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Help Save Migratory BirdsThe number of birds in the United States and Canada has fallen by 29% since 1970. There are now nearly 3 billion fewer birds than there were just 50 years ago. Weakening the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is a callous move that will allow corporations to get away scot-free with killing birds, whether they're landing on polluted ponds left uncovered by the oil and gas industry or have their nest trees cut out from under them. We're in the middle of a wildlife extinction crisis. Birds need more protection, not less.457 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Center for Biological Diversity
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VP Biden: integrate Bernie and Liz into your campaignYou are not drawing the young voters of our country. You can answer this by thinking as a hybrid of the center, and the left-Progressives.10 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Priscilla Rich
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Eviction Moratorium in ClevelandAn astounding number of people in this city do not have enough savings to cover food and basic supplies for one to two weeks in the case that they are out of work. In light of the current spread of Coronavirus and resulting economic effects, many people in Cleveland are understandably nervous about the insecurities they may be facing if they are unable to work. Many low-income residents in Cleveland are in a tenuous situation due to the spread of Coronavirus and resulting workplace shutdowns. We've crafted a thoughtful and collaborative approach to the crisis in the hopes that landlords adopt these practices to avoid any undue displacement or hardship on their tenants: 1. Proactively reach out to tenants to explain the landlord's plans and expectations on this issue and to ask them to provide updates about any changes in their financial status. We ask that landlords assure tenants that they are committed to working with them on a case by case basis to accommodate their needs. 2. During the course of this epidemic and its resulting economic outcomes, we ask that landlords put a moratorium on any financial-related evictions. 3. We ask that landlords utilize deferrals, loans, or temporary rent reductions/forgiveness as necessary to help those who have been laid off, prevented from working, or otherwise unable to make their rent rely on the safety and security of their home. Here is a message template to share with tenants: “Dear _, we hope this message finds you and your family well. We understand that the unfolding Coronovirus epidemic will impact a number of our tenants and are monitoring the situation closely. We do not want to add housing insecurity to the stresses that everyone is already experiencing, and are committed to ensuring that all of our tenants can stay in their homes through the duration of the present crisis. We are willing to work with each tenant on a case by case basis to address problems, financial or otherwise. We are asking that everyone promptly inform us of any developing problem as soon as new information is available so that we can work together to make accommodations. Please keep us posted, do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns, and in the meantime, take care of yourselves." * * * * * * * * We must work together to find solutions that meet the needs of many. To anyone worried about the ramifications of this crisis, whether landlords or tenants: Let's put our heads together to discuss how to get through it while protecting our most vulnerable residents. Contact: [email protected] to get involved.3,590 of 4,000 SignaturesCreated by Anna Perlmutter
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Sign Our Letter to Vice President Biden: We Have Some Plans for ThatInclusion We first urge you to approach the problems that face our country using an intersectional equity lens. Challenges compounded by race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability are present at every level from health care to housing to climate change to education. Addressing these needs must be at the center, not the sidelines, of our government’s policy goals. We also point to Senator Warren’s—and Secretary Castro’s—practice of bringing activists with direct knowledge of and experience with these needs to the table. We ask that you not only follow that example and use these on-the-ground experts to help shape your policies, but also that you appoint them to key roles in your administration. Personnel is policy. Corruption Senator Warren framed her campaign around dismantling the corrupt channels that perpetuate structural inequity and prevent any meaningful reform. Your plan to establish the Commission on Federal Ethics aligns with Senator Warren’s proposed U.S. Office of Public Integrity, which would oversee efforts to restore transparency to our government. We ask that you go further: support a ban on professional lobbying by any former president, vice president, cabinet secretary, federal judge, or member of Congress. We ask also that you make passage of a constitutional amendment to limit campaign contributions—nullifying Citizens United—a top priority. We must have trust in our government, and that begins with ensuring our officials and elections cannot be bought. Immigration We applaud your commitment to a moratorium on deportations during your first 100 days as president, but further action is needed to eliminate the cruelty and abuse perpetrated in the name of immigration enforcement. We need comprehensive reform of our immigration justice system, and we must start with decriminalizing immigration. To prevent future abuses, we urge you to commit to the establishment of professional, independent Article I immigration courts, and to provide access to counsel in all immigration courts. You have condemned the horrific actions of the Trump administration at the border. We urge you to adopt Senator Warren’s plan for a Department of Justice task force to investigate and prosecute all reported crimes committed against detained immigrants. Student Loan Debt The rising cost of tuition across the country means that many students are crushed by student loan debt—and it’s impacting our entire economy. Black students are particularly affected: they are more likely to have federal student loans and owe more than their original debt 12 years after finishing college. We are supportive of public service, but strongly believe that across-the-board college loan debt reduction is the best approach, especially for those with increased barriers (poor and working-class students, students with family obligations, and working students). We ask you to adopt Senator Warren's approach and cancel student loan debt through executive action, immediately enabling 95% of student loan debt holders to pursue their dreams. Universal Child Care Universal child care is an investment in working parents. It provides millions of children with access to quality care and early learning. It also creates millions of well-paying jobs for child care workers and early education teachers, many of whom are women of color. Research shows that every dollar spent on quality early education saves seven dollars in the long run. We encourage you to adopt Senator Warren’s plan, which mandates that universal child care be free to any family that earns less than 200% of the federal poverty line. Crucially, the plan also establishes a partnership between the federal government and local providers to offer a network of early childhood options—including child care and preschool centers—to every family. Equality for Americans with Disabilities You have a strong history advocating for Americans with disabilities through your work on the ADA, the ADAAA, IDEA, and VAWA. It is critical that you collaborate with disability rights leaders and advocates moving forward to form a comprehensive disability rights plan. We ask that you use Senator Warren’s plan for Protecting the Rights and Equality of Americans With Disabilities as a model. This includes our ask that you to commit to combating discrimination in the labor market and workplace, ending the subminimum wage, fully funding the Office of Disability Employment Policy, improving SSI and SSDI programs, breaking down barriers to marriage, providing national paid family and medical leave, improving critical elements of the long-term services, and supporting coverage to enable the right to live in the community. We also urge you to protect the civil rights of all Americans with disabilities, including decriminalizing poverty, addressing language deprivation for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and enforcing the ADA everywhere that it is applicable. We urge you to work with the disability rights community to incorporate key priorities relating to employment, housing, opioid medications, disaster preparedness, healthcare, education, equity in criminal justice, deinstitutionalization, and other key civil rights issues into your platform. Wealth Tax These plans have a price tag. We believe in fiscal responsibility—every American should pay their fair share. We believe ultra-millionaires, who benefit most from our country’s infrastructure, should invest a little more in our country. Therefore, we ask you to adopt Senator Warren’s two cent wealth tax, which requires those Americans lucky enough to have vast fortunes to pay a two cent tax on every dollar of net worth above $50 million. Over 10 years, this tax will raise an estimated $3.75 trillion that we can reinvest in working families by supporting education, childcare, family leave, and more. --- We invite you to join us in signing this letter to Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden.3,266 of 4,000 SignaturesCreated by Elise Goldstein
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Stop the spread of COVID-19 with a Mortgage and Rent BailoutThe most effective way to stop the spread of Coronavirus is for all working people to be able to stay home. Unfortunately, economic pressures, not the least of which is housing, force workers, even when sick, to continue to go to work every day. For this reason, we insist that ALL people in this country are empowered to practice social distancing and self quarantine as soon as possible. To make that possible, we must relieve economic pressure that forces people to go to work sick. The surest way to do this is through mortgage and rent suspension for families, individuals and small businesses. This is how we #FlattenTheCurve [https://www.vox.com/2020/3/10/21171481/coronavirus-us-cases-quarantine-cancellation]. UPDATE: In a major intervention into financial markets, the Fed will inject $1.5 TRILLION dollars. It’s a move designed to prevent a sharper economic contraction than what may already be underway. It's time to bail out the people, not the banks!404 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Melissa Martinez
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Transparency in reporting on coronavirus testing volumes in New YorkOne of the most pressing needs in managing the spread of coronavirus is to understand not just the number of new cases but also the number of tests administered. Across the country, there is confusion over how many tests are being conducted by public health labs and private ones. New York state has stopped providing data on the number of tests performed, and daily Governor Andrew Cuomo addresses issues around the volume of testing and getting insights. This can be fixed. The governor could require all testing entities in New York State to report the number of tests performed each day by a certain time to a central body. This petition calls on the Governor to issue this demand, create a simple system for reporting and make this data available to the public urgently. We can't take necessary actions if we don't have the right data.219 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Justin Hendrix
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Close down Atlantic City high school due to coronaClosing down the school is important because this virus is really contagious and I believe that students shouldn’t be at risk nor should they put themselves at risk due to this virus. Having on line classes for the students would help the students still complete their school assignments and still have passing grades54 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Dana Baez
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Joe Biden, Nominate Kamala for VPWe, the Black, white, Latino and Asian Democratic voters who will assure your nomination and election to be President of the United States of America, hereby urge and insist that you nominate US Sen. Kamala Harris, a highly respected and universally revered Democratic Black political leader, to be your vice presidential running mate in 2020. We, voters of all colors and heritages, rejoiced when the Obama-Biden tickets received the highest Black voter turnout of any Democratic tickets in the last 100 years. We also watched in silent frustration as the last three all-white Democratic tickets received insufficient Black turnout to win the Electoral College (e.g. down 7% from 2012 to 2016), with less than optimal Black turnout contributing *in some measure* to the election and reelection of George W. Bush and the dubious and regrettable inauguration of Donald J. Trump. Had Democrats received just a combined 200,000 more Black votes in five 2016 swing states, then Dems would have won MI, WI, PA, Ohio, FL, the Electoral College and the White House. Nominating Kamala Harris for VP will assure that additional Black turnout, not just in swing states but in *all* states with Black voters. Facing relentless GOP efforts to suppress and prevent Black votes, Kamala Harris is committed to energizing and maximizing Black turnout. We know intuitively, and also because of turnout for Obama-Biden in 2008 and 2012, that diverse Democratic tickets emerge victorious. We understand that of the 13 all-white tickets nominated by the Democratic Party since 1960, only 5 (38%) have won office. Eight all-white Dem tickets (62%) have lost since 1960. Ticket diversity is essential to Democratic victory. Just two diverse Obama-Biden tickets won fully 28% (2/7ths) of the seven Democratic White House victories since 1960. Black Americans are a proud people, striving over 400 years for equality and voting overwhelmingly for Democrats. Yet, the Democratic Party has *never, ever* nominated a Black person for vice president. White Americans who recognize, as you do, the toxic impact of racism and racial oppression, also want to see the backbone and the living heart of the Democratic Party, Black America, reflected again in the Biden-Harris partnership. We, the undersigned, urge and insist that Joe Biden nominate Kamala Harris, a uniquely qualified Black US senator, to be vice president of the United States of America. References: https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/florida-president-clinton-trump https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/michigan https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/ohio https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/pennsylvania https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/wisconsin https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/12/black-voter-turnout-fell-in-2016-even-as-a-record-number-of-americans-cast-ballots/ https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2017/cb17-tps45-voting-rates.html https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020/13 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Atty. Francis L. Holland
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Immediately provide US Americans access to the World Health Organization's Covid-19 Diagnostic Test.The US government's incapacity to conduct widespread testing has slowed diagnoses, thereby creating chains of infections. Also, this has deprived epidemiologists of a map that could tell how far and how fast the virus is traveling and where the US should concentrate our efforts to slow it down.131 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Eduardo Rivero
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Applebee's, IHOP, Denny's & Chili's: #StopTheSpread with Paid Sick Days now!Giant restaurant chains have a public health responsibility to do what they can to stop the spread of Coronavirus to their customers and employees. But Applebee's, IHOP, Denny's, and Chili's don't offer Paid Sick Days to their employees. That means that their servers and cooks are more likely to work sick, threatening to fuel the spread of this pandemic. The Olive Garden's parent company took a big leadership step in responding to the COVID-19 crisis by announcing a new policy of Paid Sick Days for their employees. The largest restaurant chains, serving the most customers and employing the most servers and cooks, have the responsibility to do everything they can to make their restaurants help stop the spread of COVID-19. The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (@ROCUnited) is leading the demand for these restaurants to offer Paid Sick Days to their employees. We're hoping to amplify their voice by supporting their call to action for Applebee's, IHOP, Denny's, and Chili's, to do their part to #StopTheSpread!26,947 of 30,000 Signatures
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Dog Park at Moon Valley ParkThere are many dog owners in the Moon Valley area, yet our closest dog park is Deer Valley Park, which is 6-7 miles away. The residents of Moon Valley already walk their dogs in our park, but we need a safe and convenient place for our dogs to play.255 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Matt McDonald
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Close Wake County SchoolsStudents' Health Should Be WCPSS #1 Goal and with the coronavirus spreading and infecting 7 individuals in North Carolina, we shouldn’t be taking any chances.162 of 200 SignaturesCreated by silly guse 🥵