As we face irreversible climate change, including unprecedented wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes, a new destructive plan to prioritize profit over the planet and humanity looms large in Pennsylvania: the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by train. Unless President Biden acts soon, this incredibly hazardous and extremely flammable and explosive material is set to be transported from Wyalusing in North Central Pennsylvania to Gibbstown, NJ (across the Delaware River from the Philly airport), passing directly through Philadelphia. This LNG will be produced by fracking, with significant pollution, methane leakages, and harms to the health of Pennsylvania communities at every stage.
Read MoreAt stake in this election is the future of how we deal with harm in our city — will we go back to the values of racist sentencing and mass incarceration or will we continue to move boldly towards justice that works for all of us?
Reclaim Philadelphia’s Steering Committee asks that you join us in supporting our endorsed candidates for District Attorney, Court of Common Pleas, and Municipal Court this Tuesday, November 2, 2021. We’ve also detailed some recommendations for our members in races where our members haven’t endorsed and for the ballot questions.
Read More“Time and time again we see that the most affected are the most vulnerable. Housing should be a front-burner issue, yet we are falling further and further behind. Why are we seeing a push to decrease affordable housing when we need more?” Johnson said.
Read MoreEarly Survey Results Reveal: Overwhelming Support to Redirect Police Funding to Community Programs
For too long, climate change has either been ignored or framed as a matter for technocratic and technological fixes. But that notion is starting to crumble. For many Philadelphians, it is becoming clear that climate change is inextricably connected to fights for social, racial, and economic justice. To ensure a livable future for our city, we must link these movements in our organizing. Here at Reclaim, our members have already begun this work. Climate justice is increasingly integrated into a wide range of organizing activities, from fighting to stop evictions to organizing against austerity for our public schools to demanding a reduction in the bloated police budget.
This event will honor lost loved ones, using art, music, and storytelling to cultivate healing in community with each other. You’ll hear from community members directly impacted by gun violence and some community leaders who are providing healing, violence interruption, and other resources for our people.
Read MoreKatia Pérez, mass liberation organizer with the progressive group Reclaim Philadelphia, said the deal didn’t do enough to bring change to a scandal-plagued agency. Her group and other activist organizations have called for stricter disciplinary measures, reducing the size of the force, and reallocating police spending toward other services.
“I see the small wins, but there’s a lot more work to do,” she said.
Read MoreOn September 14th, the City of Philadelphia and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) announced that an agreement on a three year contract had been reached. In many ways, this negotiation was a historic first. For the first time in Philadelphia and nationally, public testimony was part of the contract process. This was a critical step towards increased transparency and greater community involvement. It is important that those who are most affected by police violence and misconduct be part of the negotiations.
Read More“There’s definitely been pushback from the Democratic establishment,” Perez said. “There is a lot of [pressure] to continue to do politics the same way they’ve been done in Philly … but the problem with that is that the system prioritizes ‘How many favors have been done?’ and ‘When do I get my payback for the favors that I’ve done?’”
Read MoreWe know whether or not we have a progressive DA like Larry Krasner doesn’t matter much when judges block many of the reforms our movement is calling for. That’s why since 2017, we started working to not only identify leftist judges but also educate voters about the stakes in these much ignored local elections.
The Sixty-Six Wars blog recently did a deep dive into the Common Pleas elections from the last primary. What the data shows is YES it’s worth it, we are changing how voters look at these races, and we are building a movement that understands justice must be built around community care not the status quo of incarceration.
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