As we continue to grapple with a pandemic, we must not forget our ongoing gun violence epidemic — and we must treat it like the national security priority it is. With so many factors fueling it, we know it’s not going to be solved overnight. BUT Congress could act NOW to mitigate the extent of mass shooting injuries and deaths. One place to start is by finally passing a federal ban on all assault weapons. With your help, we can make sure Congress hears us loud and clear when we say weapons of war do not belong in our streets. Together, we can push Congress to do their job — that means representing AND and protecting us with legislation that will ban assault weapons from our streets.

The Atlanta mass shooting that resulted in the death of eight people -- six of whom were Asian American women -- again proves that Americans can no longer wait for action against gun violence and hate. In 2020 alone, as though the pandemic weren't already too much to bear, gun violence rose dramatically with over 19,000 people killed in shootings and firearm-related incidents. Tragically, who is harmed by gun violence has long been determined by race, ethnicity, or gender. Asian American women -- and everyone -- deserve to feel safe. While we mourn the Atlanta shootings, we must also fight the explosive combination of guns, racism, and misogyny to reduce the likelihood of such tragedies ever happening again. The U.S. House recently passed gun legislation to tighten up background checks on gun sales, and now it’s up to the U.S. Senate to turn it into law. Tell the U.S. Senate to act against gun violence now and pass universal background checks.

The process to hire a new Chief of Police for Prince George’s County must be fully transparent. As PG County residents we must be included in the hiring process in ways that go beyond a mere community survey. The role of the police chief is far too great and needs to be accountable to the members of the community with all police matters.

I am a career high school teacher, my life's work has been the education, support, and nurturing of our oldest children during one of the most challenging transitional periods of life. In addition to all the stresses of adolescence, our young people must routinely prepare to have their learning spaces invaded by armed domestic terrorists that can slaughter them in cold blood. Because of shamefully lax gun regulations in the US, school shootings happen with damnable regularity subjecting families to the murder of their precious children and the surviving students to the trauma of witnessing their friends gunned down. It is bad enough that the members of US Congress have allowed this social crisis to get to the point that it has but now, in your ranks is a representative that publicly harassed a survivor of the Parkland School shooting just weeks after he witnessed the murder of his friends. As if that was not bad enough, that representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene sits on the House Education Committee. This is an affront to all teachers, parents, and our precious children. Representative Marjorie Taylor Green MUST be removed from the House Education Committee immediately

No single reform will keep our communities safe gun violence - it is the interconnection of common-sense laws that provides the best protection against gun violence.

For more than four years, Mike Lee has not only lacked the courage and the moral compass to denounce con man Trump’s reprehensible behavior, he’s aided and abetted Trump’s deception and domestic abuse of the American public by standing by instead of standing up.

The assault on January 6th, 2021 to our Nation's congress and our Capitol Building was an aberration, and a direct threat to our democracy. This violent attack was instigated by Mr. Trump and Mr. Trump Jr.. The rioters attempted to destroy the institutions that make us the strongest democracy in the world. These rioters displayed Neo-nazi, racist, and fascist symbols. As more footage of the incident is brought to light, we all are witnessing the violent nature of the groups that forced themselves into The People's House. A police officer was murdered and four other people died in this violent event. It is one of the darkest days in the history of our country. We must make sure that his name is not glorified in any way, because if we do not act we will have normalized the behavior Mr. Trump and his rioting mob of followers displayed. We Chicagoans and Americans ask you to do what is in your power to remove the sign that is now a stain to a city we are proud to call home. Thank you.

Unless this is done, laws become a lie and the democracy is well and truly dead. Unless this is done, you create a schism between power and the powerless that is too deep to heal; our brothers and sisters of color, our women, will never trust, will never stop fighting to create equality, and there will never be peace. Ever. Unless this is done, you confirm the ability of another dictator to take the White House, and you allow the Senators who care only for their own skins to keep perpetuating the violence and lack of morality to continue. And you simply kill our country.

The City of Philadelphia is experiencing a gun violence public health crisis. -There has been a 53% increase in gun violence since 2019 -There are over 2,100 shooting victims so far in 2020 -Nearly half of those victims are under the age of 25 -Gun violence is traumatizing Black and Brown communities We’re talking about children, teens, and adults dying in the streets of Philadelphia at an unprecedented rate, young people turning to violence due to their communities being stripped of resources, and Philadelphia’s leadership not approaching this issue with the urgency it deserves. Neighborhoods in Philadelphia are under siege. Philadelphia must stand together, no matter which neighborhood you live in, because we all deserve to live in neighborhoods supported by life sustaining resources, where well-being and safety are the record-breaking outcomes. View the full resolution: https://phila.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4638891&GUID=01D1971F-207F-4DDB-A581-8EB8C1F2EF0E&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=200447

Oscar Cain Jr was a passionate leader and even traveled to Ferguson to support the Black Lives Matter community during protests for Mike Brown. He was well loved in the community and was a part of many different organizations that dealt with issues such as voting rights and housing equality. He was a strong advocate for police use of body cameras and spent much of his time educating and speaking about this issue. Ironically, Cain, a father of two small children, was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer that did not have his body camera on. Marquee Kelley, the Atlanta Police Officer who shot and killed Cain, claims someone told him they saw a man with a gun, and that when Kelley spotted Cain and tried to arrest him, Cain fled into a dark wooded area. According to Kelley’s story, he saw Cain with a gun in his hand so he shot Cain. Cain was shot in the back. He became the 7th activist who marched on the frontlines in Ferguson to die under suspicious circumstances. APD officer Kelley’s entire written report regarding the incident was three sentences and because Kelley’s body camera and dash camera were turned off when he shot Cain, there is no audio or video evidence of the shooting. Oscar Cain Jr was known to lead marches saying, “I am somebody and I deserve full equality. Right here. Right now.”

This is a letter from his mother- My name is Montye Benjamin I am the mother of Jayvis LeDell Benjamin. Jayvis was UNARMED and killed by officer Lynn Thomas of the Avondale Estates Police Department in Dekalb county Georgia. I would like the opportunity to share with you my experience seeking justice for my son. As his mother I will continue to be his Advocate and voice that was silence by officer Thomas who sentencing Jayvis to a roadside execution, being the judge and jury on the street. My journey includes many barriers that was put in place attempting to force me to quit or having no hope for justice with limited resources, legal counseling and mainly with little to no support from my community. On the night that my son was killed, a false narrative was given that he stole a car and assaulted officer who commanded him to get back in a wrecked car. I did not find out the truth until I appeared before the Grand Jury that my son only ran a red light. On January 18, 2013, Jayvis ran a red-light losing control of the car he was driving running into a telephone pole head on. Officer Thomas witness Jayvis running the light then calling into dispatch stating, “that guy is going 120 miles an hour, I am going to go look for him”. Upon arriving officer Thomas exits his patrol car approaches Jayvis and begin to pat both his left and right side appearing to decide either to use his tazer or gun. Officer Thomas then release from the holster his gun pointing it directly at Jayvis, before Jayvis exit the car. Jayvis then proceed to exit the car brushing away the broken window on the driver side, once he exits he then raised his hand up stating “Do ya’ll see this $h1#. Do see ya’ll see what he trying to do to me” repeatedly and then officer Thomas shouting, “get back into the car”. At no time did officer Thomas access for injuries from the impact of the car hitting the telephone pole. You can see that Jayvis was engaging with the people in the community that began to come out of their home because the power was knock out and the loud noise of the impact hitting the telephone pole. On April 30, 2015 a Grand Jury hearing “Strongly Advised Indictment” of Officer Thomas. On May 1, 2015 DA James announced during a press conference that a warrant would be issued for Officer Thomas and he would appear before a criminal grand jury. Almost a year later the Former DA presented an altered clip of the dash cam video, only showing Jayvis and not officer Thomas exiting the patrol car. Former DA Robert James ruled the shooting justified stating that he did not agree with the jury decision and they needed to be trained to evaluate a police involve shooting. The case was in the appellate court process because the judge dismissed the case. This decision was made on the altered video that was entered to the court and not the same one that was shown during the grand jury hearing. Five months after DA James rule the shooting justified Officer Thomas was promoted to chief of his department. Several request by me and my attorney’s to get the original dash cam video and we are yet to received it or our request has ever been honored. Jayvis and I have been “Denied Due Process”. I am so glad that I was able to view the dash cam video during the grand jury hearing, had I not seen it I would have never known the TRUTH. Jayvis should’ve received a traffic citation and a day in court, not a death sentence. There was no police chase, stolen car report or fitting any description. It wasn’t until after Jayvis was DEAD, that thomas came up with the stolen car report. Also, a background check was done on Jayvis after he was murdered and conducted by the GBI and the DA office showing he did not have any altercations or a criminal record with the justice system. It was the GBI investigator that actually motivated me to look deeper into Jayvis case. When I spoke with him he said that he could not discuss Jayvis case because of the open investigation by the DA office, but that I needed to request all copies of each investigation. The GBI completed their investigation March 2013, and the DA did not completed his until April 2015. For the justice system to function the way it does today I know I may not see justice in my life time but at least I do know the truth and he was murdered by lynn thomas. The only purpose of his badge, gun and uniform is to protect himself with the support of the court system that expect the average citizen to respect the very laws they are paid to enforce. I am presently requesting that Jayvis case be reopened with a special prosecutor and investigator with true transparency. I have been fighting Justice for Jayvis, for the last 7 years. I will continue to do so with my last breathe. My son was racially profiled and murdered with no accountability or remorse for life lost due to thomas incompetence and negligence. Thomas holding the position of chief has really taunted the respect, integrity and honor of the title chief.

On May 16, 2016, Jabril Robinson and his gf were having an altercation outside his gf’s mothers house. The gf’s mother called police wanting police to help de-escalate the fight, but she was quoted as saying, “If I knew they was gonna kill that young man I would have never got them police involved. Never. I love that boy like a son. God! God this is crazy!” She just wanted their help. Both Robinson’s gf and gf’s mother kept being questioned if Robinson had a gun multiple times even though they kept saying that he didn’t. Officers told the mother and gf that they would look for him, talk to him, and bring him back. When Clayton County Police Officer Charlie McDaniel and Dwayne Parkin spotted Robinson, he ran and they chased him behind the house where they shot him multiple times in the back. When he struggled to get up, they shot him in the back of the head. They were called to de-escalate, so why did Jabril Robinson end up dead? Sounds like Charlie McDaniel and Dwayne Parkin, who are civil officers, decided to take the law into their own hands over an argument between two civilians that they are meant to protect.