Support 2nd Chance Legislation

 

The Georgia Justice Project needs you to move to action to help give people with certain convictions a second chance.  This is your chance to impact legislation.  See the information below, contact the committee members and pass this on.  We can make an impact when we make our voices heard.

HB 981 Action Alert
Ask Lawmakers to Support Second Chances for People with Records

What: HB 981 would limit public access to certain convictions, which would remove barriers to employment and housing for many Georgians.

Action: Call or email House Judiciary Non-Civil members listed below and express your strong support for HB 981. The bill needs to be passed by the House before Crossover Day, February 28th, in order to move to the Senate.

Message (this is a template, but modify as you see fit!):

Dear [MEMBER NAME],

As a concerned Georgian, I ask that you support HB 981. It is time for Georgia to follow in other states’ footsteps and allow certain past convictions to be limited from public view. Research demonstrates that this measure increases job opportunities, boosts our economy, and increases public safety.

Please support HB 981 – it is critical for our state.

Thank you for your time and your consideration,

[Your Name]

How: Contact as many committee members as possible to express your strong support for HB 981. The red names below are the priority contacts and the bolded names are the other members of concern. We recommend making a phone call and sending an email with the text above to follow up, but one or the other is also very valuable!

House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee
Chairman Rich Golick 404.656.5943 rich.golick@house.ga.gov
Bert Reeves 404.656.0298 bert.reeves@house.ga.gov
Micah Gravley 404.656.0152 micah.gravley@house.ga.gov
Mandi L. Ballinger 404.656.5105 mandi.ballinger@house.ga.gov
William Boddie 404.656.0109 william.boddie@house.ga.gov
Christian Coomer 404.656.5024 christian.coomer@house.ga.gov
Sharon Cooper 404.656.5069 sharon.cooper@house.ga.gov
Pam Dickerson 404.656.0314 pam.dickerson@house.ga.gov
Deborah Gonzalez 404.656.0220 deborah.gonzalez@house.ga.gov
Dar’shun Kendrick 404.656.0116 darshun.kendrick@house.ga.gov
Betty Price 404.656.0202 betty.price@house.ga.gov
Ed Setzler 404.656.7857 ed.setzler@house.ga.gov
Deborah Silcox 404.656.0109 deborah.silcox@house.ga.gov
Robert Trammell 404.656.5058 robert.trammell@house.ga.gov
Wendell Willard 404.656.5125 wendell.willard@house.ga.gov
Why: Check out this factsheet to learn about the impact of legislation limiting public access to certain convictions and how Georgia compares to other states.

To maximize your influence, contact as many members as you are able, as soon as possible.

Thank you.

NAACP Celebrates 109 Years

On February 12, 1909 The NAACP was founded.  Still relevant and fighting for civil rights, it is unfortunate that many people do not understand why an NAACP membership is necessary.  Yet, when these same people need the services, they call and can be disappointed that the resources needed to handle the volume of cases presented is simply not there.  Being  a lifetime member of this amazing organization, I try to spread the word to others that they need to support the organization before they need it.

On the other hand, many millennials have not been taught the history or legacy of this important organization. Nor have they been taught that Rosa Parks’ sitting in the white section of that bus, in Montgomery, sixty three years ago was planned by the NAACP.  It was not happenstance.

Just as Blacks, Browns and the poor are experiencing  today:   our rights and freedom have to be maintained once we get them.  That means we have to stay engaged or what was fought and sacrificed for can be lost.

For the youth, the NAACP has one of the best academic and leadership programs called ACT-SO.

Learn more and share this link about the NAACP, its’ programs, and services with your circle of influence throughout Black History Month and beyond.

http://www.naacp.org/oldest-and-boldest/

There is no better time than during Black History Month for you, your friends, and family to join and support the oldest Black  civil rights organization!!

Celebrate Rosa Parks Birthday During Nat’l Transit Equity Week – Feb. 4-8

Today is Rosa Parks’ birthday.  And, it was 63 years ago that she sat down in the white section of the bus and refused to get up to protest the injustice.

Across the nation there is a National Transit Equity movement that uses Rosa’s story to raise awareness today about inequities.  So, Monday, February 5 is National Transit Equity Day of Action.  Because transit equity is a social, economic, and environmental justice issue, everyone is affected.  As reported by NPR/WABE 91.5fm, ‘In the 50 cities across the country with the worst traffic, it is $600 billion in transit projects.’

What I am reporting is that $600 billion represents a huge number of “living wage jobs”.  It also represents opportunities for us to be at the table as planning is done, and a chance to hold our elected officials accountable as they propose and enact transit legislation.

So, join the National Transit Equity Day of Action Events on Monday, February 5 and the other events for Transit Equity Week in Atlanta.

 

For more information, use the following links:

Click to access 2017-PSE-Opportunity-Deferred4.pdf

https://urbanedge.blogs.rice.edu/2017/02/08/new-study-examines-how-historic-racism-shaped-atlantas-transportation-network/#.WnH0bLynGUk

Click to access PSE_MTO.pdf

With several billion dollars being projected cost of the planned expansion of MARTA heavy rail, light rail, expanded bus service, etc, we need to be at the table during these important planning stages.

For more information about these events and Transit Equity in metro Atlanta and across Georgia, contact Georgia Stand Up at:

http://www.georgiastandup.org

info@georgiastandup.org

(404) 581-0061