Weekly Justice Highlights

Good News: Connecticut abolished the death penalty yesterday. Express your gratitude to CT Governor Dannel Malloy and other Connecticut leaders for doing the right thing for human rights.  

Immigration and Confronting Unjust Structures: Yesterday the Supreme Court discussed AZ SB 1070 (deciding whether local police can ask us our immigration status). Tell corporations not to fund the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the organization of legislators and corporations that meet to draft secret “model” legislation such as that of SB 1070. Many corporations have begun to dis-associate themselves from ALEC, keep the pressure by clicking here. 

Challenging Unjust Structures: Thank 60 minutes for airing “Christians of the Holy Land” with Bob Simon that shed light on the struggles of Palestinian Christians living under Israel’s brutal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The 2012 Farm Bill is currently in process. It is a highly important bill with pieces that address domestic hunger and international food aid.  Action to legislators can be taken on behalf of those who live with food insecurity and who need food in emergency situations.

The U.S. Senate is schedule to vote on the Violence Against Women Act (S. 1925) that would protect women from violence and exploitation. At the current moment, those women most at risk are in danger of being left out. Urge Senators to support this legislation.

Urge U.S. Senators to hold to the spending limits in the Budget Control Act as they set spending limits for the FY 2013 budget.

Urge Norway, Canada and the U.S. to participate in the negotiation of a new plan to save the world’s oceans.

Urge Shell CEO to continue the clean up of the Niger Delta where a 2008 oil spill left land wasted, unsafe drinking water, and livelihoods destroyed. 

Last week over a thousand people pledged to stop doing business with Bank of America until they stop financing the dirty coal industry. Individuals who are active in business with the bank are invited to join in solidarity through this same pledge located here (the pledges will be taken to the shareholder meeting on May 9th).

Write (Regional Commissioner Michael Grochowski, Social Security, Suite 22 T 64, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303) or call (404.562.5500; NOT toll free) urging decision- making individuals at Social Security to keep the Louisville West End Social Security Office open. The office is the 7th busiest in the state of KY and about 90% of the customers are African American. With less than half the staff of the downtown Louisville office, the West End office services 56% of the number the downtown office services. The West End office serves many disabled, elderly, homeless people, people without ID's, and people recently released from prison, At the Louisville downtown office, people cannot enter without ID's and there is no readily accessible free parking. Many West End residents are going to have problems getting to and into the Louisville downtown office. Yet, if the West End office closes, that is where the West End residents will be expected to go.