First, transparency and accountability from the City Commissioner’s office is critical to ensuring free and fair elections. As elected officials, the City Commissioners must act in good faith and engage in open dialogue with constituents so that we can ensure safe, secure, and equal access to the ballot box. Otherwise, our elections and our democracy will be at risk. Second, a clear plan is needed to address problems that arose in the primary election. From mail-in ballot accessibility to insecure ballot counting, these issues threaten the integrity of our elections: they have the potential to disenfranchise thousands of voters, cast doubt upon our election’s validity, and expose our results to lawsuits. But the City Commissioners have the power to solve them. To do that, they need to act now. All eyes will be on PA this November and, as a result, on Philly. Our health and our votes are at stake if action is not taken starting now.

The President has deployed unidentified federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security and sub-agencies to Portland over the objection of local and state governments. These agents have subsequently escalated conflict, and gleefully beaten, shot, and gassed peaceful protesters, and kidnapped others off the street in unmarked vehicles. The President has threatened to deploy more agents to Chicago and other "Democrat" cities, against the will of the states. It has become clear that the Department of Homeland Security has exceeded its original purpose. It has been transformed into a secret police force used by the President to inflict terror against those with whose politics he disagrees. Although unlikely, we are in a small window of time where it may be possible to undo the damage that has been done, and dismantle this occupying army being deployed against U.S. cities. If we hesitate to take action, the President will only be emboldened, and the precedent of using the Department of Homeland Security for political retribution will be established. Please tell Congress to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and some sub-agencies.

On the steps of the Capitol, Republican Rep. Ted Yoho called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “f**king b*tch.” She had never even met him before.[1] She was defending her over-policing criminalizes the poor and marginalized. And for daring to have an opinion, Rep. Yoho thought it was okay to hurl a sexist, vulgar slur at her. Congress cannot let this stand. Rep. Yoho’s comments were abhorrent and need to be dealt with immediately. Tell Congress: Censure Rep. Yoho for his sexist, vulgar language toward Rep. Ocasio-Cortez! Let’s be honest: men hurl these insults at women to demean them. Men like Rep. Yoho need to use vulgar language toward women because they’re threatened by women who speak up, who stand by their convictions, and who challenge the antiquated notion that only men should hold power. But as much as men like Rep. Yoho wish for the sexist days of Mad Men, that’s not the world we live in. AOC and Ted Yoho have the same job. In other words, on the steps of Congress, they’re equals, no matter what kinds of names Rep. Yoho wants to throw at her. But this isn’t just a DC-spat, Congress has rules governing decorum and codes of ethics. They’re put in place to secure the American people’s trust that our elected officials are professional, lawful, civic-minded servants. Rep. Yoho violated those rules and ethics by cursing at Rep. Ocasio-Cortez. He needs to face consequences, and swiftly. Demand Progress has already filed a complaint against Rep. Yoho, but Congress to take action now by censuring him. Tell Congress: Censure Rep. Yoho for his sexist, vulgar language toward AOC! Source 1. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/508259-ocaasio-cortez-accosted-by-gop-lawmaker-over-remarks-that-kind-of

United States citizens and residents have the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association. Protesters' civil rights are being trampled on and violated. Putin stops protests in Russia and Xi Jinping hurts protesters in China but this is not acceptable in the United States of America. Photo credit: Skylor Powell

As we reopen our schools, we must also support the safety and economic stability of our local communities by ensuring that frontline workers are valued with living wages, family health care benefits, and access to quality, affordable child care and education. We must take this opportunity not just to recover from the COVID-19 crisis but to reset the course of investment in education. We must also begin to tear-down the systemic racism that denies all children a quality education and make fundamental changes to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in safe, clean, and supportive schools – now and into the future. To do so, plans to reopen our schools must be guided by these principles: **Distance Learning Until It is Safe to Reopen Health experts recommend 14 days of no new cases before resuming school in person. All the school districts that do not have low community spread of COVID and adequate resources for a full reopening should be able to continue virtual learning. We call upon local counties and the state government to support virtual learning with community resources and technology support. **Maintain Local Control Local school boards have the constitutional power to make educational decisions for their communities and should be free to do so without threats or punishments from state and federal authorities. School boards are uniquely suited to make the best decisions for their communities, as they are elected leaders who work in conjunction with local organizations to best serve their community. Local school boards should work with a panel of local health experts during the reopening process to make reopening decisions without interference from the State government. **Cover ALL employees wages and benefits as budgeted All workers are essential. As soon as it is safe, School Districts will resume in person learning. In order to maintain continuity and availability of an experienced workforce, we are calling for the School Districts to continue to cover ALL employees wages and benefits as budgeted. The State should call on the Federal Government to allocate additional resources for School Districts struggling during this financial crisis. **Focus on our communities The pandemic has laid bare how much working families depend on schools for food, child care, wellness and other basic needs. Community organizations that support families by becoming “safe havens” for children during working hours should be fully supported by the school district. As communities recover, schools must more fully engage parents and front line workers to identify neighborhood needs and appropriately target the expansion of meal programs, after school activities, health care access (including COVID-19 testing) and other safety-net services. **Ensure full support and resources for our most vulnerable students The shutdown of our schools has disproportionately impacted students of color, immigrants and students with special needs, as well as the essential classified school workers who provide them with critical services. As School Districts are considering reopening plans, learning-loss and achievement gaps must be addressed immediately through expanded instructional assistance, full access to technology for all, counseling and other services that support vulnerable students. School boards need the flexibility to work with individual families and staff to best meet the needs of students, including home visits or other workable solutions. School boards must provide language and translation services for non-English-speaking parents **Prioritize safety and cleanliness for all In the past, the regular sanitizing of classrooms and campuses has long been regarded as a “wish-list” item for schools rather than a priority. As a result, maintenance budgets have suffered the greatest budget cuts, staffing levels have been drastically reduced and school districts have struggled to maintain basic cleanliness standards. We are calling for a SAFE reopening of schools, which will require proper protective equipment for all, training, testing and appropriate staffing of maintenance workers to protect students in every environment where they learn – from school buses to classrooms to playgrounds and cafeterias. CDC Guidelines should be fully adhered along with advice from local health experts. **Training and Technology Support School Districts must invest in providing training on new safety protocols as well as training on new technology. The schools should also provide technology support for the staff who are expected to perform duties virtually during this time. Staff and families also need additional training on best practices to reduce the spread of COVID and other germs. **Recognize and respect the role of essential school workers As most of the world has sheltered at home, custodians, food service workers and other essential school staff have risked exposure to COVID-19 to maintain the safety and well-being of our communities. But their recognition as heroes of the pandemic has also highlighted the low-wage, part-time nature of this predominantly Black and Brown workforce. As we rebuild our schools, we must also support the economic stability of our local communities by ensuring that the contributions of frontline workers are valued with living wages, family health care benefits, and access to quality, affordable child care. **Bold investment in our schools and communities Our response to this unprecedented pandemic cannot be budget cuts and business as usual. We must challenge elected leaders to create a more progressive fiscal system. We must create new revenue streams where the wealthy pay their fair share and our budget is not balanced on the backs of school custodians, cafeteria workers, special education assistants and other essential employees. We must put equity for all of our students and staff at the center of our rebuilding efforts.

Federal police, dressed in camouflage with no identification, are snatching up Black Lives Matter protestors from the streets of Portland, Oregon, into unmarked vans and arresting them. The governor of Oregon has asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pull these federal forces out of the city — but the director of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, has refused. Now Trump says he's going to do the same thing in cities across America. Trump and the DHS have crossed a bright red line, trampling over both people’s civil liberties and states’ rights. And the agency is setting a terrifying precedent of the Trump administration occupying cities and abusing human rights against their will. We need Congress to act right now to stop this and save our democracy.

If we value the ability to live and speak freely, this is imperative to every single person living in the United States, as well as those we affect abroad.

Enough is enough. From the exposure of the racial discrimination lawsuit in our countywide police department to black and brown people being used as BOTH punching bags and target practice by those that are sworn to protect us. PGCHANGEMAKERS and its' allies say NO MORE to police brutality in Prince George's County! WARNING - These videos are triggering. Viewer discretion is advised. https://www.instagram.com/p/CCwcmizBy8M/ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2707963206105717 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=pg+police+beat+downs&docid=607990734244021592&mid=50FC9D5356C4EF95491F50FC9D5356C4EF95491F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMk4L9iaE7o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrOnhcBpEFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBsQfk-iEew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o75_fjwtkfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf6oLSPB10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UqziDwXJSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0doXRLkv8E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo6m8AP5odA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF-UatpD44k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08OR_Dr1l8s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOa1rFM9T-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKzigsYQn58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRi_smnYaCY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L3FyfbZVaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKFfybKIaGw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfEhPjyBPDg

These are scenes out of a police state, not a democracy: heavily armed, unidentified federal agents are grabbing American citizens off the streets of a major American city, bundling them into vans and detaining them without charge. Local officials in Oregon are pushing back: the mayor of Portland has demanded these secretive federal troops leave the city, and the ACLU has filed suit. But this outrageous attack on civilians and peaceful protesters needs a loud, no-holds-barred national response NOW. If we don’t shut this down, Portland could be a trial run for Trump-backed paramilitary police squads deployed in cities nationwide. This is not a drill - it’s time to ring the alarm! Sign on to call on Congress to do everything within their power to shut down this authoritarian threat: from holding immediate hearings, to supporting Senator Ron Wyden’s amendment to the defense bill to stop the Trump administration from sending its paramilitary squads on to America's streets.

After an influx of revealing stories submitted by students who have been abused and traumatized by Greek organizations and their members at USC, it has come to the attention of USC's student body that these organizations are doing much more harm than good to our community. A recent study has grounded these perspectives in data, and those involved and uninvolved in Greek life at USC have shown us that empty promises and reforms are no longer tolerable. College is an introduction to adult life for many students, and Greek life acts as a precedent for how students should behave socially after they finish their time at USC. The normalization of sexual assault, white supremacist ideals, and gender or sexuality-based discrimination have no place in our students' first steps towards adult independence. The world around us is progressing rapidly, but by choosing not to stand with the abolishment of IFC and Panhellenic Greek organizations, USC will be left behind in social evolution.

John Lewis and C.T. Vivian should be the men that we create statues for. They spent their lives and careers to better the landscape for Black Americans and all Americans. This is who we should applaud. We can replace the KKK bust or other confederate statues.

Senator Mitch McConnell is among the many members of Congress who have made statements on the passing of their colleague and civil rights giant John Lewis who nearly died in the fight for the Voting Rights Act. McConnell tweeted, "I will never forget joining hands with John as Congress sang We Shall Overcome at a 2008 ceremony honoring his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It could not have been more humbling to consider what he had suffered and sacrificed so those words could be sung in that place." Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL-7) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act that would restore key provisions of the act that were struck down by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. You can read a brief summary here: https://www.hrc.org/resources/voting-rights-advancement-act The best way that he and his colleagues can honor the memory of their colleague is to pass H.R. 4.