[[link removed]]



Dear friend–

We are in the third week of Black History Month, and while this should be a month of celebration, communities in Texas are facing unprecedented devastation in the aftermath of deadly winter storms.

I am here in Houston, and headlines do not capture the crisis we are facing.

Thousands of Texans are without power and life-saving resources, and the pandemic and increasing rates of gun violence have already left communities bare. This is devastating, particularly for communities of color, and those who were without housing and food before the storms. We are seeing frontline workers who have been saving lives from gun violence without much support or funding now carrying the weight of response to natural disasters. Relief can’t wait. Our communities need resources and investment now.

For more information on how to support from afar, check out this helpful guide [[link removed]] from our friends at March for Our Lives Texas.

Our hearts and thoughts are with all of Texas, and we will continue to monitor ways that we can support communities on the ground. If you are looking for ways to support or volunteer, please let us know and we will let you know as opportunities arise.

While many of our lives are stopped and forever altered by this ongoing tragedy, there are many ways to support the ongoing work to keep our communities safe in Texas and around the country. We hope that you will continue to let us know how we can work together to build another world that we know is possible.

Thank you for your continued support at this challenging time,



In solidarity,



Amber Goodwin

Executive Director

Follow us on Twitter [[link removed]] , Instagram [[link removed]] , and Facebook [[link removed]]








Support For Texas

Warming Centers [[link removed]]

*
1st
United
Methodist
Church:
106
E.
Cleveland
Beeville
,
TX
78102
*
Bishop
Enrique
San
Pedro,
Ozanam
Center:
656
N
Minnesota
Ave
Brownsville
,
TX
78521
*
Cruz
Munoz
Gymnasium:
2101
Epting
Circle
Eagle
Pass
,
TX
78852
*
First
Baptist
Church
-
TT:
600
S
Kansas
Ave
Weslaco
,
TX
78956
*
Fulfurrias
High
School:
100
Jersey
Drive
Falfurrias
,
TX
78355
*
Port
Isabell
Event
and
Cultural
Center:
309
Railroad
St
Port
Isabel
,
TX
78578

Mutual Aid (Venmo)

*
Houston:@mutualaidhou
*
Dallas:
@feedthepeopledallas
*
Austin:
@austinmutualaid
or
@austinmutualaidhotels
*
San
Antonio:
@pmgmutualaid
or
@trinitymutualaid
*
Laredo:
@ldocommunityfridge
*
Rio
Grande
Valley:
@lupe_rgv
*
East
Texas:
@ntxmutualaid
*
Corpus
Christi:
@CCMUTUALAID

Upcoming Events & Opportunities:

Black History Month

Join us for an Instagram Live Friday, February 26th 2:00pm EST/ 1:00pm CST [[link removed]] with David Muhammad, Executive Director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.

Follow us on Twitter [[link removed]] , Instagram [[link removed]] , and Facebook [[link removed]] for more Black History Month content, including an empowering series of conversations, educational content, and celebrations.

Monthly Building Community Call: Black History Month Conversation

[[link removed]]



We are hosting our February Building Community call Tuesday, February 23rd at 3PM EST / 2PM CST [[link removed]] .

We will be joined by Shantay Jackson, the Director of the Baltimore Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, Oresa Napper-Williams, Founder of Not Another Child and member of the CJAF Speaker’s Bureau, and Keperah Kearse, Director of Wellness at Life Camp, Inc. Our guest speakers will talk about Black leadership in the fight to end gun violence, and elevating healing in our communities.

Volunteer Meetings

We are excited to continue to train and work with communities to get ready for upcoming legislative fights to end gun violence this month. Please join us!

February Volunteer Events

February 24

Texas 6:30 pm CT

[link removed] [[link removed]]

February 25

Federal 7:30 pm ET

[link removed] [[link removed]]

Opportunities to Take Action:

CJAF has launched our Action Center [[link removed]] where you can regularly take action on our advocacy efforts. Below are the actions we currently have available.

*
Sign
our
petition
[[link removed]]
asking
the
Biden-Harris
administration
to
invest
in
Gun
Violence
solutions
within
the
first
100
days
of
his
administration.
*
Tweet
[[link removed]]
at
Wisconsin
Governor
Evers
demanding
that
he
allocates
funding
to
Gun
Violence
prevention
strategies.
*
Texas
residents
call
[[link removed]]
your
legislator
asking
them
to
support
HB
1580,
The
Community
Violence
Intervention
and
Prevention
Act
(CVIP),
a
crucial
bill
that
will
establish
a
state-wide
Office
of
Violence
Prevention
and
critical
funding
for
community
initiatives
to
curb
gun
violence.








Community Justice Policy Updates:

Federal:

[link removed] [[link removed]]

This week, CJAF and our partners on the ground met with Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice and White House Deputy Public Engagement Director Adrian Saenz [[link removed]] to discuss the urgent need to invest in community-based violence intervention programs and evidence-based programs to reduce gun violence in our communities. This is an initial meeting, and we will continue to advocate vigorously for critical federal investment.



We thank our partners for their leadership and commitment to pushing our leaders to invest in communities of color and our solutions.

*
Eddie
Bocanegro,
Heartland
Alliance
*
Dr.
Shani
Buggs,
University
of
California
–
Davis
*
Antonio
Cediel,
Faith
in
Action
*
Mike
De
La
Rocha,
Revolve
Impact
*
Erica
Ford,
Life
Camp,
Inc.
*
Greg
Jackson,
Community
Justice
Action
Fund
*
Fatimah
Loren,
Health
Alliance
for
Violence
Intervention
*
Oresa
Napper-Williams,
Not
Another
Child
*
Anthony
Smith,
Cities
United
*
Dr.
Chico
Tillmon,
YMCA



*
Senator
Edward
Markey
(D-MA)
and
Representative
Carolyn
Maloney
(D-NY)
reintroduced
legislation
funding
gun
violence
prevention
research
[[link removed](2.4.2021)%20FINAL%20Gun%20Violence%20Prevention%20Research%20Act%20of%202021.pdf]
at
the
Center
for
Disease
Control
(CDC).
The
companion
bills,
S
281
in
the
Senate
and
HR
825
in
the
House,
call
for
$50
million
over
five
years.

*
Representative
Robin
Kelly
(D-IL)
introduced
legislation,
HR
881
[[link removed]]
,
requiring
the
Surgeon
General
to
submit
an
annual
report
on
the
impact
that
gun
violence
has
on
public
health.
The
bill,
which
has
been
referred
to
the
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee,
may
be
a
positive
step
toward
greater
acknowledgement
of
gun
violence
as
a
public
health
crisis.

Washington, DC:

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a new order Wednesday that declared gun violence a public health crisis. The order pledges $15 million to a new initiative aimed at decreasing violence in neighborhoods of color.

Florida:

Policymakers for Peace member State Senator Shevrin Jones (D) introduced SB 836 [[link removed]] , creating an Urban Core Gun Violence Task Force and the Florida Firearm Violence Reduction Pilot Program. The Task Force would investigate systemic failures and causes of crime and gun violence in disproportionately impacted communities, and the Pilot Program would fund evidence-based gun violence reduction strategies.

Senator Jones also introduced SB 1052 [[link removed]] , a bill to repeal Florida's "stand your ground" law. Representative Yvonne Hayes Hinson introduced companion [[link removed]] legislation in the House, HB 6063 [[link removed]] .

Maryland

The House of Delegates voted to override Gov. Hogan's veto of SB 708 [[link removed]] . The legislation provides $3.6 million for community-based violence prevention initiatives. In 2020 during the last session, CJAF worked alongside violence intervention staff, victim support service providers, frontline advocates and allied organizations to advocate, host briefings, testify at hearings, organize site visits, strategy calls and engagement of Senate and House leaders about this critical funding. This is a huge victory!

Texas:



*
State
Representative
Jon
Rosenthal
(D)
introduced
HB
1580
[[link removed]]
The
Community
Violence
Intervention
and
Prevention
Act.
The
bill,
developed
in
partnership
with
CJAF,
would
establish
a
statewide
office
of
violence
prevention,
as
well
as
authorize
a
grants
program
for
community-based
violence
intervention
and
prevention
initiatives.
CJAF
stands
strongly
in
support
of
this
bill
and
will
vigorously
advocate
for
its
passage.
*
Policymakers
for
Peace
member
State
Senator
César
Blanco
(D)
introduced
a
resolution,
SCR
8
[[link removed]]
,
declaring
gun
violence
a
public
health
crisis.
CJAF
issued
a
statement
[[link removed]]
in
support
of
the
resolution.








News of Interest:

The Leslie Marshall Show:”Taking Action to Shrink the Criminal Legal System” [[link removed]]

Advocacy Director Greg Jackson joined Leslie Marshall to talk about the community approach to gun violence that goes beyond over-policing our communities.

Mother Jones: Biden’s White House Is Ready to Tackle Gun Violence. Black-Led Groups Hope They Won’t Be Excluded [[link removed]]

The White House met with some gun violence prevention groups, but not groups led by people of color. Groups are concerned that proposed strategies to end gun violence have been focused on gun control and policing, not comprehensive public health solutions. On gun violence prevention in communities of color: "it has to be a comprehensive strategy that doesn’t just focus on the hardware." — CJAF Advocacy Director Greg Jackson



NBC News: Amid wave of violence, Asian Americans, Black communities build coalitions [[link removed]]

As violence against Asian-Americans continues to increase, Black-led groups have joined Asian-led groups to form coalitions that tackle how white supremacy fuels violence for all people of color.

Washington Post: Homicides rose 30 percent in 2020, survey of 34 U.S. cities finds [[link removed]]

The report found 1,268 more deaths than in 2019, and only four of the 34 cities saw declines in homicides last year, including Baltimore.

CBS News: Health care workers replaced Denver cops in handling hundreds of mental health and substance abuse cases — and officials say it saved lives [[link removed]]

The city of Denver began deploying health care workers instead of police for mental health calls, and this approach has saved lives.

Associated Press: 1 dead, 4 injured in shooting at Minnesota health clinic [[link removed]]

A shooter opened fire at a Minnesota health clinic. One nurse was killed, four others were injured. While our country is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic of gun violence continues to threaten our communities.

Yahoo News: Fifty Bandz, a Black trans woman, shot dead in cold blood. She’s the fifth trans American killed in 2021 so far [[link removed]]

Fifty Bandz, a 21-year-old Black trans woman, has become the latest transgender woman of color killed by gun violence. She was killed by her ex-partner, who many had said had been abusive. Our thoughts are with her family and community.

ABC-13: 3 teens shot during night of citywide gun violence across Houston [[link removed]]

At least eleven people were shot since last week across the Houston, TX area, including three teenagers. Our communities are suffering from two pandemics and need investment in systemic solutions. [[link removed]]



The Palm Beach Post: Gun bill seeks to repeal Florida's Stand Your Ground law ... again [[link removed]]

Thank you to Policymakers for Peace member Shevrin Jones for his leadership in working to repeal FL's dangerous stand your ground law.





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