Hello everyone! Let's just get straight to the point.

EARLY VOTING STATS:
As of 12:42pm on October 26, ~61.3 million people have voted early — that figure includes ~40.8 million mail-in ballots and ~20.5 million in-person votes. In other words, voters have already cast 44.4% of the total votes counted in 2016, a number that has entirely shattered early voting records. (And the election is still a week away!!) In addition, in the states reporting, ~87 million voters have requested mail-in ballots, meaning over half of the ballots requested have yet to be returned.

According to that same analysis — by Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida — 49% of ballots cast have been by Democrats, while 28% have been by Republicans (in states that report party registration). Republicans maintain a few-point lead in in-person early voting, while Democrats are winning both in mail-in ballots returned and in outstanding mail-in ballots (ballots that were requested but haven’t yet been sent back in with a vote).

Last month, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found that Trump led by 19 percentage points among people who intended to vote on Election Day, while Joe Biden had more than a 2-to-1 advantage (67 to 31 percent) among those who planned to vote before then. This year’s unprecedented early voting numbers likely reflect both the circumstances of the pandemic and that people are so eager to get out and get their voices heard. According to the Washington Post, in states where early ballots can be matched against a voter file, roughly 1 in 5 votes have come from someone who did not cast a ballot four years ago in the same state. ​

END SARS: The movement to end police brutality in Nigeria has gained important traction in the United States in the past couple weeks. Usually, we like to give our own summaries of topics, but we think this one does a really good job.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• ​This carrd has lots of info for resources, places to donate, and action to take.
• If you're in New York City, End SARS NYC has been the group organizing protests and other actions in NYC and they're a great group to follow on Instagram.

We'll see you soon. Good luck in your campaigning!

Peace & Power,
Teens Resist

This list was written by Christopher Giang, Betty Kubovy-Weiss, Sonia Chajet Wides, and Kate Griem.

Hey Teen Resisters!
​
First, we are going to acknowledge the obvious: this week has been absolutely freaking insane. From the appalling yet on-brand revelation that Trump only paid $750 in income taxes in 2017 to a chaotic mess of a debate night to POTUS, FLOTUS, and Senate COVID-19 diagnoses (among others), headlines that might have stuck in the news for weeks have been replaced by another in hours. All with the election(!!!!) coming up in a month.
That said, it's vital that we take a moment to honor the passing of someone who was a superhero and role model to many of us: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, AKA the Notorious RBG. We ask that all of you take a moment to think about how different our lives and world would have been without her nation-shaping strength. 

Peace & power,
TR

And, finally, in lieu of our puppy video, something to make you smile.

​Need some convincing on why working on an election or two is a worthwhile way to spend time this year?

Let's make this fun. Pick a few friends and form a team and commit to calling and texting voters together! You can make it as casual or not-casual as you'd like (from just doing it at the same time to Zooming with mute on while you call voters)-- you just have to commit to calling for a certain amount of time per week (seriously no commitment is too small). 

You and your team can pick the candidate(s) you want to phonebank for: from Joe Biden & Kamala Harris all the way to your local city council election. To make things simple, we've created a curated TR list of some extra-special House and Senate races for you to choose from if you'd like. Our list includes bios and, of course, easy links to sign up to volunteer.

​Then, you call! Every time your team makes calls, fill out our short log so that we can keep track of the calls we collectively make and give your team credit when you make a lot of calls! We'll be posting the team that makes the most calls each week on social media, and will be sending out free Teens Resist stickers to teams periodically. 

Hi everyone!
We've been on summer break for a little but we're back and have a really important topic to cover. As the summer nears an end, election season is upon us. We'll be unveiling a special project related to elections across the country very soon.
But it's essential that we address this before anything else. Voter suppression has been an issue in the United State since... forever, and it's been used to limit the votes of various groups that could threaten the powerful. 
It's also an especially pertinent issue now. The pandemic and the role of the postal service in the election has left lots of room for voter suppression. Also, Trump knows that there is a lot of discontent with him, and he's scared! Any conversation about this year's elections would be incomplete without talking about voter suppression. So let's go!

While voter suppression has been an ongoing issue in the United States, it has been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, as more people are unable to leave their homes and go to voting centers. According to CBS news, 70% of voters have expressed a desire to vote by mail in the upcoming November election. With a record number of voters now planning to use mail-in ballots, President Trump has (inaccurately) argued that it will lead to massive voter fraud. Earlier this month, Trump admitted to blocking additional funding for the United States Postal Service in order to complicate the process of voting by mail. Additional funding was requested by states in order to handle the expected increase in mail-in ballots. Lack of funding is already dramatically slowing down the United States Postal Service, indicating that many mail-in ballots may not arrive in time to be counted for the general election in November. It is being recommended that people send in their ballots as soon as possible to decrease the chance of their ballot being disregarded. Already in the 2020 primary election, 65,000 ballots weren’t considered because they arrived late by mail. This indicates how big a threat the suppression of the United States Postal Service really is. This intentional sabotage of the postal service not only threatens people’s right to vote, but it also slows down other services that people across the country rely on, such as receiving medication in the mail, something which is very common, especially in more rural communities and throughout the current pandemic.
In addition to a lack of funding, the current postmaster general, Louis Dejoy, who Trump appointed earlier this year, is a big Republican donor. Dejoy has introduced changes into the postal service, such as alterations in worker schedules and working hours, which significantly affect the swiftness of the postal service. Additionally, Dejoy reportedly enforced the removal of mailboxes and other mail equipment in order to delay postal service. Throughout all of this voting turmoil, uncertainty is growing on both sides of the issue, as people across the country are losing confidence that their ballot will be considered, and in the validity of those votes that are counted. 
Equally as important are the devastating effects that these USPS delays are having on many Americans. The USPS is the largest employer of veterans, and its union has the most Black union-members of any union in the US. Many Americans are dependent on the USPS for medicine and other necessities, especially those who can't go outside due to the pandemic. Trump putting these people's lives at risk to rig an election in his favor is purely evil.

Articles to read for additional information: 
Trump's USPS attacks are already undermining confidence in vote by mail
Can the Post Office Handle Election Mail? Why the Recession Could Actually Help

Saving the USPS:
- Super quick action: Text USPS to 50409 to send a letter to your reps  (using Resistbot, one of our favorite tools).
​
- Urge your Senator to pass H.R. 8015, which the House just approved. It would halt Trump's changes to the USPS until after the election and increase the USPS' budget (read more here).
Phone number: 202-224-3121 (ask for your Senator)
Script: Hi, my name is ____ and I'm from _____. I'm calling to ask you to please support H.R. 8015, the Delivering for America Act, to help protect the USPS. During this pandemic, it is simply not safe for many Americans to vote in person and they must vote by absentee ballot instead. President Trump has admitted to trying to hurt the postal service in order to interfere with these absentee ballots. This blatant act of fascism is not only threatening voting rights, it's stopping Americans from receiving their postal service with important things like medication. We cannot let Trump's selfishness get in the way of the essential work of the USPS. Please vote for the bill when it comes to the floor, and co-sponsor it if you have not yet done so. Thank you."

- Sign this petition (there are also actions to take in the description!). 

- Buy some stuff! Here is a link to the USPS Stamp Store, which has lots of cool collections. And here is a link to some literal USPS merch.

- Stay updated with Save The Post Office, a movement to do, well, just what the name says!

Fighting Voter Suppression:
- The incomparable Stacey Abrams and her organization Fair Fight are doing incredible work to end voter suppression. Please consider donating to them or volunteering nationally or in Georgia! Find all the links here.

- Volunteer with When We All Vote for some voter-registration-specific action

We'll see you soon!

Peace and Power,
Teens Resist

Contributors to this list: Leo Levine, Miranda Licardo, Christopher Giang, Rivka Stasavage, Sonia Chajet Wides, Kate Griem

Hi everyone! We hope you're doing well and having a good summer. Usually in the summer we only do two lists, but we're planning on putting out resources more frequently this year. We also have some big plans for 2020 election action that we are going to be rolling out over the next few weeks and months. So please stay tuned!

We also wanted to say that for this summer, if you're not already subscribed to Resistbot, it's a great resource. Text RESIST to 50409-- you can send it texts that it turns into letters that get mailed to your reps.

Also: This amazing student-made website designed especially for students of color at competitive NYC high schools was shared with us recently. You can find their opportunities page here.
​
There's a lot going on and a lot of action to take. So let's get started!

​Breathe Act: 
This week, the Movement for Black Lives released plans for a groundbreaking piece of legislation supported by Reps. Ayanna Pressley & Rashida Tlaib called The Breathe Act. The Breathe Act is a lengthy piece of legislation that aims to divest governmental funding from harmful carceral systems and put resources towards community-based solutions-- it also includes some other major pieces of policy related to environmental justice, immigration, and economic justice. The Breathe Act is long, so we have clarified its contents into a table that can be found at bit.ly/trbreathe. We would highly recommend at least skimming it to see what it contains. It's a pretty huge piece of legislation, and even having it be discussed in Congress would advance issues forward in our government (it's also a reason why the 2020 Congress elections matter so much). This is something we want to call your attention to right now, and we will continue to provide updates on it. 

What You Can Do:
- Read through it! The full summary of The Breathe Act can be found here, and our breakdown of that summary can be found here (it was too long to put fully in the list).
​- Watch the full press conference announcing it here.
- If you like what you see, the Movement for Black Lives is asking people sign on as community co-sponsors which would mean taking small actions and using a provided toolkit to talk with people in your community about The Breathe Act. If that's something that interests you, sign up here.

New ICE Rule
As you've probably heard, there is a new ICE rule that says that international students who attend college or university in the US that is going to be continuing with remote-only learning in the fall have to either transfer to a school with in-person classes, or be deported from the United States. You can immediately sign this petition at this link. You can stay updated on efforts against this policy with WCL If/When/How's Instagram.

Asylum Rule
​There's a new, really bad asylum rule. You can read more and sign a petition here. You can also submit a public comment, which slows down the government significantly. Here is a link to all the materials you need for creating one — instructions, tips, sample comments, etc — via @undocu_pdx

Instead of a puppy video this week, we are recommending this channel, Nomadic Ambience, which has tons of gorgeous relaxing videos in a variety of locations-- seriously recommend watching to decompress and take a breath!

Be well!

Peace & power,

Teens Resist

Hi everyone! First of all, happy Juneteenth! Juneteenth commemorates that on June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, TX were alerted that they were free from slavery. It is widely acknowledged as commemorating the abolition of slavery in the US and celebrating Black liberation. However, in the words of Bryan Stevenson, "Slavery didn't end in 1865, it just evolved." Part of celebrating Juneteenth is a recommitment to fighting the systemic racism of the United States criminal justice system, education system, medical system, etc. We'd also urge you to use this form to urge Congress to make Juneteenth a national holiday!
To our Black community members, we're wishing you a joyful day of celebration! 

We're back to our biweekly list schedule for now, but please be aware that our past two lists have resources that are relatively current and will continue to be helpful.
Hopefully everyone is wrapping up their school years well. We're wishing everyone a wonderful start to summer.

We're going to jump right in but will outline the list first so you can jump around:

• Say Their Names: recent murders, as well as petitions and GoFundMes for each person
• Resources to demand that Breonna Taylor's murderers be arrested
•  Toolkit we created based on the End the War on Children March demands 
• ​Toolkit for protecting Black trans lives
• Some great new resources

​
Let's jump in!

As always, if it's your first time doing some of these actions, feel free to check out our Basics page and Index by the Issues for background help. You can also watch our IGTV for an explainer of calling reps.

Na’kia Crawford: On June 14th in Akron, Ohio, Na’kia Crawford, an 18-year old young Black woman, was shot while she was driving to run errands with her grandmother. Na’kia had graduated high school just 2 weeks earlier. Na’kia’s family believes that the incident was racially motivated. No matter the final conclusion, Na’kia’s death is a reminder that this country systematically puts the lives of black women at risk every single day. Na’kia Crawford had just graduated high school would be a freshman at Central State University studying computer science in Fall 2020.
​- Sign the petition here.
- GoFundMe here.

Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells: Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells, a 27-year old Black transgender woman, was found on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, brutally attacked and murdered. Authorities have identified a suspect in the case. The Humans Rights Campaign cites Rem’Mie as the 13th transgender or gender non-conforming person murdered in just this year. We mourn Dominique's life and will honor her with justice.
- GoFundMe started by Rem’Mie’s family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dominiquefells
- Petition for justice for Rem’Mie: http://chng.it/mCcvBY6xc5
- There is an extensive list of places to donate to in support of Black trans lives at the end of this list. ​

Riah Milton: Riah Milton was a 25 year old Black trans woman and home health aide who attended the University of Cincinnati. Riah was shot and killed during a robbery in Liberty Township, OH. Two people have been arrested and charged with her murder. She and Dominique Fells were murdered within the same 24 hours, a dangerous reminder of how at risk Black trans women are in our nation. The life expectancy for trans women of color in the United States is 35 years old.

- The official GoFundMe made by Riah's family has now completed, but you can donate to an organization that protects Black trans people-- we have an extensive list at the end of this list.
- Petition for justice for Riah.

Robert Fuller: ​On Wednesday, June 10, Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old Black man, was found hanging from a tree in Palmdale, CA. His death was ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County Sherrif’s Department, a determination which received lots of backlash from the community and Fuller’s family, who argue that Fuller was not suicidal. In the wake of recent and historic racist violence against Black men across the country, Fuller’s family, other members of the Palmdale community, and activists across the nation are calling for an independent autopsy. Officials from the city of Palmdale have supported the community (and more vocal protestors who have been demonstrating outside of Palmdale City Hall) in their demands. On Monday, June 15 the Sheriff's Department held a press conference in which they maintained their conclusion that Fuller’s death was a suicide (which came from their autopsy report) but alluded that further investigation may lead to a different outcome. 
The public outcry against Robert Fuller’s death also drew attention to the death of Malcolm Harsch, a 38-year-old Black man whose body was found in a tree on May 31 in Victorville, CA, roughly 45 miles away from Palmdale. The similarity of the two cases drew suspicion and furthered both respective calls for justice.

- To read: this column from the LA Times.
- Petition here.
- GoFundMe here. 

This week, we saw the police who murdered George Floyd as well as Rayshard Brooks be charged with murder. We're still waiting for Breonna Taylor's killers to be charged. Here's how to take action:

• First step: Sign this petition (it takes 10 seconds)
• Next step: call & send emails!

Use this script, and feel free to add to it.
Script: Hello, my name is [your name], and I’m contacting your office with regards to the murder of Breonna Taylor. I am demanding that you immediately arrest and charge Brett Hankison, Jonathan Mattingly, and Myles Cosgrove. We cannot continue to allow police to act with impunity, as they violently brutalize our Black siblings/us. Accountability is essential, and I want to remind you that the entire nation is calling on you to act and get justice for Breonna and her family. Thank you.

Numbers:
Gov. Andy Beshear: (502) 564-2611
Mayor Greg Fischer: (844)-298-2731
Sen. Rand Paul: (202)-224-4343 / (270)-782-8303
DA Tom Wine: (502) 595-2300
AG Daniel Cameron: 502-696-5300

To email:
When emailing, we advise paraphrasing the above script or writing a couple sentences on your own in case they are filtering forms like this one.
Daniel Cameron: https://ag.ky.gov/Contact-Us/Pages/default.aspx
Andy Beshear: https://governor.ky.gov/contact/contact-us

We’ve adapted this section from this resource doc: Actions for Solidarity: #BlackTransLivesMatter. We have adapted some scripts and info for more of a step-by-step. Please check the full version out if you want more details!! 

Some context--The current moment is a contentious one for overarching federal protections/regulations regarding gay and transgender individuals: 

• on Friday, the Dept. of Health and Human Services issued a regulation that undid protections for transgender patients against discrimination by doctors, hospitals, and health insurance companies. 
• But on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans workers from discrimination on the basis of sex, protects gay and transgender individuals as well.
  • The decision was a huge victory — despite the legalization of gay marriage in 2015, workplace discrimination was still legal in much of the country.

The fight for Black trans lives is and always has been urgent. 

First:
Some GoFundMes for Black trans lives lost this year: Nina Pop, Monika Diamond, Tony McDade, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, TeTe Gulley, and Riah Milton. 

JUSTICE FOR LAYLEEN POLANCO 
Layleen Polanco was an Afrolatinx trans woman found dead in solitary confinement at Rikers’ Island last year. Last week, the NYC DOI concluded that staff members there were not responsible for her death. Here are some brief actions, via the Anti-Violence Project:

• Call Mayor De Blasio at 311 or email him via his contact page, found here
  • Hi, my name is ______, I’m from _____, and I'm calling/emailing you in light of the death of Layleen Polanco, an Afrolatinx trans woman found dead in solitary confinement at Rikers’ Island last year. Last week, the NYC DOI concluded that staff members there were not responsible for her death.  I demand that you release publicly the names of and immediately fire correction officers involved in Layleen Polanco’s death and end solitary confinement in city jails. I believe that this action is vital to reform our city’s criminal justice system and address the systemic injustices faced by trans individuals in our society. I urge you to use your conscience in making your decisions on this topic. Thank you.
• Call the Board of Corrections (212-669-7900):
  • Hi, my name is ______, I’m from _____, and I'm calling to demand that you end solitary confinement in city jails immediately. I believe that this action is vital and should be prioritized especially in light of the death of Layleen Polanco — an AfroLatinx trans woman — in solitary at Rikers’ last year, and the lack of justice surrounding her death. I urge you to use your conscience in making your decisions on this topic. Thank you.
• Call and/or email your state senator (find them here!) and assemblyperson (found here!):
  • Hi, my name is ______, I’m from _____, and I'm calling/emailing to ask you to push for and pass S1623 (Senate)/ A2500 (Assembly), which would restrict the use of segregated confinement, create alternative therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options, limit the length of time a person may be in segregated confinement, and exclude certain persons from being placed in segregated confinement. I believe that this action is vital and should be prioritized especially in light of the death of Layleen Polanco — an AfroLatinx trans woman — in solitary at Rikers’ last year, and the lack of justice surrounding her death. I also urge you to stop the implementation of 2020 bail reform rollbacks; our criminal justice system needs to become more progressive, not move backwards. I urge you to use your conscience in making your decisions on this topic. Thank you.

ORGS TO DONATE TO & SUPPORT
If you have the means, donate to one or more of these amazing organizations, which are laid out by topic. Otherwise, uplift their voices on social media and in your everyday life.

If you would prefer to make a mass donation to a variety of orgs: Split donations page to donate to support Black trans futures

Police Violence and Incarceration

• Black & Pink
• Sylvia Rivera Law Project
• National Bail Out Fund.
• TGI Justice Project.
• BreakOUT, helping LGBTQ+ youth in New Orleans.
• Strategic Transgender Alliance for Radical Reform (STARR) for crisis management and cold case work

Training Black trans women to be community leaders

• SNaP Co
• Kween Culture
• Transgender Cultural District (San Francisco)
• Black Trans Media
• The Okra Project
• Reuniting of African Descendants (R.O.A.D. Project)

Economic and Housing Stability

• GLITS, who is currently fundraising to buy a house for recently incarcerated trans folks
• House of GG
• The Transgender District
• NYC’s Princess Janae’s Place, New York State's first and only community based housing organization led by, and for, people of trans experience
• The Okra Project for greater food stability
• Homeless Black Trans Women Fund

Immigration

• FAMILIA, which is devoted to immigration justice for queer and trans folks
• El/La Para Trans Latinas.
• Transgender Law Center and RAICES also aid in the assistance of trans migrants.
• Trans Latinx Network
• This list for localized resources in your area

Sex Work

• DecrimNY
• St. James Infirmary to provide self-defense training for sex workers
• The New York Transgender Advocacy Group; advocates for more inclusive gender-based policies that benefit TGNCNB individuals 
• Urban Justice Center’s Sex Workers Project to provide more on-the-ground resources for trans women

Intimate Partner Violence

• Taja’s Coalition, a Black trans-led organization.
• Here to find a shelter to support near you
• AVP (Antiviolence Project) empowers LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education & supports survivors 

Healthcare

• A guide to understanding your rights for acquiring healthcare as a trans or GNC person
• Trans Buddy Pittsburgh
• Local LGBTQ Centers
• Local LGBTQ-focused hospitals. Callen-Lorde Community Health Center provides sensitive, quality healthcare and related services targeted to New York's LGBTQ+ communities
• Planned Parenthood, which continues to support gender affirming and affordable care

**And, last but not least, voting** (ACTIONS, NOT JUST DONATIONS): this is part of how we fight systemic efforts by federal and state governments to strip the rights of trans individuals. Local elections are particularly important.

• Vote Save America to find out more about how to flip key Senate seats
  • Especially if you live in a state that tends to always go either Democratic or Republican, you can adopt a swing state through this program.
• Fair Fight to protect voting rights​

We're sending you lots of love and light!

Peace, power, and solidarity,

Teens Resist

Hi everyone! We usually don't do lists this close together but we wanted to consolidate all the resources we have seen and created into one list. So this is a follow up! 
Please refer to our list from a few days ago for more starter actions. That list includes tons of links, resources, and more.

Our content elsewhere this week:

• ​This IGTV is a video version of the intro to our usual in-person workshops: The calling basics.
• This post and this post are lists of bail funds in different cities
• We made this NYC/NYS Police Reform Phonebank masterlist with Coalition Z (more below) 

Where to get protest info:
For NYC: @JusticeForGeorgeNYC on IG is posting daily schedules and compiling all the protests going on. Please be sure to find a near location to you-- don't go on the subway!!! 

Direct help to protesters from home:
If you can't protest, here are some ways to help from home:

• Bail funds. See above links to our posts with list.
• Jail support: going to jails where protesters are being released with food, water, cash, chargers, and masks. Here is more of an explanation. To find where to go, you can find calls on social media by searching precinct names on Twitter and seeing if help is needed. If you're in NYC, help is almost always needed at 1 Police Plaza. You can also download the signal app!
• Go on Scanner Duty for a little while! Download the Scanner Radio app and listen in on police radios. Then report what you're hearing on social media with the hashtag #[Your City]ScannerDuty to keep protesters out of harm's way. Examples are here.

Things in this list that are urgent:
- The repeal of 50A in NYS is being voted on imminently
- NYC Budget gets finalized July 1st! So defunding police is urgent.

Also: make sure you're taking some time to take care of yourself. If we all get burnt out, this will never work.
This Instagram post by Jenna Wortham includes lots of healing resources that are free for Black people right now-- if you are Black, please utilize!

We made this Masterlist with Coalition Z and it's full of resources. Take a half hour to guide yourself through this phonebank on your own or FaceTime a friend or host a Zoom and do it together.

Some more petitions:

• https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions — a ton of petitions
• Advocate for the City Council’s passing of the chokehold bill
• Advocate for the Hands Up Act, which would punish police for shooting unarmed citizens 
• Demand that Amazon stop selling facial recognition software to the government, which disproportionately impacts people of color
  • Earlier this year, Amazon came under fire for supplying ICE with surveillance information in order to aid agents in terrorizing immigrant communities and deporting individuals​

​

With that, we'll sign off. 
Peace & Power,
TR

Hi everyone! We still have a regular list coming out next week with some updates on a few other topics (abortion access, vaccines, some Trump stuff, election, etc.), but social media has been overwhelmed these past few days with images and actions regarding the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. In light of George's story, there has also been a lot of sharing of the stories of other victims of police violence, including Breonna Taylor, whose story we cover in this list.

This list is going to have some emergency actions, split into a few sections. You can take note of the links to documents that are updating more frequently than we are.

Remember, if this is your first experience calling or emailing about something like this, you can always look to our Basics page for help and/or email or DM us if you need help. You can also look to our Index by the Issues page for some of our previous coverage on police brutality and institutional racism.

The easiest action to take is signing and sharing petitions, which takes around 30 seconds.

Petition for County Attorney to arrest and charge the officers who murdered George Floyd

Petition to the mayor of Minneapolis for the officers who murdered George Floyd to be arrested and charged   

Justice for Breonna Taylor (extensive list of demands can be seen at link)

Breonna Taylor petition (2)

White House Petition

This link will take you to an extensive list of petitions for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other victims of police brutality

​Sign this petition to support the publicly proposed Hands Up Act which would punish police for shooting unarmed citizens

SCRIPTS (via The Gathering for Justice)

1. Contact Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman

Call: (612) 348-5550 *Leave a voicemail if unanswered*
Email: citizeninfo@hennepin.us

Script: Hello, my name is [your name], and I’m contacting your office with regards to the murder of George Floyd. I am demanding that you immediately arrest and charge the responsible officers - Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng. We cannot continue to allow police to act with impunity, as they violently brutalize our Black siblings/us. Accountability is essential, and I want to remind you that the entire nation is calling on Michael Freeman to act and get justice for George’s family. Thank you.

​2. Contact Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey

Call: (612) 673-2100 *Leave a voicemail if unanswered*

Script: Hello, my name is [your name], I’m contacting your office with regards to the murder of George Floyd. I implore Mayor Jacob Frey to make the necessary requests to arrest and charge the officers who are responsible: Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng. I’m also asking that your office redirect funding from the Minneapolis Police Department to community programs that will help reduce the amount of violence in Minneapolis. Floyd should be alive today, and Minneapolis needs Mayor Frey to stand with the community in demanding accountability. Thank you.

3. Contact the Minneapolis Police Union
info: the Minneapolis Police Union has consistently resisted reform and kept offering "warrior-style police training" even after it was banned in the city.
Call: 612-788-8444

Script: Hi, my name is _____ and I'm calling because I demand action for the racist murder of George Floyd by your police officers. I demand that you hold Minneapolis Police Officers accountable now and in the future to assure that this never happens again. This includes stopping your offering of warrior-style police training. Furthermore, the union should assure that all officers involved face criminal consequences for his murder. George and his family and all people affected by irresponsible police violence deserve justice. Thank you.

4. For Breonna Taylor: The Action Pac has a calling hotline that will walk you through instructions and help you call this list of people:
- Public Integrity Unity of the Louisville Metro PD
- Commonwealth AG Tom Wine
- Kentucky AG
- State, local, and federal officials
You can click here to call for her.

5. Email script: ​click here.

PLACES NOT TO DONATE TO: Don't donate via change.org and don't donate via Shaun King or his organizations-- he has a history of mishandling funds and stealing the work of Black women activists. (Link to article explaining this)

PLACES TO DONATE TO:

• Official GoFundMe for George Floyd's family
• Minnesota Freedom Fund (bail for protesters in Minnesota)
• Black Visions Project (protest organizers)
• Reclaim the Block (organizers in Minneapolis)
• North Star Health Collective (medics for protesters)
• Louisville Community Bail Fund (bail for protesters in Louisville)
• Support Sybrina Fulton's campaign for congress. Sybrina Fulton's son, Trayvon Martin, was murdered by police in Florida. 
• GoFundMe for Ahmaud Arbery's mother (look at our most recent list for info on Ahmaud)
• More places to donate can be found at the link above (in the big white button)

PLEASE make sure to continue to social distance as much as possible and wear a mask at all times (to protect against COVID-19 and to protect your identity). If you have loved ones at home who are vulnerable, consider not going. Make sure to stay healthy and safe and remember, there are always things to do from home.

Another video went viral this week: it was recorded by Christian Cooper, a Black man who is a birder in Central Park. Cooper was in the Ramble, a birding area in the park, when he encountered Amy Cooper (no relation) whose dog was off-leash. Christian asked her to put her dog on the leash because it is dangerous for the birds (and required by the park rules) and Amy Cooper did not comply; he began to film the situation and she demanded he stop filming as she stepped towards him. She then threatened to call the police, saying "I"m going to call the cops and tell them an African-American man is threatening me." You can watch the video yourself, but it is a chilling reminder of how racism is weaponized. This is why changes to the institutional systems are not enough. Amy Cooper was weaponizing the police because she knew that it was a threat to Christian and would put him in a potentially deadly situation like the one we saw with George Floyd. That desire to weaponize racism would have come through no matter what the medium was-- in this case, the police.
This is precisely why tackling this requires deep introspection and anti-racism on the part of white people in this country who can change the deep-seeded attitudes and sinister undercurrents of the culture of this country. Here are some resources for anti-racism.

Below, we’ve listed concrete policies every state legislature and/or local police department should implement to fight police brutality.
As a disclaimer, we want to clarify that these policies are still not enough (see above section) and a police institution founded on racism cannot ever be "reformed" enough. One concrete action you can take is asking your mayor to defund the police and invest in other areas.
As we wrote in last week's list, NYC mayor Bill De Blasio proposed a budget that cut the NYPD budget only minimally but cuts hundreds of millions of dollars from public schools. You can click here to take action on this.

That being said, there are policies that can help with these issues, even if they don't solve them — this section is for you if you are feeling helpless, and are especially empowered by research and data. Research what policies your area has, then call and email your police chief and state legislators to demand they implement those they lack. If you’re unable to figure out specifics, list them all; ask for accountability in enforcing the policies, as well as in publicizing them. We've previously covered nonviolent de-escalation tactics-- find link here.

First, has your local police department implemented these eight use of force policies? A 2016 policy analysis by Campaign Zero examining 91 of the 100 largest police departments in America found that the policies tangibly reduce the number of individuals killed by police. (You are three times more likely to be killed by police if you are Black than white.) The report found that the average police department reviewed had adopted only three of the policies, and not a single one had adopted all eight.

• Require officers to de-escalate situations before resorting to force
• Limit the kinds of force that can be used to respond to specific forms of resistance
• Restrict chokeholds
• Require officers to give verbal warning before using force
• Prohibit officers from shooting at moving vehicles
• Require officers to exhaust all alternatives to deadly force
• Require officers to stop colleagues from exercising excessive force
• Require comprehensive reporting on use of force

Read more about the data here.  The report is smart and easy to follow. 

Other key policies: 

• Does your local police department outfit all on-duty police officers with a body-worn camera and require that it be turned on immediately when officers respond to a police call? What about gun cams, dash cams, and taser cams?
  • Camera malfunctions during a fatal incident are intolerable and should be career-ending. If you can’t operate a camera, don’t operate a gun.
• Has it established an early warning system to identify officers who are involved in an inordinate number of inappropriate physical force incidents? Does it pay close attention to those warnings? (Multiple use of force claims had already been filed against an arresting officer involved in Floyd’s murder.)
• Does it employ evidence-based police de-escalation trainings?
• Does your city or town have a civilian review board? They investigate incidents of police brutality, and should have independence, adequate funding, and diversity of membership.
• Has it instituted shoot back protection, or legal immunity for citizens resisting illegal or errant lethal use of force by cops?
• Has it eliminated non-civilian weaponry (including military surplus) from domestic law enforcement?

A more detailed community action manual for combating police brutality from the ACLU is here.

With that, we're signing off.
We love you and hope you're doing well.

Peace, power, and solidarity,

Teens Resist

Hey Teen Resisters!

Hope that everyone is staying safe, sane, and healthy — sending love & support to anyone whose family or friends have been affected.  Our advice remains the same: forgive yourself, find any and all silver linings, stay connected! Take care of yourself: exercise, sleep, eat, do something, or do nothing. We've included some quick COVID-19 actions via a link to an earlier list (volunteer, donate, stay updated, stay busy) and some urgent info on NYC Mayor De Blasio's atrocious new budget plan, which guts funding for public schools. We also linked a few good articles/websites, in case you want to read something but opening the news is too overwhelming. Happy activisting :)

Peace & power,
Teens Resist

That the McMichaels were arrested is a testament to the power of the people. But there is so much more work to be done: 

• Sign the petition here to pressure officials to arrest Bryant and ask the FBI to consider this modern-day lynching as a hate crime.
• Sign the petition here to demand that Jackie Johnson, the Brunswick District Attorney who refused to initially issue an arrest warrant, resign. This is not the first time Johnson’s legal decisions regarding police brutality have been biased (see more on that here). 
• If you call the number 770-800-0689, The Action PAC (an organization cofounded by Shaun King...you might remember they did a lot of work on the Rodney Reed case and have been steadfastly organizing since) walks you through numbers to call and instructions on how to do so.
• Pressure lawmakers in Georgia to pass a hate crimes prevention law (Governor Kemp has indicated he would be open to supporting it) 

P.S.!
People all over the country ran this past weekend, May 8th-10th, 2.23 miles (to remember the date he was killed). Ahmaud’s 26th birthday would have been May 8th. The hashtag #IRunWithMaud was used to support his mother and to remember him. 

And, finally....

Hey Teen Resisters!

Happy a few days late Earth Day, and we hope more than anything that you and your families are all staying healthy and safe. This is an absolutely unprecedented time, and right now we say: stay sane — watch a trashy show, take care of yourself (by exercising, sleeping, doing something, or doing nothing), and don't lose hope. Unity is vital right now, even when we're separate! So is forgiving yourself!
We've included a statement on Biden below, linked our last list/some general action items, and then covered some COVID-19 news. It's often difficult to even open the news right now, so this is something good to read if you just want a couple of bite-sized pieces of important info.

Peace & Power,
​TR