John Evans recently announced that police are no longer proactively doing their jobs because they don’t have “any support from the administration,” and that it’s the reason for a recent spike in shootings in Buffalo. He’s effectively trying to hold the city hostage. It’s outrageous, and it’s a classic tactic of out-of-control police unions, reminiscent of organized crime: stop holding us accountable, or we might not protect you. This is just the latest from John Evans — he and his supporters in the police department are already under major scrutiny. Many of us have seen the video from June of riot police in Buffalo pushing down a 75-year-old man and leaving him bleeding on the ground. The police department’s initial statement — before the video surfaced — said he “was injured when he tripped & fell.” After the video came to light and the officers who pushed him were suspended, 57 officers from the same riot response team resigned from that unit — not to protest the violence, but to actually SUPPORT the officers who committed it, and to protest their suspension. It turns out they weren’t acting on their own — it was John Evans who pressured them all to resign, and he threatened to stop supporting them if they refused. Just a few weeks later, Evans is now coming to the defense of Lieutenant Mike DeLong, a Buffalo officer who was just suspended for harassing a woman on camera, calling her a “little f***ing c***,” and threatening to come to her workplace. After the incident, officers followed the woman and pulled her car over — a clear intimidation tactic. Evans says DeLong was “caught in a weak moment,” that he knows DeLong well, and “I don’t think you’ll see Lieutenant DeLong involved in anything like that again.” But in reality DeLong has a long history of misconduct, including 36 complaints made against him (with 13 related to use of force), he’s been suspended four times (including in 2018 for an “off-duty domestic” incident), and likely avoided discipline on many other occasions with the help of the police union John Evans leads. Defending police misconduct is nothing new for Evans. In 2016, he wrote a blog post blaming the victims of police brutality: “Comply with our orders and you won't get yourself killed. Enough!!!” The post went on to excuse several high profile police killings of Black men: “The Alton Sterling incident was a necessary, justified, use of force. That and the Michael Brown and Eric Garner incidents were clearly avoidable, had they complied with the Police Officers.” Black Lives Matter protesters confronted Evans and demanded that he take the post down; he refused. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said “The Buffalo police union is on the wrong side of history … They have been a barrier to further police reform in the city of Buffalo, and that barrier that the police union presents needs to be addressed.” He’s right — if we want to transform policing, it’s time to confront police unions everywhere. Join us in demanding that Buffalo’s political leaders, police leadership, and rank and file police officers denounce Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans and publicly call for his removal as president of the Buffalo PBA.

Silence on issues such as racial injustice speaks volumes.

More resources for public health inciatives. For example one riot gear uniform can buy 31 nurses PPE. Development projects in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Utilizing social workers, medical experts and community organizations to handle specific emergencies i.e. domestic violence and mental illness calls. Redesigning our neighborhoods in ways that make us feel safe by directly addressing problems and funding them quickly.

Our hallowed Union AFGE Local 1975 is again under attack by saboteurs. In February 2020 the members of AFGE Local 1975 exercised our right to vote. We voted unanimously for Clifford Lowery to be our President. Since then even in the most troubled times during the Covid -19 Pandemic the Executive Committee has been working hard behind the scenes to protect and serve our membership. We have been trying to make up lost ground from the previous administration. There have been various frivolous electoral protests that haven't gained any traction, but finally the National AFGE Organization has attempted to usurp our voices by suspending our President :Cliff Lowery. We the members of AFGE - Local 1975 are going to reclaim our union. We call for immediate reinstatement of our duly elected Union President of AFGE Local 1975 in the interim of this investigation, and request full, unbiased, and unfettered transparency for the charges that have been levelled against him. We also call for an independent arbitrator that will allow for fact driven findings and final judgement of the charges. We are calling for President Clifford Lowery to be reinstated effective immediately as President of Afge Local 1975. We call for all our Union membership to sign this petition. Read and request full, unbiased, and unfettered transparency for the complaint levied against him and the subsequent charges

We call for Berkeley Unified School District to create thoughtful ways of working with students that engender an inclusive, respectful and transformative environment for learning. The Berkeley High School website states that "we treat each other with respect and act with integrity" and yet the real life experiences and stories of Black students is daily accounts of the mistreatment of Black students, a pattern of being pulled from class, unlawfully searched and aggressively handled at the hands of the police. The presence of police in a place of learning promotes the criminalization rather than education of our students of color and sends the wrong impression to all our students. Together we demand the dismantling of the current police state climate that is an everyday reality for our students and transform the educational environment from one that hinders to one that fosters all of our young people’s ability to explore, grow and manifest their full capacities and gifts.

Mississippi is currently being represented by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and James Zachariah George, Confederate General. These statues were donated to National Statuary Hall in 1931. Earlier this year, there was even word that James Z. George was moved to the boiler room of the U.S. Capitol because his legacy was too contemptible to mention during Capitol tours. Also, neither of these figures were even born in Mississippi. The National Statuary Hall Collection is a chamber in the United States Capitol comprised of individual states donating two statues each to honor deceased people notable in that state's history that is seen by people from across the world. Since its opening, National Statuary Hall has had at least seven states replace their statues including Mississippi's neighbor Alabama with four more states undergoing the process of replacement. This trend was made possible by legislation enacted in 2000 as a way to bring the Hall Collection into the 21st century. Mississippi has the highest percentage of black people in America at a whopping 37.3% according to the 2010 census. Furthermore, Mississippi has the highest number of black elected officials. So, why is Mississippi being represented nationally by figures that are known for dehumanizing a considerable part of Mississippi's demographic? This is not how Mississippi deserves to be represented today. With a history as rich as Mississippi's, we are currently missing a prime opportunity to showcase our biggest and brightest such as B.B. King, Eudora Welty, Medgar Evers, Jim Henson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. James D. Hardy, Elvis Presley, and many more. This national moment calls for swift, decisive action. I urge you to use your platform and publicly support the replacement of Mississippi's national Confederate statues. Together, we are all one Mississippi. Let's get this done!

This issue strikes home and is of utmost importance because I am an American citizen of Latino descent that cares about the welfare of my people and humanity in all regards; regardless of color, religion, or background. My brother in-law Edgar Antonio Guerra has been detained for over a year; enough is enough. I implore to ask yourself, What would Jesus do?...

If NFL owners want to show they're committed to the fight against racial injustice and police violence against Black people, they can start by apologizing to Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in protest against police brutality and racial inequality. He faced racist abuse online and at games, and President Trump fanned the flames, telling NFL owners to "Get that son of a bitch off the field now." Kaepernick hasn't played an NFL game since that season because NFL owners colluded to follow President Trump's order and keep him off the field "for disrespecting the flag." Now, the NFL is being lauded because its commissioner, Roger Goodell, affirmed that Black lives matter and condemned "the systematic oppression of Black people." That's better than their 2016 response, but it's not enough (and it only came after leading Black players demanded it). Current and former NFL players and sports journalists have responded in unison that an apology to Kaepernick would show that the NFL is serious about its commitment. We can amplify their message to the league commissioner and owners, which include a number of President Trump supporters. The NFL's lack of support for Kaepernick's right to protest is what created space for President Donald Trump and his supporters to bash him for "disrespecting the flag," distorting the truth of his protest. Apologizing to Colin Kaepernick will send a powerful message to the NFL's fan base, especially fans who incorrectly think the protest is about the flag.

The eyes of the rest of America will be on you and your state. Failing to fully correct this gap runs the risk of an indeterminate election outcome for which you will be held accountable. The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Governor Kemp, this is YOUR purview and YOUR responsibility to insure that the residents of Georgia are represented and the residents of the other 49 states, the District of Columbia and the 16 territories are not impacted or held hostage to any disputable election outcome because of your negligence. Should you fail to insure a smooth and flawless election without incident you can expect consequences which may range from calling for your resignation, state-wide protests and/or boycotts. You are highly encourage to insure that you fulfill the responsibility of the Fifteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Black Lives Matter. This is an insult to people everywhere, but especially to black people living in Charlottesville.

"No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. It starts with confederate flags," Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR, said. "Get them out of here. They have no place for them." In the wake of George Floyd's murder, there's a renewed effort to rid public spaces of racist symbols like the confederate flag. It's time for NASCAR to stop looking the other way on a symbol that makes Black people and those who don't support white supremacy deeply unwelcome and uncomfortable visiting its race tracks. NASCAR's majority white fan base is exactly where a conversation on racism and white supremacy needs to happen. By opposing the confederate flag, NASCAR's CEO Jim France can show that NASCAR stands on the right side of history.

Symbols of racism propagate racism. Symbols of hope propagate hope. Let's put Tennessee on the right side of history.