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Dear Friends, Trump’s ugly racism has reared its head once again. This time, Trump publicly attacked Rep. Maxine Waters’ intelligence at a rally in Pennsylvania, dropping any attempt at presidential decorum in favor of schoolyard name-calling. For Trump, this isn’t very surprising. But we know too well that Trump isn’t our only elected official spewing anti-Black sentiments. His comments reflect the racist words and actions of many local politicians making decisions in our own backyards. Take prosecutors, for example. They decide whether to maintain the system of cash bail, how harshly to prosecute minor drug offenses and how to deal with police violence, among other responsibilities. In other words, prosecutors make choices that can either free thousands of Black people, or lock up thousands more of us. The story of Kenneth Humphrey in San Francisco paints a disturbing picture of the racism embedded in many of our prosecutors. Humphreys is accused of stealing $5 and a bottle of cologne from his neighbor’s room in their senior housing complex. Local prosecutors allowed his bail to be set at $350,000, a price which has forced him to wait in jail for over 250 days and counting.1 $350,000 for a $5 crime. This is unacceptable. Here are some stark facts about our criminal justice system:
Racism from our President is echoed in racism in our courts, and Black people pay the highest price. We’ve had enough. In 2018, Color Of Change PAC is committing to mobilize Black voters in nearly 30 races. From Florida to Michigan to California, we’ll unseat racist politicians and replace them with ones who care about us. Here’s our plan, which your $1 donation can support:
Rep. Waters deserves better than to be called names by the President. We deserve better than to be unfairly targeted and imprisoned by prosecutors. Together, we can change all of this. With just $1, help fund Black victories in 2018. Until justice is real, –Arisha, Jenni, Shannon, Kwesi, Bhavik, Daniel, Reagan, Scott and the Color Of Change PAC team |
“Change requires more than righteous anger. It requires a program, and it requires organizing.” — Barack Obama, May 7, 2016
Friend —
On Saturday, at the 800+ March For Our Lives events across the country, we saw more than righteous anger.
We saw organizing.
Students from Parkland, Florida, and other amazing activists brought together millions of people with a defined purpose and goal: To end gun violence and mass shootings in America.
OFA supporters and volunteers were proud to stand with them in cities nationwide.
This is what it will take to defeat the gun lobby and hold Congress accountable: sustained, committed organizing and resources.
OFA is working every day to make it happen.
We have chapters across the country who are marching, rallying, and pushing for stronger gun laws. We’re training the next generation of organizers — people who will keep this fight going for as long as it takes.
And we have a team dedicated to pressuring members of Congress who refuse to pass common-sense legislation that will make our communities safer.
We need your help to keep this work going. Can you become an OFA Champion, today, and make a recurring donation?
Thanks,
Dana
Dana Mayber
Deputy Campaigns Director
Organizing for Action
PFAW members showed up this month to put the PEOPLE in People Power! Whether it was marching for commonsense gun reform … phonebanking for the special election in Pennsylvania … delivering hundreds of thousands of petitions to fight discrimination in health care … protesting bigoted Trump judicial nominees … or rallying to demand justice for detained young immigrant women who were denied abortion care, PFAW members and activists once again demonstrated your leadership in this fight to save our democracy and restore the American Way.
The bison of Montana, the alligators of Florida, the wild horses of Colorado — every state has a signature species it takes pride in.
Washington is lucky enough to have two iconic animals: orcas and salmon, whose destinies are both intertwined and in peril.
In Puget Sound, the population of Southern Resident killer whales has declined from 98 in 1995 to 76 today. The diets of southern resident orcas consist largely of Chinook salmon, but the Chinook are listed on federal and state endangered species lists. If the Chinook population continues to decline, the southern resident orca population will follow.
Recognizing the dire need to protect both these species, Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order today outlining a strategy for southern resident orca and Chinook recovery.
The order instructs state agencies to outline immediate steps and long-term solutions to recover these species. The order also assembles a task force to bring together state agencies, tribal leaders, local governments, federal partners and other stakeholders to make recommendations at the state, regional and federal levels.
Read the rest of the story on the governor’s Medium page. and the official Executive Order 18-02 is below
“The destiny of salmon and orca and we humans are intertwined,” the governor said at a news conference at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Seattle. “As the orca go, so go we.”
“This is a wake-up call,” Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman said, adding, “It’s going to take some pain. We’re going to have to make some sacrifices.” also stated below
Suquamish Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman reiterated the urgency of protecting the southern residents.
“The orca whales are vital to our culture and spirituality as we are the first people on Puget Sound,” Forsman said. “They act as sentinels, observing our behavior and its impacts on the health of our waters. They bless us with their presence and depend on us to keep our sacred pact with the Creator to care for this beautiful land.”
“The orca dilemma is giving us a unique opportunity,” Solien said. “Our goal is to recover the orca, recover the salmon (and) improve the quality of life for everyone.”
Media Contact
Tara Lee
Governor Inslee’s Communications Office
360.902.4136March 14, 2018
comments & resources
govenor.wa.gov japantimes.co.jp medium.com