Florida is home to some of the worst policing practices in the country. Described as "New York City stop-and-frisk on steroids," Miami Gardens Police have stopped and questioned more than half of the city's population, thousands of them kids, some of them as young as 5 deemed "reasonably suspicious" while playing outside. (1) Often, unjust police stops turn violent and deadly. Florida also leads the country in youth criminalization. Second only to Texas in the highest number of private prisons, Florida's entire youth prison system is privatized. Every day, Black and brown teens targeted by a deeply racist and discriminatory criminal justice system are forced to face abuse, torture, and neglect at the hands of private companies. (2) We don't want to live in a world where you have to put a bullet proof vest on your child in fear of fatal police or vigilante violence. We must take action to address this devastating criminalization targeting Black and brown Florida youth. Florida's important Governor election is fast approaching and our state's next leadership must be committed to addressing these key issues facing our communities. On October 21st, Gov. Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist will hold a debate, and moderators Jake Taper and Kent Justice are will have an opportunity to clarify the candidates position on Florida's for-profit prisons and systemic police violence. During last week's debate, we succeeded at garnering enough widespread public pressure to ensure that candidates were asked about Florida's notorious "Stand Your Ground Law," but we need candidates to answer to much more. The stakes are high. To ensure youth criminalization is on our next Governor's agenda and to secure transformative change after Election Day, we must call on Jake Tapper and Kent Justice to ask the questions that matter to our community. References: 1. "Florida City’s ‘Stop & Frisk’ Nabs Thousands of Kids, Finds 5-Year-Olds ‘Suspicious,’" Fusion 09-22-14 Fusion http://fusion.net/story/5568/florida-citys-stop-frisk-nabs-thousands-of-kids-finds-5-year-olds-suspicious/ 2. "Too Good to be True: Private Prisons in America," (.pdf) Sentencing Project, 01-2012 http://www.sentencingproject.org/detail/publication.cfm?publication_id=384

Ohio elected officials need to send a message that they believe #BlackLivesMatter. After the tragic deaths of John Crawford III, Tanisha Anderson, and Tamir Rice here in our state, Attorney General Mike Dewine's silence has sent a message that police officers can kill black people with impunity in Ohio. John Crawford III was killed by Officer Sean Williams .36 seconds after seeing him with a toy gun that he picked up from the shelf at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio. His last words were "it's not real."1 Not only was Sean Williams not indicted, Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine failed to act and change this brutal shoot-first protocol and just a few months later, a 12 year old boy named Tamir Rice was killed by Cleveland Police in a similar situation. Will you join us to help build power behind structural changes to Ohio's political system to help end militarized, discriminatory police violence? In a harrowing video, with haunting similarities to the killing of John Crawford, Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir as he played in the playground in front of his house with a BB gun and then told his mother to "calm down" as she tried to reach her son. (2) It was also the Cleveland Police who killed Ms. Anderson who suffered from schizophrenia. She was threatened with a taser and slammed into the pavement as her brother looked on in horror. (3) Just this week her death was ruled a homicide. (4) If Attorney General Mike DeWine had listened to Black Ohio youth and taken action after John Crawford was killed he could have prevented these tragic deaths at the hands of law enforcement. Justice for John Crawford, Tamir Rice, and Tanisha Anderson means accountability for their deaths and a fundamental change in the relationship of power between law enforcement and communities. Secret grand juries are held and produce the same outcome time and time again — prosecutors systematically do not prosecute to the full extent of the law when it comes to white officers taking Black lives. We need increased oversight, fair and equal justice for Black and brown communities, and systemic reforms to end discriminatory and abusive policing practices across the state. Join me in turning up the pressure on Attorney General DeWine and US Attorney Stewart to take immediate action to secure Justice for John Crawford, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson and an end to the policies and police culture that led to these tragic killings. Enough is enough. The challenges we face are deep seated and we need widespread public pressure to hold our politicians accountable for protecting our communities and taking concrete action to end Ohio’s discriminatory policing crisis. Gov. Kasich recently announced a policing task force; but we need more than commissions. We need systemic change to end the killing of Black and brown youth, and justice for those who we have lost. Outraged and devastated by John Crawford’s death, I and countless others led by the Ohio Student Association joined together to stand up proclaim that Black lives matter. We stood vigil, led a 12-mile pilgrimage, and a three-day occupation of the Beavercreek Police station. Since, we have organized ongoing actions to build power and catapult the growing national movement to end anti-Black policing and systemic police brutality; we met with President Obama in December. (5) It will take nothing short of a massive, people-powered movement to transform the role of police in today's society. Our power in the past few months has been in our perseverance. We refuse to stop, or to go away quietly, as politicians hope we will. Please join us to move our state leaders to action. Together, we have the power to create the transformative change we need to end racist, police brutality. 1. "No Charges in Ohio Police Killing of John Crawford as Wal-Mart Video Contradicts 911 Caller Account," Democracy Now, 09-25-14 http://www.democracynow.org/2014/9/25/no_charges_in_ohio_police_killing 2. "Tamir Rice's mom: "I'm looking for a conviction," CBS News 12-08-14 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tamir-rice-shooting-mom-of-boy-shot-dead-by-cleveland-cop-looking-for-a-conviction/ 3. "Daughter of mentally ill Cleveland woman who died in police custody hopes for change," Cleveland.com 11-18-14 http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/11/daughter_of_mentally_ill_cleve.html 4. Tanisha Anderson Death Ruled Homicide; Cleveland Woman Died In Police Custody," Huffington Post 1-02-2015 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/02/tanisha-anderson-homicide_n_6407416.html 5. "Breaking: Ferguson activists meet with President Obama to demand an end to police brutality nationwide," Ferguson Action 12-01-2014 http://fergusonaction.com/white-house-meeting/

Florida is the epicenter of the right wing attack on the rising new majority's freedom to vote. Since 2011, the far-right in Florida has tried to pass more than 180 laws intended to restrict voting rights and keep youth, women, Black and Latino communities from the polls. In 2012, Governor Scott slashed the early voting period resulting in some voters waiting in lines as long as 9 hours. Scott has also repeatedly attempted to illegally purge the ballot rolls using unproven methods that result in suppressing the votes of legitimately registered voters. Since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, Florida is no longer under federal protections from right-wing attacks on our right to vote. A state constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote would subject voting laws to the highest level of scrutiny to ensure that elections officials and politicians cannot manipulate the rules to keep our communities from voting. One of the most vicious laws attacking our communities ability to vote is Florida's laws banning formerly incarcerated people from voting. Of the 6 million people nationwide who are disenfranchised by previous criminal convictions, one-quarter of them are in Florida and nearly 23% of Florida's Black voting age population is barred from voting. (1) The state constitution should be amended so that voting rights are restored once a citizen has completed his or her time in prison and not be subject to Florida's long waiting periods where very few ever have rights restored. On October 15th, the candidates will debate at Broward College, followed by a debate in Jacksonville on the 21st. These are tremendous opportunities to make sure that both candidates answer to Florida voters about whether they will protect our right to vote. The debate moderators should ask both candidates if they will support amendments to the Florida constitution that ensure the right to vote is guaranteed and cannot be infringed upon and secondly, an amendment that allows previously incarcerated people to vote. Moderators for October 15th: Elliot Rodriguez, Rosemary Goudreau, Frank Denton, Bob Gabordi, Manny Garcia, Patricia Mazzei, and Jeremy Wallace Moderators for October 21st: Jake Tapper and Kent Justice References (1) http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/felon-disenfranchisement-the-new-jim-crow/17952-felon-disenfranchisement-the-new-jim-crow

It’s been nearly two months since Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old, unarmed Black teenager, Mike Brown, and County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch has done everything in his power to avoid holding Wilson accountable, while state Governor Jay Nixon stands idly by. We at the Organization for Black Struggle have been working day and night demanding justice for Mike Brown and so many others who have been unjustly killed as a result of systemic racial bias and violence against black and brown communities. Black lives matter, and we can’t let Wilson get away with murder! And now, reports have surfaced that a jury member has broken the grand jury secrecy rules by tweeting that there is not enough evidence to arrest Wilson.(1) Public discussion of confidential jury proceedings is serious misconduct, and now it's up to Governor Nixon to show that justice is possible in Missouri. He must get rid of McCulloch for his disgraceful and corrupt handling of this national tragedy. McCulloch could have charged Wilson immediately, but chose to convene a grand jury instead. He then refused to recommend charges to the grand jury, a move that discourages jurors from indicting.(2) In 23 years as County Prosecutor, McCulloch has not prosecuted a single police shooting.(3) Given this shameful history of denied justice, it’s clear that McCulloch is incapable of securing justice for Mike Brown. The world is watching, and the one person with the power to do something is Governor Nixon, who has a responsibility to the Black voters that supported him. It’s time for him to act. Join us in demanding that Governor Nixon remove McCulloch from this train wreck of a case, and appoint a special prosecutor to take over. Since Brown’s death, we’ve been out on the streets facing Ferguson’s militarized police as we peacefully demand justice for Mike Brown. Time and again, local officials have shown us that Black lives don’t matter. We refuse to accept that message. An indictment could happen by October 15, so we must act now to change the story here in Ferguson. Governor Nixon has been given enough time to intervene and restore integrity and justice in the case against Officer Wilson. Help us create enough widespread public pressure to ensure that Governor Nixon appoints a special prosecutor by October 15. We demand Justice! P.S. Join OBS, ColorOfChange.org, and thousands of others standing shoulder to shoulder in Ferguson, Missouri for a Weekend of Resistance Oct. 10-13: http://fergusonoctober.com References 1. “Grand jury considering the Ferguson shooting is being investigated for misconduct,” Washington Post 10-01-2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/10/01/grand-jury-hearing-ferguson-shooting-is-being-investigated-for-misconduct/ 2. “Ferguson tragedy becoming a farce,” Washington Post 09-12-2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-ferguson-tragedy-becoming-a-farce/2014/09/12/e52226ca-3a82-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html 3. See reference 2.

It's a crisis. The city of Detroit has unjustly shut off the water of thousands of low-income Black and brown Detroit residents, threatening their health, safety, and livelihood. And matters are only set to get worse.(1) Residents who owe as little as $33 are having their water shut off with no warning. Seniors, the sick and injured, and families with special needs are left without running water and working toilets. People recovering from surgery cannot wash and change bandages. Children cannot bathe and parents cannot cook. And while the people suffer, the corporations are protected. The city of Detroit provides water at wholesale price to the wealthy suburbs; however city residents pay retail price for the water they receive. The city of Detroit provides water at wholesale price to the wealthy suburbs; however city residents pay retail price for the water they receive. Palmer Park Golf Course owes $422,000 the VA Hospitial $131,000, yet they continue to have water.(2) As well, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr gave Gov. Snyder a pass on the Michigan's $4.5 million unpaid water bill of by reducing the state's debt to $113,000. Only $19,000 has been paid to date. Entire families and their livelihoods are on the line. If parents cannot afford to restore water service within 60 days they are at risk of having Social Services remove their children from the home.(3) If water bills remain unpaid a lien can be placed on the home and the home can be sold. (4) This must stop NOW! The plan to cut off water to 150,000 households by the end of the summer is part of efforts sell off and privatize Detroit’s water system for corporate profits.(5) In order to make the utility attractive to investors, lower-income households are being forced to pay exorbitant rates for their water and sewer services, or see their access cut. Water rates have risen in Detroit by 119% in the last decade.(6) With unemployment rates at a record high, and the poverty rate at about 40%, Detroit water bills are unaffordable to a massive portion of the community. (7) Hundreds of thousands of low-income Black families are at risk. The city's water shut offs are in line with decades of racially discriminatory policies targeting Black and brown Detroiters, which have resulted in unjust home seizures, the separation of children from their parents, and the creation of serious health risks to entire neighborhoods.(8) By allowing thousands of people to be denied access to water and sanitation services, the U.S. government is violating the United Nations resolution codifying the human right to water and sanitation. Show your solidarity with the people in Detroit and join Progressive Democrats for America, National Nurses United, NetRoots attendees, and local Detroit activists for a rally at Hart Plaza at 1pm on Friday, July 18th where we will make send our message loud and clear to Gov. Synder and Emergency Manager Orr. References: 1. "We the People of Detroit," Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wethepeopleofdetroit/posts/764130140275688 2. "Detroit Water Shutoffs," Politics Progressive 07-11-2014 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/svs/2014/07/11/detroit-water-shutoffs 3. See reference 1. 4. "Detroit's Water War: a tap shut-off that could impact 300,000 people," The Guardian 06-24-2014 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2014/jun/25/detroits-water-war-a-tap-shut-off-that-could-impact-300000-people 5. "Important Tax Lien Information," Detroit Water and Sewage Department http://www.dwsd.org/pages_n/billpay.html 6. "What Happens When Detroit Shuts Off the Water of 100,000 People," The Atlantic 07-17-2014 http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/what-happens-when-detroit-shuts-off-the-water-of-100000-people/374548/ 7. See reference 3. 8. See reference 5. 9. See reference 3. 10."Against Austerity in Detroit: 'Water Is a Human Right'" The Nation 07-11-2014 http://www.thenation.com/blog/180625/against-austerity-detroit-water-human-right#

Black people are continuously seen and treated as subhuman and second-class citizens around the world, sometimes just visually because our skin is darker, no matter our mannerisms. By many we are assumed to be less or lower, and to some seen as dumb as a race, only athletic, especially if we are not in line with what is considered to be mainstream America thought. Start at 12 minutes in. https://youtu.be/DReL722fzHo?t=720 To reach people who are insulted & appalled by Rachel’s bold comments and respect education and the brilliance of Black people. In addition, the issue of white supremacy Rachel was disputing was backed by facts! Her opinion was false, flawed & incorrect! (That’s why Fox calls itself Entertainment Only and not News when their backs are against the wall in court for false reporting. ) The timing of her comments are also particularly an insult to the 4 children & 4 adults killed directly because of admitted White Supremacy last week!

You need to know that our America of justice system is turning from a sweet land of liberty to a land of soar grapes. Did you know there are 60,000 people held in United States solitary confinement according to Equal Justice Initative. Our system really needs fixing due to there are too many innocent men fading and taken away to prisons. According to Innocent Projects 200 plus have been taken away from families (now exonerated from prison). I would like to speak to you about a story of a young man and his mother. One night a mother received a terrifying phone call from her son. No one knew where he was for three days. The mother was seeking his whereabouts. Finally, she heard from him with sounds of tears. He told her that he had been interrogated for hours. He has been in prison for 23 years and forgotten by the system. The system did not complete the process to the federal court (habeas corpus). The system has kidnapped this young man whom is innocent. Also, there was another young man on the news last month, he received 400 years in prison (exonerated). Remember President Biden declared a second chance to those serving extreme sentencing in our federal prisons, not just for drug laws but for those who are innocent and shows no danger to society. Let's come together to petition wrongfully convicted prisoners (our sons and daughters) and long consecutive sentences. Let's go to the hill for our sons and daughters. They have served enough time - more than 25 years. Let's get these cases back in the courts to be reviewed and to our legislators to appeal the cases. Let them come back to their families to vote and to serve in the community. The United States has incarcerated more people than any other country in the world and more people are serving life sentencings according to Given Compass Network. This is inhumane and this must stop. Enough is Enough! I believe that our voters want Freedom, Safety, Dignity, Equality and True Justice, thanks to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressly for these principles. The people need leaders and legislators who really care. We need a voice. Please just listen. Let's Vote!

This is an important cause because the death of Black mothers cripples the family unit and harms the child's quality of life. Mothers are essential to the nurturing and raising of the next generation and without them there's a void that will be hard to fill. Life matters and if we have the means and resources then these deaths are truly in vain. If you have a mom or lost a mom your voice needs to be heard concerning this matter.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is imprisoned for second degree murder when it was simply self defense. She is sitting in chillicothe correctional center in Missouri.She was simply fighting back for the years lost due to her abuser. Her own mother forced her to fake many illnesses such as leukemia,asthma, a seizure disorder,muscular dystrophy(forcing her to use a wheelchair) as well as seeing and hearing problems. Gypsy's mother “dee dee” also claimed she had mental illnesses such as the mental capacity of a 7 year old due to “brain damage as a result of premature birth”. not only that but deedee also forged gypsys birth certificate to make her seem younger tol receive benefits from charities. For such a long time that Gypsy was not aware of her true age for 15 years. Deedee forced Gypsy to take pills for all of these illnesses and many others not listed above. Investigators as well as many medical professionals found no sign of any disabilities in Gypsy, not mental or physical. Gypsy's mother has a history of violence. She poisoned her stepmother for confronting her about how she treats gypsy leading Deedee to change her last name. Deedee was also assumed to have intentionally let her own mother die by starving her in 1997. Deedee used extreme physical violence as well as psychological abuse to control Gypsy and force Gypsy to go along with everything mentioned above. Gypsy reached out online for help. She met a man online(Nicholas godejohn)who soon became her boyfriend. They talked for a while and met up in person. Gypsy was known to be just a teenager except she wasn't. She was an adult woman herself. They made a plan for him to come over and followed through. Gypsy hid in the bathroom as Nicholas killed her abuser. Although this may seem aggressive, this was the only way to get away from her mother. Her mother nearly killed Gypsy due to physical abuse multiple times as well as feeding her unneeded medication. Gypsy ran away and was found the next day and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She is eligible for parole in 2024. Gypsy should be released without parole and released as soon as possible. Gypsy was a lost girl who was forced to lose her entire juvenile life to a woman who beat her, drugged her, and psychologically abused her. As well as losing an entire decade of her adult life to prison for saving her own life. Even after all of that, Gypsy still was not the one to murder her abuser,DeeDee(her mother). She was simply an accomplice sitting on a bathroom floor..hoping for some freedom. Hoping to have her life back and to never get beat or drugged again. The system failed this poor girl and she was forced to take things into her own hands. Gypsy is innocent in my eyes. This was self defense. She was saving her own life.DeeDee's biological mother, DeeDees stepmother, gypsy was likely next. Gypsy needs to be released and without parole. Gypsy rose is an icon. She is brave. She is not a criminal. I propose she be Let free without parole. I don't believe she should have even been imprisoned. She should have been sent to a hospital that can help her cope with her trauma for a little while. The system has failed her once again. Unfortunately, it's far too late for that. Help Free gypsy rose blanchard. It's the least the community can do to make up for this unfair imprisonment.

Black Fund Manager Files Motion to Withdraw Plea in Securities Case after Government hides evidence of innocence Infinity Q Founder James Velissaris Seeks Trial (Atlanta, Ga)-On Friday, leading law firm Barnes & Thornburg filed a motion on behalf of Infinity Q founder James Velissaris to withdraw from a November plea deal regarding one count of alleged securities fraud. Velissaris, a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering, was one of the leading African American fund managers in the country at the time his case began. After establishing himself as one of the highest performing managers on Wall Street, Velissaris founded his own firm, Infinity Q Capital Management, in 2014 and was backed by renowned investor David Bonderman. In 2021, Velissaris was falsely accused of overstating the value of his multibillion-dollar fund solely based on a discrepancy between his valuation calculations and that of the Bloomberg BVAL pricing tool. Velissaris believed, and repeatedly stated that the tool was not working properly and therefore the team had to augment with other known industry data points to arrive at more reasonable valuations. In January of this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) found that the Bloomberg tool did, in fact, miscalculate values and, as a result, fined Bloomberg $5 million dollars. In his request to withdraw his plea, Velissaris' filing states on page 23, "At the same time the government was claiming BVAL was an authoritative source in this case to show that Mr. Velissaris improperly valued Infinity Q securities, the SEC had an ongoing investigation into that very same valuation tool. A significant part of Mr. Velissaris’ defense includes the reasonableness of his adjustments to the BVAL inputs in order to reach fair value for Infinity Q securities because of the very deficiencies in the tool shown by the SEC settlement.” The Infinity Q investor disclosure documents clearly state that the team had discretion to use their expert judgement when pricing the portfolio. According to the SEC settlement, the Bloomberg BVAL tool was not producing reasonable values. Therefore, Infinity Q valuations should not be expected to match the values of the broken tool. Velissaris' legal team submitted five additional points in their request to withdraw the plea. The six point argument for withdrawal asserts that (1) Velissaris repeatedly disclosed in investment documents to investors that the funds would depart from BVAL valuation, (2) his valuation models were in line with market conditions, (3) he requested from his previous legal team almost immediately to request a withdrawal (4), the government is not harmed by allowing Velissaris to go to trial and (5) that he did not want to accept a plea and (6), as stated above, the government hid several pieces of exculpatory evidence including known deficiencies in the Bloomberg BVAL tool. Velissaris recently retained legal counsel from Barnes & Thornburg's Washington, DC office. The legal team is led by Michael Battle, a former US Attorney, judge and director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and Billy Martin, a former federal prosecutor with over 40 years of experience and named as one of the country's '50 Most Influential Minority Attorneys'. Currently, the request to withdraw is pending.

"This was a nefarious act. This was an evil act,"..."Somebody murdered Rasheem Carter, and we cannot let them get away with this.

Our founding fathers were imperfect! The Bill of Rights was not honored by those who enslaved people. Yet the purpose of creating a 'more perfect union' was noble. It is up to each of us to preserve our live, liberties, and the pursuits of happiness under the law. Tho' I don't agree with Liz Cheney's policies, I admire her honorable participation in the hearings. President Biden must enact NOW legislation with the help of the senate which protect our democracy, and all promised therein. He must also immediately put forth at least 4 more justices to serve on SCOTUS! My ancestors fled England and came to our shores to end the slave trade! One of my ancestors died as a captured union soldier during the Civil War! If we believe in 'a more perfect union' then we must do everything in our power to preserve, protect and enhance laws that serve to promote all that is good and honorable!