Join the Impact

Inaugural weekend has been very exciting for Join The Impact!

Change.org, an online action network for progressive change, announced the winners of the Ideas for Change in America competition. In December we brought this contest to your attention in the post IMPACT the White House Part 2, and asked you to vote for your idea.  Among those top ten winning ideas was Pass Marriage Equality Rights for LGBT Couples Nationwide. We were invited to attend the announcement ceremony in Washington, D.C. Friday morning.

Thanks all of you who voted!

The Change.org event was about bringing together grassroots organizations that are working to make change happen in a forum where we were able to hear great ideas for using the internet to make positive changes from panelists including Chris Hughes, who co-founded Facebook and served as the Director of Online Organizing for the Obama campaign, as well as Lee Brenner, Political Director for MySpace. Additionally Macon Phillips, a member of the Presidential Transition Team, was on hand to assure us the activist community that our ideas would be heard. The energy in the room of embracing the idea of change and looking for innovative ways to grow our movement was magical.

So what’s next you ask? The top ten ideas will be featured on Change.org’s site. As we move forward to turn the idea of Marriage Equality from an idea into policy Change.org will help to foster connections between us and online communities with overlapping issues. We hope to gain much from this organization in terms of technical expertise, marketing our message, and improving the online experience of our community. Most importantly, Change.org delivers a message to the Obama transition team that the issues of the GLBTQI community are pressing issues, not just to us, but to the entire progressive political community.

It is difficult for me to find words at the moment to express my feelings of absolute horror and disbelief around the shooting of Oscar Grant (graphic and not suitable for children or work) while being detained by the BART security with three other men. So I will instead focus on developing an appropriate response with my actions and let the the words of one woman who emailed us to bring this to our attention summarize my thoughts on this issue:

Stand in solidarity with concerned citizens of Oakland, youth, clergy and elected officials who want Justice for Oscar Grant. Not one more life.

For those outside the Oakland area I strongly encourage you to contact local community leaders to find out if there are vigils in your city being held in Oscar Grant’s name. Go! Spread the word! Get people there! We must stand together against violence and hate crimes. If there is nothing organized in your city, then please make it happen.

There is a fund being set up by the family. When we have information about this fund we will update this post.

You can help spread the word. Join the facebook group.
facebook link http://poprl.com/CQq

One of the protesters from Oakland has the following to share:

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR OSCAR GRANT:

1.  Contact the DA of Alameda County. As of January 12, 2009, The District Attorney STILL HAS NOT PRESSED CHARGES against the police officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant about TWO WEEKS AGO.  Demand that Johannes Mehserle be charged and arrested for murder now.

ALAMEDA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
(510) 272-6222 phone
(510) 271-5157 fax
1225 Fallon Street # 900
Oakland, CA 94612

2.  Hold the media accountable. When the news reported that the protests on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 “turned violent”, they got it wrong!  The protesters at the Fruitvale BART Station (organized by a grassroots organization called CAPE – Coalition Against Police Executions) were peaceful.  The vandalism that occurred in downtown Oakland was a different group.  They were two separate news stories, but the news collapsed them into one or completely ignored the peaceful protest.

LET THE MEDIA KNOW THAT YOU WILL NOT STAND FOR SHODDY NEWS REPORTING.  Tell them that you are aware of and outraged by their mistake.  And that you expect a superior standard of reporting from them at the next rally (4pm, Wednesday, January 14, Oakland City Hall).

CBS 5 / KPIX TV
415-765-8717
http://cbs5.com/contact

KRON 4
4listens@kron4.com
(415) 561-8186

ABC 7
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/feature?section=resources&id=5792275
abc7listens@kgo-tv.com
(877) 222-7777.

3.  Attend the next protest: Wed, Jan 14, 4pm at Oakland City Hall

Protest the Murder of Oscar Grant III
& All Victims of Police Brutality
Wednesday, Jan 14, 4pm
Gather at Frank Ogawa Plaza in front of City Hall
A peaceful march will follow the rally

4.  Attend the next organizing & mobilizing meeting. Come and find out what ways you can support the movement.  Take action.  Speak out.  Raise money.  Build coalitions.

Organize!  Mobilize!
An action planning meeting
Hosted by The Black Clergy & CAPE
Saturday, January 17, 2009, 4:00 PM
Olivet Missionary Baptist Church
807 27th Street @ San Pablo, Oakland

5.  Stay tuned for other actions, protests, etc., especially if you are in the Bay.  One way to keep up with what is happening is to join CAPE on facebook.com.

CAPE – Coalition Against Police Executions
CAPE is a coalition to insure that Oscar Grant is the last citizen executed by police in this country.

CAPE contact Information:
Blogspot: Click here
Facebook: Click here
Email address 1: joincape@gmail.com
Email address 2: followcapeoakland@gmail.com

December 13 a woman in the San Francisco Bay area experienced the unthinkable. She was brutally gang raped by four men because she is a lesbian. Tonight in Richmond people will come together in response to this brutal hate crime to show the victim that she is not alone.

For those in the Richmond area:

Candlelight vigil & Protest Against Hate Crimes

When: Tonight, Saturday 12/27/08 from 9:30-10:00

Where: 1500 Visalia Ave.. Richmond, CA

Note: Please bring a candle and do your best to carpool out of respect for the neighborhood.

Sponsors: Hand To Hand Self Defense and Community United Against Violence

For those outside the Richmond area please light a candle and hold your support in your hearts.

A Facebook page has been set up for information on how to donate funds to help the victim with expenses such as counseling and time away from work.

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=40712604850

You’ve seen what can happen when someone gets a great idea and runs with it. This website is a testiment to that. We get so many emails about exciting things that people are putting into action. Read the rest of this entry »

How are those conversations going?

I must admit that even I haven’t had one a day since we gave out the call to action to have a respectful conversation every day with someone who thinks differently than I do about LGBT rights (which MAY have something to do with the fact that I’m always on email, the phone or in a meeting for JTI since all of this started). Read the rest of this entry »