Tag Archives: Justice Department

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Alex Odeh – In Memory


naacpOn October 11, 1985, civil rights activist Alex Odeh was killed in a terrorist attack in Santa Ana, California. As he opened the door to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee office, a pipe bomb exploded. He died from his injuries.

That’s the tragic part of the story. The deplorable: nearly two decades later, the three chief suspects remain free.

Today is the anniversary of Alex Odeh’s assassination. Join us in calling on the Department of Justice to hold his murderers responsible for their crime.

Demand justice for Alex Odeh

Alex Odeh was living the definition of the American dream.

Having immigrated to the United States from the West Bank, he was a lecturer and a poet. He had started a family and was working for a cause he believed in: protecting and defending the civil rights of Arab Americans.

The lack of action on his case is inexplicable. The FBI almost immediately identified the people behind the bombing, yet no indictments or charges have been made.

As you can imagine, this situation has been heartbreaking for Alex Odeh’s loved ones. But it should also disturb all of us who rely on this country’s criminal justice system. We don’t have to stand for it.

Tell the Department of Justice to demonstrate a strong commitment to justice for all Americans in their stance on terrorism, and bring Alex Odeh’s killers into custody:

http://action.naacp.org

Thank you,

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

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DOJ’s Zimmerman investigat​ion calling for public comment

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More than 71,500 ColorOfChange members have demanded that the U.S. Department of Justice‘s criminal civil-rights section bring federal charges against George Zimmerman, who has yet to face any legal consequences for profiling and killing Trayvon Martin. The DOJ’s civil rights investigation, launched after Trayvon’s death last spring, remains open,1 and the Department is now actively seeking public input on how it should proceed.2

This week, we’re planning to deliver tens of thousands of powerful comments from ColorOfChange members like you urging the DOJ to do what’s right — so we only have a few days left to get the word out about the Department’s call for public comment. Can you take a moment to sign the petition to the DOJ, and to include a personalized comment when you do?

Thanks,

Rashad Robinson Executive Director, ColorOfChange.org

References

1. “Eric Holder says he shares concerns about Trayvon Martin case,” Washington Post, 07-15-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2841?t=2&akid=3091.1174326.KVoDw6

2. “Justice Dept. collecting public feedback on Zimmerman case,” Washington Post, 07-17-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2847?t=4&akid=3091.1174326.KVoDw6

 

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Today, admitted killer George Zimmerman is a free man.media outside Zimmerman pretrial hearing

Join the movement to end the senseless violence perpetrated by unaccountable vigilantes and police due to racial profiling: demand federal civil rights charges be brought against Zimmerman.

Join Us

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends

George Zimmerman stalked and killed Trayvon Martin in late February of last year. It took 45 days for Sanford, Florida police to arrest 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s admitted killer — and only 16 hours for jurors to acquit him of second-degree murder and manslaughter last night.1

We are angry. We are sad. And we are in pain.

We send our love and support to Trayvon’s parents — Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin — and we grieve with them and the countless other families of Black children who have been killed just for being Black.2

In this time of national sorrow, let’s turn our rightful frustration into action and grow a movement to hold the criminal justice system that fails Black Americans every day3 accountable.

Since the beginning, the Department of Justice has closely monitored the state’s case against George Zimmerman, and the DOJ can still bring charges against Trayvon’s killer. Please join us in calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to bring federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, and help us strengthen our efforts to end racial profiling and the violence it creates.

What does it say about our society when a civilian can shoot and kill a Black child who is just walking home from the store, and what can it mean when the killer is set free? What does this say about the value our society places on the lives of young Black children? It tells us that a Black life has little worth. It tells us that Black youth are seen as nothing more than violent criminals.4 And it tells us how much more work we must do to achieve a just society.

The police department in Sanford botched the investigation from start to finish.5 But we did not stay silent. Had it not been for the dedicated activism and work of Trayvon’s family, ColorOfChange members and countless others, Zimmerman may have never been arrested — let alone gone to trial. Our collective commitment to fight for justice for Trayvon was overwhelming. We responded. We organized. We forced authorities to make an arrest in a case that easily could have been forgotten, just like so many before. The US Department of Justice was forced to intervene, and although it took 45 days, Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged with murder.6

Thousands of ColorOfChange members spoke out against Florida’s “Shoot First” law, which initially shielded George Zimmerman from arrest and prosecution.7 The shadowy lobbying organization the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — and its deep-pocketed supporters at the National Rifle Association (NRA) — proliferated these laws around the country. Since ColorOfChange began drawing attention to ALEC’s role in crafting these deadly Shoot First laws, 52 corporations and nonprofits and at least 70 state legislators have publicly disavowed any relationship with the group.8

Working together, our movement is a powerful force for change. Please join us in calling for an end to impunity. Demand that the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. And when you take action, please ask your family and friends to do the same.

Thanks and Peace,

–Rashad, Arisha, Matt, Jamar, Aimée and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team   August 5th, 2013

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way.

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Support Tom Perez


National Women's Law Center
 Tomorrow, the Senate has a chance to do something that could help every single woman in the United States. But we have to make sure they know we care.
This is our last chance. Tell your Senators to support the nomination of Tom Perez for Secretary of Labor.
Throughout his career, including most recently as head of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice, Tom Perez has shown that he is committed to enforcing the laws upon which women, and all workers, rely. He’s combined this commitment with extraordinary skill and competence, both in the federal government and when he served as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
The U.S. Department of Labor enforces laws enabling workers to take job-protected family and medical leave, wage and hour protections that shield workers from exploitation and abuse, and rules requiring federal contractors to advance equal opportunity in their workforces, including equal pay. This critical Department also houses the Women’s Bureau, whose mission is to improve pay and working conditions for women. The next Secretary of Labor will have the opportunity to continue the important progress toward ensuring fairer workplaces for women and for all workers.
Tom Perez is committed to the needs of women and their families. Tell your Senators to support the nomination of Tom Perez for Secretary of Labor.
Thank you for everything you do to advance the rights of women and their families.
Sincerely,
Marcia Greenberger  Marcia Greenberger Co-President National Women’s Law Center    
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Brian, Campaign for a Fair Settlement


Invest in standing up to Wall Street criminals!

 

 

Real change requires dramatic actions like those going on in Washington today.

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Connect with the Campaign for a Fair Settlement

As you read this dozens of Home Defenders are risking arrest fighting for struggling homeowners across the country by demanding an end to “Too Big to Jail” on the steps of the Department of Justice. Hundreds more are rallying in support. We at CFS are incredibly proud of how supporters like you have stepped up to make the Week of Action a success.
No one knows what is going to happen today, but we do know that, without dramatic actions like this, the problems and concerns of average Americans will always be overshadowed by the influence bought by Wall Street bankers. Only through organized and committed actions like the Justice to Justice Week of Action can we combat that influence.
Please invest in ensuring we can continue to fight aggressively for you and millions of others. Invest $25 or whatever you can today.
We’ve accomplished so much already, but we know that we have more to do before we accomplish our goals. As long as people are still in danger of losing their homes and Wall Street continues to press for deregulation, CFS will continue to fight to push the Obama Administration for widespread mortgage reductions and increased scrutiny on Wall Street.
The fight is not over! Invest $25 now to make sure we can keep fighting with the millions of struggling homeowners who need justice. 
Your decision to stand up to Wall Street and say “enough is enough.” was a critical first step towards holding Wall Street criminals accountable and preventing future economic disasters from happening.  The next step is to take actions powerful enough to force Wall Street and the Administration to do the right thing. That’s why we’re at the DOJ today and that’s why we need to do more in the future.
Invest today and allow us to continue that fight. Please donate $25 or whatever you can.
The hundreds of foreclosure fighters and home defenders fighting for justice in DC wouldn’t be there without you. Let’s take it to the next level.
In solidarity,

Brian Kettenring, Campaign Director, Campaign for a Fair Settlement Executive Director, Action for the Common Good
http://www.campaignforfairsettlement.org/

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Investigat​e Clarence Thomas & Restore Ethics on the Supreme Court


Nearly 45,000 activists have already signed our petition urging a DOJ investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas‘ ethics violations. Please add your name now and help us get to 60,000 signers by the end of this week!    WWW.PFAW.ORG

New research by our allies has shed more light on the controversy over Justice Thomas’ failure to disclose his wife Virginia’s income on important judicial disclosure forms. The research shows that Justice Thomas knew enough about how to fill out the forms that he generally recorded his wife’s employment and earnings until 1997, when for some reason he just stopped. Since then, until recently correcting the forms, Thomas failed to disclose more than $1.6 million of his wife’s earnings, primarily from the ultraconservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.

This is just the latest revelation into why an ethics investigation of Justice Thomas is so needed, and why I am asking that you sign our petition to support calls by Rep. Louise Slaughter and her colleagues for the U.S. Judicial Conference to recommend the Justice Department launch an investigation now.

WWW.PFAW.ORG

Thanks! And after you sign, please help spread the word.

— Michael

Original Message:

Join the call for a Justice Department investigation into Clarence Thomas’ ethics violations.

Efforts to hold Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accountable for ethics violations just jumped to the next level.

A group of 20 House Democrats led by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) are now pushing for a Justice Department investigation into Justice Thomas’ possible serious violations.

Please sign our petition supporting the call for an investigation now.

The letter Rep. Slaughter and 19 of her colleagues sent was to the Judicial Conference of the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts. It urges the Judicial Conference follow the law and refer the matter of Justice Thomas’ non-compliance with the Ethics in Government Act to the Department of Justice.

Various reports have raised concerns about Justice Clarence Thomas’ seemingly flagrant disregard for important disclosure requirements under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Justice Thomas failed to disclose his wife’s earnings on judicial financial disclosure forms on which he was required to do so. And there are questions about his acceptance of gifts from interests with significant stake in several Supreme Court cases.

The Supreme Court’s very legitimacy and the public’s trust in the institution are under threat if Justices do not strictly adhere to ethical standards. It’s incredibly important that Justice Thomas’ violations are not ignored and that he be held accountable.

Hold Justice Clarence Thomas accountable — take action to support a DOJ investigation now!

Many of you have stood with our previous work to call out Justice Thomas for his conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety his actions have created. This is a significant escalation in those ongoing efforts, and it’s very important that you continue to stand with us.

After you sign, please help spread the word and recruit more Americans to this cause.

Thank you for your activism and your unyielding commitment to fair and just courts — the American Way.

Sincerely,

Michael Keegan, President