***** August 16, 2017 UPDATE TO PETITION***** Since we started this petition on August 14, 2017, we have gotten an incredible response from the Decatur and DeKalb communities, with over 1,200 signatures in less than 24 hours. We have also heard from several city, county, and state leaders. From Decatur officials, we have heard DeKalb County owns and maintains the monument, and thus the City cannot remove it. From DeKalb County officials, we have heard that state law OCGA 50-3-1(b)(2) prohibits the removal of such monuments, and thus the County cannot remove it. From State Representative Howard Mosby and State Senator Elena Parent, we have heard that there is little prospect for amending or repealing this law in the state legislature, and thus there is no foreseeable way for removing the monument. These responses are not acceptable. The monument can and must be removed. Why should we remove the confederate monument? The Confederate monument opposes the values of Decatur and DeKalb citizens. We are a diverse and inclusive community, but this monument reveres white supremacy and the enslavement of African Americans. Children of color look up at this monument daily, seeing a symbol of an ideology that stripped their rights as citizens and dignity as humans. The monument was erected 42 years after the Civil War in order to celebrate the atrocities of the Jim Crow South. It has no place in our square today. How can we remove the confederate monument? OCGA 50-3-1(b)(2) allows for “appropriate measures for the preservation, protection, and interpretation of such monuments.” Recent acts against confederate memorials in Piedmont Park and Durham, North Carolina give DeKalb County clear justification to use this “appropriate measures” provision to relocate the Decatur confederate monument. Further, as Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh noted in her statement regarding the removal of confederate statues in Baltimore, these types of monuments are a threat to public safety. We also do not want white supremacists and neo-nazis coming into the City of Decatur inciting violence and harming our diverse citizenry We demand that DeKalb County take this action immediately. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original Petition from August 14, 2017: We the citizens of Decatur and DeKalb County Georgia want the "Lost Cause" Confederate Memorial removed from downtown Decatur Square (behind the historic courthouse). The memorial was erected in 1908 at the height of Jim Crow laws in Georgia. Lynchings were routine in Georgia, occurring at a rate of at least once a month. Two years prior, in 1906, African-Americans were hung from lamp posts during the “Atlanta Race Riot,” which was a riot consisting of white people terrorizing and brutalizing black people. The statue refers to those listed on the monument as a "covenant keeping race" and thus, the statue serves as a shrine to white supremacists like those we saw in Charlottesville. If the City of Decatur and DeKalb County truly value diversity, then both entities will listen to its citizens and fight vigorously for the removal of this monument. Please sign below so our representatives can see all our signatures. Our community, our city, does not want this tribute to slavery and Jim Crow encroaching on our space. We recognize that this will not be an easy process. After seeing our signatures, we hope that our representatives will get to work on repealing and/or amending O.C.G.A 50-3-1 (b)(2) which prohibits the removal of such monuments. Once that process is complete, cities across the state of Georgia can determine for themselves whether these confederate memorials are appropriate for their public spaces. By signing this petition, you are saying there is no space for hate, racism, white supremacy, and bigotry in the City of Decatur. ** Please feel free to sign even if you do not live in Decatur or DeKalb County because this action requires a change in Georgia law so we want all representatives in the State House and Senate to hear our voices ***

Trump and his administration openly praise terrorist & dictators regularly! with Trump on record as quoting Benito Mussolini and Hitler. They are openly white supremacist, even going as far as encouraging events like what happened in Charlottesville! During Trump's run for president, he even told his supporters in a televised rally to "Beat the crap" out of those who didn't support him! At the same rally as well as many others, Trump encouraged his supporters to salute him using the Nazi salute that was commonly used by Hitler's supporters! Trump and his administration support terrorists and ARE terrorists and MUST be removed from power NOW before it's too late!

We believe for things to change in this country laws need to pass. Attitudes have changed (for the most part) it is time for laws to follow to end gender inequality in our nation!

Nonhuman animals are violently abused and slaughtered in the dairy and egg industries. Bees are killed in great numbers and are deprived of their food source (honey). Any individual exploited for their milk, eggs, or honey deserves moral consideration just as we provide for other human and nonhuman animals. At City O' City, every menu item, except for two, are animal-friendly or can be made animal-friendly. We are asking the restaurant to take the next step beyond a vegetarian menu and cut their ties with animal abusing companies in order to become the next eatery that provides exclusively nonviolent foods in Denver.

Extremists have no place guiding and determining the strategies and policies of the USA. When they do, they embolden people like Ku Kluxer David Duke who said in Charlottesville, Virginia, before Saturday’s violence, “We are determined to take our country back. We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in, that’s why we voted for Donald Trump." Sebastian Gorka, the bogus security advisor told Breitbart News Daily that white supremacists are not a problem. Stephen Miller inferred the Statue of Liberty is not a symbol of freedom and welcome. Steve Bannon promotes destructive theories of white nationalism and anti-stability of democratic government.

We are starting this petition to put pressure on our Mayor and Township Council to seriously consider the harmful consequences of not moving towards 100% clean, renewable energy for our township. We are residents of the Township who are concerned about the health of our residents and the health of our natural environment both now and in the future.

Because our LEADERS need to take a public stand against hatred and bigotry in all shapes and sizes. Demand that Congress INSIST that Trump participate in person

The recent acts of violence in Charlottesville, VA are only an example of how the White Supremacists have caused either direct harm, or threat of harm and in addition seriously disrupted the lives of innocent civilians and their places of residence or business. It is time for Congress to take swift and decisive action to prevent these groups from bringing further violence or disruption to this country. There should be an immediate Investigation into these groups and their actions in such places as Charlottesville. If necessary, those directly- or indirectly responsible for such violence should be indicted. Furthermore; state, local, and Federal locations should be directed to prevent the presence of such groups if it is shown there is a clear threat to the safety of innocent civiliians or that any disruption to their homes- or businesses or any other location.

This is not about stopping free speech. This is about protecting the citizenry from this murderous, violent, and unlawful group. Update: Sun pm - Thus far, there is no permit. Marty Walsh has made a statement that said that thus far the group that requested the permit- a different name from the Charlottesville group - has not completed the process for a permit.

At a press conference on August 15, 2017, Donald Trump doubled down on his vile refusal to condemn white supremacist terrorism in Charlottesville, VA. He said that there were "fine people" in the white supremacist rally and blamed "both sides" for the violence and hate witnessed on all of our TV screens. Former KKK grand wizard David Duke said what he saw in Charlottesville, VA: that it "fulfills the promises of Donald Trump." White supremacists, neo-Nazis, and members of the "alt-right," chanted "Heil Trump!" while marching through the streets of Charlottesville; they injured dozens of demonstrators. The rally led to an act of domestic terrorism that killed a woman peacefully standing up to white supremacy. But all that Trump could muster in response was one weak statement where he seemed to call out the white supremacist movement. Yet, he also tweeted a picture of a "Trump Train" smashing into a CNN reporter, which bore a chilling resemblance to this weekend's brutal terrorist attack. And then at a press conference, he, once again, blamed bigotry and violence on "many sides." Trump's response is horrifying and unacceptable, which is why we're calling on Congress to formally censure him for refusing to explicitly call out white supremacy and call it terrorism. House members can sign on to a resolution to formally censure that has been introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler. Censure is a formal, public statement of disapproval that requires a vote by Congress. A bipartisan vote would send a strong message to Trump and the world that his behavior is unacceptable and doesn't represent American values. Several Republicans have spoken out already. That's a start, but it's not enough. Why won't Trump condemn these white supremacist terrorists? Is it because they're part of the coalition that got him elected? Is it because he has advisers in his White House who are close to these hateful and violent groups? Is it because his campaign fueled the climate in which hate groups like these thrive and commit violence in the open? Congress must vote to formally censure Trump. We must show that Americans speak with one voice in rejecting the alt-right, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists by formally censuring Trump in both houses of Congress.

Trump emboldened white supremacists even more with his statement about the violence in Charlottesville. His statement lifts up the wrong people and harms our whole country in the process. We need a bipartisan show of support in Congress against his response, with enough power behind it to reassure vulnerable and other Americans anxious and angry about emboldened bigots.

"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." - Last FB post by Heather Heyer.