ColorOfChange.org

Campaigns

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  #JusticeforBre: Police officers who killed Breonna Taylor must be FIRED

  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.

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  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Justice for Jordan Edwards!

  **UPDATE** 05.02.2017 - Roy Oliver, the officer who shot and killed Jordan Edwards, has been fired from Balch Springs Police Department--citing several policy violations. But the road ahead is still long for Jordan Edwards' family--whose lives are forever changed by this tragedy--and for justice. Demand the DA bring criminal charges NOW. 15-year-old honor roll high school freshmen, Jordan Edwards was shot and killed by police in Balch Springs, Texas. He and his friends were simply leaving a party when police responded to a call about unruly teenagers. One of the officers fired a rifle at the car Jordan was a passenger in, striking and killing him. His brother, who was in the car with him, watched Jordan die right before his eyes. The police chief, Jonathan Haber, tried to justify the killing and claimed the car was backing down the road "in an aggressive manner” towards the officers. But that was a lie. After reviewing police dash-cam footage, the police chief revealed the car was actually driving away from officers. Police officers repeatedly see Black people as a threat for simply being Black and it has to stop. The officer who shot and killed Jordan is still employed, on paid administrative leave, and Balch Springs PD is protecting the officers' identity and keeping it secret. The family of Jordan Edwards is demanding that the officer be fired AND criminally charged. Will you join their call for justice and sign the petition?

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  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Demand Comcast withdraw its Supreme Court challenge of our oldest civil rights statute.

  Comcast NBCUniversal is petitioning the Supreme Court to challenge the integrity of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, our oldest civil rights statute. Such a decision would strike down centuries of civil rights progress. Without this landmark legislation, grounds of racial discrimination in business matters will be lost in legal technicalities, causing tremendous harm to Black people, Black businesses, and Black economic equality. For more than 150 years, this law has been a bedrock protection from racial discrimination in employment, housing, banking, and consumer and business transactions. Now, Comcast is petitioning the Supreme Court to allow racial discrimination in business transactions as long as racism is not the only reason for denying someone a service Comcast is standing on the wrong side of history and siding with a Department of Justice that has been openly hostile toward the civil rights of Black people. Black people already face extensive barriers in accessing justice and economic equality in this country, and this challenge would serve only to let corporations off the hook for their discriminatory practices. Demand Comcast NBCUniversal drop its Supreme Court petition.

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  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.

  155,172 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Rashad Robinson
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  Protect Incarcerated People from COVID-19!

  For the past two months, North Carolina officials have been quickly mobilizing to protect the general public from the spread of coronavirus. Local businesses have been shut down, court proceedings have been suspended for 30 days and public schools will be closed until early May. More recently, Governor Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home order to prevent human suffering and the loss of life. However, missing in all of these announcements is a plan that will protect one of the most vulnerable populations in North Carolina - North Carolinians locked away in county jails and state prisons. All available public health guidelines recommend social distancing and vigilant hygiene as the primary tools to combat the spread of COVID-19. However, these directives are impossible to follow with thousands of people currently housed inside county jails and state prisons. Oftentimes, these facilities are closed and unsanitary environments that present the highest risk of illness from COVID-19. By their very nature, prisons preclude appropriate prevention measures. Public officials have DAYS, not weeks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Releasing as many people as possible from cages and stopping the flow of people into them is the best way to do it.

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  Created by Color Of Change
• Terence Crutcher died for being Black. Indict Officer Betty Shelby.

  Terence Crutcher needed help. But instead, he got a bullet. On Friday night, Terence, a father of four, was on his way home from class at Tulsa Community College when his car stalled in the middle of the road. Someone called the police. And instead of helping him, officers jumped out of their vehicles with guns drawn while helicopters circled in the sky filming the entire incident. The officers in the helicopter can be heard on video saying, "That looks like a bad dude, too. Probably on something." Terence died because he was Black. There's no other reason for someone to be killed by police when they are unarmed, walking slowly away with their hands up. He posed absolutely no threat. To make matters worse, after Officer Betty Shelby killed him, Tulsa Police let Terence Crutcher bleed out on the street. He died in the hospital a few hours later. This kind of continued disregard for Black life is enraging. Officer Betty Shelby killed someone. She should not be on administrative leave, sitting at home collecting a paycheck. Terence Crutcher's family and local activists in Tulsa are calling for Officer Shelby to be arrested and criminally charged. Let's join them and make sure this officer is held accountable.

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  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.

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  Created by Rashad Robinson
• Stop corporate funders of hate groups

  The big payment processing companies - Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover - are processing funds for some of the vilest white supremacist groups. White supremacist hubs like Stormfront are able to easily receive funding because these companies are allowing them to. And thanks to transaction fees, these companies are making money every time someone donates to one these hate groups. Some of the groups receiving money from Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are responsible for numerous hate crimes, murders, and the radicalization of terrorists Dylann Roof, Timothy McVeigh, and Wade Michael Page. These companies have cut off other hate groups in the past, it’s time for them to step up and cut off all white supremacist groups from their financial resources.

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  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!

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  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?

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  Created by Rashad Robinson