These officers must be held accountable, and they must be punished. This must be the last time something like this happens. Police need to know that they are not above the law and will be punished like everyone else if they murder a citizen.

Trumps proposal to use military force and supersede State authority amounts to an informal declaration of martial law. We unit show overwhelming opposition to this if we hope to preserve American democracy.

You might be asking, “How can making these two dates federal holidays improve our situation?” You also might be asking, “How do we seem to be taking steps back to “Da Crow”?” You must fight for freedom yes, but use your power wisely. Do it through love and collaboration. We have to do things decently and in order and remember, a divided house will fall from infighting! Instead of risking Covid-19 infection, continue to mitigate exposure as much as possible to protect vulnerable people. But to really get something done. We need it in writing and we need it in the law. IF YOU WOULD MARCH IN THE STREET, SIGN THIS PETITION! Once we get 150,000 signatures we will submit transparent plans to raise funding to cover the administrative costs involved. This virus will devastate the same populations in our already risky environments. The disproportionality in the death toll skews overwhelmingly towards the black and brown communities. DO NOT BE A MOTH to the FLAME. Be STILL, and sign this petition. Juneteenth June-teenth celebrates the final freeing of slaves in Texas. It was on June 19, 1865, that slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free—although they had been freed two years earlier in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This is a prime example of progress for everyone does not always mean progress for people of color, especially black Americans. The only way to level the playing field is to vote and be able to do it freely! Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Cel-Liberation Day or the Black Fourth of July, is an American holiday that commemorates June 19, 1865. On this day, after almost two and half years since the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved African Americans were informed of their liberation. More Info: The Mascogos (also known as negros mascagos ) are an Afro-descendant group in Coahuila , Mexico. Centered on the town of El Nacimiento in Múzquiz Municipality , the group are descendants of Black Seminoles escaping the threat of slavery in the United States. • Also called: Freedom Day or Emancipation Day • Observances: Exploration and celebration of African-American history and heritage • Next time: June 19, 2020 • Observed by: Residents of the United States, especially African Americans, Mascogos • Significance: Emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy The Pen is Mightier than the Sword!

To dismantle racism globally!

It's time to stand on the right side of history. The purpose of these monuments is to honor Confederacy beliefs, of which our city should rid itself. The Confederacy fought to maintain slavery and white supremacy in the United States. Now is the time to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of color and to make amends for the racist policies of its past by removing these objects of remembrance which celebrate this horrific, traumatizing past. Beyond doing what is right and just, our Governor has called for the removal of Confederacy monuments and we should follow suit with other NC cities. By removing these Confederacy objects of remembrance from our public spaces and the cemetery we are showing our willingness to fight against systemic racism, white supremacy, and the historic oppression of the Black community. The removal will show everyone that our city is a place that doesn't just welcome all people, but fights for all people. These statues belong in museums, not in our streets.

Police across America have been using weapons of war to attack peaceful protesters and journalists in the last few days. They got many of those from the federal government through the Pentagon's 1033 program, which gives military surplus to local law enforcement. After the Ferguson protests in 2014, progressives got President Obama to limit this program. But Trump reversed that order, and also scaled back the Department of Justice's investigations into police misconduct. There are a lot of things we need to do to end institutional racism and stop police brutality. One of those steps is demilitarizing the police. We're calling on Congress to end the 1033 program. Will you join the fight?

Over the past decade, social media platforms have highlighted the abusive behavior and violation of the rights of people of color, specifically black people. The recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of law enforcement sounded the alarm, to all that a higher level of accountability must be in place. In an effort to restore citizens trust in the men and women of law enforcement, it is imperative that this petition does not fall on deaf ears.

The death of Yvonne McDonald in 2018 broke the hearts of her family and friends and sent shock waves through Thurston County. From the beginning, Yvonne's death was shrouded in questionable circumstances. https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article231904923.html The coroner has a duty to call for an inquest in cases like this. Justice has been severely mishandled when it comes to showing empathy for Yvonne's family and providing them with the answers they deserve. Her family is seeking accountability for any negligence and/or violence that may have caused her death, and transparency and empathy from the government officials who are controlling her legal legacy. They have been unable to feel peace since the death of their beloved family member and have been fighting a complicated legal battle to try to get answers. They deserve transparency, accountability, and justice--and, importantly, our community support.

It is important because the police brutality on African Americans have been a repeated cycle far too long in America. We want to grow and evolve as a better nation, if the same issue keeps happening then change will come. Not good change, more and more people will start to take risks and try to find weakness on how to find the solution to the madness. An officer killing someone innocent is not serving justice or duty. They are taking advantage of their power and misguiding the laws they are taught. Change needs to come.

On September 26, 2019, six officers from the Hyattsville police department (along with one officer from Mt. Rainier and three from Prince George’s County) participated in the killing of Leonard Shand. During a town hall meeting held on October 1, 2019, at the University Christian Church, Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth, Chief of Police Amal Awad, and City Administrator Tracy Douglas spoke to the community and reported that all the officers involved would be placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of a homicide and administrative investigation. On April 13, 2020, Chief Awad reinstated the six Hyattsville officers were reinstated to full duty by Chief Awad without benefit of the homicide and administrative investigation being completed. City Administrator Douglas responded to community concerns about reinstating these officers without benefit of the investigation by stating, "City officials reviewed the events surrounding Shand’s death and found no violations of internal policies…[p]reliminarily, the city police command staff conducted an executive review of the unfortunate death of Mr. Shand and determined that the actions were consistent with departmental policy.” A police department investigating itself is NOT ACCEPTABLE! Any policies that justify the firing squad-style killing of a mentally ill man who was forced to run toward the shooters are NOT ACCEPTABLE! According to the ACLU of Maryland "officers used a flashbang grenade, which inevitably led to the killing of 49-year-old Leonard Shand, according to @PGPDNews. Running away from an exploding flashbang grenade is a natural and inevitable response. The police created a dangerous situation, causing an armed man to run towards them, and then used the inevitable result of their actions as the justification to shoot him. The PGPD Twitter account released photos of bloody knives that the victim was alleged to have been carrying, yet, the the footage released, didi not show anyone to be stabbed. The police left 40+ bullet holes not only left in the victim’s body but in nearby buildings that could have easily hit any other passerby.

There are currently only three states that identify Murder in the third degree (Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania), California is not one of them. The State of California Penal Code is specific, and covers a broad range of murder definitions, however it does not identify any requirement for peace officers to act in the protection of citizens in their custody. This is an opportunity for the State of California to positively respond to the events of the last decade and make a clear change. This action will also provide local law enforcement the ability to swiftly address and enforce self-governance in a way that may prevent future public protest and ensure a just and lawful review of events in a court of law.

The criminal justice system cannot work if it is inherently biased. ALL Citizens cannot feel safe from random acts of police violence if there is no systematic accountability and protection from such acts. Time and again it has been demonstrated that the police and local officials have been unable to rein in such behavior that targets specific groups with racial bias, animosity and violence. It is time for reform and change. We are calling on the NYC Council to take action by implementing the 5-Point Plan.