As of 2016, Norfolk police have killed twice as many people as any other agency in Virginia since 2010, according to a Virginian Pilot investigation. According to The Guardian newspaper, out of the 19 people shot and killed by police in the state of Virginia in 2016, seven of those were killed in the Hampton Roads area, with 5 of those deaths being in Norfolk alone. These issues are not "another place's problem." Members of Norfolk City Council have the ability to make concrete change and address the systematic abuse Black and Brown people experience everyday here in Norfolk.

If we want reform we need to have police that are joining for the right reasons. A chief who’s not only a black woman herself but mother to a black son and grandchildren who’s spent most of her life in Richmond in the community making a difference is the leadership we need, not just in Richmond but in every goddamn community. Can you imagine what a police force full of Carols would be like? I can. George Floyd would be alive. Tamir Rice would be 18 right now. The chief of police should be a mother who’s children have grown up in a system that is racist and cruel. Someone who wants, “police need to change their mindset from warrior to guardian; it’s not us (police) Verses them (the people), we as police are part of the community, we are one. “ Richmond, tell Mayor Stoney we don’t need another macho man. We need a WOMAN who truly cares about the community as she’s part of it. We need a chief with a career like Carols. If we can’t truly abolish police then let’s change what sort of people become police. There should be no greater honor then serving your community, we’ve had enough of police ENFORCING their power, we need to flip that to truly serving and working for the people. We need kindness. We need selflessness. We need love. Tell Stoney Richmond should have a say in who is in charge of the folks who SERVE the community. And in my opinion it’s time for a woman to do the job men can’t.

Unemployment levels for young Americans and minority workers are at levels unseen since the Great Depression. Furthermore, the economy is not rebounding fast enough to put millions of formerly-employed workers back to work before federal unemployment benefits end on July 31. Nevertheless, a necessary relief bill will not be enacted in Washington by July or even August. California already has the largest number of homeless workers in the U.S. Failure to provide economic relief will balloon this human disaster into a catastrophe.

Bringing the Pioneer Amtrak route back, making stops in towns like Portland OR, Ontario OR, Boise ID, Twin Falls ID, Salt Lake City UT, and Denver Co would be a major uplifting to potentially 10's of thousands of people who would travel it frequently. Especially during poor weather, and other major events. Bringing the Pioneer back would be a monumental improvement to this region, but would also show that it is needed, by the demand it would have. It would likely be used more in the winter, as the area can see brutal storms. I know many families that would travel it to see other distant family members. Of course you will have a good amount of business people riding, but the real benefits will go to people who may not have the ability to drive. Seniors who don't like driving long distances, big families with small cars, and many more are possible with this line, and this route. And remember, travelling by train is environmentally friendly. Let's bring back the Pioneer!

We are scared, we are angry, we are humbled. We want to contribute, we cannot contribute. We want to have jobs soon, we will not have jobs soon. We didn't ask for this crisis, we didn't know this could happen, we weren't in a position to prepare. We need our system to help at this time where we need help more than ever. We cannot take care of our own? We are your Parents, your Grandparents, your Children, your Grandchildren, your Aunts, your Uncles and your Cousins. We need your help. With COVID infection rates increasing across much of the country and the high potential for at least a future second wave prior to the onset of mass vaccinations, July 31st will not mark a magical date where job availability will all of a sudden rocket upwards. Demand across numerous industries that employ large numbers of workers remains near or at their bottoms and people are still scared to go back to work, facing an internal crisis of consciousness between the need to provide for their families and the need to not put themselves or their families in harm’s way.

Last year’s $746 billion Pentagon budget was the largest on record — and came at the expense of critical public health, education, and infrastructure spending. And while Congress still can’t agree on extending emergency assistance for families in the face of COVID-19, they’re gearing up to greenlight even more — three quarters of a TRILLION dollars — for the Pentagon this year. Money isn’t everything, but budgets are moral documents that reflect our priorities. And Congress’s priority appears to be funding redundant nuclear weapons, multi-billion dollar off-books spending accounts, and endless wars in the Middle East. No more. Congresswoman Barbara Lee has introduced bold new legislation calling for a $350 BILLION dollar cut to the Pentagon budget. It’s up to us to follow her lead and get Congress on board to shift astronomical funds away from the Pentagon and build true safety and security. Add your name to urge them to pass H. Res. 1003 NOW!

We have been closely following the development of a large encampment of unhoused people in Powderhorn Park, and the attempts by the Minneapolis Parks Board to deal with the situation. We support the Board Resolution 2020-253 passed at their meeting on June 17, 2020 in which the Board committed to allow the encampment to remain temporarily while working to find housing for the unhoused people there; and called on local and State government to increase funding to address this crisis. During the June 17 meeting, it was clear that the Park Board has no funding or expertise available to address the crisis presented by a large encampment of unhoused people during a pandemic and in the wake of an uprising centered just a few blocks away. David Hewitt, the Director of Hennepin County's Office to End Homelessness, testified that it will not be easy to find housing for the residents of the Powderhorn encampment, that the County's resources are already maxed out by the rapid adjustments that were made due to the pandemic, and that there is little or no capacity to address the needs of this encampment. Al Bangoura, Superintendent of Minneapolis Parks, stated that he is attempting to work closely with the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, but also stated that that no state or local government agency has committed any funds to assist the Park Board to keep the residents of the encampment safe or to find them appropriate housing. Parks Commissioner Lionel French stated that he believes Governor Walz needs to get involved, and we agree. We therefore are petitioning you for your intervention in this matter.

We - Students, Parents, Family Members, Teachers, & Community Members demand our children see a brighter future - one where they are supported, not criminalized. Time and time again, children in the Kingston City School District have fallen victim to racial profiling, violence, sexual harassment, and trauma at the hands of the police. Due to the lack of Police Accountability, no justice has been served for most of the children who have been harmed. We do not understand why we have police in our schools. The narrative that Police make things safer has been disproved numerous times, An SRO at Marjory Stoneman Douglas never even entered the school during the shooting. Police contact can also hinder children’s educational performance through negative health consequences related to stress, fear, trauma, and anxiety (Geller et al. 2014; Golembeski and Fullilove 2005; Sugie and Turney 2017) The Memorandum Of Understanding between the KCSD and The Police Department says: “Under state law, the SRO shall not serve as a school disciplinarian, as an enforcer of school regulations, or in place of school-based mental health providers, and the SRO shall not use police powers to address traditional school discipline issues.” Despite the contract, the SROs in the schools are routinely involved in disciplining the children - criminalizing them at a young age. The $369,368.90 our district committed to spend in the 19-20 school year to criminalize our children should be used for counselors and education, not to feed the School to Prison Pipeline. We demand: 1. An immediate and permanent cancellation of contracts with Kingston Police Department, Ulster Police Department and all law enforcement. 2. A commitment to reinvest those funds into Mental Health and Community Resources for the children in the district. 3. Investigate all complaints of Police Violence and Misconduct that have been reported to the school district. Please sign the petition and contact members of the KCSD School Board and Superintendent Padalino to support the removal of School Resource Officers from KCSD and the reallocation of those funds towards mental health resources. In Solidarity, R!SE UP KINGSTON

SARS-CoV-2 is ravaging our communities. It is highly infectious and it is spreading like wildfire. Our hospitals are filling up and resources are scarce. It is our government’s responsibility to ensure our safety, and something must be done to prevent further deaths in our communities.

Stop using black faces in hoodies on ads for your services as it implies that drug addition is a BLACK problem. It is especially important in mostly white neighborhoods to NOT use these kinds of ads because it reinforces racist view unintentionally. At a minimum use both white and black faces in same ads so that it does not automatically cause people to think that the drug problem is a black problem. It reinforces stereotypes that we need to reverse in today's human societies.

Timing is critical to reduce the rate of infection in Orange County. We should not allow the opinions of a minority of the people acting out with their emotions and threatening officials to drive public policy. Decisions should be made from research conducted by doctors, scientists and investigators. Next steps We are requesting that you and the Orange County governing administration launch an aggressive campaign to inform and educate the community that the Covid-19 Pandemic is not over and why it is strongly recommended that we continue to wear face masks publicly and in places of business. The communication campaign can be broadly diversified via informative TV commercials, targeted advertisements on social media (Facebook, YouTube), blog posts, educational materials mailed to each household, celebrity endorsements, local businesses displaying signs in their buildings, articles in local newspapers with bold headlines that include the words, "strongly suggest wearing face masks," and appearances on local TV news broadcasts and radio stations as well.

Stop the spread of Covid-19 Gives health professional more data to go by to make sure it's safe for children to return. Mental health of our children. Gives the schools time to prepare for smaller class sizes