broken or contaminated water systems, bogus or frivolous disciplinary cases, assaults, harassment and retaliation at the hands of guards, and various other forms of cruel and unusual punishment. In similar respects, families who seek solutions, as well as the humane treatment and safety of their loved ones, suffer through the families’ inability to go beyond the red tape to get answers. Likewise, their frustrations are not alleviated by confrontations with TDCJ officials unwilling to correct a bad situation or wrongdoing instigated by one of its own. Undeniably, this clearly spells out a dire need for an independent, external oversight agency. Without such an independent agency, we are basically asking TDCJ to police itself, and to do what it historically has never done, that is, be totally truthful about its internal misbehavior. Further, it continues to place inmates, families and society at the mercy of the two prominent and failing internal TDCJ processes – which are the Ombudsman’s office and the TDCJ grievance system. Moreover, while both systems are too deeply rooted and connected within TDCJ to truly be effective and unbiased, the Ombudsman does not and will not investigate whether procedures are followed or ignored. Then, amplifying this injury, neither the grievance system or the Ombudsman are vehicles for inmates or their families to address any parole related misapplications of law, discrepancies, or misdeeds. And, since the BPP and inmates’ parole files are also cloaked in layers of secrecy, it’s commonplace for inmates to receive parole denials (set-offs) stipulated in vague, bureaucratic boilerplate language – which leaves the actual reason an unknown mystery. Thus, there has clearly never been a more urgent time than now for legislators to force both the TDCJ and the BPP into transparency and accountability by creating an independent oversight.

We as Citizen should not have to stand by helplessly and watch another Citizen Beaten or Murdered right in front of US, just because the Murderer is wearing a police uniform.

A policy proposal was recently published that calls for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to address racism through anti-racist reforms. You can read the full proposal here: https://www.slideshare.net/TimothyBerry8/an-anti-racist-west-point In response to this proposal, West Point’s Inspector General (IG) has started a “comprehensive review of all matters involving race at the Academy.” However, the results of this review are not publicly available. Additionally, many of the actions recommended in the proposal can be acted upon without waiting for the results of this investigation. We request that West Point: 1. Publicly acknowledge that the Academy faces challenges with racism that harms Cadets, that this does not align with Academy values, and that it will adopt changes to eliminate racism. 2. Immediately adopt the actions not under the IG purview. 3. Publicly share the IG report and ensure its recommendations are instituted by the end of 2020. If you agree that West Point must swiftly begin to take action in building towards an anti-racist West Point, you can express your support by signing this petition.

Small businesses teeter on the edge of a cliff and millions of people are waiting to see if their unemployment benefits will end this month, while Jared Kushner’s multiple multi-million dollar family businesses found a way to cash in on the coronavirus pandemic through loans intended for companies that desperately needed those funds to survive. The Kushners are an integral part of the Trump administration and must not be allowed to abuse their power for personal gain, especially at the expense of others while we all deal with the economic hardships of the coronavirus pandemic. The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) was established through the CARES relief programs Congress created to help small businesses owners weather the global coronavirus pandemic. Yet, several large entities that are part of the Kushner family conglomerate of corporations cashed in on these Small Business Administration (SBA) funds. According to the SBA—which recently released loan data on PPP loans only after significant public pressure—the Kushner family’s corporate entities received millions of dollars under the program, including between $350,000 and $1,000,000 for Observer Holdings, formerly run by Jared Kushner himself and now owned by his brother-in-law(1), another $350,000 to $1,000,000 for Esplanade Livingston, which houses the Kushner family Westminster Hotel in New Jersey (2), and between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 to Princeton Forrestal LLC which lists Kushner’s mom, brother, and sister as owners (3). While the Kushners and many other large businesses with access and ties to the White House raked in millions, Color of Change reports that 41% of Black business owners were denied any aid. (4) We know our country has discriminated against Black businesses for generations, denying loans, redlining shops, and discrimination. And we know that massive handouts to the wealthy and well-connected are what drives inequality across the board. The Kushner family must not perpetuate this inequality - return your funds now, and allow those who need it most—more diverse small businesses—to get relief. https://www.businessinsider.com/kushner-family-firms-received-millions-in-paycheck-protection-loans-2020-7 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/us/ppp-small-business-loans.html https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-small-biz-rescue-bailed-out-kushners-family-obamas-aides-and-other-political-elite/body https://colorofchange.org/press_release/first-covid-19-survey-of-black-and-latino-small-business-owners-reveals-dire-economic-future/

The hypocrisy of Senate Republicans is unbelievable. While our country faced an economic depression resulting from the coronavirus crisis, with small businesses struggling to survive and millions of Americans out of work, Republicans railed against the government offering aid, which they considered excessive government spending. Eventually, Congress did pass coronavirus relief bills, despite the roadblocks put up by the Republican-led Senate—and it also approved the Paycheck Protection Program, a fund to aid small businesses. But guess who actually benefited from the PPP program? Not mom and pop shops across America. And not Black-owned businesses—41% of Black business owners were denied any aid. No. It’s Republican donors and lobbyists who made off with millions and millions of dollars from a program intended to help small businesses, despite rules to prevent federal dollars being used for lobbying or political activities. And now, with the public health crisis getting worse, and no end in sight to the economic suffering of tens of millions, the Republican-led Senate is refusing to take action on legislation to provide real relief for working people. We will no longer allow our political representatives to funnel money to their cronies while we go without. We demand accountability. Republicans in Congress must publicly disclose which of their donors, lobbyists, and allies received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program.

During President Trump's visit to India in February 2020, mobs attacked minority neighborhoods leading to 46 deaths and displacing thousands. This tragedy along with discriminatory national legislation (including a religion-based system to grant citizenship) demonstrate that India's values of democracy, secularism, and human rights are under serious threat. **If your organization wants to be listed as a signatory, please email: [email protected]**

Camping should be welcoming for everyone. This flag is a symbol of white supremacy and has no place in the beautiful parks of our great state.