Change.org - Black transgender lives matter

Warning: Some readers may find this content upsetting. Kayla Moore’s family is fighting for justice. Kayla died in police custody in 2013. According to the family, the police wouldn’t give Kayla CPR because she was transgender. They alleged the officers made discriminatory comments about her and called her "It." Now thousands are demanding justice. They’ve signed this petition to support Kayla’s family and their quest for change. Add your name to demand that Kayla’s case be reopened. Justice for Kayla Moore 54,409 have signed madi rose’s petition. Let’s get to 75,000!

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In 2013, Kayla Moore, a black trans woman living with schizophrenia, was murdered by the Berkeley Police Department. The police were responding to a 911 call from Kayla’s roommate calling for help because Kayla was experiencing a mental health crisis. The officers immediately placed Kayla under arrest, wrestled her to the ground face down, and 6 officers restrained her using their full weight until she stopped breathing.  Police had found a warrant for someone with the same birth name as her. But despite police dispatch stating that it was for a man 20 years older than Kayla Moore, police still grabbed her and restrained her. In 2014, Kayla’s father, Arthur Moore, filed a wrongful death suit against the city, which alleges that the responding officers violated Moore’s rights & failed to adequately accommodate her after she was placed in police custody. It was dismissed in 2018, when U.S. District Judge, Charles Breyer, ruled that Moore’s father, Arthur Moore, did not provide enough evidence to show that his daughter was discriminated against related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The judge had previously dismissed the excessive force & discrimination claims alleged by Moore’s family back in 2016. The family had alleged in their lawsuit that officers did not administer CPR because she was transgender, & that officers made discriminatory comments about her, calling her “it.” Now, the family is pressing to have their case heard in front of a jury after the initial suit was dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge in 2018. “The goal of the appeal is to allow a jury to fully examine the evidence related to the multiple claims in the family’s original lawsuit,” said Charlotte Halloran-Couch, an organizer with Justice 4 Kayla Moore. “We believe all of the family’s original claims deserve to be heard before a jury.” The family’s claims include allegations of excessive force by BPD, unlawfully arresting Moore based on a warrant that was for another individual of the same legal name, & police discrimination against Moore for being transgender, according to Halloran-Couch. Please sign this petition to support Kayla Moore’s family in appealing the wrongful death suit. Please sign to fight for the case to be reopened & properly examined & for her family to be heard. Please sign for Justice for Kayla Moore

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WCC NEWS: Joint Ecumenical Statement: Annexation will undermine peace and justice

The World Council of Churches, World Communion of Reformed Churches, ACT Alliance and Lutheran World Federation have released an “Ecumenical Statement on the Planned Annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The statement expresses concern over the planned annexation of occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank by Israel.

“Annexation of such territories is in direct violation of international law and goes against several international agreements, UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, the 2004 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949,” the statement reads. “We urgently call on the international community to take immediate action to directly address this unilateral action.”

The statement recognizes that this present crisis has historical and complex roots. "Peace can never be unilaterally imposed; or achieved by violent means,” the text reads. “We offer our solidarity and support with the understanding that the God of life calls us into actions of justice for all the oppressed.”

Both organizations pledged continued prayer and active advocacy. “We call for a steadfast hope that inspires action rather than passivity,” the statement reads. “We resolve to continue working for a long lasting and true peace in the Holy Land.”

Link to the full statement, 29 June 2020

Church leaders across the globe express deep concern over Israeli plan to annex parts of West Bank (WCC press release 17 June)

World Council of Churches, Middle East Council of Churches write letter appealing to EU for firm stance against annexing occupied Palestinian territory (WCC press release of 11 May 2020)

Media contacts

The World Council of Churches
Marianne Ejdersten, Director of Communication
Email mej@wcc-coe.org
Tel +41 79 507 63 63

The World Communion of Reformed Churches
Phil Tanis, Executive Secretary for Communications and Operations
Email philip.tanis@wcrc.eu
Tel +49 511 8973 1682

ACT Alliance
Simon Chambers, Director of Communications
Email simon.chambers@actalliance.org
Tel +1 6479395758

The Lutheran World Federation
Rev. Arni Svanur Danielsson, Head of Communication
Email arni.danielsson@lutheranworld.org
Tel +41 78 929 9686

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.

Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press
Our visiting address is:
World Council of Churches
150 route de Ferney
Geneve 2 1211
Switzerland

Today in the Mission Yearbook - How does PDA respond to a disaster during a pandemic?: With travel and contact restricted, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance turns to virtual response to disasters, COVID-19 June 29, 2020 ...

VoteVets.org - Trump doesn't get to thank us for our service

We wanted to make sure you didn’t miss this.

For months, Donald Trump reportedly has known a Russian spy unit was paying militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops. In short: Russia put out a bounty on our servicemembers, and Donald Trump invited them to the G7 anyway.

Donald Trump is unfit to be our Commander-in-chief. We made an ad about his latest failures that’s already been seen over 2 million times across social media in just the first 24 hours after we released it. Please take a moment to watch our latest ad — then make a contribution of any amount to help us get it in front of as many people as possible.

Donald Trump does not support our troops, our veterans, or our military families. He does not support those who gave their lives to protect our country or those who are actively deployed on critical national security missions across the world.

Our work electing a Congress that will stand up to Trump and beat him in the next election comes from lots of people giving small amounts of money. We’re proud of that. So when you see our ads on television or online, just like this one, and when we successfully spread our message far and wide — that’s because people like you make it possible.

If Donald Trump going to act like a traitor, he doesn’t get to thank us for our service. Make sure to watch and share our new ad on all your social media channels, then chip in $10 or more to power this campaign to hold Trump accountable for his many failures as Commander-in-chief.

Thanks for helping us make a big impact. It makes a difference.

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Change.org - Fatal chokehold

25-year-old Joel Acevedo was murdered when an off duty police officer put him into a chokehold. His killer roams free on bail, and continues to be paid by the police department despite Acevedo’s death being ruled a homicide. His family is demanding that first responders’ bodycam footage, and audio from the 911 call Acevedo made be released. Add your name to join thousands of signers calling for justice for Joel Acevedo. Justice for the death of Joel Acevedo by off duty MPD Officer Michael Mattioli 31,322 have signed Ashley Acevedo’s petition. Let’s get to 35,000!

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Police Brutality whether on duty or off duty is an extremely egregious act and a disservice to the community that they have VOWED to service and protect. Joel Acevedo only 25yrs old held many dreams and aspirations to one day serve and protect his community of Milwaukee. Acevedo was placed in a fatal chokehold by off duty Police Officer, Michael Mattioli, resulting in the death of Acevedo 6 days later in the ICU. Acevedo was invited to Mattioli’s home for a get-together with friends during a nationwide stay at home order due to COVID-19 on April 19, 2020.  Since then Officer Mattioli continues free on bond from the first charges of first-degree reckless injury and strangulation, and is still receiving pay after Acevedo’s death was ruled a homicide!! Charges against Mattioli have now officially been ruled as first-degree reckless homicide. The family of Acevedo is calling for IMMEDIATE arrest and termination of Officer Mattioli, the immediate release (to the family and Attorney of Acevedo) of body cam footage (worn by the first responding officers who witnessed Mattioli straddling Acevedo), the release of the 911 phone call (which Acevedo’s last gasps for air can be clearly heard along with his last words pleading to let him go home), as well as the arrests of the two additional individuals who are believed to have assisted and facilitated the strangulation of Joel Acevedo. Below is the link to Joel Acevedo’s GoFundMe page which is managed by his sister Julissa Acevedo. Please support in any way you can! Thank you!!  https://gf.me/u/x39akq

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Change.org - Murdered by police

In 2015 Natasha McKenna, a 37-year old mother, was murdered by the police. She was naked, handcuffed, and restrained. It was determined that her death was caused by a stun gun being used four times. Natasha had struggled with schizophrenia, bipolar, and depression since she was 14, and the police were fully aware of her struggles. Not a single person was held accountable for her murder. Add your name to demand justice for Natasha. Justice for Natasha McKenna 23,808 have signed NVCREE’s petition. Let’s get to 25,000!

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Natasha Mckenna, a 37 year-old mother from Alexandria, Virginia living with mental illness, was murdered during a struggle with six police officers on February 3rd, 2015 while naked, handcuffed, and restrained. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression at age 14. The police departments involved were fully aware of her struggles with mental illness. The Virginia medical examiner’s office determined that her cardiac arrest was caused by 4 uses of a stun gun. No one was charged for the death of Natasha McKenna. The officer that delivered the lethal tasering, Lt. Lucas Salzman, is still gainfully employed by Fairfax County Police Department (salary of over $120k), interacting with young community members, and even posing for photo ops with female prisoners. Sheriff Kincaid has ironically recently spoken at a League of Women Voters event on destigmatizing mental illness, but has not commented on Natasha McKenna’s death outside of the conclusion of the department’s report. We demand justice for Natasha McKenna and accountability for her murder; we condemn the failure of the Fairfax County Prosecutor’s Office to bring criminal charges against Lucas Salzman and the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office. We call for the reopening of this case and a legitimate criminal investigation of the officers involved. We call for their termination. We call for the mayor and city council to address the use of unnecessary force and the violation of Natasha McKenna’s Constitutional 8th Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. We call for the reallocation of FCPD funds into training mental health professionals and social workers to provide public community services, to prevent police force against the mentally ill. We call for the public officials of Virginia that in any way contribute to the standing and funding of its police departments hold officers like those involved in this case accountable. We call for the U.S. Department of Justice to address these grievances and enact comprehensive policy for mental health calls, beyond jurisdiction of shielded and untrained police departments.

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NCC Newsletter: Seeing Hope

Seeing Hope NCC Newsletter June 26, 2020 From Jim: In the Storm, Seeing God's Light of Hope Although I grew up in an anti-racist family, have worked my entire adult life in multiracial settings, have participated in and led anti-racism training events, grieve as I listen to the expressions of anger, fear, and despair that arise from African American co-workers, friends, and church leaders, as a white middle-aged man I simply do not experience the racism that suffuses everyday life in the United States. I have helped lead the National Council of Churches into the ACT (Act, Confront, Transform) to End Racism focus and I usually feel frustrated at the lack of impact we are having. Many millions of white Americans are able to live their lives almost entirely removed from the reality of police violence, disproportionate COVID-19 infections, increased infant and maternal mortality rates, lower family net worth, higher poverty and unemployment rates, higher rates of incarceration and arrests, racial profiling, redlining, and countless other aspects of systemic racism that make life extremely difficult, if not miserable, for people of color in our nation. The closest I come to experiencing discomfort as I go about my daily life is the increased wariness I have felt around police and security forces since 9/11, after which I believe those forces were not only militarized but felt a greater sense of impunity and swagger. I was raised in a nation and society that told me as a white male that whites were supreme and males were superior and America was exceptional. If you type “what is myth” into Google you discover it is “a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.” A second definition says myth is “a widely held but false belief or idea.” Thanks be to God, the myth of white supremacy may finally be in the process of being widely discredited. This is hard for many white people to grasp. It is astonishing for many of them to consider they are part of an evil system that perpetuates racism, militarism, and materialism. Over the years, I have written and spoken about “angry white males” and each time I have received furious push-back from white males. I can sympathize with them. I’m angry, too. It’s just that I’m angry about racism, injustice, greed, and ecological devastation while many other white males are angry about the exposure of the myths that have enabled them to be the unchallenged masters of the universe. I’m not without hope. I do believe people want to live holy, just, authentic, spiritual lives. I actually do not think most white people desire to benefit from white privilege and systemic racism, or wear tennis shoes made in sweatshops in Southeast Asia, or drink coffee grown on land in Central America that should be feeding its hungry people, or pump pollution into their own bodies and those of their children. But, we engage in these actions every day. How do we get out of this crisis? Our solutions must be as practical as possible for ordinary people. Everyone, it’s said, wants to hear three things: supper’s ready, you’re forgiven, and I love you. People desire to affirm and be affirmed. I believe most people want to live in a just society aimed at ending racism. I believe people are willing to change and to sacrifice if there is a vision of hope offered to them. Our churches want to be part of this change. The National Council of Churches has pivoted over many years from being a pillar of the establishment to questioning the very direction in which our nation is headed. That has happened because of a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus and because the great movements for civil rights, women’s rights, environmental justice, the LGBTQIA+ movement, and the peace movement have challenged our worldview. All of these are moral and spiritual movements. We have changed this nation, but we have so very far to go. I hold these beliefs and maintain these hopes because I am a follower of Christ and I know Christ confronted systems, such as the Roman military occupation force, that made life for his people so hard. But Christ saw beyond his own circumstances and articulated a gospel of love that lives for us today. Simultaneously, right now many are hopeful that these protests and this uprising will lead to positive, lasting results while others don’t think anything will really change. I can’t say I know what the outcome will be, but I know God is with us and that it is not God’s will that racism prevails. ELCA Presiding Bishop Welcomes Supreme Court Decision on DACA This church urges "flexible and humane ways for undocumented persons who have been in this country for a specified amount of time to be able to adjust their legal status."  — ELCA social message, "Immigration" (1998) Today I rejoice in the renewal of dreams and the transformation of heartbreak into hope that today's Supreme Court decision brings to our nation's more than 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, their families and their communities. Today's decision recognizes the American identity of these young adults and values the long and deep contributions that these DACA recipients are making and will make to our nation. Since 2012, DACA has provided protection from deportation to young people who have grown up as members of our churches and as neighbors enriching our common life. It has allowed them to remain in the only home they have ever known, pursue their educations, and work to strengthen our communities. Read more PC(USA) Special Committee on Racism Calls for "Season of Repentence", Work for Justice “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24, NRSV) Once again, the United States finds itself at a crossroads in dealing with racism and white supremacy. Racial inequities have been exposed in the COVID-19 pandemic and the murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Tony McDade in Florida, George Floyd in Minnesota, and Rayshard Brooks in Georgia. These tragedies have caught the national spotlight, and inequities, racism, and unlawful acts happen to Black, Indigenous, and people of color on a daily basis. As followers of Jesus Christ, who loves all and calls us to challenge the unjust structures of church and society, we are called to work for justice and peace for all God’s people. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in Facing Racism: A Vision of the Intercultural Community, Churchwide Antiracism Policy, approved by 222nd General Assembly (2016), affirms the following: While recognizing that racism victimizes many different racial ethnic groups, we acknowledge its unique impact on the African American community. Given the particular forms that anti-black racism has taken in the United States of America both historically (including slavery and Jim Crow) and today (including mass incarceration, disproportionate policing, economic inequality, and continuing acts of racially oriented violence and hate), we state clearly: GOD LOVES BLACKNESS. Too many have denied this basic truth for too long. Our choice to align ourselves with love and not hate requires both a rejection of racism and a positive proclamation that God delights in black lives. Read more Metropolitain Serapion, Coptic Orthodox Diocese in Los Angeles, Join Celebration of Juneteenth Today, we the Coptic Orthodox faithful celebrate the 155th observance of Juneteenth and lift our voices to emphatically condemn all racism, racial superiority, racial insensitivity, aggression and anti-Black violence. Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865 by General Gordon Granger, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation on January 1, 1863. Six months later, the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865 to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude in America. Since that time, June 19 has been called Juneteenth, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, or Liberation Day. Our Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the first church in Africa, established by the Apostle of Africa, St. Mark the Evangelist. Millions of members of the Coptic Orthodox Church live all throughout Africa!not only in Egypt, but in Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Togo, Swaziland, South Africa, and many other countries. As Christians, we believe in equality and reject all forms of discrimination and racism. Although we are many, we “are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:5). We are all many members of this one body, even though we are many, we are one in Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12). Read more What Does the Lord Require? A Statement from David Steele, General Secretary of the Church of the Brethren “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”--Micah 6:8 Our hearts break for the loss of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others who have lost their lives due to the color of their skin. Each death represents injustices disproportionately affecting the Black community. Many across our country have protested in the wake of George Floyd’s death because of the way authorities delayed arresting and charging the police officers involved, but most importantly because his killing is a perpetuation of the injustice, violence, and racism that have devalued and harmed Black Americans for centuries. Many protests have remained peaceful; violence has erupted in some. What is clear is that the nation, and especially our sisters and brothers from various racial backgrounds are hurting and in mourning. Read more NCC Collection of Resources on COVID-19 for Churches NCC has collected numerous resources put out by its member communions and other groups including the CDC to help provide guidance for churches as the try to decide when to restart meeting in person. Click below to view these helpful resources. View Resources Bishop Michael L. Mitchell Begins Term as President of AME Church Council of Bishops The hand of God has been evident on the life of Bishop Michael Leon Mitchell since he was a young child. Born August 4, 1960, in Perry, Florida to the late Reverend Arthur L. Mitchell, Sr. and the late Mrs. Mary L. Mitchell, he is the ninth of their fifteen children. Bishop Mitchell is a life-long member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and is a product of Duval County Public Schools. While in high school, he answered the call to the ministry and preached his trial sermon at age 17, on August 28, 1977, at New Saint James AME Church. Determined to achieve God’s purpose for his life, Bishop Mitchell began his ministerial training and study under the African Methodist Episcopal Church and was ordained an Itinerant Deacon in 1979 and an Itinerant Elder in 1981. His first pastoral assignment came in 1985 at the A.M.E. Church of the Master (Jacksonville, Florida). He also pastored Mount Zion (Arcadia, Florida), Saint Luke (Tampa, Florida), and Martin Memorial (Miami, Florida). Read more Cuban Council of Churches Rejects U.S. State Department Placing Cuba on Watchlist on Religious Freedom The Cuban Council of Churches issued a statement rejecting the action of the U.S. Department of State to place Cuba on a watch list "for having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom." The statement details the long list of activities that the Council engages in with its member communions and also in an interfaith manner.  The statement reads in part: "The present administration of the United states has strengthened the policies of blockade, discrimination against, persecutions and sanctions that are part of a long list of actions designed to asphyxiate Cuba and to topple its political-economic system, violating its sovereignty.  One of the most recent attacks is related with the topic of religious freedom. They have falsely accused Cuba of restraining religious freedom, by placing our country in a list of countries where – according to them – there is no religious freedom. Moreover, they have approved 50 million dollars to this end, with the justification that there is a serious situation in Cuba in this matter and paying individuals and groups to articulate such false discourse.  All these manifestations and actions completely ignore the reality of the society and of religions in Cuba."  Read more Pacific Conference of Churches: Justice and Righteousness , Not Brutality and Oppression, for the Pacific God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. The hills bring the fruit of righteousness. He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces… He will have pity on the poor and needy. He will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in his sight. (Psalm 72: 1-4 , 12-13) There is no excuse for violence. In recent months we have witnessed across the Pacific, the use by governments, of police and security forces, to deprive the people of their right to speak freely and without fear. From the West, where 63 people have been jailed by Indonesia for speaking of freedom in West Papua and the Moluccas Islands, to the east where a police officer was imprisoned on brutality charges in Samoa. But perhaps it is in Papua New Guinea and Fiji where the security forces – especially the police – are so often used as an extension of the ruling party to quell dissent among the populace. When it is possible for politicians to use the police to arrest political rivals and private citizens, who voice concern about State policy, an injustice is committed. When police are used by politicians, to selectively enforce public health laws, to stop a group of peaceful demonstrators at an institution of learning, an injustice is committed. If people convicted in a court of law for killing citizens are released a week later by relatives or friends who hold political office, an injustice is committed. We have seen the violence in the United States after the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Our people have been quick to condemn this incident, thousands of miles from the Pacific. Yet they remain silent on the same issue in their own countries, fearful of a police force and its political masters who react swiftly and mercilessly on those who dare speak out. Injustice of any kind and anywhere is wrong. Read more Joint message calls for healing wounds and a shared future for the Korean Peninsula A Joint Ecumenical Peace Message for the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War was publicly delivered on 22 June during a live-streamed event. Co-sponsored by churches and councils of churches around the world, especially from countries that participated in the Korean War, the message describes the Korean War as an “appallingly destructive conflict” after which no peace treaty was ever concluded. “Seven decades after this war began, it is time to acknowledge that it ended long ago,” the message reads. “New challenges to peace and stability in the region have arisen in the meantime, but we do not believe that the resolution of those challenges will be facilitated by keeping that 70-year-old conflict open.” Read more Job Announcement: Church World Service Opening for Executive Assistant CWS is looking for an Executive Assistant who will provide executive-level support to the Senior Vice President, Senior Director for Resource Generation and Director for Policy and Advocacy, as well as the Resettlement and integration team. The incumbent will manage expenses, answer routine correspondence, and assemble and manage highly confidential and sensitive information (including legal documents and attorney-client privileged materials). The incumbent will deal with a diverse group of important external callers and visitors as well as internal contacts at all levels of the organization. Independent judgment is required to plan, prioritize and organize diversified workload. The candidate recommends changes in office practices or procedures. The incumbent will exercise independent thinking and decision making. The ideal candidate will have several years of experience in handling a wide range of key administrative, research, and executive support related tasks, be exceedingly well organized, flexible, and scrupulous with time management. The incumbent must be able to function effectively, and within a timely manner, in a dynamic, fast-paced environment under minimal supervision. The Executive Assistant will report to the Senior VP. View Full Description

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