View this email in your browser ([link removed])

Dear Progressive Reader,

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the police killing ([link removed]) of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the wake of that killing and the huge protests ([link removed]) that followed, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to address some of the issues that led to the actions of Minneapolis police officers on that day. It stalled in the Senate. Now Congressmember Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat of Texas, has reintroduced the bill and is calling, together with ([link removed]) members of George Floyd’s family, for it to be passed immediately. “We have the opportunity to enact bold, comprehensive reform to policing practices, to correct and prevent unnecessary deaths,” said Representative Lee in a post
([link removed]) on Facebook.

I am currently in New York City, where I had the opportunity on Thursday to sit in as Amy Goodman interviewed ([link removed]) Yance Ford about his brand new film Power, which premiered ([link removed]) on Netflix last week. The film project began when Floyd was murdered, and takes a long historical and analytic look at the history of policing in this country. “Polic[ing] was always organized about the control, regulation, or seizing of property, whether it’s people, Indigenous land in the West, or breaking unions and regulating the behavior of not-yet-white immigrants in Northeastern cities. It helps you understand when you reframe policing in that way,” Ford told her ([link removed]) .

Also in New York, I have been visiting with authors and friends of The Progressive as we get ready to launch our new special June/July issue on media literacy which goes out in the mail this week. The issue, a co-production with our colleagues at Project Censored ([link removed]) , comes at a time when media literacy in this crucial election year is more important than ever. Thanks to guest editor Mischa Geracoulis and all of the folks that helped bring this issue of the magazine together. I look forward to everyone getting a chance to read it soon. (If you are not already a subscriber, you can sign up now ([link removed]) and get a copy with our second mailing in about four weeks!)

Speaking of New York, Mike Ervin writes ([link removed]) this week on our website about the lack of accessible taxi cabs in the city and how that impacts people with wheelchairs as they try to navigate their commute. Also on the web this week, Miriam Davidson tells the story ([link removed]) of an Arizona trial that highlights the dysfunction of our country’s border policies; Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies chronicle ([link removed]) the U.S. weapons that are fueling the war in Gaza; and Rann Miller takes a long look ([link removed]) at the history of U.S. policy toward Haiti and the roots of today’s crisis. Plus, Dan Piatkowski pens an op-ed
([link removed]) on the importance of bike friendly cities for building local economies and sustainable futures.

Finally, Monday is Memorial Day, and I will again be participating in the annual Vets for Peace Memorial Day ([link removed]) events sponsored by the Clarence Kailin Chapter of Veterans for Peace in Madison, Wisconsin. If you are in town, please join us at 1:00 p.m. at 302 E. Gorham Street as we remember those who have died in past and current wars, but also work to build a world in which no one ever need die in a war again.

Please keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.

Sincerely,
Norman Stockwell
Publisher

P.S. – Don’t miss a minute of the “hidden history” of 2024 – you can still order The Progressive’s new Hidden History of the United States calendar for the coming year. NOW HALF PRICE – Just $7.50 plus $3.00 shipping. Just go to indiepublishers.shop ([link removed]) , and while you are there, check out some of our other great offerings as well.

P.P.S. – If you like this newsletter, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to this free weekly email, please share this link: [link removed].

P.P.P.S. – If you don’t already subscribe to The Progressive in print or digital form, please consider doing so today ([link removed]) . Also, if you have a friend or relative who you feel should hear from the many voices for progressive change within our pages, please consider giving a gift subscription ([link removed]) .

P.P.P.P.S. – Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to support The Progressive! We need you now more than ever. If you have not done so already, please take a moment to support hard-hitting, independent reporting on issues that matter to you. Your donation today will keep us on solid ground and will help us continue to grow in the coming years. You can use the wallet envelope in the current issue of the magazine, or click on the “Donate” button below to join your fellow progressives in sustaining The Progressive as a voice for peace, social justice, and the common good.
Donate ([link removed])

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2024 The Progressive, Inc.

P.O. Box 1021 • Madison, Wisconsin 53701 • (608) 257-4626

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])