CREDO Mobile Blog

VICTORY: Attorney General Eric Holder stops North Carolina Republicans from disenfranchising voters

The federal Voting Rights Act used to protect the right to vote for millions of minorities, students and seniors in North Carolina. But after the Supreme Court struck down key provisions of that federal law in June of this year, North Carolina Republicans immediately voted to turn back the clock on progress.

If House Bill 589 were to take effect, thousands of voters in North Carolina would have been disenfranchised. About 318,000 registered North Carolina voters lacked the limited forms of ID that would be accepted. The legislation cut back on early voting hours and dates that were used by 70 percent of Black voters in 2012 and gave many working class people access to the ballot box. Same-day voter registration, often used by students and voters who move soon before Election Day, would have been eliminated. Eligible voters who are given incorrect information by election officials and vote in the wrong location can have their entire ballots thrown out. And if that wasn’t bad enough, voters who actually follow all the rules will have to face “challengers” who will be allowed to intimidate voters at their polling place.

CREDO members numbering 6,553 signed a petition against this. On Monday, September 30, Attorney General Holder announced that he would sue North Carolina to block a wide array of voting restrictions contained in House Bill 589 from taking effect.

VICTORY: Iowa Department of Natural Resources signs Clean Water Act

The federal Clean Water Act had never been enforced for factory farms in Iowa, which meant that runoff from factory farms was rampant. As a result, Iowa’s water quality was ranked 49th in the nation with 628 polluted waterway. The federal EPA stepped in due to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ inaction on Clean Water Act enforcement. Under the direction of Governor Terry Branstad and other corporate agriculture industry insiders, the Iowa DNR refused to sign the workplan to make Iowa comply with the Clean Water Act.

In response to the campaign and the organizing efforts of groups like Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, who got 1,700 signatures on a CREDO petition, the EPA and Iowa DNR signed a far-reaching Clean Water Act work plan agreement that will significantly change the way the state of Iowa enforces, inspects and permits factory farms

VICTORY: Clear Channel to reinstates South Wind Women’s Center’s ads

South Wind Women’s Center, a full-spectrum women’s reproductive health clinic that provides abortions in Wichita, Kansas, had its ads taken off the air by Clear Channel for being “divisive.” After 3,000 signatures, Clear Channel met with South Wind Women’s Center and reinstated the Center’s ads.

VICTORY: President Obama nominates Jeh Johnson instead of Ray Kelly to lead DHS

NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is responsible for “stop and frisk,” the NYPD program that has stopped people nearly 5 million times. The program doesn’t work: 88 percent of the people stopped are not arrested or ticketed, guns are almost never recovered, and the practice has really harmed the relationship between the police and the community.

Instead of Kelly, President Obama announced on October 17 that he was nominating former Pentagon attorney Jeh Johnson to run the Department of Homeland Security. Thank you to 17,479 CREDO activists who took action by signing the petition.

VICTORY: Gov. Brown supports transgender youth and signs A.B. 1266

By prohibiting discrimination against transgender students, the School Success and Opportunity Act (A.B. 1266) ensures schools understand their responsibility for the success and well-being of all students. For transgender students, this bill means they’re able to fully participate in all of their classes, try out for sports teams and stay on track to graduate.

Ashton Lee, a transgender student, delivered 5,000 petition signatures to Gov. Jerry Brown’s office, and less than a month later, Gov. Brown signed the bill.

VICTORY: Beaverton, Oregon passes resolution against coal exports

The coal industry wanted to turn the Pacific Northwest into North America’s largest hub for shipping dirty coal to Asia. Coal is the dirtiest and most toxic fossil fuel because of the heavy metals it contains and because it produces the greatest quantity of CO2 per BTU of heat. The comparatively miniscule coal traffic through the Columbia Gorge Area was already a major source of pollution along the route, so increasing it would be terrible. Dozens of cities in the region passed resolutions declaring their opposition to coal exports or their concerns with coal export terminal proposals, but Beaverton, Oregon hadn’t weighed in.

Thanks to grassroots activism, which included almost 500 petition signatures, the Beaverton City Council approved a strong resolution against coal exports with a 3–2 vote.

VICTORY: New York extends eviction deadline for families displaced by Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy displaced thousands of New Yorkers, and hundreds were living in hotels due to hurricane damage to their homes that made them inhibitable. The New York Department of Homeless Services imposed an arbitrary date, after which homeless families would be on their own. After 2,000 signatures, the deadline was extended for 15 days.

VICTORY: Alameda County Sheriffs stop detaining immigrants for ICE

ICE collaboration – frequently ironically named Secure Communities (S-Comm) program – has had a disastrous effect on Alameda County, resulting in the detention and deportation of countless family members, heads of households, and other people important to the fabric of our communities. Sadly, people are criminalized and dehumanized by local law enforcement in collaboration with ICE merely based upon a suspicion that they lack immigration documents. When community members are detained and deported, families are separated, and economic and emotional hardship for those left behind – often children – is a common result. 

Thanks to public pressure, including 1,000 CREDO petition signatures, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to ask Sheriff Gregory Ahern to stop detaining immigrants for ICE to deport.

VICTORY: San Francisco enacts 25-foot barrier around reproductive health care facilities

Planned Parenthood works tirelessly for women’s health care. It also reports that protesters use loopholes in current law to regularly harass, intimidate and bully its patients. The protesters scream at all who walk in and out of the clinic, standing just a few feet from its front door. They display graphic signs and distribute pamphlets containing medically inaccurate information about birth control and abortion. 

After almost 2,000 signatures, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to enact an expanded 25 foot buffer zone around reproductive healthcare facilities.

VICTORY: Paid Sick Time Act brought to New York City Council

Paid sick days reduce health care costs, reduce the spread of contagion, protect people’s jobs and financial security and boost businesses’ productivity. The NYC Paid Sick Time Act would guarantee that all workers in New York City could earn up to five paid sick days per year and would also allow all workers to use these days when a child is ill. The bill had the support of 83 percent of New Yorkers and a veto-proof majority of votes in the City Council, but Speaker Christine Quinn had yet to sign on and allow the bill to be brought before the New York City Council for a vote.

Thanks to activism that included 1,300 CREDO signatures, the New York City Paid Sick Time Act was brought to a vote and ultimately passed.