Check out our blog for regular updates and commentary by IMPACT! members! www.impactpetaluma.blogspot.com
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Too Many Cops, Too Little Justice
October 22nd is a national day of action against police brutality. This year we take out protest to the front steps of the Santa Rosa Police Department.
Since 2000, roughly 40 people have been killed by local law enforcement or have died in custody. Many of these victims were mental health patients or people suffering from drug abuse. Five of these victims dies after being hit with a taser, a weapon that has been declared by the UN to be a "form of torture that can kill."
The SRPD particularly is rife with corruption and lawlessness. Just last year, thier entire command staff has turned over, with no explanation, at the cost of $800,000 to the Public.
The SRPD, and Police in general, are completely unaccountable to the community. They are routinely violating basic constitutional and human rights through illegal searches, not identifying themselves on the street, threateninng to arrest people who observe thier activity, using excessive force on unarmed suspects, profiling youth, people of color, and the homeless, and setting up checkpoints to tow immigrant people's cars for not having licenses. This is most often viewed with the Downtown Enforcement Team (Bike Cops).
We know the problem goes far beyond the SRPD or our local police. It is clear that the problem is not a "few bad apples," but rather a rotten tree. It is time we start envisioning different solutions to our communities' problems and ways to maintain the peace, without violence and abuse. On October 22nd, we will stand up and say "ENOUGH!" And we will have the chance to join together with hundreds and thousands of people from the community to start realizing a safer, more free community for all.
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Past Events
Climate Justice Roadshow Comes to Petaluma!
On August 7th at 7pm, the Mobilization for Climate Justice (MCJ) Roadshow will be giving a presentation to local young activists and the general public at 1251 Marian Way, in Petaluma. The MCJ Roadshow is traveling around northern California to inspire and engage people to get active on climate justice by showcasing local climate justice struggles, explaining the underlying causes of our climate crisis, and providing opportunities for involvement. The Roadshow is a 1-hour event that kicks off with a puppet show giving a short and accessible introduction to climate change and climate politics, followed by presentations highlighting local climate justice struggles against Chevron and how to get active in the regional Mobilization for Climate Justice.
The Roadshow features community organizers and activists from leading Bay Area environmental and social justice groups – Communities for a Better Environment, West County Toxics Coalition, Movement Generation, Rising Tide Bay Area, True Cost of Chevron, and Direct Action to Stop the War. According to David Solnit, one of the Roadshow’s organizers, “our aim is to involve more groups and citizens in generating “street heat” around climate justice in the lead-up to the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December.”
The Mobilization for Climate Justice is a North America-based network of organizations and activists who have joined together to build a movement that emphasizes non-violent direct action and public education to promote effective and just solutions to the climate crisis. In the greater Bay Area, the Mobilization includes more than a dozen Bay Area social justice and environmental organizations that have come together to organize a series of protests and conferences to build a strong, local grassroots climate justice movement. In Petaluma, IMPACT!, a grassroots organization of young activists, is working with the Mobilization for Climate Justice.
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The Sonoma County October 22nd Coalition (now just called O22) will be doing a presentation on its Taser Ban campaign on Thursday June 11th 7pm at Free Mind Media, 546 Pacific Ave. Santa Rosa. We will be presenting information about Tasers, discussing local incidences of Taser-related deaths, and hearing testimonies from victims of Taser
abuse. Furthermore, we will be explaining our reasons for taking on this campaign, which aims to make the Sheriff's Department stop using the Taser stun gun. The presentation will be geared mostly towards activists, but we will begin organizing house meetings and community forums soon after. If you've wondered about the campaign, are interested, have questions, or just want to learn more about Tasers, please come to Free Mind Media on Thursday June 11th 7pm
O22 Taser Ban Campaign Presentation Thursday June 11th 7PM
Free Mind Media
546 Pacific Ave. Santa Rosa"
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Thank you to everyone who made our first ever "Spring Into Action!" campaign such a success. Throughout April we participated in dozens of meetings, appeared on numerous radio stations and in newspapers, held several Food Not Bombs servings, conducted weekly patrols to observe local police, talked to hundreds of our neighbors about police brutality and immigrants' rights, organized several great events such as the "Downtown Get Down," and the "Neighborhood Market," and lastly, we were proud to help organize the large protest on May 1st for workers' and immigrants' rights, which despite heavy rain, saw nearly a thousand people turn out to the streets. April taught us a lot of things, and now we have to regroup, collect ourselves and think about where to go from here. One thing is clear, there is a healthy and vibrant movement for social change right here in Sonoma County. We need all the help we can get though. We need everyone to come participate. If you are already involved in another organization, let's talk about ways that we can work together. If you've never been involved but want to make change in your community, send us email or call us up and join this emerging movement for justice in Petaluma. With a collapsed economy, two wars raging, an out of control government and a police force which is stealing more lives every day, it is absolutely CRUCIAL that we all take a look at our priorities and think about how we can participate in resisting injustice and building justice and liberation.
