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.

COVID19 numbers on the mainland are higher than they have ever been so we need access to much more accurate and reliable testing to safely welcome tourists back to Hawaii without a quarantine requirement. Also school starts August 4th and welcoming tourism at the same time is dangerous to teachers and students. We don't yet know what the effect of opening schools will be.

Scenes of highly militarized police roaming major American cities with tanks, shooting peaceful protesters, journalists, and even lawmakers with rubber bullets and teargas have shocked the nation, and the world. Now Senators Schatz, Murkowski, Harris, and Paul have submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to “limit the transfer of certain surplus military-grade equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the country.” A powerful constituency of police unions and “tough on crime” lawmakers are opposing the amendment - but our campaign can help build grassroots support, and educate more people about the dangerous police militarization pipeline. Sign on to show your support for this bipartisan effort to get military-style weapons out of the hands of local police forces - we’ll need a massive grassroots groundswell to make this happen!

All black lives matter. No person shall be discriminated against based upon the color of their gender, sexual orientation, skin tone, economic status, social status, religious beliefs, or location. Everyone deserves adequate resources in order to live and thrive. Speaking out and standing against injustice is an essential human duty. There is a mutual duty to serve and protect between the community and its members. Acknowledge, respect, accept, and celebrate differences as well as commonalities. Believe in the power of words and their impact.

As of 2016, Norfolk police have killed twice as many people as any other agency in Virginia since 2010, according to a Virginian Pilot investigation. According to The Guardian newspaper, out of the 19 people shot and killed by police in the state of Virginia in 2016, seven of those were killed in the Hampton Roads area, with 5 of those deaths being in Norfolk alone. These issues are not "another place's problem." Members of Norfolk City Council have the ability to make concrete change and address the systematic abuse Black and Brown people experience everyday here in Norfolk.

If we want reform we need to have police that are joining for the right reasons. A chief who’s not only a black woman herself but mother to a black son and grandchildren who’s spent most of her life in Richmond in the community making a difference is the leadership we need, not just in Richmond but in every goddamn community. Can you imagine what a police force full of Carols would be like? I can. George Floyd would be alive. Tamir Rice would be 18 right now. The chief of police should be a mother who’s children have grown up in a system that is racist and cruel. Someone who wants, “police need to change their mindset from warrior to guardian; it’s not us (police) Verses them (the people), we as police are part of the community, we are one. “ Richmond, tell Mayor Stoney we don’t need another macho man. We need a WOMAN who truly cares about the community as she’s part of it. We need a chief with a career like Carols. If we can’t truly abolish police then let’s change what sort of people become police. There should be no greater honor then serving your community, we’ve had enough of police ENFORCING their power, we need to flip that to truly serving and working for the people. We need kindness. We need selflessness. We need love. Tell Stoney Richmond should have a say in who is in charge of the folks who SERVE the community. And in my opinion it’s time for a woman to do the job men can’t.