Our constitution states first amendment is a right for freedom of speech. Historians who know their history in context with today’s racist and controversial understanding about the origins of American Slavery and the economic incentives of reconstruction will join me in “Standing Up” for the Truths that our children need to understand to make our society a “better” place to live, work and play. We fight for freedoms and liberties for All people of color.

Last month's tornadoes ripped through multiple states in the midwest and killed dozens of people, including six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, IL. With the warehouse situated inside Tornado Alley, it's unclear whether Amazon had adequately prepared for emergency weather events. Workers had repeatedly attempted to urge Amazon management to take precautions (such as safety drills), but management didn't listen. Once the tornado warnings were out, workers were forced to choose between not showing up to work (and facing the threat of termination) and the imperative to find shelter. One worker who was killed reportedly texted his girlfriend, “Amazon won’t let us leave” in the moments leading up to the Illinois warehouse’s collapse. OSHA has opened up an investigation of Amazon following the six worker deaths, but we know this isn’t enough. We demand full transparency from Amazon regarding their emergency weather preparedness, as well as their actions on the day of the tornadoes and in the days that followed. We also demand additional federal investigations, in addition to local and state investigations.

Not everyone in the Illinois Valley (IV) of southern Oregon has a need for banking services, or has a bank account. (In fact, one of the problems First Community (FCCU) has identified as a cause of the Cave Junction branch's poor performance is the heavy emphasis on a cash economy in the IV.) BUT... a large number of us DO rely on banking services, including a savings repository, personal and business loans, notary services, etc. Many aspects of banking can be done remotely, such as transfers of funds from account to account, automatic electronic payments, direct deposit of paychecks, etc. There are smart phone apps that allow scanning of checks, for remote deposit. But when you have cash or checks, and no smart phone app (many low income people don't have smart phones, or don't have the expertise to use such apps), by golly, you just have to go in to the local branch to deposit it. You know this... if you hold onto a ton of cash, don't you feel constantly vulnerable to theft or loss of the cash? I do. So then if you have to go to a physical branch office, and it's located 30 or more miles away, that's a problem. Some community members do not have vehicles, or do not have enough time off from their jobs to make the trip. Many of us are trying to make FEWER trips in our vehicles, not MORE, due to climate change. And that old Highway 199 is notorious as being deadly, one of the worst in the nation, especially in winter with slick roads and/or dense fog. The presence of multiple financial institutions in a community is evidence of a vital economy (or at least someone's faith in the potential of that economy), and acts to encourage more investment of various kinds in that community. Faith and investment beget more faith and investment. Conversely, closing a bank can devastate a community. We have already suffered closure of two other banks in recent years. How much more abandonment can the IV withstand? Since FCCU has the word 'community' in its very name, I think it should walk its talk, and help support our community. FCCU needs to work WITH its community to find mutually acceptable solutions to its problems, rather than just bailing because the going has gotten tough. So... we are asking FCCU to keep the Cave Junction branch office open, as a way of truly serving and empowering and aiding in the development of OUR COMMUNITY.

Free and fair elections are the source of democracy in the United States. But when representative districts are drawn by state legislatures with the sole purpose of making those maps so irregular that the majority party knows that it will gain a majority of seats for congress no matter what the percentage of votes they get in subsequent elections then there is no longer democracy. Both Republican and Democrat parties practice gerrymandering so this is not just about gaining a partisan advantage. It is about ending the practice of allowing politicians choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians.

Because the post office is a necessary and highly important federal service provided to all without discrimination.

We have let republicans get away with so much for so long that our government is under attack from them now. We cannot sit by while the terrorists in our government destroy our democracy with their hatred and bigotry. This must end, and the only way is to start holding them accountable for all of their atrocities. Racism and bigotry are unacceptable in this country, and its ends NOW.

Every year in the United States there are over 100,000 residential fires in multifamily dwellings. In July of 2019 Kaitlyn Denson and Joseph Tarin's lives were cut short in an apartment fire in Austin, TX. A fire that spread quickly with no presence of sprinklers within the apartment units. Due to a legacy clause the current law allowed for this complex among many other's to not meet the most up to date standards for fire safety resulting in the worst possible outcome. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fire sprinklers reduce the risk of fatalities in multi family dwellings by 87% and injuries by 27%. Action Petitioned For: We the undersigned are concerned citizens who urge our leaders to act now to pass the Public Housing Fire Safety Act.

To Save 10,000s of lives. Demonstrate to the world that the US doesn’t abandon its citizens or allies.

We need to shut down all of Trump's minions, cronies and sycophants if we hope to save the country.

The NM Cannabis Justice Project coalition feels strongly about the need for public input as these rules will affect NM’s agriculture for generations to come. We continue to ask for transparency as the community advisory board did receive the opportunity to contribute to these particular set of rules, and the current rules hold a greater threat of unlawful water transfers out of small farms, do not acknowledge NM’s vibrant and longstanding cultures, and uses loop holes for large producers to ask for variances on water leasing rights.

Gov. Kristi Noem used private funds to send the South Dakota National Guard to the border. That makes them military for hire: mercenaries. Further, welcoming people fleeing persecution at the point of a gun isn't the America I want to live in. Joe Biden is the commander-in-chief of every state's National Guard. His authority supersedes any governors'. Biden can nationalize the South Dakota National Guard, bring them back from their border deployment, and end the mercenary precedent set by Gov. Noem. In 1954, Eisenhower nationalized the Arkansas National Guard during the "Little Rock Nine" Crisis. In 1963, JFK nationalized the Alabama National Guard during the "standoff at the school door" crisis. Biden can do the same with your support.

When one of the founding members of Cannabis Vision Partners discovered her mother had breast cancer there was no where she could take her mother to for a safe, knowledgeable and comfortable experience at a dispensary. This was 14 years ago. Today not much has changed. We now have "apple store" style dispensaries and not one but TWO MedMen dispensaries approved by LA city council to operate in Venice, but none of them cater to women's needs and none of them are owned by women and certainly not women of color. Women and particularly women of color are the most disadvantaged when it comes to healthcare and almost invisible when it comes to natural healing. The needs of women and women of color are not being met in health and in business. One of the fastest growing industries is cannabis and currently the community of Venice Beach is being dominated and monopolized by greedy male corporations- essentially keeping out any women and especially women of color. This is a healing industry and the need for women focused healing is being neglected and we need change. You can make a difference for all women of color who choose to heal themselves with natural medicine and not with addictive pharmaceuticals and for women who want to make a difference in their communities. It all starts with someone like you who cares about women's needs.