The Buffalo shooter posted a white supremacist, anti-Semitic manifesto. It clearly shows that he had been radicalized radicalized by the repugnant, baseless “Great Replacement” theory, a conspiracy theory that preposterously asserts that white Americans are being purposely and intentionally replaced by immigrants and people of color to dilute the power of the white majority. The shooter joins a tragically long list of mass murderers driven by hate, including the shooters at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI, Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the Walmart in El Paso, the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, sites in Atlanta, Indianapolis, and many other places. The white supremacy that led to the murders in Buffalo and to all the other racially motivated shootings reaches all the way up to the highest echelons of our society and government. In Congress, some elected leaders are weaponizing racist disinformation about everything from Critical Race Theory to gender-affirming care, from investments in a care infrastructure to ending mass incarceration and criminalization, in order to stoke fears and hold onto their power. In fact, some extremist members of Congress, including Representatives Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and even Elisa Stefanik of New York, the third-ranking House Republican, who echoed the repugnant “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory in her fundraising, are helping to mainstream false, reprehensible white supremacy. Other members of Congress have been notably silent when racially motivated acts of horrific violence, such as what happened in Buffalo, occur. Don’t let your member of Congress support or ignore white supremacy and the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. Demand that they publicly and loudly denounce it now.

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.

Authorities have found a 180-page manifesto, authored by the shooter, in which he identifies as a white supremacist and antisemite and describes his intention to attack a Black neighborhood. In his manifesto, the shooter spoke extensively about the “great replacement theory,” which asserts that white people are being driven out and replaced by nonwhite people in Western societies. This theory is just white supremacy by a different name. At its core, it's a justification for anti-Black ideology that is as old as our country and has been used to rationalize slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, our carceral state, and more. We need to be direct about it and call it what it is: It’s racism. It’s white supremacy. It’s gun violence. All of which are brutal, great dangers to our communities, especially Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color. It’s time to end gun violence now. One of the ways forward is to address the root causes of gun violence, because these dangers are not new. Since America’s colonial beginning, white people with power have used guns to colonize, enslave, and commit genocide against Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color.  The gun violence that we continue to experience day after day in America is very much rooted in our nation's history of violent white supremacy. This is why we must stay committed to fighting back against these ideologies. Together, we can imagine and build a world free from white supremacy, gun violence, police violence, and so much more.

Anybody who woke up in San Francisco under the orange sky on September 9, 2020 knows that climate change is undeniably upon us. But if we start now, there are still many things we can do to turn the tide and avoid the worst impacts. In our city that means rapidly switching our homes and vehicles off of fossil fuels and moving to cleaner, safer, electric alternatives powered by renewable energy; expanding transit; strengthening our ecosystems; and protecting and empowering the communities that will face the worst impacts. San Franciscans are ready to step up and do our part, and we need support and help from our city's leadership. The Climate Action Plan lays out clear strategies and action points for reducing our carbon emissions. Now, we need the Mayor and other city leaders to commit the funding to implement it. Delay at this point is inexcusable -- the longer we wait, the harder it gets to avoid the increasingly threatening consequences of a hotter planet. San Francisco has a long history of innovation and a strong progressive tradition. We should be leading the country and the world into a healthier, safer, more resilient future. (Photo credit: "The Day The Sun Didn't Rise" taken on September 9, 2020 by Christopher Michel is licensed under CC 2.0.)

If we do not start to stand up against this type of behavior, it will continue the culture that we live in an area that breeds hate. If you look at comments on the many local articles, you will see a common trend that people outside our area think of our town as racist and bigoted. We are fully aware that we are far from it, and the words of one do not reflect the ideology of the majority of us.

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.

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

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.

Health care is a human right. Abortion is healthcare and abortion is still LEGAL. While Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land, we recognize now is the time for urgency and education on what resources are available for people if they need to safely self-manage an abortion at home. For more than 20 years medical advances have come forward to revolutionize how people experience abortion. We’re aggressive proponents of people being able to have an abortion on their own terms—without interference from the government, whether they seek that care from a provider at a clinic or self-manage at home. Right now, anti-abortion politicians are impeding progress by trying to prevent any one from being able to have a safe, effective and affordable abortion. But we cannot let people in power continue to ban abortions and criminalize people who exercise their right to choose.

Abortion-by-mail can significantly reduce the harm done by right-wing, anti-choice legislation, but people need to know there are other avenues. Acquiring and using pills may carry legal risk, especially for marginalized people, you can check if it's legal in your state here: https://abortiononourownterms.org/self-managed-abortion/ If the right-wing justices in the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, we need to be ready to educate people on how to self-manage abortion safely. Any one who chooses this option to end their pregnancy should be able to do so safely, effectively, privately – on their own terms. It’s crucial that we create a world where every person is free from stigma and shame, and protect access to safe abortion for all.

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…