We’ve come to expect police union leadership to defend cops’ violence and abuse—but now Mike Mazzeo, president of the Rochester Locust Club, is saying it’s appropriate for a 9 year old—who wasn’t even a suspect—to be manhandled, handcuffed, and ultimately pepper-sprayed by police officers. It’s beyond excessive use of force, and it appears that the child’s 4th amendment rights were violated. But Mazzeo thinks the cops’ actions were appropriate: • “Those officers in those scenes, they broke no policy. There’s nothing that anyone can say they did that’s inappropriate.” • “I don’t know who could do any better job.” • “It resulted in no injury to her. Had they had to go and push further and use more force there’s a good chance she could have been hurt worse.” No community, especially its Black and brown folks, should be expected to trust or respect a police department with someone like Mazzeo in a position of leadership. Mike Mazzeo is the same police union leader who defended the officers who mocked, suffocated, and killed Daniel Prude. Mazzeo is also suing the state of New York to stop it from releasing the disciplinary records of Rochester police officers. Mazzeo’s defense of these officers—and his defense of the officers who killed Daniel Prude—are textbook examples of the playbook police unions use to shield violent and dangerous cops who are caught abusing their power and breaking the law: • When police are caught doing something that is clearly wrong, say they were following protocol and blame their training. • Deceive and lie to obscure and confuse the truth about what happened. • Attack city officials, activists, and others in a position to hold police accountable. It’s not just outrageous for Mazzeo to justify these officers’ violent actions towards a 9 year old girl—it’s a big part of what helps violent and biased police continue to get away with abuse. If Mazzeo can say these things and remain the leader of the police union, it virtually guarantees that Rochester police will continue to be unaccountable and violent. His behavior and way of thinking encourages police brutality, and it makes accountability for police and necessary reform impossible. Mike Mazzeo has to go. Please join us in calling on Rochester’s Mayor, Chief of Police, City Council members, and Police Accountability Board to force Mazzeo’s departure, now.

Facebook’s decision to suspend Donald Trump’s account was too little, too late. For months, he used social media to perpetuate groundless and incendiary lies about the 2020 election. His posts about “voter fraud” or “#StopTheSteal” -- none of which provided a shred of evidence for their claims -- were shared over 12 million times, based on our analysis. And even though voting rights groups like Common Cause warned Facebook that giving Trump free rein to lie on its platform was a threat to our democracy -- it took the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to finally move them to action. But as of now, Facebook has only “indefinitely suspended” Trump’s account -- meaning they may be on the cusp of letting him back onto the platform to wreak additional havoc with his disinformation, abuse, and hate speech. We cannot let that happen. Facebook has created a new Oversight Board that will review its decision to ban Trump -- but by design, it’s accountable to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, not the public. That means it’s no substitute for government action to hold Facebook accountable. But the most impactful thing that this Oversight Board and Facebook can do is decide to permanently ban Trump. If Facebook’s policies are to have any meaning, they must be strictly enforced -- and we’d expect any other Facebook user who abused the platform like Trump has to be kicked off. Facebook cannot give Trump another opportunity to mislead voters and stoke chaos again on its website. And if they don’t listen to us right now and start enforcing their own civic integrity policies -- we’ll demand government action to hold Facebook accountable.

This is extremely important because we do not want to send out the wrong message to members on our campus or elsewhere, nor do we want to give a platform to someone who has explicitly expressed views contrary to our call to respect the dignity and life of all people. While she may have a unique testimony to becoming an anti-abortion activist, Abby Johnson, in recent videos and Twitter posts, has expressed beliefs and values that do not embody the Church's or Catholic University's consistent life ethic, including egregiously racist remarks and arguments.

Governor Cooper just held a press conference asking schools to begin offering in-person education. However, coronavirus numbers are still revising, with dangerous, more transmittable variants spreading, and the state isn't offering any protection to keep teachers safe. Teachers need to be protected before requiring them to return to in-person instruction. The variant strains identified in North Carolina make the virus much more infectious and allow transmission with much less viral load. Statistics have also recently shown that children make up 1/5 of the cases in North Carolina and have been key in virus transmission. Everyone is talking about the kid's safety while ignoring that school buildings are full of adults too- many of them high-risk. This response by Governor Cooper is not based on science and what is best for our teachers and students- it is based on pressure to return to in-person school regardless of the consequences. If teachers are being required to return to in-person instruction, they should at least have the option for protection of the available vaccine. Vaccinate teachers now.

This is so important because we need to honor her hard work. First, she was passionate about freedom and rights for all Black people. Next, she didn’t back down no matter how hard it got. Finally, she was strong and caring even when she went to freedom herself, she risked her life to get other enslaved people back to freedom too. We also think it would be great to put a statue of Harriet Tubman in Lake Eola Park, but we know that might be expensive so only if you can. I think that our City of Orlando should make Harriet Tubman day because we are a City where all that work that we believe in needs to be celebrated.

Life skills education courses were cut in my school district; however, the need for life skills education increases during the pandemic. Life skills classes have been decreasing due to factors such as a job shortage in life skills teachers, as well as the courses being cut by schools due to budget issues. The life skills classes are supposed to teach you skills like cooking, cleaning, finance, and first aid that can be helpful for kids to have during a pandemic. With kids staying at home for remote learning, they should be able to feed and clean for themselves. Some families may have to budget their money due to the pandemic causing many people to go out of a job. So, knowing how to handle finances can be beneficial for kid’s futures, but especially right now. Lastly, if a kid were to injure themselves at home and no adult was present, it would be helpful if the kid was able to take care of the situation.

Tom McClintock continues to work against the best interests of his constituents. He's been a carpet-bagging representative for most of his political career and needs to stop lying as a political tool.

When you purchase products from Publix, you support radical republicans who espouse lies, disinformation, and a willingness to subvert democracy. A nation-wide boycott, must be initiated to send a strong message that radical republicanism has no place in our communities. Do not patronize this company. Furthermore, in the last election cycle, Publix donated to the GOP traitors: Kat Cammack Mario Diaz-Balart Byron Donalds Neal Dunn Scott Franklin Matt Gaetz Carlos Gimenez Brian Mast Bill Posey John Rutherford Greg Steube Dan Webster and Rick Scott These are the Florida members of Congress who attacked our democracy with lies and disinformation, and who voted to overturn a United States Presidential election. Additionally, Publix Super Market heiress, Julie Jenkin Fancelli, donated more than $300,000 to fund the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Publix's motto is "where shopping is a pleasure," however there can be no pleasure in a country under attack by radical republicans espousing flames of insurrection and treason. For this reason, we are calling for a complete and total boycott of Publix, until funding of radical republicans stop. Works cited: https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/publix-jenkins-family-heirs-are-donating-to-trumps-2020-campaign-10319032 https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2021/01/30/publix-heiress-alex-jones-paid-jan-6-trump-rally-before-riot/4323807001/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/jan-6-rally-funded-by-top-trump-donor-helped-by-alex-jones-organizers-say-11612012063

My name is Lois and I live in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Before the pandemic I worked at an Inn as a dishwasher -- but then, like millions across the country, I was laid off. Each month without work is an impossible decision between paying my water and sewer bill or making repairs on the house so it’s not condemned. It feels like I’m never going to get out of my terrible financial situation. I need to be able to take care of my family. I'd like to get back to work at a safe, good paying job and ideally it would be doing something that helps the country. I want to help us build back better with clean energy -- with the right training, I would be a great administrator or an instructor that we need to make it happen. Clean energy workers are builders, roofers, engineers, electricians, accountants, administrators, researchers and teachers who are all working to deliver renewable energy, like wind or solar power, to create a cleaner, safer, more just country, and I’d love to join them. Congress should see these crises as an opportunity. They have the power to get us back to work NOW, after delivering relief checks, while also tackling the climate crisis and environmental injustice. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can lead the way. We can solve these problems all at once. Climate Action = Jobs, and right now we NEED good paying jobs that get folks like me back to work ASAP. President Biden’s plan to build back better with clean energy means creating millions of good-paying, clean energy union jobs that provide relief. And it means protecting our air and water for communities suffering from decades of environmental racism, who are consequently disproportionately suffering from COVID. At the same time, we’d tackle the biggest existential crisis of our time -- climate change. Millions of people like me want to get back to work. We want to be part of the fastest growing industry in America, which we need to grow even faster. At 50, I’m an older worker, and it’s harder for me to find work. The hospitality industry that I was in before the pandemic has been affected badly and probably won’t recover for a while. I’ve been trying to cobble together unemployment insurance, and the $600 stimulus check was helpful, but it’s gone, and without work I can’t pay my bills. With the right investments in our economy, all of us can thrive. Congress needs to deliver for the American people as quickly as possible. We can build a clean energy future and create good paying jobs, with an emphasis on the low-income communities and communities of color who are bearing the brunt of COVID and the climate crisis. Congress -- we have no time to wait. ADD YOUR NAME: Demand Congress take immediate action to create clean energy jobs and get Americans back to work NOW. Lois P. Pittsfield, Massachusetts

During the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 Frontliners’ Healthcare, Fire/ Emergency Services & Police have been directly engaged in the defense of our nation during a historical time of arduous and dangerous situations while trying to protect our nations citizens, and infrastructure firm the fall out and possible collapse of the American and global economy. The brave women and men of this great nation who have and are serving in any of the aforementioned positions deserve the gratitude of the US government and its people just as the US Military receives during combat actions in our nations defense. As we see it, there are currently no differences between the current combat actions abroad and now here at home. The only difference currently is the common enemy. America is facing the global enemy of COVID-19 currently on our home soils. Many have lost their lives and lives of family members and friends in the line of duty against the war on “COVID-19!” While the rest of the economy is getting stimulus payments, moratoriums, and bailouts, healthcare workers, firefighters, emergency services and police departments alike have been hard at work, with little to no relief, in hazardous duty zones, risking our lives to save America and its people with little to no expectations from the American people except a simple “thank you!” We believe it’s time for the US government to step up and do the right thing in support of its frontline providers services to this great nation we call UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! United we have stood, and many have fallen and will continue to fall. Please, be kind, be compassionate like we are, and do the right thing. Provide us COVID-19 Frontliners’ Healthcare, Emergency Services & Police, Tax Exclusion Hazardous Duty Service! Thank you and Be safe America!

Since she was inaugurated on January 3rd, 2021, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has continued to show that she is unfit for the office with which she is charged. She has repeatedly promoted dangerous conspiracies, refused to wear masks on the house floor, and has a history of violent rhetoric. She harassed young activist, David Hogg, and it has recently been discovered that she made numerous posts on Facebook calling for the execution of Democratic leaders, including the Speaker of the House. She harassed Muslim members of the House and demanded that they swear an oath on the bible in direct violation of Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits religious tests as a requirement to hold federal office. It is increasingly clear the constitution holds little meaning to Rep. Greene. The House of Representatives' power is not guaranteed to anyone, as it is a privilege bestowed by the people. This privilege, sacred in its nature, is maintained by an oath of office, entirely dependent upon the competence and good faith of the person swearing that oath. Representative Greene has no such competence or good faith. Her rampant conspiracism, history of violent rhetoric, and her disregard for other House members' dignity make her unfit for office. Therefore, the signatories of this petition call upon Speaker Pelosi to bring a vote of expulsion to the floor and remove this dangerous woman from her position.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was recently assigned to the House Education and Labor Committee by Republican leadership. Rep. Greene supports the QAnon cult and has called deadly school shootings “false-flag” operations by gun-control groups. She even accosted and harassed Parkland student and activist David Hogg on Capitol Hill. Back in 2019, Republicans removed Rep. Steve King of Iowa from the Judiciary and Agriculture Committees in response to his support for white nationalists. Based on this precedent, Republican House leaders must remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee appointments. Her dangerous ideas have no place in Congress.