Friend,
It has been over a month of demonstrations across the country calling for the end of police brutality towards Black people, following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. These demonstrations sparked important, long-overdue conversations about racism, justice, and equity — forcing sports teams and military bases to reconsider their racist names, toppling monuments of white supremacy, challenging corporations to live up to their pro-Black Lives Matter statements, and starting real discussions in our communities. Racism, and anti-Blackness in particular, is pervasive in every aspect of our society. *It’s not a thing of the past — it’s happening* *right now* *.
*
While the protests continue throughout the country (and the world), it can feel as though the fight for racial justice has faded while we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recession, and the ever-present corruption by the criminal in the White House. *But we must keep pushing to prove that the fight for justice is a movement, not a moment.*
My team continues to have conversations about becoming more actively anti-racist, and some folks have asked how they can stay involved and make real change. *That’s why we’ve compiled the following list of actions that everyone can take today:*
* *Sign our petition to demand the withdrawal of federal agents from Portland.* ( [link removed] ) Officers from the Department of Homeland Security have been sent by President Trump to Portland to attack Black Lives Matter protesters and detain them without cause. This is a clear violation of their constitutional rights. And the program is being rolled out to more cities.
* *Email ICE’s Chicago field office and tell them to shut their civilian training program down.* ( [link removed] ) The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is piloting a six-week program in Chicago this fall called “Citizens Academy.” It is instructing civilians on defensive tactics, firearms familiarization, and targeted arrests; it also encourages a dangerous vigilante mindset.
* *Call Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to demand justice for Breonna Taylor.* ( [link removed] ) Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician, was killed on March 13, 2020 by Louisville police officers executing a no-knock search warrant. One of the officers was fired; the other officers were placed on administrative reassignment. None of them face criminal charges.
* *Report your story of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate.* ( [link removed] ) Hate incidents against the AAPI communities are increasing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON); Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA); and the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University, built the "Stop AAPI Hate" website to document hate incidents from these communities.
* *Watch Ava DuVernay’s documentary* *13th* *on YouTube.* ( [link removed] ) The movie investigates the racist roots of America’s rampant mass incarceration starting with our 13th Amendment, demonstrating how the U.S. prison system is the latest iteration of our enduring racial caste system.
I encourage you to complete these actions today, especially if you’ve never done anything like this before. All of us here will be doing the same.
In solidarity,
Tom
Take Action ( [link removed] )
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Please visit *Coronavirus.gov* ( [link removed] ) for information and resources to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent infection. *Follow CDC guidelines, including social distancing to avoid large groups and unnecessary contact with others, and adhere to instruction from your local and state elected officials.*
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Tom Steyer PAC · PO Box 626 · San Francisco, CA 94104 · USA
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