ColorOfChange.org

Campaigns

• "Ferguson police just executed my unarmed son!"

  A Ferguson, Missouri police officer racially profiled and fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown as the teen stood with his hands in the air. Mike Brown's father — Louis Head — and community members are calling it an execution. Racially-motivated police violence has no place in law enforcement and represents the systemic police abuse against Black communities in Ferguson and Missouri at large. Enough is enough. Please join us in calling on federal and city officials to rigorously investigate, prosecute, and fire all officers involved.

  154,899 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Take 'em ALL down: Remove every Confederate symbol in America

  Last night white nationalists marched through Charlottesville communities and the University of Virginia campus, rallying around a statue of the Confederacy and carrying torches evoking a history of violent racial terrorism. The next day in Charlottesville they killed in the name of their white supremacist symbols. Peaceful protesters were rammed by a car killing someone. Emboldened by Trump and compelled to act by the movement to remove these symbols of hate white supremacists are now acting to intimidate us from removing these symbols of white supremacy. Since Dylann Roof massacred churchgoers at Mother Emanuel AME, we have been organizing around the nation to remove symbols of the Confederacy from any place of honor in America. In response, white supremacists are rallying around Confederate statues and using them as a pretext to commit terrorism and murder. White supremacists terrorists are working to intimidate us from confronting and reckoning with the legacy of the Confederacy. We cannot allow these white supremacist terrorists to intimidate us from confronting and working to dismantle systemic white supremacy. Confederate statues are a symbol of white supremacy and its current political power. Terrorists in Charlottesville understood this and were willing to kill in the name of their symbol, we must be determined to persist in the face of this white supremacist terror. We must work to end the influence of today's White supremacists, removing all Confederate statues would be the first step in sending the message that we are no longer honoring white supremacy at a societal level. We've already seen progress in Tampa and New Orleans, where Confederate symbols are being removed by Black-led organizing in the face of sustained white supremacist opposition. Join with me today and pledge to work to remove all Confederate statues in America.

  55,644 of 75,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Amazon & Apple: Say No to North Carolina's Racist Attacks on Voting Rights

  North Carolina Republicans are trying to ram through a constitutional amendment that would reinstate a racist voter ID law that was previously struck down by federal courts for disenfranchising Black people with “almost surgical precision. Amazon and Apple cannot stay quiet in the face of mounting attacks on our voting rights, not while both are considering North Carolina to build new headquarters. Building in North Carolina if this discriminatory policy is enacted would be an endorsement of and commitment to the disenfranchisement and disempowerment of Black people by Amazon and Apple. If this discriminatory voter ID law passes, over 100,000 Black women voters will be disenfranchised, which is more than enough to swing a local or statewide election in favor of the GOP. The past year and a half has shown us the power of Black women’s political activism and how their votes can turn the political machine on its head. Amazon and Apple must demonstrate a real commitment to their espoused values of diversity by making it clear that they won’t move their headquarters to a state that is rapidly sliding backward on racial oppression and voting rights. Demand that Apple and Amazon cancel any plans to build their headquarters in North Carolina if this racist voter ID law passes.

  24,113 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
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  #JusticeforBre: Demand Louisville divest from LMPD, and invest in communities.

  Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was in her home in Louisville, KY on March 13th when officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department barged in without a warning nor announcement and broke through her door, fired off more than 20 bullets, and ultimately took Breonna’s life. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, thought someone was burglarizing their home and fired his gun to defend himself. But in turn, the officers responded with a hail of bullets and turned an average morning into a tragedy. The police were at the wrong house. There was no search warrant that gave them the right to be there in the first place. Despite the clear and egregious misconduct of the police officers, Kenneth Walker is being charged with attempted murder and the murderers who killed Breona Taylor are walking free without any consequences. Instead of being transparent about their fatal misconduct, the police and commonwealth attorney conspired to make it look like this was a routine drug raid. LMPD even continued to falsely refer to Breonna as a “suspect” in the media for weeks though she had done nothing wrong. Nothing. A recent lawsuit filed against the officers reveals that police were actually searching for another person more than 10 miles away, who had already been arrested that morning. This is an affront to Black people, our communities, and Breonna’s family. They are charging her boyfriend with a crime to cover up, distract, and deflect from the fact they murdered a young Black woman in cold blood. All too often, Black women face police harassment and violence at the hands of bloodthirsty racist cops who see no value in Black lives. Breonna, her boyfriend, and their families deserve more. She was an EMT that lived her life on the frontlines as an essential worker, and when we need people like her the most during this pandemic, cops ended her young life. Let’s honor Breonna and hold the officers responsible for this tragedy accountable. We’re calling for the three police officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove, to be fired and for all charges against Kenneth Walker to be dropped immediately. These officers are threats to our communities and as long as they’re allowed to wear badges Black people are not safe.

  892,772 of 900,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Atatiana Jefferson deserves justice NOW

  Black people cannot go a single day without having to bear the pain of knowing we are not safe even in the comfort of our own homes in this country. Another white police officer in Texas has killed a Black person doing nothing but relaxing in their own home, only a couple weeks after the sentencing of Amber Guyger. Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old pre-med student, was at home playing video games with her nephew when police were dispatched to her home after a neighbor noticed her doors were open late at night. He wanted someone to check and make sure she was okay. Instead of making a quick safety check, the police arrived, saw Atatiana moving inside her own home and the officer, who did not self-identify as an officer, yelled "put your hands up" from outside and shot into her window within seconds. He gave Atatiana no time to comply, and no warning. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Within 24 hours, the mayor released body-cam footage of the incident and said the officer was being placed on administrative leave. But that's not nearly enough. Every single time police kill Black people with impunity, they are given time to alter their story, time to villainize the victim, time to figure out how they will escape accountability this time. And we've had enough. Atatiana Jefferson deserves justice NOW. This police officer shouldn't get to remain anonymous and they shouldn't get to stay on the payroll while Atatiana's family has to reckon with the fact that their aunt, sister, and daughter is gone and never coming back. We know we can't rely on the police to investigate themselves nor can we rely on the corrupt district attorney in Tarrant County. DA Sharen Wilson has refused to prosecute killer cops before--most recently in the killing of O'Shae Terry. And she's the same district attorney who prosecuted Crystal Mason, a Black woman who was criminally charged for voting in the election. Sign the petition and help us demand justice for Atatiana. We're calling for: -The officer's identity be revealed and that they are fired immediately. -An independent criminal investigation and the appointment of a special prosecutor. We can't rely on the police to investigate themselves. And we can't rely on Tarrant County DA to deliver justice in this case.

  27 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Pulin Modi
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  #JusticeforFloyd: Demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder

  It happened again. His name was George Floyd, and on May 25th he was murdered by Minneapolis police officers. George Floyd was a Black man, who was murdered in broad daylight after a grocery clerk called the police thinking he was writing a bad check. For seven minutes, George laid on the street while officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao held their knee on his neck as he was struggling to breathe. He lost consciousness and yet they continued to strangle him. Numerous bystanders pleaded with the police officer to let him go, while Floyd said the words “I can’t breathe,” several times, but the officer refused to remove his knee from Floyd’s neck. After the murder, officers called his death a "medical problem." And it wasn't until the video was released clearly showing them choking him, did we finally see the truth. This was a blatant and disgusting coverup to prevent accountability for their brutal act of police violence. This is incomprehensible. His life was taken in a senseless act of violence at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, all for being “suspected” of writing a bad check. Police continue to hunt down Black folks in cities across America and we refuse to sit silent. It was not too long ago we heard Eric Garner utter the same last words, “I can’t breathe.” And just months ago, officers stormed Breonna Taylor’s home and murdered her in a botched investigation. On May 26th, officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao, and two other officers who were present, were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. This is a step in the right direction to hold the officers accountable for murdering George Floyd but more action must be taken. We are calling for further action from Mayor Jacob Frey and County Attorney Freeman. Mayor Frey must 1) block the officers from receiving their pensions and 2) ban them from ever becoming police officers again. And County Attorney Freeman must immediately charge the officers with murder.

  1,628,562 of 1,700,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
• #DropOReilly

  O'Reilly has used his position of power on the network to prey on vulnerable women and attempt to force himself sexually on them--harassing subordinates with disgusting phone calls and threatening to fire them for not giving in to his lewd and misogynistic advances. Enough is enough. Tell "The O'Reilly Factor" advertisers to #DropOReilly now!

  46,381 of 50,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
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  #JusticeforAhmaud: District Attorneys George Barnhill & Jackie Johnson must RESIGN now!

  Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was jogging near his neighborhood in Brunswick, GA on February 23 when he was chased down, shot, and killed in cold blood. His executioners were father & son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, two white men, who told police they believed Ahmaud fit the profile of a suspect. But the truth is: Ahmaud’s murder was an act of hatred and white supremacy. Worst of all, the two DAs who recused themselves District Attorney Jackie Johnson and District Attorney George Barnhill further perpetuated the mismanagement of Ahmaud's case. DA Johnson has a history of her judgment being called into question. In previous years, she's shown through the mishandling of cases, her inability to fairly prosecute the officers she works with on a daily basis. And DA Barnhill even defended Ahmaud’s murderers by making the outrageous claim that Travis McMichael acted in self-defense and his actions fell within Georgia’s citizen arrest laws. In his letter to the Glynn County police, he stated, "it appears {Travis and Gregory McMichael's} intent was to stop and hold this criminal suspect until law enforcement arrived. Under Georgia law, it is perfectly legal." Barnhill also went on to state that there was no need for arrest. And it is because of Barnhill's suggestions to police that two months have gone by without an arrest or any form of accountability. Now, a district attorney in another county has finally decided to bring the case to a grand jury--but grand juries aren't convening in Georgia until after June 2. Instead of seeking justice, DA Barnhill abused his authority to exonerate the McMichaels in the media. For their inaction, both District Attorney Gregory Barnhill and District Attorney Jackie Johnson must immediately resign. Ahmaud’s death is akin to a modern-day lynching. We must act NOW to end this racist terror. Enough is enough. We are demanding justice for Ahmaud -- we refuse to lose any more of our loved ones to these reckless acts of violence. Sign the petition demanding District Attorney George Barnhill & District Attorney Jackie Johnson's immediate resignation.

  155,294 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Justice for Alton Sterling

  Alton Sterling was a 37-year-old Black father of five selling CDs outside of a local store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He did not deserve to die. Yet here we are again. Another Black man slain by police. Another hashtag carrying the fury and pain of his community. And another family deep in mourning—in the same state that passed the 'Blue Lives Matter' bill to silence protests against police violence. On Tuesday night, Alton Sterling was selling CDs outside a local store, like he always does, when police arrived on the scene. The police tased him, held him down on the ground, and shot him in the chest and back. In the witness-recorded video, you can hear one of the officers shouting "If you f---ing move, I swear to God!" These officers have no respect for Black life, and must be held accountable. News just broke that the FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division will be leading an independent investigation into his murder—and we have to keep up the pressure until they deliver accountability.

  142,274 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Tell District Attorney Elton Mathis: Re-Open Sandra Bland's Case

  We will never forget the viral video of Sandra Bland's violent arrest in 2015. Many of us were struck with horror as we witnessed Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia, drag Sandra from her car and threaten to "light her up" because she refused to put out her cigarette. It was an unbelievable moment of unbridled hostility. And the officer who violently assaulted her was only charged with perjury for lying about the circumstances that led to Sandra's arrest--a charge that was later dropped in a deal that the DA never consulted Sandra's family on. This is not enough--rarely are police officers held accountable for their criminal behavior and we won't accept anything but justice for Sandra Bland. Now an uncovered self-recorded video of Sandra's arrest has sparked a new wave of outrage. The cell phone video allows us to visualize just a small part of how she experienced her own arrest. It's crucial information that proves what we already knew: Brian Encinia did way more than lie about Sandra's arrest, he assaulted a woman who posed no threat to him. We don't doubt that Sandra Bland died as a result of the white supremacy that runs rampant in the Waller County Police department. In 2015, Color Of Change members put their money together to hire private investigators in Waller County and they revealed a deeply corrupt bail system that rewarded the district attorney, judges, and sheriff. Elton Mathis, the same DA that blamed Sandra's death on her family's inability to make bail is still in office and we must hold him accountable. We are joining Sandra's family in demanding District Attorney Elton Mathis of Waller County, Texas take criminal charges against Brian Encinia back before the grand jury. Will you join us?

  33,425 of 35,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson