I believe the requested renaming would reflect well on the city in which my mother (Eleanor Strawbridge Mead Schlinger), I, and my two daughters (Eleanor’s granddaughters) were born and the school at which my grandfather (Rufus Mead) was principal when Mack Robinson and Jackie Robinson were students there.

We are literally fighting for democracy.

On July 16 Governor Kemp issued an executive order mandating that cities and towns could not create their own mandates on wearing masks and social distancing to protect their constituents. He then went a step further and sued the city of Atlanta for their mask mandate, going against the experts who have shown that masks and social distancing saves lives during this pandemic. This callous action attacks the health of all communities, and is a direct attack on Black people who are being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate. The Georgia NAACP has issued an executive order for all members, supporters, family, and friends to wear masks, stay distant when possible, and continue to protect our communities through this failure of leadership from Gov. Kemp. We stand with the Georgia NAACP in caring for one and other, leading by example, and defying Gov. Kemp by wearing masks to decrease the spread and destruction of COVID-19. If you need a mask or any other PPE, please contact the Georgia NAACP at [email protected] or 404-577-8977.

America is not my country of birth but it was always my dream. I was lucky and able to come here, get an education, a job, and my citizenship. I have always been proud to be an American but right now as I am relearning and re-educating myself on so much of this country's horrific history, I clearly see how the American dream is in reality a nightmare for so many people, a nightmare that they have been stuck in for hundreds of years. Enough is enough. Things have to change for the betterment and for the human rights of Americans everywhere.

We don't need Federal officers in camouflage and tactical gear in our Chicago streets with tear gas, shotting at mainly non-violent protesters, and used unmarked vehicles to arrest and detain protesters. The American Civil Liberties Union has called the behavior of federal officers in other cities such as Portland Oregon 'flat out unconstitutional". Federal authorities have no right to police an American city against the wishes of local leaders.

We, the undersigned community members of Amherst, express our support of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the national struggles underway to end police brutality. Resources in Amherst must be reallocated to truly support our community and all of its members in a way that promotes public health and safety rather than policing. The council has spoken out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and racial justice, but words only go so far. A clear and concrete way to support Black lives is to immediately reduce the Amherst Police Department’s budget by 52%. This call is not exceptional: the Black Lives Matter movement has issued a national call to defund police departments, and major cities like Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Seattle are already taking steps to do so. Policing only compounds public health crises and the terror of this pandemic, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and Brown People of Color, and homeless residents who are disproportionately affected both by the current economic and health emergency and by police brutality. Full list of demands: 1. 52% Cut to the APD budget ($2,677,892) - Cut $155,625 from APD operating expenses (amount spent in the past year on gas, vehicle maintenance, training, and uniforms) - Cut proposed increase of $108,683 from APD personnel line item (amount for step raises) - Cut $2,413,584 (50%) from the personnel line item, approx. 25 FTEs 2. Under no circumstances, should any of the $2.5 million set aside in delayed capital be spent on the police department. 3. Do not give any of the 80k set aside in the budget for combatting structural racism to the police department, instead spend it in a community-directed way guided by Black led organizations and community members. 4. Implement a permanent hiring freeze for the APD 5. Freeze all applications for state and federal funds for grant programs for the APD 6. Repurpose transferable state and federal funds already received for APD programs and return non-transferable funds 7. No money from the Town of Amherst reserves should be used for the APD and policing, even in the event of reduced state aid for the 2021 FY. The people are making their values and commitments clear; we ask that our Town Government do the same.

People are dying of COVID-19. Science matters. The truth matters. (I have been a member of Move On since 2003.)

I am a senior citizen of the State of Georgia. I am also a retired Healthcare Professional. Failing to follow the science is sickening and killing Georgians. Now he wants to put all children and teachers at risk.

Defunding the police is important because the police don't keep us safe. They put black people and there bodies at risk everyday. And for many years we have already tried reform. We have tried to reform the police and change them. But it just doesn't work. Now we need to take away some of the funding so that they hear our message. And use some of that money to invest in our communities. Investing in health care, schools, and many other essential necessities, where funding is lacked.

The death penalty is racist, immoral, ineffective, inaccurate, and unjust. With Democrats in control of the House of Delegates, the Virgnia Senate, and the governors mansion, the death penalty's end is within reach. It is time that the Commonwealth of Virginia abolish the death penalty once and for all.

Blackface is offensive not only due to its origins in the nineteenth century when white actors during minstrel shows would use black paint to mock enslaved black individuals exploited in plantations by depicting them as outlandish and outside the human realm, but also due to the fact that blackface and systemic racism are intertwined and are undoubtedly linked to Jim Crow segregation laws. In showcasing blackface and disseminating it, the promoters make a decisively anti-black and dehumanizing statement.

This is important to limit the unnecessary deaths of the citizens of the state of Florida due to Covid19. A Florida Governor cannot be recalled. This petition will put pressure on the Governor to follow SCIENCE. SIGNATURES=PRESSURE=CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR