Racial Justice

My name is Travis Washington. I will be graduating with an M. A, degree in Higher Education and Administration from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in May 2019. I have been politically involved, from registering people to vote, to work in the Springfield Capitol (as an Alexander Lane Fellow, January to May 2017). We know how so many people of cultural minorities are in constant fear of leaving their household. This fear in our lives far too often comes from individuals working in public safety who harm people. Every single week we hear about another unarmed innocent vulnerable human being shot by the police. This has increased the trauma and fear that has made people of color scared to leave their homes. We need legislation now that prohibits police officers from shooting unarmed citizens. If there isn’t a weapon found after someone has been shot (therefore, unarmed) by a police officer, then I propose that the officer should receive a mandatory 15-year prison sentence. We have seen over and over police officers get off, even with videotape footage of citizens having been shot by police officers. This is a new form of lynching. I am pleading with you to propose a bill that protects people who have every right to feel threatened by law enforcement. We always say we need more training for those involved in public safety, and there are increasing policies and laws that mandate that police officers have “body cameras” on them. Those measures do not address the whole problem, not when the individual officers who shoot unarmed victims aren’t punished. Senator, we are in a crisis where relationships between people of color and police officers are deteriorating, beyond the critical level. In order to build any sort of positive relationships again, we need laws to keep a balance in the lives of all the public. I might even suggest this as a title for this proposed legislation: the Hands UP ACT. I will be emailing this to the all of your colleagues in the U. S. Senate, members of Congress, State Governors; Democracy Now, the Huffington Post, ThinkProgress; and to other appropriate organizations across the country. Once this petition receives enough attention. My goal to speak before the House of Representatives or United Nations during a committee hearing to bring attention to this policy.  Thank You !!  

Monday May 25. 2020 Minneapolis PD murdered an African American man who was unarmed and not dangerous. This whole incident makes me sick. The power that comes with the PD is old news. It's 2020 and we still have racist police officers murdering innocent civilians. This is bull sh*t. I don't care if the officer were to be red, blue, yellow, black, or purple. The man murdered another human being for no reason. He was getting some sick satisfaction of crushing this man's neck. He sat there crushing his neck cutting off his air passages. The man started bleeding from his nose before going unconscious. The Police Department remained completely unphased by it. One officer checked his pulse after the man went unconscious. At this point the man was gone. He was murdered for what reason? This was no medical condition. And even If the man had any medical condition whatsoever he would still be alive today had this officer not spent over 15 minutes crushing his throat. The man was NOT fighting back at this point. Everything was under control. Yet the officer continued using excessive force.  I ask the you [we] the people stand up to the Minneapolis Police Department.  Both officers are to be charged with murder and to be sentenced to the highest possible amount of time in Federal prison.  Enough is enough!!! No more white privileges. No more police privileges. This is beyond old!!!!   "My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. … (I need) water or something. Please. Please. I can't breathe, officer. … I cannot breathe. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-shows-minneapolis-cop-with-knee-on-neck-of-motionless-moaning-man-he-later-died/

The record store and cell phone carrier at the corner of Georgia and Florida Avenue NW (U Street) has been playing D.C's indigenous Go-Go Music since the late 1990s. Neighbors in newly constructed condos across the street pressured the city and then T-mobile, to force the owners to stop playing the music. Tell T-mobile, the city, and residents who don't understand the cultural significance and history of go-go music in Washington, D.C. that this is unacceptable. Bring back the music! I started this petition because...Ronald Moten is a longtime peace activist, go-go promoter and a DC Native. Dr. Natalie Hopkinson is the author of "Go-Go Live" a book published in 2012 by Duke University Press that chronicles the history of Black Washington DC through its music. Go-go is the soul and heartbeat of Washington, and we refuse to be silent as gentrifiers malign, assault and attempt to erase this culture. #DontMuteDC

Breonna Taylor was an award-winning EMT and model citizen. She loved her family and community. She worked at two hospitals as an essential worker during the pandemic. One month ago, a division of the Louisville Police Department performed an illegal, unannounced drug raid on her home. Not a single officer announced themselves before ramming down her door and firing 22 shots, shooting Breonna 8 times, killing her.  Not only were the police at the WRONG HOUSE, but the man they were looking for had already been arrested earlier that day.  1. Charges must be filed immediately. Arrests of the officers involved, specifically John Mattingly, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and any other officer involved in the death and coverup of the death of Breonna Taylor must be made NOW. There have been no charges thus far (it has been a month). This is unacceptable.  2. Her family must be paid in damages for wrongful death and the negligence of the LMPD.  3. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear must speak up on behalf of Breonna, and Governor Beshear or Attorney General Daniel Cameron must appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Louisville Police Department immediately. An in-house investigation is unacceptable.  4. The "no-knock" warrant that police had used in Breonna's murder completely violates the constitutional rights to reasonable search and seizure. By law, police must be legally obligated to announce themselves before breaking and entering into a home privately owned by American civilians. Legislation to federally ban no-knock warrants must be passed in Congress and signed by the President; what happened to Breonna was a complete violation of her constitutional rights, and threatens the rights of all American citizens. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has voiced similar concerns. A special session must be intervened by Congress to discuss the constitutionality of no-knock warrants immediately.  This has carried on for over a month. For weeks, the city treated Breonna like she was a criminal, calling her a “suspect” before finally admitting that she was an innocent, crimeless victim. She had no drugs. She committed no crime.  Yet, she is dead, and the perpetrators are facing no charges.  Let’s get justice for Breonna.  PLEASE help me get the word out, and share this campaign on your social medias. Thank you to everyone who is helping in our fight to get justice for Breonna.