Take Action: Issues

Trump & the GOP have enabled Putin's horrific war against Ukraine, cozying up towards Russia & refusing basic humanitarian Ukraine needs to rebuild its infrastructure, get medical & humanitarian aid it needs, & more. Here are several simple things you can do to help #SupportUkraine.

 We've been bombarded by cruel executive orders & a GOP that wants to harm the welfare of 80 million Americans by gutting Medicaid. The Supreme Court has enabled this toxic behavior. Senator Cory Booker gave the longest speech in Senate history recently, saying, "At stake right now are some of our most basic American principles – principles that so many Americans understand are worth fighting for, worth standing for, worth speaking up for." He also said, "The power of the people is greater than the people in power." Here are some ways to get involved in a few minutes that help make your voice heard & protect out democracy & vital protections for vulnerable communities.

Hi everyone! We hope you are safe and well today, and for those of you who celebrate the holiday, enjoy it and your loved ones. However, our nation's history and narrative regarding this day are inaccurate and incredibly insensitive to our indigenous Americans whose ancestors did mark this day as a National Day of Mourning to acknowledge the atrocities committed against them. As an organization that is committed to disenfranchised communities, we believe that our indigenous citizens have not only been treated inhumanely throughout history (and in many respects, to date), but also that it is critical to honor and include indigenous people in the future and to change the narrative regarding the history of colonial behavior.  In that light, please take some time today to consider doing the following:

Since its inception, our organizational mission has been to support and advocate for disenfranchised communities. After giving this a great deal of thought, hard work, and love, we decided to launch a new initiative, focusing on two frequently overlooked groups: disabled and/or indigenous people. Our board is comprised of members of one or both of these communities, and we have noticed that the disability and indigenous communities are all too frequently not given a seat at the table or considered when important decisions are made. Therefore, we are launching this new initiative and creating a seed fund and team of volunteers to advocate for these groups. Together, the disability and indigenous communities comprise over 26% of the electorate, yet we are so frequently not represented in leadership or policy considerations. In honor of the National Day of Service and in partnership with the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee, we invite you to join us as a charter member of this new initiative. Two things that both the disability and indigenous communities are disproportionately lacking are money and allies, so we intend to address that. Our vision is to have the resources and people to make enough noise that we are no longer invisible or unheard. COVID19 has disproportionately impacted disabled and indigenous people in countless ways. Please join us, and let's make sure these important voices and faces are seen, heard, and represented, with a vision towards true equality. Here's how you can help:

2020 is a very important year for Democrats to regain control of the Senate. In North Carolina, current polls show a very close race that is within reach and favors replacing current GOP Senator Thom Tillis. Cal Cunningham is running as a Democrat for this Senate seat and can use everyone’s help. Here are some ways to help Cal defeat Tillis in 2020:

Laura Lombard is running to flip a US House seat in Kansas's 4th congressional district (KS-4), and this is a race we can win! Laura is a fifth-generation Kansan who knows what her district and state need and will fight for everyday Kansans as a new Representative. Her candidacy is very important. She is a strong advocate for what voters have said is their top concern--healthcare. As a Representative, Laura would fight to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare, and that it's affordable. She understands that the backbone of Kansas's economy is agriculture, which is why she would fight for farmers--and she has the experience to do so, being an international trade professional--this means we would have an leader with expertise to ensure that our trade deals are fair, and that we export American products, not jobs. Our rural areas are hurting--many farms have been forced to close, as have rural hospitals, which millions of people rely on. Laura will make sure that Kansans get a fair deal. She is also a fighter for quality education for all of us, and she will make sure that college is affordable as well. This is a seat we can win if everyone takes 10 minutes to take one or more of the actions listed. Here's how to make sure Laura is our next KS-4 Congressmember: 

Control of the Senate in 2020 is critical to passing important legislation to ensure affordable healthcare for everyone, end the gun violence epidemic, protect our civil and human rights, and more. In 2018, Democrat Mike Espy ran for the Senate in Mississippi, and he performed better than any Democratic Senate candidate in Mississippi in 40 years. Mike is running again in 2020, and he needs everyone’s help to flip this seat blue. Mike is a former member of Congress and was President Bill Clinton’s Agriculture Secretary. He believes in equality, healthcare as a right, and will fight hard for Mississippi and all of us. This election is especially important for two reasons:

(1). To Fight Against Systemic Racism: The current Senator is racist, having bragged about how she would attend a public lynching, posing with pictures of Confederate flags, and worse. We need a Senator who is reflective of our nation's demographics and who will push for an end to systemic racism. Mike would be Mississippi's first Black US Senator, and his policies support our communities. In the aftermath of the tragic murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and far too many other Black people killed by the police, we need, more than ever, to have our elected officials represent our most marginalized communities, both in terms of their demographics and their politics--Mike is the right person for both.

(2). To Flip A US Senate Seat: This race is very winnable and would go a LONG ways towards changing the political landscape of this nation--the incumbent, Cindy Hyde-Smith is only ahead by single digits, but she has a war chest & a lot more resources than Mike. We have to all help out to make sure Mike wins--but he can do it--when he ran in 2018, he performed better than any Democratic US Senate candidate from Mississippi since Reconstruction, outperformed and made it a close race, and flipped several counties. We just need EVERYONE to make this happen!

Here’s how you can help make sure Mike wins in November:

Attribution: Ec13328 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

 In 2016, Wisconsin was one of the three states that cost us the election. This year, it's a battleground state, and if we can just make sure everyone gets to vote, we can win it! The GOP is trying very hard to suppress voting rights, even resorting to going to the Supreme Court to make it nearly impossible for many voters to return absentee ballots. In addition, because the GOP's win in court functionally made it so that people had to go to the polls (which were understaffed and ill-prepared to handle voting by many people during a pandemic, and which was the exact reason why Governor Evers tried to extend the voting period--to keep people safe and protect democracy), COVID19 cases spiked, and people died needlessly. It is more important than ever to protect Wisconsin residents' right to vote, and to make sure that voting is conducted safely and fairly. Also, it's VERY important for voters to know that they cannot drop absentee ballots anywhere in their county--it must be in their municipality/precinct, or their voters will likely not count. Please make sure you do this, and please let others know. We need your help to ensure a fair and safe election in this battleground state. That's where you come in, and here's how you can help deliver Wisconsin for the Democrats this year:

National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) is this week! This event is particularly important for the 61 million Americans with disabilities, who represent 26% of the electorate. NDVRW is coordinated by the American Association of People with Disabilities REV UP (Register, Educate, Vote! Use your Power) campaign. It is non-partisan initiative to “increase the political power of people with disabilities by sharing resources" and register disabled people to vote.  

Unfortunately, there is still a voter participation gap between voters with disabilities and able-bodied individuals. As the DNC reports, based upon studies on the 2016 election," if people with disabilities voted at the same rate as people without disabilities, 2.35 million more people would have voted in 2016." This is everyone's opportunity to decrease this voter participation gap and lift up the disabled community, which can truly change the trajectory of elections and politics in general. Disabled people are often not brought to the table for important policy decisions, and this week provides an important opportunity to help rectify this inequity. 

Here are some things you can do to support the disabled community:

The Trump administration has capped the number of refugees that are allowed into the US at the lowest numbers since 1980, and he has targeted marginalized groups for exclusion, specifically LGBTQ+ people, Muslims, people from Mexico or certain South American nations, domestic violence survivors, and more. In fact,Trump has functionally closed the US to asylum seekers, forcing them to choose between waiting in dangerous situations  or risking  trying to cross between ports of entry. In other words, Trump’s policies actually encourage people to cross irregularly, (which he then punishes) rather than applying in a legal, safe manner. There are 70.8 million refugees who need help. Today is World Refugee Day, and the theme is "Step With Refugees." Here's how you can help:

Today is Juneteenth, which commemorates the legal abolition of slavery in 1865 (three years after the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation). Sadly, Black Americans are far from free in any sense of the word, as we've witnessed with police killings of Black people, environmental racism, & inadequate healthcare (resulting in very high Black maternal mortality rates), to name just a few things. To truly make #BlackLivesMatter & to give freedom to the Black community, we must do more. Here are some ways you can help out:

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis resident, was killed by police officers. Floyd was unarmed and was killed when an officer placed his knee on his neck and applied force, even after Floyd said, "I can't breathe," and the officer did not let up or allow EMS to attempt CPR until after Floyd was already dead. This is not an exception: it has become a rule. Black Americans are TWO to THREE TIMES more likely to be killed by police than white people, and they are also 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed when they are killed by officers who violated their own oaths to "serve and protect" all people. 

After George Floyd's tragic death, one officer who killed him was arrested, but the other three have not been. Moreover, those in positions of power were already trying to undermine justice for Floyd, arguing that the cause of death was a heart attack, and that there were medical conditions and substances in Floyd's system that contributed to his death. This is outrageous--George Floyd did not die because of a medical condition or substance use--he died because a member of law enforcement killed him. In fact, 1,099 people were killed--that we know of--in 2019 alone because of police misconduct and brutality. 

The very reason #BlackLivesMatter came about is because it is evident that Black people cannot take for granted that their lives have value, while white people can. The idea of "all lives matter" makes no sense, because if a residential street was on fire, and one house was ignored by the fire department , saying "all houses matter" would be pointless--the  one house that was ignored would be the one given no value, while the others were deemed important enough to save. 

It would be one thing if Floyd's death was the exception, but it' isn't--Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, and so many more have been killed because of police brutality. This has to stop. 

The very reason #BlackLivesMatter came about is because it is evident that Black people cannot take for granted that their lives have value, while white people can. The idea of "all lives matter" makes no sense, because if a residential street was on fire, and one house was ignored by the fire department , saying "all houses matter" would be pointless--the  one house that was ignored would be the one given no value, while the others were deemed important enough to save. 

To stop these tragic and completely unacceptable deaths, we as a society must address systemic racism. Here are some ways you can honor George Floyd's memory (as well as his brothers and sisters who were killed before him) and help fight to dismantle racism.

Across the nation, there has been a wave of deconversion, where developers have baited, harassed, coreced, been dishonest with, and otherwise tried to induce condominium owners to sell their entire building in what is known as a Section 15 bulk sale. Although this is happening nationwide, Illinois and Chicago, in particular, have been especially preyed upon. In a period of only a few years, developers in Chicago alone had "deconverted" (turned entire condo buildings into rentals, so owners are no longer owners and are routinely forced to move, deal with an underwater mortgage, and worse) thousands of units. The people who have been displaced include those who DID NOT WANT to sell--because of current law, if a certain percentage of ownership votes to sell a building, EVERY owner is forced to lose their unit, and they lose it at the price set by the developer/buyer--there is no consideration for whether certain units are worth more than others. Instead, developers offer their price based on square footage, so a unit in pristine condition will get the same price as one that is falling apart, unless an owner has the time, money, and ability to object to this process (which still forces them to lose their home, but only affects the potential process). This objection process is terribly disadvantageous to homeowners: they must file written objections within a matter of days, attorneys are needed to help (an added expense), and if the homeowner actually get to the objection process, it is highly unfair. The process is determined by a panel of three arbitrators: 1 selected by the developer, 1 by the owner (for which they have to pay a lot), and one that is "mutually agreed upon" (which the owner also foots part of the bill for), and the costs of arbitration are placed on a homeowner's shoulders. 

Aside from this, a number of predatory practices aimed at homeowners and from developers/buyers/their agents have taken place--owners are frequently sent repeated, unwanted solicitations, and during a deconversion process, it is often no holds barred--one condominium unit's owners were subjected to over 10 text messages in a row in furtherance of the developer's wishes, beginning before 4:00 am on a weekday. State Senator Sara Feigenholtz has introduced legislation to try to protect homeowners, and in collaboration with our organization, a bill has been drafted and introduced to protect homeowners. This bill, SB 3731 is not only critical, but there are two impediments to it: (1). Because of COVID19, the Illinois General Assembly will only be in session from May 20-29. and (2). Prior bills of this nature have failed because while developers are vocal, NO ONE whose homes are at stake has been calling their state elected officials to try to get these bills passed.

Why this is so Important:

• A senior in a building that was deconverted had an aneurysm, and his sole caretaker is his granddaughter. Because rental rates are so high (the average for a one-bedroom is about $1500+/month), he cannot afford to move or lose his home. He is impacted by deconversion.
•  One man, who bought his condo and lived there for over 20 years, was so stressed out by the predatory tactics used that he was taken to the ER & ICU, where he was told he was minutes away from dying--the constant pressure and loss of his home affected his heart.
• A woman, who fought valiantly to keep her home, followed every rule ,and had a prior lease in effect (which legally, developers are required to honor once they take over a building), was given an eviction notice within 48 hours after the developer took her home from her, and the legal fees to stop the process were thousands of dollars.
• A man who objected to the sale, said the experience was the worst year of his life, and he was expected to move out (after the developer repeatedly delayed the due diligence period, which destroyed the ability for soon-to-be displaced owners to make future arrangements, such as enter into a lease or buy a replacement unit) over the holidays, when it was snowing.
• A woman on a fixed income, could not find a real replacement property, so she now has a unit without functioning heat, hot water, and more necessities.
• One woman who immigrated here decades ago, has lived with her husband (who is a veteran) in her unit for over 15 years. They are seniors, and her husband has cancer. Even if they were paid a fair amount (which is not the case in the experience of far too many homeowners), they have nowhere to go.
• A doctor's  building was subject to deconversion attempts for such a prolonged period and to so much harassment that he was living out of boxes for over a year. 

What You Can Do to Help:

The single most important thing you can do is to call your Illinois state senator & representative and tell the that you support SB 3731 to protect homeowners against predatory deconversions. Here is a link to the phone numbers for all your state elected officials: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ 

You can also use the action buttons to help--but Senator Feigenholtz has already told us--what will make or break this bill will be whether your state representatives hear from you--let's MAKE SURE they do! 

Urgent!

During a serious pandemic, we have treated & are treating many of our most vulnerable members of our communities shamefully. As of March 31, in Chicago alone, 17 inmates were hospitalized because of the virus, 1 had died, NINE were on ventilators, & we had ONE ventilator left. In one Illinois state prison alone, by mid-April, FIVE inmates had passed away from COVID.  355 inmates at ONE Chicago jail had tested positive for the Coronavirus as of April 7.

This is a disgrace. This is not just happening in Chicago or even Illinois, but this is one of the cities & states with the highest COVID19 numbers.

Here's what you can do to help:

We can make a difference, but we need to call elected officials in Chicago and Illinois & support Illinois's proactive Governor, JB Pritzker, who has moved to decarcerate people to keep them safe & well.

Here are some phone scripts you may use to request further assistance for these inmates, thanks to the Edgewater Mutual Aid Society:

What Can You Do? (also, see our other action items for alternate/additional ways to help!):

Call:

• Illinois Department of Corrections: (217) 558-2200, extension 2008
• Your local elected officials (if you don't know who they are, find them here: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ 
• Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx (312) 603-1880.

Janice Park is running for state representative in Alaska's House District 25, and her race is an important one to spotlight. In her own words, Janice says, "Alaska has promises to keep. Promises to out children. I am fighting for the things that will benefit their future. Join me in that fight."

In addition to being a hardworking Alaskan of seventeen years who is passionate, intelligent, and who cares about her community, we consider Janice to be a friend whom we are proud to endorse for this seat. Janice's priorities include quality pre-K & education, Medicaid expansion, affordable healthcare, and coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions, and protecting reproductive rights. Help elect Janice & make #HerStory in 2020! Here are some ways you can help Janice win!

Domestic Violence affects a staggering 10 million people every single year, and every 20 minutes, someone is physically abused by an intimate partner. So many of our organizers have been deeply impacted by domestic violence personally, and we'd like to ask that each if you take some of these simple actions to help survivors & prevent future incidents. Here's how you can help:

Our recent presidential elections have demonstrated the disparity between how America is voting and the outcome reached by the electoral college. These concerns were particularly important when the 2016 election was won in the electoral college despite a deficit of 3 million votes. It has become increasingly critical to award votes in such a way that every vote counts and is accorded the same weight. You can take action to help ensure that every vote counts!

Here are some things you can do to promote the National Popular Vote Initiative, a measure that, if approved by enough states, would replace the electoral college with a popular vote for presidential elections.