Besides Impeachment: Oct. 6th-23rd 2019

Hey Teen Resisters!
With all the impeachment stuff that's going on, it's really easy to feel overwhelmed (we know that we do). And that makes sense—we're at a moment in history right now that it unprecedented and exceptional; it will likely be instrumental in shaping the political landscape of America for decades to come. Regardless of how important it is to stay up to date on all the impeachment stuff, though, it's also important to not let all the other key happenings get lost. Here are some items that might have flown under your radar over the past couple of weeks--read, digest, and act at your own pace! Sending large amounts of love & good vibes, and happy activisting :))
​xx,
​TR

Note: In addition to content from our staff writers (listed here), this list includes writing from Ruby Goodman.

Before you dive in, we want to update you on a few quick things we want to update you on: 
1) The October 11th CNN LGBTQ Town Hall for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, which came in the wake of the October 8th arguments for one of the most important LGBTQ+ rights Supreme Court cases in modern history (concerning workplace discrimination). Read about the town hall here and the case here.
2) The governor's race in Kentucky--if you're looking for a quick, simple, and impactful action to take, this topic is for you. The November 8th Kentucky gubernatorial election features a matchup which is--likely surprisingly to many of you, since Kentucky tends to be a red state--currently even, according to polls. Current AG Andy Beshear is running to unseat incumbent Gov. Bevin--read more about the race here, and phonebank here: www.mobilize.us/kydems/event/108304/ 

what went down

Trump’s Military Pullout from Syria

In early October 2019, President Trump decided to pull US troops out of Northern Syria. Immediately after his announcement, political leaders from both the left and right harshly condemned his actions at the same time as his supporters and advisors scrambled to justify and soften this abrupt and oversimplified end to a long military presence in the region. 

The situation in Northern Syria is centered around the Kurds, an ethnic group of around 40 million scattered around the Middle East. Since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, the Kurds have been without a nation-state. 

As they’ve struggled for citizenship in the Middle East, they have faced violence and oppression from all directions. In the past, the Kurds have created resistance parties to challenge Turkey in an effort to establish their own state while also trying to avoid conflict with the powerful Syrian regime. Because of this threat, the Turks have viewed the Kurds as a terror group and treated them as such, creating a major rift between the two groups.

So, where does the U.S. come in?

In the early 2010s, the radical Islamic terror group ISIS threatened the safety of the Kurds as it sought to take over territory in which the Kurds had been living. While Turkey looked the other way, U.S. and Kurdish forces teamed up to try to take down ISIS. The Kurdish troops led much of the decade’s fighting against ISIS, and were responsible for a lot of its success. They also established a cooperative relationship with the United States, regardless of the fact that the U.S. was (and is) an official ally of Turkey through NATO, causing the U.S. to be essentially caught between two hostile groups. Because of the middle ground position they were in, the U.S. decided to insert troops in the hot zones of Syria as a buffer between the Turks and the Kurds, consequently playing a major part in cooling the simmering conflict between these two groups. In addition to preventing conflict between Turkey and the Kurds, U.S. troops also stopped Bashar Al-Assad, the president of Syria, from seizing control over Northern Syria and the Kurds. Beyond that, U.S. forces in Syria helped subdue ISIS in the area, and secured Isis prisoners in Kurdish possession.

When Trump abruptly, and with no consultation, withdrew U.S. troops from Syria, consequences were swift and fierce. Russian troops under Vladimir Putin immediately occupied the space that the U.S. left behind in an effort to gain power in the area. Then, with the support of Russia, Assad effortlessly claimed control over Northern Syria, forcing his once-strong Kurdish enemies to support him as a last-ditch effort to save themselves from Turkey. To make matters worse, the Kurds have been too busy fighting off the attacking Turks and reckoning with their complete loss of power over Northern Syria to regulate their prisons, and hundreds of ISIS prisoners have escaped. ​

​All in all, the last couple weeks have been filled with explosive violence in Northern Syria; the Kurds are in more danger of being destroyed than ever, and Russia, Assad, and ISIS all have gained global power. Vice President Mike Pence and President Erdoğan of Turkey agreed to a five-day ceasefire in Syria, followed by Trump lifting sanctions on Turkey, claiming that the ceasefire would be permanent. However, given the global chaos of the past couple of weeks, it would be very surprising if it held. Whatever happens, this abrupt U.S. foreign policy move will have repercussions in Syria for years to come.

The Murder of Atatiana Jefferson

​Around 2 a.m. on October 12th, 2019, Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old African American woman living in Texas, was shot and killed in her own home by a Fort Worth police officer. According to the Fort Worth Police Department, a non-emergency call was made for a wellness check after a neighbor reported that her lights were on and her front door was open. Based on the body-cam footage, the police officer dispatched, Aaron Dean, entered Jefferson’s backyard, unannounced, and shot her through her bedroom window. Jefferson was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew at the time of this occurrence, and she stood up due to concerns over noises in her backyard caused by the officer. Dean did not notify Jefferson about his presence or give her time to respond after yelling “Put your hands up. Show me your hands!” before shooting and killing her. Emergency medical care was provided immediately after the shooting, but Jefferson died on scene with her nephew in the room. 

Since the incident, Dean has resigned and refused to cooperate with the police investigation. Prosectors in Tarrant County, Texas, have charged the former Fort Worth police officer for murder, and trial updates will later be released as the investigation progresses. The tragic death of Jefferson juxtaposes the same murder of Botham Jean, a black man who was also killed in his living room by a police officer who allegedly thought he was an intruder when she walked into the wrong apartment. Many notable figures have spoken out about these cases and over the issue of police brutality and anti-black violence, but police departments across the country have yet to change. Funeral arrangements for Atatiana Jefferson are still being organized, but in the meantime, here are things you can do to help:

What can you do? 

• Call your representatives—at the local, state, and national levels—and demand that they put ending police brutality and reforming American police systems at the top of their list of priorities. (Check out our basics page for some guidelines, including a super comprehensive script template.)
• Donate to the GoFundMe set up for Atatiana Jefferson and her family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/1s5tcouu9c?utm_medium=social
• Join/donate to NAACP, a national network of organizations that seeks to end police brutality: https://www.naacp.org/about-us​​

State Assembly Spotlight: Pads and Tampons in Delaware
In exciting and recent state news, a bill is being drafted in the Delaware Senate that would require all public and charter schools in the state to stock their bathrooms with free menstrual pads and tampons for their students. The bill would go into effect by the 2020-2021 school year at the latest, and would apply to schools serving grades six through twelve. 

The bill was announced on October 17 by House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst and Senator Elizabeth Lockman. Their intent is to reduce the stress of having to buy period products, specifically for low-income families in the state. As Representative Longhurst said, “Period products are not a luxury. They are essential items for our daily lives. It’s a fact of life… But the cost can be a barrier. Women of all ages struggle at some point in their lives to afford period products. The problem is magnified for low-income families, which puts stress on children as they mature.” The journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that about 21 percent of low-income women cannot afford period products every month. 

Delaware has previously passed laws mandating that both the Department of Corrections and the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families offer free pads and tampons. Several other states, including California, Illinois, New York, and New Hampshire, have also passed laws requiring schools to provide period products. Rep. Longhurst and Sen. Lockman hope to have the bill drafted and proposed by the end of 2019. 

What You Can Do:

• Stay updated on your state’s general assembly. The links to the websites of the state assemblies can be found at https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites.
• If your state hasn’t passed a law requiring period products in schools, or if such a bill is currently being debated in the legislature, call your legislators to encourage them to act.
• Call your school or district and encourage them to provide free menstrual products to students, if they haven’t done so already.
• If this is an issue you really care about, donate to or work with organizations that provide menstrual products to those in need, such as Aunt Flow, Free The Tampons, and Girls Helping Girls Period. ​​​

puppy vid :))