Acts of domestic terror go unreported far too often. Texas officials can set a new precedent by classifying the Austin bombings as acts of domestic terrorism! SIGN HERE!

 

 

The Austin bomber is a domestic terrorist. Period. We cannot allow elected officials, law enforcement agents, and the media to continue this false narrative that white men who commit acts of violence are out of the ordinary.

By accurately naming the packaged bombs as acts of domestic terrorism, it sets a precedent for how law enforcement should respond to bias violence in our country — which will ultimately force the general public to acknowledge the high rate of white supremacist violence and pressure government officials to provide the resources needed for prevention.

Tell Austin Police Chief Brian Manley: Condemn the serial package bombings as a domestic terrorist attack!

The morning of March 2nd, Anthony House picked up a package from his front porch that contained a detonated bomb–he became the first person killed in this act of terror.¹ Seventeen-year-old Draylen Mason became the second victim on March 12th. Draylen brought a package into his kitchen and a detonated bomb went off, killing him and injuring his mother. Later that day, another explosion severely injured 75-year-old Esperanza Herrera.² Chief Manley suspected that not only were the two lethal bombings connected but that the packages were placed on their doorsteps, which means this was deliberate. By the time the third explosion happened, this should have been flagged as an act of domestic terrorism. Police Chief Manley has a responsibility to classify these serial bombings as bias motivated violence.

Demand Austin Police Chief Manley acknowledges the package bombs as domestic terrorism.

There is an evil history of protecting white men who enact terror on people of color, especially Black people, in this country. Black folks have been finding bombs outside of their homes and churches, and experiencing violent domestic terror attacks since the moment we stepped foot on this continent. In 1998, Texan James Byrd Jr. was hog-tied to the back of a truck by three white supremacists and dragged to his death. The then-Texas Governor George W. Bush refused to take action.³ The tracking of hate crimes in Texas and in this country are unreliable, especially when the perpetrator is a white man.

Despite the uptick in hate crimes since Trump’s election, law enforcement officials in Texas continue to under-report racially motivated acts of violence.⁴ It’s time that electeds and law enforcement officials honor the laws that we’ve passed to protect us.

Demand that Texas authorities report the Austin serial bombings as an act of domestic terrorism.

It’s frustrating to know that if the bomber was a person of color, they would have immediately been identified as a criminal or terrorist. Conditt is being depicted as someone who comes from a good family and an intellect who’s a little “rough around the edges”.⁵ This type of characterizing is harmful because it paints a serial killer as a “good ol boy” who otherwise is trustworthy. The truth is, Conditt is an American terrorist. There is no other way to explain detonated bombs being placed on the porches of people of color with the intentions to kill them.

To be clear – this is not about giving law enforcement agencies more authority and resources to surveil communities of color. It’s about bearing witness to the targeted violence marginalized communities often face and the forcing electeds and law enforcement to effectively identify and prevent these acts of hate.

Tell Chief Manley he has a responsibility to avenge the murders of people in Texas and identify the Austin bombing as domestic terrorism.

Until justice is real,

Rashad Robison

 

References

1. “Austin Victims Remembered For Resilience, Radiating Positivity” NPR, 03-21-2018
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/28618?t=9&akid=10118%2E1174326%2E4_VPtt

2. “Austin Mourns: 17-year-old student killed by package bomb”, 03-13-2018
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/28619?t=11&akid=10118%2E1174326%2E4_VPtt

3.”Texas Senate Passes Hate Crime Bill That Bush’s Allies Kill”, 05-08-2001
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/28620?t=13&akid=10118%2E1174326%2E4_VPtt

4. “As hate crimes rise in US, experts believe many incidents not being reported”, 11-14-2017
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/28621?t=15&akid=10118%2E1174326%2E4_VPtt

5. “Austin bomber: Identity of suspect revealed as Mark Anthony Conditt”, 03-21-2018
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/28623?t=17&akid=10118%2E1174326%2E4_VPtt

Dear Friends

My name is Kimberly, and I’ve been working for “gig economy” apps like Caviar and Lyft for almost three years. I’m in the process of starting another business, so working in the gig economy pays my bills while I’m getting it off the ground.

There are some things I really like about working for these apps. Chief among them is that I am the master of my schedule and don’t need permission from a boss or anyone else as to how and when I work.

However, gig economy workers like me are facing some major issues, too. It’s hard to maintain a stable income when the commission structures on our apps change constantly and companies can oversaturate the market at will. Because we’re classified as independent contractors, we don’t have access to the basic rights & benefits that most other workers in our state enjoy – from a minimum wage to health insurance, from workers’ comp and unemployment to retirement. Not only that, but we have to bear all of the costs of doing our work — including additional payroll taxes, gas, wear & tear on our cars, insurance, and more. Many of these costs must be borne regardless of how much or how little we make that month.

Whether you’re a gig worker, an app customer, or simply an ally, click here to get involved with our campaign for gig economy workers.

Recently, another car rear-ended me, and my car ended up being out of commission for five weeks. Since I don’t have any vacation days or PTO and couldn’t access unemployment, I had no income for over a month. The stress of not being able to make my car payment was tremendous. I was worried about the impact of a late payment on my credit score, and even had to beg my landlord to give me more time to pay rent, not knowing if he would say yes or if I’d be out on the street.

If I’d been able to take PTO or even draw a bit of unemployment, I could have at least gotten the rent paid and covered a few basic things. I could have hung in there until I was able to work again, without going into the hole and therefore being even more financially strapped when I was able to get back to work. That’s why it’s important to me that we advocate for benefits for gig workers. We gig workers fall through the cracks in so many ways – whether it’s health, injury, scheduling, or deactivation without investigation – and we all need to get to work and fill in those cracks.

I got involved with Working Washington a few months ago through Facebook. Since then, I’ve been attending gig worker meetings, speaking out about my experiences, and have emerged as a leader in helping drive our agenda to get fair treatment for all gig workers. Dozens of gig workers like me have come together to advocate for inclusion in the benefits most other workers in our state already get, as well as a fair wage for the work we’re doing.

When we’re not willing to make a stand and demand that companies treat their workers better, we’re passively condoning the exploitation of workers. When workers get access to basic rights, benefits, and a fair wage, we are all lifted up. For real, sustainable change to happen, we’ve got to raise the floor — and everybody has to be on board.

That’s where you come in. There are thousands of workers like me out there who need benefits and better pay. Join us:

• Click here if you’re a worker in the gig economy.
• Click here if you use apps like Lyft, Uber, Caviar, TaskRabbit, Handy, Postmates, or any other on-demand gig economy apps.
• Click here if you don’t work on or use these apps, but want to be an ally of gig workers and support our workers’ rights movement.

This is a serious grassroots effort that must succeed, and once we succeed, we’ll be a model for many other states, and even the impetus for a stronger workers’ rights movement across the country. It’s all about a better future. And to make it happen – we need you.

— Kimberly, new gig workers’ rights activist

The Democratic Party announced a plan that would REVERSE Trump’s cuts to park funding, fix the ENTIRE backlog of National Park maintenance projects, AND invest in our parks… …WITHOUT compromising our protected lands.

We need to know where our supporters stand on this monumental plan, so please take 30 seconds to let us know.   <-click on link for survey

Thanks for your quick response,

Democratic Conservation Alliance

democraticconservationalliance.com