Opinion: To President-elect Biden: Families need your immediate action to protect the up to 40 million Americans at risk of eviction.
Here is her story:
Today, on President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day, I am going to eviction court in Alamance County, North Carolina—where I will try to...
Here is her story:
Today, on President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day, I am going to eviction court in Alamance County, North Carolina—where I will try to convince a judge to let my five kids and me stay in our home.
I am just one of up to 40 million renters across the country who could be put on the street when eviction protections expire, and have no idea how we could pay back rent since the pandemic started. My family has been housing insecure for years, but COVID has made it so much worse. We don’t even qualify for the CDC Eviction Moratorium, because our landlord has decided to not renew our lease. This is not the first time we have been evicted but before COVID, we could find another place to live. The coronavirus has made it almost impossible to find a home. We thought we’d be able to find something else, but there is no housing available during a pandemic.
Both my husband and I have been to prison, and when I came back from prison, I wanted to turn my life around and create as much good in the world as I could. But now, it seems like the world is telling us we don’t deserve a home. I don’t think that’s right—how could anyone not deserve a place to live?
Here’s what I think: no one should ever be forced to live on the street. Especially children. That’s why I joined a group of mothers across the country who have said that they will stay in their homes and resist our evictions with our communities.
On this day when President Joe Biden moves with his family into government-funded housing, I literally do not know where my family will be sleeping after February 1st. There are tens of millions of American renters who don’t know where they will be sleeping in the next month.
I hope Joe Biden understands that he faces a huge, unprecedented housing crisis--and that he needs to act on DAY ONE–today–for renters.
I’m Bree Newsome Bass, and I am an organizer with a statewide housing justice coalition here in North Carolina, where we hear stories like Amy’s every day.
In the midst of the greatest health and economic crisis in a century, millions of Americans have been abandoned. Because everyone understands that housing is health care, even under Donald Trump the Center for Disease Control has said that stable housing needs to be protected in the interest of public health during this pandemic. Instead, weak eviction protections and months of back rent are threatening as many as 40 million renters. From a public health perspective alone, housing insecurity joins the vaccine rollout as the central crisis President Biden must address today.
We are building a grassroots movement led by tenants, and our people power has transformed the political landscape of the country. Mothers and families are calling on President Biden to guarantee housing as a human right to address head on the economic and public health crisis families like Amy’s are facing every day. Families across the country need both immediate short term action as well as long term protections for tenants; they can’t wait any longer for relief.
President-elect Biden should issue a universal eviction moratorium covering every renter in the country and cancel rent and mortgage payments. The new administration must pass expansive tenant protections, regulate the predatory actions of corporate landlords in the housing market, and invest significant resources in the preservation and expansion of public housing. If it weren’t for millions of at-risk mothers, renters, and their families braving intimidation and the virus to vote, Joe Biden would not be taking the oath of office today. It’s time to honor their resilience by recognizing housing as a human right—today.
Racial justice activist Amy Cooper’s eviction hearing takes place in Alamance County (NC) on Inauguration Day. Bree Newsome Bass is a North Carolina-based housing activist who is an organizer with the NC Statewide Housing Justice Coalition and the #NeedaHome2StayAtHome Campaign.
Center for Popular Democracy Calls for Implementation of Biden Plan; Urges Further Provisions to Ensure Immigrants are Included in Relief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, January 14, 2021
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, January 14, 2021
CONTACT: Amanda Ebrahimpress@populardemocracy.org (516) 492-9757
"President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have reminded us what leadership looks like with their American Rescue Plan. We, at the Center for Popular Democracy, imagine how many lives could have been saved if we had this kind of bold response to the COVID-19 pandemic months earlier.
The American Rescue Plan is a critical step forward for providing Black and Brown communities, who have been most impacted by the pandemic, with necessary relief and a path toward recovery. Its essential provisions include giving families a $1,400 check that will help them pay their bills and stay afloat. The plan also acknowledges that a lack of paid leave is not only threatening the financial security of working families, but increasing the spread of COVID-19 and calls for emergency paid leave for 106 million more people to reduce the spread of the virus. The plan further acknowledges that millions of workers – especially the 40% of frontline workers who are people of color – are putting themselves and their families at risk and calls for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour to ensure they can make ends meet.
COVID-19 has also laid bare the deep racial disparities in our healthcare system and the need for a comprehensive government response. The American Rescue Plan includes dedicated resources to begin that work. It provides a meaningful first investment in funding to states and localities so that they can immediately start hiring for well-paid jobs to roll out the vaccine, engage testers and contact tracers and connect people to healthcare. Additionally, the plan significantly expands access to healthcare by covering COBRA for the tens of millions who have lost their jobs and limits the cost of insurance premiums to 8.5% of income.
While we support swift implementation of this plan, we urge Congress to ensure that relief is fully equitable and inclusive for immigrant families who represent a disproportionate share of essential workers yet face disproportionate harms. At present, the plan’s provisions for a $1,400 check to help keep families afloat excludes many immigrant workers and families, including ITIN holders. As we look toward recovery, we must also work to ensure that the millions of immigrant workers providing essential work are given a path to citizenship that honors their contributions.
We look forward to working with the administration and Congress to make this plan an immediate reality. With additional provisions to ensure immigrant communities are included in the relief, we are confident that this plan will put our communities on the path toward recovery.”
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The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. CPD trains and supports leadership, staff, and members to grow base-building organizations to scale and leverage that strength to win cutting-edge policy victories at the federal, state and local level.
Community Groups from Puerto Rico and its Diaspora Oppose Justin Peterson as the new member of the FOMB
For Immediate Release
...
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Center for Popular Democracy; press@populardemocracy.org
SPANISH BELOW
San Juan – In response to the appointment of Justin Peterson to the Fiscal Management Oversight Board (FOMB), Boricuas Unidos Por La Diáspora, Center for Popular Democracy, Construyamos Otro Acuerdo, Diáspora en Resistencia, Latino Justice PRLDEF, Diáspora en Acción, Hedge Clippers and VAMOS issued the following statement.
“Over the past few years, community groups have sounded the alarm about the conflicts of interest within the FOMB and the impact on the policies it was imposing on Puerto Rico. The appointment of Justin Peterson embodies some of our worst nightmares. As a managing partner of DCI Group, Peterson has actively lobbied to oppose comprehensive bankruptcy protections and advised hedge fund bond holders that have pushed for exorbitant debt payments as the people of Puerto Rico struggle to recover from hurricanes, earthquakes, and a pandemic. From the brutal austerity policies that closed schools, crippled hospitals, and forced hundreds of thousands to leave their homeland, to the preferential treatment of banks connected to the members of the board, FOMB has become an existential threat to the people in Puerto Rico.
This appointment is a clear example of how Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) and the FOMB have become a tool for Wall Street to extract wealth from Puerto Rico. We wholeheartedly oppose this nomination. We will continue to advocate for debt cancelation as the only real solution to providing comprehensive relief to the people of Puerto Rico.”
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Grupos comunitarios de Puerto Rico y su diáspora se oponen al nombramiento de Justin Peterson como el nuevo miembro del FOMBEste nombramiento es un claro ejemplo de cómo la Ley PROMESA y el FOMB se han convertido en una herramienta para que Wall Street extraiga riquezas de Puerto Rico.
San Juan – En respuesta al nombramiento de Justin Peterson para la Junta de Supervisión y Administración Financiera para Puerto Rico (FOMB), Boricuas Unidos En La Diáspora, Center for Popular Democracy, Construyamos Otro Acuerdo, Diáspora en Resistencia, Latino Justice PRLDEF, Diáspora en Acción, Hedge Clippers y VAMOS emitieron las siguientes expresiones:
“En los últimos años, varios grupos comunitarios han hecho sonar la alarma sobre los conflictos de interés dentro del FOMB y el impacto de las políticas que se estaban imponiendo en la isla. El nombramiento de Justin Peterson encarna algunas de nuestras peores pesadillas. Como socio gerente de DCI Group, Peterson ha cabildeado activamente para oponerse a protecciones de bancarrota y ha asesorado a los bonistas de fondos buitre, quienes han presionado por pagos exorbitantes mientras el pueblo de Puerto Rico lucha por recuperarse de huracanes, terremotos y una pandemia. Desde las brutales políticas de austeridad que cerraron escuelas, paralizaron hospitales y obligaron a cientos de miles a salir de la isla, hasta el trato preferencial de los bancos vinculados a los miembros de la junta, esa alarma se ha convertido ahora en una amenaza existencial para la gente de Puerto Rico.
Este nombramiento es un claro ejemplo de cómo la Ley PROMESA y el FOMB se han convertido en una herramienta para que Wall Street extraiga riquezas de Puerto Rico. Nos oponemos rotundamente a esta nominación. Continuaremos abogando por la cancelación de la deuda como la única solución real para proveer una recuperación justa a Puerto Rico.
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The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. CPD trains and supports leadership, staff, and members to grow base-building organizations to scale and leverage that strength to win cutting-edge policy victories at the federal, state, and local levels. www.populardemocracy.org
Community Groups from Puerto Rico and its Diaspora Express Support for the Self-Determination Act of 2020
09.01.2020
Brooklyn, New York - In response to the introduction of the Self-...
09.01.2020
Brooklyn, New York - In response to the introduction of the Self-Determination Act of 2020, Boricuas Unidos Por La Diáspora, Center for Popular Democracy, Construyamos Otro Acuerdo, Diáspora en Resistencia, Diáspora en Acción, Hedge Clippers, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Philly Boricuas and, Vamos en La Diáspora issued the following statement,
“Over the last 122 years, Puerto Rico’s political status has been dictated by economic and military interests that have put greed and imperialism before the well-being of the people of the islands. In that time, Congress has demonstrated little to no interest in addressing this colonial relationship and has enabled destructive power dynamics resulting in an undemocratic, extractive, and oppressive system. As this happened, decades of toothless, lopsided plebiscites have perpetuated the colonial status and have left the island in an economic depression and a humanitarian crisis that has forced more than 15% of its people to leave.
“Last week, Representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Velázquez took an important step to start a serious process of self-determination and decolonization that puts the people of Puerto Rico at the steering wheel. This legislation is not perfect, but we strongly believe that this is a step in the right direction in the ongoing struggle to end the colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.”
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Letter Requesting a Transparent FOMB Nomination Process
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
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The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Nancy PelosiMajority Leader Speaker of the HouseUnited States Senate United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Charles E. Schumer The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader Minority LeaderUnited States Senate United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515
Re: Request for a Transparent Nomination Process of New Members of the Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader Schumer:
We write to you as organizations in Puerto Rico and stateside that are deeply concerned about upcoming vacancies at the Fiscal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) and the impact that a rushed and secretive appointments process would have on the people of Puerto Rico. Given the sweeping authority that this board has over the territory and the serious questions raised by the actions of the current members of the FOMB, we request that Congress pursue a transparent and open FOMB nomination process that ensures that any new member is able to be thoroughly vetted before taking over the role.
Congress, through the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), made the FOMB the fiscal trustee of the Government of Puerto Rico. Over the last few years, the FOMB has forced brutal austerity measures that have further weakened health, educational, and other public infrastructures. Austerity measures have included cuts to Medicaid, cuts to funds for public schools including the University of Puerto Rico, cuts to compensation for public employees, and cuts to municipalities struggling in the wake of natural disasters. These measures have not been successful in paving the way for long-term economic recovery and fiscal health for Puerto Rico; instead, they have resulted in the people of Puerto Rico living in greater precarity during a pandemic, and recurring natural and manmade disasters, with no end in sight.
Moreover, research has revealed that the current members of the board are plagued by conflicts of interest that may have undermined their ability to act in the best interest of the people of Puerto Rico:
Two members of the FOMB, José R. González and Carlos M. García, are former Santander executives who both served as heads of Puerto Rico’s Government Development Bank (GDB). Together, these men built Santander Securities, the bank’s municipal bond business, which was a leading bond underwriter during the growth in Puerto Rican public debt. A 2016 report estimated “Santander has participated in the underwriting of $61 billion in Puerto Rican bonds, and as part of these bond issues, $1.1 billion was paid to Santander and others in issuance fees.” As Puerto Rico was falling deeper into debt, Santander used an unscrupulous revolving door scheme to peddle risky financial products like capital appreciation bonds and interest rate swap agreements, designed to maximize profits, all while the people of Puerto Rico suffered. While Santander faces claims from the FOMB for its role in underwriting billions in illegally issued debt, Carlos García faced no consequences for overseeing these transactions during his tenure at both Santander and the GDB.
The Chairman of the FOMB, José B. Carrión, has numerous familial and business ties that represent potential conflicts of interest in his oversight role and fiduciary duties. Concerns over these conflicts arise, for instance, when the FOMB signs off on debt restructuring deals that grant immunity to, or fail to pursue claims against, current or former employees of Mr. Carrión's firm while they served as officers and directors of the GDB. The Carrión family business, namely Popular Inc., has also escaped liability in the FOMB's last-minute attempt to recover fraudulent transfers from a long list of underwriters in over $12 billion of bonds potentially issued illegally.
José R. González was also director of OFG Bancorp, parent company of Oriental Bank and Oriental Financial Services, the bank's municipal bond subsidiary. Oriental likewise escaped liability in the FOMB's last-minute blitz of avoidance actions against underwriters of billions in potentially illegal debt during González's tenure.
As Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor recently stated in an opinion concerning the appointment of FOMB members, these individuals, “tasked with determining the financial fate of a self-governing Territory, exist in a twilight zone of accountability, neither selected by Puerto Rico itself nor subject to the strictures of the Appointments Clause.” We cannot allow individuals who will be empowered, as Justice Sotomayor stated, with a “freewheeling exercise of control” over the people of Puerto Rico, to be appointed in a rushed and secretive manner.
For these reasons, we request that Congress move forward with a transparent and open FOMB nomination process that ensures that any new member is able to be thoroughly vetted before taking on the role. Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Action Center on Race and the Economy
Alianza for Progress, Florida
Alianza por Puerto Rico/Massachusetts
Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora
BoriSquad
Cancel the Debt
CASA
Center for Popular Democracy
Construyamos Otro Acuerdo Campaign
Communities United for Fair Housing (CUFFH)
Defend Puerto Rico
Diaspora en Acción
Diáspora en Resistencia
Hedge Clippers
Florida Immigrant Coalition
Little Sis
Make the Road CT
Make the Road NJ
Make the Road NY
Make the Road NV
New York Communities for Change (NYCC)
Power 4 Puerto Rico Coalition
Public Accountability Initiative
ReFund America Project
Harvard Puerto Rico Divestment Campaign
Hispanic Federation
Strong Economy for All
VAMOS
Congress Must Divest the Billion Dollar Police Budget and Invest in Public Education
...
06.10.2020
WASHINGTON, DC – On the same day that Congress gathers to discuss legislation to address police violence, accountability, and the health and economic impact of COVID-19, the Center for Popular Democracy Action (CPD Action) released newly updated data from the 2017 report, Freedom to Thrive: Reimagining Safety & Security in our Communities.
The updated data exemplified much of what we already knew to be true - the police continue to receive an astronomical percentage of discretionary funds compared to resources that actually keep communities safe. Police budgets continue to be consistent across diverse geographies and cities in the United States, with up to 20% to 45% of discretionary funds allocated to the violent system. All of the police budgets analyzed in the Freedom to Thrive Report have increased since FY17. New data, however, demonstrates that in the city of Milwaukee, where grassroots demands from groups, like Liberate Milwaukee, have successfully called for divestment, the budget is significantly lower.
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The data, coupled with the most recent national uprisings calling for the defunding of police and for police-free schools, have reinforced the Center for Popular Democracy Action’s demands to local and federal elected officials to permanently end and cease any further appropriation of funding to local law enforcement in any form. CPD Action has sent letters to the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, to ensure that our government commits to defunding the current $100 billion police budget and invest the $305 billion needed as identified by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to support the state revenue shortfalls and new education expenses associated with the pandemic.
The House Judiciary and Senate HELP committees have the power to end infamous programs like Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program immediately. COPS, implemented under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the 1994 Crime Bill, has proven to be a direct cause of the perpetual cycle of police violence in communities, and most emphatically in schools.
An excerpt from the full letter to Congressional Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee can be read below.
"Recent research directly linked the COPS grant program, COPS in Schools, to decreased graduation rates: “exposure to a three-year federal grant for school police decreases high school graduation rates by approximately 2.5 percent and college enrollment rates by 4 percent.” The prevalence of school-based police has little to do with “crime” and much more to do with how many Black students attend the school."
An excerpt from our full letter, alongside other national organizations to the House Judiciary Committee, outlines:
"The COPS program has directly contributed to the increased size, scope, and role of policing across cities in our country, and subsequently the endless stream of killings and violence perpetrated by law enforcement on Black people particularly. The COVID-19 crisis and accompanying economic loss paired with the brazen and violent behavior of police forces have demonstrated the need for a nationwide reimagining of public safety that does not include further allocation of limited and vital resources to police."
The people of this nation have made a call to defund the police and to dismantle the systems of mass criminalization and incarceration. CPD Action’s ongoing work to redefine public safety, in a country where every person should have the freedom to thrive, targets local, state, and federal policies and budget priorities. Congress must respond to its constituents with policies and budgets that invest in resources that keep communities safe, educated, healthy, and thriving.
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Media Contact: Inarú Meléndez, 413-331-9530, imelendez@populardemocracy.org
www.populardemocracy.org
The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. CPD trains and supports leadership, staff, and members to grow base-building organizations to scale and leverage that strength to win cutting-edge policy victories at the federal, state and local level.
Only When We Divest from Policing and Invest in Communities Will Black People Find Real Liberation

Only When We Divest from Policing and Invest in Communities Will Black People Find Real Liberation
05.29.2020
WASHINGTON -- Jennifer Epps-Addison, Network President and Co-Executive Director of Center for Popular Democracy, issued the following...
05.29.2020
WASHINGTON -- Jennifer Epps-Addison, Network President and Co-Executive Director of Center for Popular Democracy, issued the following statement on the events in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Sean Reed.
These are just a few of the Black people murdered in just the last month because of white supremacy and the pervasive anti-Blackness that permeates every aspect of our society. We mourn them and the countless other victims of state violence and racial terror whose names have not garnered national attention.
Black people have grown weary of this cycle of oppression, violence, and of being told to peacefully reform a system of oppression that is working exactly the way it was designed. We are tired of perpetual fear that we, or someone we love, will be next.
We have seen this before: Anti-Black violence occurs; leaders shake their heads and offer thoughts and prayers; we go to the streets to demand action and accountability but none occurs, only empty rhetoric. It’s time to move beyond rhetoric.
The uprisings in Minneapolis and Louisville are a legitimate and necessary reaction to militarized, aggressive policing, and a criminal justice system that claims more of our people every day without consequence. While recent news that former officer Derek Chauvin will be charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter is welcome, the other three officers are equally as culpable for their lack of action to stop a public execution.
Even if the uprisings secure a conviction of the officers involved, those convictions alone will not deliver the freedom and justice Black communities deserve. The only way for us to win real liberation is to transform our systems by divesting from policing, investing in community-led solutions, and demanding that politicians take concrete legislative action at every level from the City Council to Congress.
Over the last 30 years, at both the national and local levels, governments have dramatically increased their spending on criminalization, policing, and mass incarceration while drastically cutting investments in basic infrastructure and slowing investment in social safety net programs.
Making our communities safer means providing a living wage, increasing access to holistic health services and treatment, educational opportunities, and stable housing, not additional investments in police or prisons.
At the federal level, CPD has endorsed the resolution put forth by Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05), in partnership with Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-37), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) to condemn police brutality, racial profiling, and the excessive use of force.
At the local level, we ask that those who believe in freedom support Black-led organizations putting their lives at risk to hold police systems to account and working to ensure that the rise in racial terror against Black communities does not persist.
The CPD network is rooted in the belief that through our collective action we can build a world where each and every person has the freedom to thrive. We know that when a new world emerges, it will be birthed by the struggle, labor and love of Black communities. We invite others to join us by giving to organizations that are fighting for freedom on the frontlines right now: Black Visions Collective, Minnesota Freedom Fund, Northstar Health Collective, Reclaim the Block, Unicorn Riot, Just Georgia Coalition, and Louisville Community Bail Fund.
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Media Contact: press@populardemocracy.org
Community Groups from Puerto Rico and its Diaspora Oppose PROMESA 2.0
05.27.2020
San Juan -- In response to the introduction of legislation to amend...
05.27.2020
San Juan -- In response to the introduction of legislation to amend PROMESA, Boricuas Unidos En La Diáspora, Center for Popular Democracy, VAMOS, Construyamos Otro Acuerdo, Diáspora en Resistencia, Diáspora en Acción, Hedge Clippers and Frente Ciudadano por la Auditoría de la Deuda issued the following statement.
“After carefully reviewing the amendments to PROMESA introduced by Representative Grijalva, we continue to oppose the PROMESA legislation and demand its immediate dissolution. We recognize the efforts to improve PROMESA. We believe that efforts to audit and cancel the debt, define essential services, and create transparency are important measures to ensure accountability from the unelected Fiscal Management and Oversight Board (FOMB).
“However, the amendments fail to address the main issue that has brought austerity and suffering to Puerto Rico. The PROMESA 2.0 bill continues to impose an undemocratic fiscal control board on Puerto Rico with the sole purpose of paying Wall Street through a lopsided bankruptcy process. These amendments make the FOMB stronger by providing the board with unrestricted funding and continuing to give power to the FOMB to veto legislation that could allow the government of Puerto Rico to protect essential services. All of this, while perpetuating and exploiting a longstanding colonial relationship with the island.
“We cannot, by any means, support legislation designed to extract wealth from a country that has suffered and continues to suffer from natural and man-made disasters. Puerto Rico does not need more federal control, it needs restructuring efforts, a complete cancelation of its debt, an independent citizen audit to ensure that those that hurt the island are held responsible, a serious relief package, and economic policies that allow Puerto Rico to achieve a fair recovery. We urge Congress to reconsider this bill and to move legislation that supports debt cancelation, the repeal of PROMESA, and the recovery of Puerto Rico.”
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Grassroots Organizations Urge House to Fund Elementary and Secondary Education
05.05.2020
Today, the Center for Popular Democracy, a network of community organizations, released a letter to...
05.05.2020
Today, the Center for Popular Democracy, a network of community organizations, released a letter to the House of Representatives calling for immediate and long-term spending for elementary and secondary education. The letter, signed by 21 organizations including Detroit Action, One Pennsylvania (OnePA), Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT), the Texas Organizing Project (TOP) and the Make the Road network, among others, urges Congress to pass another economic stimulus package that injects funding into state and local authorities for education funding. The letter comes a day before the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor/HHS) Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "COVID-19 Response."
The latest major spending bill, the CARES Act, allocated $2 trillion dollars, yet less than one percent of that was allocated toward education funding through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and the Governor’s Educational Stabilization Fund. Especially given the resource-intensive shift of public education toward distance/online learning, and the expected budgetary shortfall in states and localities, the letter signers note that public education needs deep federal investment in order to survive. The letter acknowledges the important, but small step taken by Congress in passing the CARES Act, but implores Congress to do more.
“Following the Great Recession of 2008/9, Congress provided over $100 billion for education relief funding, yet has only provided $16 billion through the CARES Act. Instead of padding the pockets of Wall Street investors, Congress needs to ensure a huge additional stimulus package with far more funding for education stabilization. Anything less would be to condemn millions of students -- low-income students and students of color in particular, to a schooling system in a worse position than it was following the decade since the Great Recession,” said Dmitri Holtzman, director of education justice campaigns at the Center for Popular Democracy. “We need a spending bill that prioritizes investment in our public education system, at unprecedented levels, to meet the short, medium and long term health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.”
A full copy of the letter is available below.
# # #
May 5, 2020
Representative Bobby Scott
US House of Representatives
Education and Labor Committee
1201 Longworth House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Honorable Member Bobby Scott and the honorable members of the Education and Labor Committee:
Re: The urgent need for additional immediate and long-term economic stimulus and relief for Elementary and Secondary Education funding.
We are the Center for Popular Democracy, a national network of 53 affiliated grassroots organizations in 131 cities in 34 States, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. On behalf of our members and the communities they represent, we write to you today with an urgent appeal that you ensure that Congress pass a further economic stimulus package, which includes a massive injection of funding for state and local authorities for the purposes of stabilizing education funding.
While we recognize the important steps taken by Congress in passing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) in March this year, as members of the Education and Labor Committee we are certain you will agree that this funding package alone is wholly insufficient. If there is to be any hope of adequately and equitably managing the health and economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our education and schooling system, hundreds of billions of dollars more will be needed by states and local education authorities over the next few years.
Although the full extent of the economic impact (in the short, medium and long term) of the coronavirus on our education system is yet to be seen, creating much uncertainty, what should be clear and certain is our government’s commitment towards the stabilization of education funding and the protection of our most vulnerable students. In light of this, we wish to highlight the following:
The CARES Act education funding is a drop in the bucket:
The CARES ACT provides $13.5 billion to elementary and secondary schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, and an additional $3 billion dollars for education through the Governor’s Education Stabilization Fund. However, this funding falls far below the levels required to ensure adequate and equitable stabilization for K-12 schooling during and beyond the COVID-19 epidemic. In fact, the funding for education under the CARES Act, makes up less than 1% of the $2.2 trillion economic relief package. With respect, this is an unconscionable reflection of the level of priority given to education needs.
The CARES Act funding is wholly insufficient given the the significant costs of continuing education during shelter-in-place orders and the need for unprecedented shifts to distance/online learning during extended school closures, the need for continued and expanded provision of school-based meals programs, the anticipated loss in state revenues (between 15% - 20%) and the likelihood of proposed budget cuts in response to the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic. For example, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) recently estimated that state budget shortfalls will ultimately reach about 10% in the current fiscal year and as much as 25% in the 2021 fiscal year (according to current projections).
By way of further example, in 2009, in response to the economic consequences of the Great Recession, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided over $100 billion dollars for education, dwarfing the $16.5 billion currently allocated under the CARES Act. Moreover, before COVID-19, many states had not even recovered to their funding levels prior to the 2008 economic meltdown. Studies have shown that districts and states with the highest-need populations (often poor, Black and brown communities) were the hardest hit by austerity measures adopted in response to the Great Recession. Without a further and massive injection of funds to support education stabilization in the next stimulus package, most states will surely be in an even worse economic position than what they were in the decade following the Great Recession.
While §18008 of the CARES Act provides that: States that receive funding from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund or the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund must maintain education funding for the current and next fiscal year; this requirement can be waived by the US Secretary of Education if states have experienced a “precipitous decline in financial resources.” State revenues have already begun a precipitous decline (and will continue to), and it is impossible to see how they can be expected to maintain current levels of funding for the next two fiscal years on their own.
We need adequate and equitable funding for elementary and secondary education relief and stabilization:
In light of the above, as part of the next unequivocally necessary federal stimulus package, Congress MUST include at least the following if there is to be any hope of adequate and equitable relief for elementary and secondary education in response to the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congress MUST:
Reject and prevent all funding cuts to public schools and public education.
Allocate a minimum of an additional $175 billion towards the Elementary and Secondary Education Stabilization Fund and the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund in the next stimulus package: to provide for meals, access to technology and internet services/support for distance learning, and services for special needs students, at least. In addition, Congress should provide directives to facilitate the expansion of broadband internet services in rural areas, where access to internet services are typically less so than in urban cities. Universal, quality and affordable broadband and internet services are indispensable towards the education needs of our communities across the country.
We acknowledge the House plan, introduced by Representative Clyburn and others, to allocate $80 billion for the expansion of access to broadband internet services to rural and low income communities, and support this plan as a step in the necessary direction.Identify specific equity criteria for the use of federal funding for education stabilization.
Make a commitment to fully funding Title I and IDEA Programs in the 2021 fiscal year and thereafter, including a directive towards using a portion of those funds for the expansion of community schools. Title I funding goes to schools with high concentrations of students in poverty and the IDEA provides funding to ensure the proper education of students with disabilities. Both programs are severely underfunded, which harms the education of low-income students, students of color, and students with disabilities. In 2017, Title I funding was short by $33.3 billion and IDEA funding was short by more than $21 billion. Funding shortfalls have resulted in a lack in basic infrastructure needs. The federal government must fulfill its promise to fully fund the education of low-income students and students with disabilities, particularly in this time of crisis.
Provide funding to hire full-time nurses who are equipped with adequate medical supplies in every school. Approximately three million students attend schools with police but no nurses. The federal government should provide grants, especially to Title I schools, to hire full-time nurses. Local organizations have long demanded these basic staffing needs be met to ensure their health and safety, which are now more important there ever given the current crisis.
Create a grant program for local districts to hire more guidance counselors, social workers, and psychologists, equitably targeted to schools in Black, brown, and low-income neighborhoods.
Immediately issue a restriction from using relief funding or funding under the Charter School Program for primarily-virtual charter schools. While virtual schools may seem a viable alternative education provider during the crisis, studies show how ineffective they are. Virtual charter schools led overall to the loss of 72 days of instruction in reading and 180 days of instruction in math over a 180 day school year. Virtual charter schools were also found to provide poor return on public investment, graduate only about half of their students, and often incentivize cutting costs by their administrators. There is currently no mention of virtual charter schools in the regulations for the Charter School Program’s grants. This omission must be replaced by a strict limitation on public funding being used to uphold virtual charter schools.
In April, US Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos announced the allocation of more than $300 million of CARES Act funding towards two grants (Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant and $127.5 million for the Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grant), in a clear attempt to politicize the allocation of federal stimulus funding so as to further her agenda of education privatization. This move is no more than a thinly veiled voucher program and attempt to divest from public education models. This will only further disrupt the road to recovery if left unchecked. Congress must protect further stimulus funding from being used for such a nefarious agenda aimed at undermining the public education system even further.
Redirect federal funds currently used to criminalize and surveille young people into critically needed staffing and infrastructure programs. All federal funding towards criminalizing students must be divested. There are several funding programs that run through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Bureau of Justice Administration and other federal offices which funnel federal dollars to ineffective and criminalizing grant programs. These programs pay for police, metal detectors, military grade equipment and more. There is no substantial evidence that school-based police create a safe school environment, but there is undeniable evidence it leads to an increase in children being funneled into the criminal legal system. During a pandemic, the federal government should not waste money on failed strategies and should instead invest in the supports and resources that truly make our schools and communities safe - nurses, supplies, and food. Congress could redirect some of these funds towards a fund similar to the 2010 Education Jobs Fund, providing funding directly to public school districts to be used only for personnel costs, and could be earmarked for educators, nurses, counselors etc.
Expand funding for Pell Grants by $100 billion over the next ten years to help cover the cost of living for students.
In addition to the prioritization of funding to stabilize elementary and secondary education, in light of the broader economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we are calling on Congress to also cancel all student debt.
Cancel ALL Student Debt: The student debt provisions in the CARES Act left out nine million student loan borrowers, were overly complex and unworkable and, in some cases, provided regressive tax giveaways that would only benefit the highest income borrowers. In order to provide relief to the millions of families saddled with unbearable student debt, we must:
Cancel all federal student debt. This is debt owed TO the federal government, and immediate cancellation is easy to administer and would provide immediate relief to families in crisis.
Halt involuntary collections, social security or tax refund seizures, wage or federal wage garnishments for all student loan borrowers in default.
Extend the suspension on payments and waiving of interest outlined to all borrowers, not just those with federally-held loans.
Remove the temporary income tax exclusion for employer-paid student loans. Ensure any emergency relief funds received by for-profit colleges are subject to bans on using them for executive compensation or advertising.
Ensure no one who consolidated to become eligible for relief ends up with an increased loan balance and clarify that no interest will capitalize.
US Education Secretary, Besty DeVos, recently excluded undocumented students from receiving financial support through the CARES Act. Congress must prevent such unconscionable action in future and ensure that undocumented students are specifically included in all further education relief and stimulus funding and federal support.
Honorable member Bobby Scott and honorable members of the Education and Labor Committee, we thank you for your previous efforts to prioritize education needs in the first stimulus package. But, we implore you and Congress to do more.
We trust that you receive this letter with the urgency it deserves, and look forward to further engagement with you as the committee and as individual congressional representatives to whom our members across the country are calling on to do what is needed, and nothing less.
Signed, representatives from the following organizations:
Arkansas Community Organizations (ACO)
Detroit Action
Florida Student Power Network (FLSPN)
Future of Tomorrow (FOT)
Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO)
Latinos Unidos Siempre (LUS)
Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT)
Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA)
Make the Road Connecticut (MTRCT)
Make The Road Nevada (MTRNV)
Make The Road New Jersey (MTRNJ)
Make The Road New York (MTRNY)
Make The Road Pennsylvania (MTRPA)
Maryland Communities United (MCU)
One Pennsylvania (OnePA)
Our Future West Virginia (OFWV)
Rights & Democracy (RAD) - New Hampshire and Vermont
Sistas and Brothas United (SBU)
Step Up Louisiana (Step Up LA)
Texas Organizing Project (TOP)
Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC)
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Statement: Ana Maria Archila Responds to Biden Sexual Assault Allegations
05.01.2020
In the early fall of 2018, the Center for Popular Democracy joined with partner...
05.01.2020
In the early fall of 2018, the Center for Popular Democracy joined with partner organizations in the nation’s capital to protest the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, who was poised to be confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, despite allegations of sexual assault in his past. As a part of those protests, Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, had what was to become a viral confrontation with Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator, in which she and a fellow activist shared their stories of sexual assault and asked Flake to vote against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh.
Below is a statement from Archila, addressing how she, as a survivor, an organizer, and the co-executive director of CPD is responding to Tara Reade’s allegations against Joe Biden and his appearance in MSNBC’s Morning Joe:
“As someone who helped organize the protests against Brett Kavanaugh, I know that what initially animated me, and the many thousands who joined, was an understanding that Kavanaugh’s presence on the Supreme Court posed a grave threat to the rights of women, LGBTQ families, workers, communities of color and our democracy. When Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s story surfaced, we also understood that if Kavanaugh were confirmed to the highest court of the land, it would reaffirm a culture that enables sexual violence by minimizing the experiences women, and especially of survivors, and prioritizing the interests and life story of the men accused.
“Now Joe Biden stands accused. This morning he spoke for the first time about the allegations by Tara Reade, and issued yet another blanket denial of the assault, without any reflections on how women, and survivors of all genders, are treated in our society. As someone seeking to govern the country, he has a responsibility to model how to hold the pain of survivors and speak about the reality of our collective experience, even as he denies the allegations against him. That is the role of a leader.
“When thousands of survivors told their stories in solidarity with Dr. Blasey Ford, we did so to help our leaders understand that this was not about the experience of just one woman, but a collective story of who we are as a country. In order to transform our society into one where women and gender non-conforming people are treated as equals, the stories of survivors must be taken seriously and received with empathy, not a collective shrug. That’s what “believe survivors” means.
“Those who are accused of perpetuating or enabling violence have a role to play in the effort to transform our society. They can model how to receive with empathy and circumspection the stories of individuals or communities who speak about the harm they have endured. They can model how to tease out from the story of one person the elements of our collective experience, and they can model willingness to take responsibility. This approach is necessary not just to end sexual violence, but to adress the collective and generational harm of racism, xenophobia and more.
“Our country is at a moment of grave danger. President Trump’s racism and xenophobia has caused serious harm to millions of people, and his administration’s inept handling of the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in the deaths of thousands. We cannot afford to have four more years of Trump, and we will do everything necessary to defeat him in November.
“Demanding more of Joe Biden’s leadership is not in contradiction with our commitment to defeat Trump. It is, in fact, central to that effort.”
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
8 months ago
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