Americans believe strong communities - rural, suburban, and urban - are built on hope, compassion, and shared responsibility. My family is a private humanitarian parole sponsor of two Ukrainian families from Sumy and Zaporizhzhia, respectively and a supporter of many others including mom and her family in the above picture. Our church community has also walked alongside another family from Odessa, Ukraine, helping them find safety and stability in central North Carolina.  Providing a form of immigration extension for these Ukrainian families empowers our communities’ ability to live out our faith in transformative ways.   Losing these individuals who work hard and pay taxes, who gladfully repair our appliances, who joyously serve in retirement centers and who proudly deliver our food would be a devastating loss for our communities. Let’s let them stay until it’s safe to go home.

The current roster of downtown Woodland events are created by and approved by a very small group of people and the city of Woodland. There is currently no oversight by business owners or by community members. The process requires an application and a meeting during a once a month approval meeting.  Approvals are only given once a month. If your application is denied, you must reapply the following month, or simply give up. This current process stifles creativity, new events and as a result stifles new visitors and customers to our city. We seek ease of application process, transparency in approval and denial decisions with more oversight and  input from our business owners and residents. This plan will bring more vibrancy, more creativity, more revenue to our area and our town. Be a part of fresh new ideas, events and entertainment in Woodland by signing today!

Jose Muyet’s case represents a broken system that has affected thousands — especially Black and Latino men — with unjust sentencing, no physical evidence, and coerced testimony. His 30+ year incarceration isn’t just about one man — it’s about a system that too often values punishment over truth, and silence over fairness. Jose's story is important because it shows us that people can change, but the system often refuses to. Despite decades behind bars, Jose has found healing, purpose, and voice through his writing and personal transformation. Freeing Jose isn’t just about ending one injustice — it’s about calling attention to all the others like his, and demanding that New York correct its past mistakes. Because this could be your brother, your son, your neighbor — or even you. If we stay silent, the system never changes. But when we raise our voices together, we show that people care about fairness, about truth, and about second chances. By joining this campaign, you are: • Standing up for someone who has spent 30 years locked away with no evidence • Demanding that the justice system be accountable • Supporting a man who has already done the hard work of transformation • Saying: Redemption is real. Injustice cannot stand. Jose can't fight for his freedom alone. But we can fight with him. Your voice matters. Your signature matters. Your share matters.

Avelo Airlines operates flights in and out of Eugene; their deportation flights operate out of Mesa, Arizona. Their complicity in these deportations makes it imperative for us to take a stand.   Eugene is known for its values of inclusivity, fairness, and justice; allowing an airline that flies deportation flights to operate in Eugene undermines our community standards and compromises the rights and dignity of individuals.  Please sign the petition to demand that Eugene remains a community that values and protects all its residents. Our local resources or infrastructure should not support deportations executed in such an unjust way. Further actions you can take:  • Share this petition with friends, family and neighbors • Send emails or make calls to city and airport officials and demand they take action! Email/phone scripts at Avelo Out of EUG’s campaign page:  bit.ly/AveloOutOfEUG. For info about the national campaign: www.StopAvelo.org Join us by sending an email to: [email protected] Avelo Out of EUG is a coalition that includes: Indivisible Eugene/Springfield, Standing Up for Racial Justice – Springfield/Eugene, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Immigrant/Refugee Justice Action Group at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene; the coalition’s work is endorsed by United for Immigrant Justice, the Oregon Community Asylum Network, and Eugene PeaceWorks.

By joining this campaign, you are speaking up for safer communities, for lives that can still be saved, and for a Rhode Island that puts people over weapons. Your voice matters and together, our voices can make a change.

This far-right hate group helped incite the deadly January 6th insurrection – and now, they’re suing to make YOU pay them $100 million for it. You read that right: Five leaders of the Proud Boys – who were convicted by a jury of their peers after trying to overthrow our democracy – are now claiming that they are the victims and are suing the Department of Justice (DOJ). They’re hoping that Trump – who called January 6th a “day of love” – and his loyalists will hand them millions of our tax dollars to spread more chaos, more violence, and more hate. We can’t let it happen. The DOJ should spend its budget to protect us — to stop violent, organized hate groups like the Proud Boys from terrorizing our communities. Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi: Fight back against this lawsuit. Don’t give the Proud Boys a single dime of taxpayer money.

Matthew Cardon was shot and killed by police in Peoria, Arizona, on June 5th, 2025. Despite repeated requests from his family and community, authorities have not released all available footage. There are conflicting statements, missing body cam footage, and unanswered questions that demand transparency. We call on local and state leaders to release all footage, open an independent investigation, and ensure this never happens again. Matthew was a son, brother, and friend.His family—and the public—deserve the truth.

When community members protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) raids to protect their neighbors this weekend, they were met with what The New York Times called, “an extraordinary show of force.” “Dozens of federal agents wearing helmets and green camouflage arrived in two hulking armored trucks and other unmarked vehicles, and were soon approached by a crowd of immigrant activists and supporters. Some agents carried riot shields and others held rifles, as well as shotguns that appeared to be loaded with less-than-lethal ammunition.” This is mass deportation under Trump. Now that he has deployed thousands of National Guard troops along with 700 active duty Marines to crush protests in the Los Angeles area, more violent intimidation and threats to free speech are likely. Troops and tanks don’t belong on LA’s streets, or anywhere. But the horrifying reality is that Trump’s military flex likely won’t be limited to southern California or his DC tank parade — and that’s why we’re reaching out today with an urgent call. This is no time for business as usual. Senators have a crucial role to play in securing an end to the ICE raids and Trump’s violence-first responses. The good news? They’re more likely to do it if they hear from you today.

No matter how Trump and Stephen Miller dress them up, their recently announced travel ban and ALL the others they have attempted amount to the same thing: A racist immigration policy that leaves people to suffer and struggle. Communities across the country have recently seen their neighbors disappeared, abducted, detained, and deported. With the latest iteration of Trump’s infamous Muslim Ban set to go into effect as soon as 12:01 AM on June 9, the chaos, fear, and harm will only deepen. Make no mistake: Travel bans do not make anyone safer. Centering bigotry and hatred at the heart of U.S. immigration policy will only separate families, demonize immigrants, and strip our country of the values — of the people — who help make it great. But we anticipated this move, and that’s why we’re ready to demand the kind of policies that keep people — everywhere — safe. The good news? Champions in Congress are speaking out. That’s the kind of leadership necessary to repeal these hateful bans, remind the White House that Congress — and people like us — have a say in our governance, and send a crucially needed message of hope and welcome to people whose lives Trump is upending. It’ll take a sustained groundswell of opposition in the coming days and months to make it happen. How do we get that? You. Sign now to send every member of Congress a loud and clear message: No Ban Ever.

I am writing to urge you to consider sponsoring and supporting a proposed piece of legislation called Topher’s Law. (Together on Protecting Human Ethical Rights) This bill is designed to reform Missouri’s guardianship laws to ensure that adult wards who are disabled or otherwise under guardianship retain their right to maintain family relationships—without unnecessary court hurdles or isolation imposed by overreaching guardians. Currently, immediate family members often face significant barriers in simply visiting, calling, or taking their loved one on an outing, even with the ward’s full consent. In some cases, families must petition the court just to spend time together—placing an unjust burden on those who should be presumed to act out of love and care. Topher’s Law flips that burden: if a guardian wishes to deny access, they must go to court and prove why it is necessary. This legislation: Centers the ward’s own voice and consent. Provides a court-appointed advocate regardless of the ward’s ability to pay. Protects against unjustified isolation from immediate family. Brings transparency and accountability to guardianship practices. I’ve included a full draft of the proposed law with this letter. I would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to meet with you or your staff to discuss this further. Families across Missouri—and more importantly, the individuals placed under guardianship—deserve protection, dignity, and a law that puts their humanity first

The mass detention, deportation, and surveillance of immigrant communities are a stain on our country's history. The GEO Group, CoreCivic, and the banks that finance them are all complicit. *Photo by Molly Adams.

More details:   Elsy Berrios, a mother and Westminster resident, was violently taken into ICE custody by two agents (one of them masked) on March 31, 2025 in Westminster, MD. The agents did not produce a warrant, and Berrios was not resisting. Her daughter filmed as the ICE agents violated Berrios’ constitutional fourth amendment right by smashing her car window and taking her away. Ms. Berrios has an employee authorization document and had been working as a seamstress while she applied for asylum. Now, Berrios is being detained at the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Pennsylvania, and, in an immigration court that is operating under the Trump administration Department of Justice’s interpretation and bidding, Berrios was denied bond. On April 14, 2025, Sheriff DeWees said of Ms. Berrios, “It’s about time they came up and got her. She’s no big loss to this community.” We condemn Sheriff DeWees’ cavalier dehumanization of a community member based on unsubstantiated and disputed allegations. This is just one example of how ICE agents, with the support of local law enforcement, are enacting the Trump administration’s illegal reign of terror on immigrants’ right in our backyard. Carroll County Sheriff Jim Dewees and Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker claim that local cooperation with ICE is just "common sense.” They characterize people as "illegal" for simply existing in Carroll County while they work through an intentionally broken immigration system. They conflate being arrested with being guilty. They say cooperation with ICE will make Carroll County “safer.” But, we know that these claims of “common sense” and “safety” mask actions that trample Carroll County residents’ constitutional due process rights, that pit neighbor against neighbor, that erode trust between immigrants and the police, and that result in less community safety.  In March 2025, the Carroll County Sheriff’s office signed a working agreement with ICE to provide Warrant Service Officer (WSO) training to Carroll County Detention Center deputies. Due to a bill in the Maryland General Assembly attempting to ban such an agreement, DeWees did not immediately implement it. Now that the legislative session has ended and such agreements were not banned, DeWees has a green light to begin the WSO training. The training will allow Carroll County Detention Center deputies to serve and execute ICE administrative arrest warrants to people held in Carroll County detention who are believed to be undocumented immigrants. Warrant Service Officer training agreements are part of the 287(g) program, which draws its name from the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes it. 287(g) agreements create partnerships between ICE and local and state law enforcement – delegating authority to allow local officers to perform some of the same functions as an immigration officer.  Sheriff DeWees mischaracterizes 287(g) agreements as “non-discriminatory” and all about community safety. But, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) researchers describe WSO Programs as “an attempt to shield local officers from liability when they violate people’s rights, and as a way to subvert state and local decisions not to participate in immigration enforcement.” In direct contradiction to DeWees’ claims –  • Uniform crime report data show that 287(g) programs do not make communities safer.  • Data show that 287(g) programs undermine public safety “by decreasing trust in local law enforcement and diverting resources away from investigation of serious crimes.”   • 287(g) programs are feeding into a discriminatory immigration system. And studies have shown that “programs pushing more collaboration between local police and ICE like 287(g) use racial profiling to stop, arrest, and deport Black and Brown immigrants.” Carroll County residents’ politics are varied, but we are united in our desire to keep an inhumane, illegal, and weaponized immigration system out of our county. We have seen how ICE agents violated Elsy Berrios’ rights in our community. We have  seen ICE agents enacting illegal orders by detaining and “disappearing”  Kilmar Abrego Garcia and over 200 other immigrants to CECOT prison in El Salvador with no due process. We have seen ICE weaponized to suppress the free speech of students and others who lawfully protest. We have seen videos of ICE agents harassing and brutalizing people all over the country including in our region. Imagine what we have not seen! Under any circumstances, we do not support local cooperation with ICE or 287(g) agreements, which have been shown to be racist and dangerous for communities. Under the current presidential administration, cooperation with ICE and implementation of 287(g) agreements amount to local facilitation of and complicity with illegal and inhumane orders. ICE is currently not operating under constitutional principles. Therefore, Carroll County residents demand that the Sheriff’s office end all cooperation with ICE and end the WSO training 287(g) agreement.  The ACLU states that “the fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.” As we see these rights being trampled across the United States and in Carroll County, we are speaking up to protect ourselves and our neighbors. It is now the Carroll County Sheriff office’s turn to be on the right side of history and stand up for the rights of immigrants and all community members by serving the Carroll County community instead of serving the Trump administration’s brutal and inhumane agenda.