Posted on February 14, 2022
Grantee Highlight: Sunrise Movement is changing the direction of climate politics in this country.
Note from the CREDO team: This February, Sunrise Movement is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the generous support of CREDO members will power its youth mobilization program as the group works to bring the Green New Deal to communities across the country in 2022.
Read this important blog post from Miles Goodrich, Fundraising Director below, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this February.
The world as we know it has changed, and a new one will take its place. What will this new world look like? Who gets to decide?
These are the questions that the young people of Sunrise Movement are asking themselves right now. Thanks to the movement that we’ve built – which includes thousands of CREDO members – we have completely changed the direction of climate politics in this country.
Five years ago, Donald Trump had just taken office with a climate denying party in power in Washington. The most ambitious climate legislation at that point was a failed industry bill from a decade earlier.
Now, the Green New Deal – an ambitious suite of policies to decarbonize the economy and invest in racial and economic justice – is a unifying banner for progressives in city, state, and national politics. Because of the moral power of Sunrise Movement and our allies, the question isn’t if climate action will happen. The question is, what form will it take and who will benefit?
As we entire year three of a global pandemic that has demonstrated with cruel clarity the brokenness of our country’s safety net and political institutions, so many of us feel tired and disappointed. We have good reason to be. The American constitutional order is broken. The Senate, Supreme Court, and Electoral College are all slanted against the rising multiracial generation of young people who have fought so hard for the Green New Deal. White supremacists are consolidating power at every level of government. Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies continue to pollute the environmental justice communities. The climate keeps warming.
So we ask again – what will this new world look like? Who gets to decide?
Many of the young people of Sunrise know our answer – this new world will be shaped by those who have power, and our power comes from our people. We find hope in the communities around us, in the places we call home. When the federal government won’t act, we’re fighting to bring the Green New Deal to our neighborhoods to keep our families and friends safe from the fires and floods. Enough with the two year boom-and-bust cycles of social media attention and political circus frenzy. We’re in this for the long haul.
There is still an opportunity to steer our world away from the climate crisis and make systems of power work for all of us instead of a wealthy few. Together, we can force the government to negotiate a new deal with us instead of them– a Green New Deal. The Green New Deal will dismantle the fossil fuel economy and create millions of good union jobs transitioning to a new economy that invests in the safety, health, and wealth of all people.
This is the world the young people of Sunrise are building. A world where communities don’t have to fend for themselves in times of crisis but are instead provided resources and support to thrive. A world where our jobs don’t hold us hostage, solely for our survival but allow us to prosper and achieve meaning. A world where every worker not only has a voice through their union but earns their full worth. A world where healthcare isn’t the business of a few, but a human right free and accessible to all. A world where we don’t continue legacies of injustice against others but redress and heal them. A world where young people aren’t trapped in fear and debt but are guaranteed education and the right to dream in safety. Together we can win a world where work is fulfilling, where our water and air are clean and crisp, where the places we call home are here to stay, and the natural beauty of our earth is around for generations to come.
Posted on February 10, 2022
Women for Women International Grantee Highlight: Investing in the Power of Women Matters
Note from the CREDO team: This February, Women for Women International is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from CREDO will directly support marginalized women in conflict as they earn and save money, improve their health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect to networks for support.
Read this important blog post from Hanna Nussair, Communications Officer, WfWI below, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to Women for Women International and our other amazing grantees this February.
Everywhere in the world, women face social, cultural, and economic barriers to equality — but we know that alleviating these barriers makes families, communities, and countries stronger.
At Women for Women International, we invest in women survivors of war and conflict, connecting them with each other, resources, and support to realize their own power.
Our greatest strength is our ability to meet women where they are, in their communities. We respond holistically to their critical needs by continuously listening to and learning. The uniqueness of our data-driven approach is that it is both women-centered and locally powered.
“The participants in our program deserve to have their voices heard by decision-makers on the issues that affect them, not only in their communities but at the state and national levels. We strive to amplify their voices and vision to influence change at the global level.” – Marie Clarke, VP, WfWI Global Programs
What is the Stronger Women Stronger Nations Program?
In our one-year Stronger Women, Stronger Nations Program, women break the isolation of war, conflict, and gender discrimination to realize their own power. As they form connections in class, women learn to save, build businesses, understand their rights, improve their health, and change societal rules. They pass this knowledge on to those around them — creating a ripple effect for generations.
To center the voices and experiences of the women we serve, we involve them in improving and adapting programs to better meet their needs. We take pride in the fact that our country staff is from the same communities as the women we serve and are respected as local leaders. They are knowledgeable about the challenges women face as well as the opportunities to make real and lasting change.
Our Impact
After graduating from the Stronger Women Stronger Nations Program, many of our participants transform into local leaders. Across our country offices, we introduced the Change Agents program for graduates to make a difference in the lives of other women like them. We also engage men as allies through our Men’s Engagement Program (MEP), to remove the systemic and cultural barriers women face.
Recent findings from our surveys and program evaluations in Nigeria indicate that our graduates were better prepared to pivot their businesses with the tools and knowledge gained from their vocational courses, making it possible for them to still earn an income and provide for their children.
For example, Stronger Women, Stronger Nations participants in Nigeria were 20% more likely to have some profitable activity during the pandemic. This data speaks to our vital role in fostering resiliency during times of economic uncertainty.
Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program participants receive a monthly training stipend to support themselves during times of uncertainty. Because of this, more women had savings to fall back on as waves of COVID shut down businesses and unemployment soared. Now as we recover from the pandemic, participants have necessary skills to support both their family and the local economy.
Hear in Aveen’s words how Women for Women International’s programs are making an impact.
Standing with Afghan Women During Crisis
When Taliban forces took control of Kabul in August 2021, rebuilding the lives of the women we serve in Afghanistan became our utmost priority. Our global community, including 26,000 new supporters, raised $5 million dollars to uplift Afghan women during this time of crisis.
Now, we are working with the new government and partner organizations on the ground to meet immediate critical needs including enabling mobile cash transfers, providing kitchen garden and poultry kits as well as assessing the longer-term needs of our program participants.
Conflict Response Fund
Our work to uplift the power of women does not stop at Stronger Women Stronger Nations. Around the world, more countries are experiencing some form of violent conflict than at any other time in the last 30 years, and we know how critical it is to support these nations’ women.
Through our Conflict Respond Fund (CRF), we can expand our impact by tracking crises in real time, identifying credible partners on the ground and allocating resources to meet the urgent needs of women survivors, no matter what side of a conflict they are on. CRF grant recipients, past and present, include Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Tigray, and Bangladesh.
The Future of Women for Women International
As 2022 begins, the pandemic continues to rage on in waves globally, increasing gender inequality, widening the poverty gap and highlighting the inequitable access to vaccines, especially in the countries where we work.
Adding to this, conflict and crises continue to escalate across the world. From the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan with millions facing starvation and the economy on the brink of collapse, to the escalating sexual violence against women in Tigray where rape is being commonly used as a weapon of war, continuing to support women survivors of war and conflict is more important now as ever.
Join us in creating a world where every woman’s voice, role and contributions are valued – a world where women realize their power.
To learn how you can get involved visit our website and follow us on social media @womenforwomen
Posted on February 6, 2022
Our January grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups working for climate justice, economic justice and reproductive rights. In January, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation to Action for the Climate Emergency, People’s Action and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our January grant recipients thank you.
Action for the Climate Emergency
$52,471
“Thank you, CREDO members! Your generosity makes it possible for ACE to educate, activate and support a new generation of climate and democracy organizers like me, and our community of 750,000 youth who are taking action on the climate emergency.” – Hakim Evans, ACE Fellow Alumnus
To learn more, visit acespace.org.
People’s Action
$42,294
“Thank you! Organizing is the craft of bringing people together to build power where it did not exist, to then change how things work. Your contribution helps us build the power we need to win change people can feel in our everyday lives.” – George Goehl, Director, People’s Action Institute
To learn more, visit peoplesaction.org.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
$55,235
“Thank you for your support, which keeps the Planned Parenthood Action Fund strong as we fight for reproductive freedom and health care access. Together, we will work to build a more equitable future for all people.” – Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund
To learn more, visit https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in February, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on February 3, 2022
Innocence Project Grantee Highlight: Innocent People Wrongfully Convicted Deserve Fair Compensation
Note from the CREDO team: This February, Innocence Project is among three amazing groups who will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community this month will power the Innocence Project’s work to restore lives by freeing the innocent and supporting their reconnection to community, transform the systems responsible through policy reform, and advance the collective power of this innocence movement.
Read this important blog post from Alexandra Weeks, Innocent Project’s Assistant Director of Institutional Giving below, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to Innocence Project and our other amazing grantees this February.
At the Innocence Project we envision a criminal legal system beyond wrongful conviction. We fight for fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice; free the innocent; and prevent wrongful convictions. Our work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism — leveraging 30 years of expertise to not only exonerate, free, and support the staggering number of innocent people wrongly convicted; but also drive reform of the unjust, unreliable, and racially biased systems that lead to wrongful convictions. Compensation for the wrongfully convicted is a fundamental piece of this work.
More than 4,000 years have been lost to wrongful incarceration by the 236 innocent people the Innocence Project has freed or exonerated to date. At the minimum, states have the responsibility to provide compensation for this injustice — currently 13 states have no wrongful conviction compensation law at all.
Right now, Florida has an opportunity to reform their wrongful compensation law to ensure fair and accessible compensation for all exonerees who have spent years of their lives wrongfully incarcerated. Florida’s existing law is leaving out many of the people it should be benefitting. Fifteen exonerees, who spent a combined 236 years incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, are barred from receiving compensation for their wrongful imprisonment because of unique issues in the state’s law. This doesn’t have to be the case, and only two changes need to be made to allow them to obtain the compensation they rightfully deserve:
- Allow people with prior convictions to receive compensation. Florida’s law is the only one in the U.S. that bars compensation to exonerees if they have been previously convicted of other crimes. Research shows that people who have previously come into contact with the legal system are much more likely to be wrongfully convicted in the first place due to their record.
- Extend the tight 90-day application deadline from the day an exoneree’s conviction was overturned. Florida arbitrarily requires exonerees to file for compensation within 90 days from the date that their wrongful conviction is vacated by a judge. This deadline doesn’t consider common circumstances outside of exonerees’ control wherein they are forced to wait longer than 90 days for prosecutors to accept the judge’s ruling, rendering them ineligible for compensation.
Florida lawmakers have the opportunity to solve these issues now. Rep. Traci Koster (R-Hillsborough & Pinellas) and Senator Keith Perry (R-Alachua, Marion, Putnam) have introduced House Bill 241 and Senate Bill 526 to fix the law for all exonerees in Florida. In collaboration with our local Innocence Network partner the Innocence Project of Florida, and with your help, we are working to pass this critical legislation.
Support exonerees today by pledging your support for compensating all wrongfully convicted people — text FLORIDA to 97016 stay updated on this campaign.
If passed, the impact of this reform would not only mean fair compensation for the current 15 Floridians who lost more than 230 combined years to wrongful incarceration, but would also ensure future injustices are rectified. Here are the stories of just a few of those exonerees who still await compensation for decades of wrongful conviction:
Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin was exonerated in 2018 after spending 14 years in prison, including a decade on death row, for a murder he didn’t commit. He is one of six exonerees barred from compensation due to the narrow and unrealistic filing deadline. When the court threw out his conviction, Clemente only had 90 days to seek compensation, but like most exonerees, he had to wait to see if the prosecutor would request a retrial before he could show he was fully exonerated and eligible for compensation. When the prosecutor finally announced Clemente wouldn’t be retried, it was too late. Read more about Clemente’s story and his ongoing fight for justice in his own words here.
Robert DuBoise was exonerated in 2020 after spending 37 years in prison, including three on death row, for a murder he didn’t commit. He is one of nine exonerees who are barred from receiving compensation because Florida is the only state in the country to prevent exonerees with prior convictions from being compensated. Robert’s claim to compensation should have been clear. But solely because he received probation when he was 17 for two minor non-violent offenses, the law says he isn’t owed any compensation for the decades unjustly taken from him. Hear more about Robert’s story in his own words in this video, featured as part of our partnership with the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Orlando Boquete was exonerated in 2006 after spending 13 years in prison for burglary and attempted sexual battery he didn’t commit. Two years after his wrongful conviction, Orlando escaped Florida’s Glades Correctional Institution — a place he never should have been — and lived on the run as a fugitive from injustice for 11 years before he was caught and wrongfully reincarcerated. Because of Orlando’s non-violent criminal record from the years he was a prison escapee, Florida will not compensate Orlando for the time he lost. Hear more about Orlando’s incredible story in the new short film: A Run for Freedom, a collaboration with VeryTaste.
Posted on February 1, 2022
6 great Instagram accounts every progressive should follow
Social media is a great place to connect with friends, family and the causes we care about.
But our social feeds can get rather stale — even become an echo chamber — if we’re not on the lookout for new perspectives.
We’re here to help give your feeds a fresh and quick makeover! Here are 6 great Instagram accounts every progressive should add to their lists if you care about climate justice, civil rights, equality and great visual storytelling.
@devthepineapple
https://www.instagram.com/devthepineapple/
Devon Blow is a Los Angeles-based artist and graphic designer who uses social themes and pop-art style illustrations “to inspire and empower vulnerable, marginalized, neglected and disenfranchised communities; and to celebrate cultural expression in all forms.”
@yearsofliving
https://www.instagram.com/yearsofliving
The YEARS Project is dedicated to fighting climate change deniers and making climate justice the most important political, economic and social issue on the world’s agenda. The organization was a 2020 CREDO grantee and used the funding to help tell the story of climate change and the effects it is having on frontline communities, our economy, our health and our society.
@theslacktivists
https://www.instagram.com/theslacktivists
Featured in Forbes, USA Today and Axios, the slacktivists use social media to explain complex news and sociopolitical issues in easy-to-understand images and infographics. If you have pressing questions about the climate crisis, the filibuster, or the pandemic, they probably have an answer.
@heathercmcghee
https://www.instagram.com/heathercmcghee/
Heather C. McGhee is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “The Sum Of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.” Her Instagram feed is filled with poignant quotes and observations covering racial and economic justice, democracy and current events.
@Whatmabeldid
https://www.instagram.com/whatmabeldid/
Mabel is a sustainably-focused Illustrator and designer whose Instagram feed is filled with beautiful body-positive, queer-friendly artwork that will brighten your day as you scroll through the app. If you find a piece you particularly like, she might have it for sale on her website.
@whereloveisillegal
https://www.instagram.com/whereloveisillegal/
Where Love Is Illegal is a project by Witness Change, a nonprofit that uses visual storytelling to support excluded people as they reclaim their narratives and improve their lives. With each photo, @whereloveisillegal documents and shares incredible LGBTQI＋ stories of survival from around the world.
Posted on February 1, 2022
Vote for Innocence Project, Sunrise Movement and Women for Women International this February
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly donation to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This February, you can support civil rights, climate justice and women’s rights by voting to fund Innocence Project, Sunrise Movement and Women for Women International.
Innocence Project
The Innocence Project exonerates, frees, and supports the staggering number of innocent people wrongfully incarcerated. The organization envisions a criminal legal system beyond wrongful conviction and works to transform the unjust, unreliable, and racially biased systems responsible.
Funding from the CREDO community will power its work to restore lives by freeing the innocent and supporting their reconnection to community, transform the systems responsible through policy reform, and advance the collective power of this innocence movement.
Sunrise Movement
Sunrise Movement is building an army of young people from the plains to the mountains to the coasts to win the Green New Deal and center racial and economic justice in the fight against the climate crisis.
Funding from the generous support of CREDO members will power the group’s youth mobilization program as it works to bring the Green New Deal to communities across the country in 2022.
Women for Women International
WfWI’s global community invests in women and provides the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to create sustainable change for women, their families, and their communities.
The funding from CREDO directly supports marginalized women in conflict as they earn and save money, improve their health and well-being, influence decisions in their home and community, and connect to networks for support.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donation among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by February 28.
CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and join our movement.
Posted on January 27, 2022
How to disinfect your phone the right way and keep it germ-free
Our phones are germ magnets. We touch contaminated surfaces like elevator buttons and door handles then transfer those nasty bugs to our smartphones, where viruses can live for days or weeks at a time.
In fact, our phones can carry 17,000 bacteria per square inch — 10 times more than a toilet seat! — and we touch our phones more than 2,500 times a day with every tap, type and swipe.
That’s why we recommend you disinfect your phone on a regular basis to stay healthy and keep your devices clean. In this week’s tip, we’ll show you the right way to clean your phone to keep it germ free.
Prevention: Wash your hands & avoid touching your face
The CDC considers phones “high touch surfaces” that require frequent cleaning, but how can we prevent our phones from getting too dirty in the first place? Washing our hands and avoiding touching our face.
The CDC reminds us that viruses, like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, may remain viable for hours and up to days on some surfaces, so taking precautions to wash your hands with soap and water and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth will help keep your phone clean. Here are some tips on how to properly wash your hands.
Disinfect your devices the right way
To rid your phones of germs and grime, you won’t need to use astringent chemicals (which may harm your phone) or fancy devices to keep your smartphone clean. Everything you’ll need you probably already have around your home. Here are some steps that we recommend you take to clean your phone and other devices:
- Unplug and power down your device.
- Remove your phone case, if you have one. If your case is waterproof, wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and let it dry completely.
- Use a good, lint-free microfiber or lens cleaning cloth to remove oil and fingerprints.
- Don’t spray any disinfecting liquids directly on your device, as they may damage your device or its coating.
- Gently use a Clorox Disinfecting Wipe or 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe to disinfect your phone. You can also spray a 70% alcohol solution on your cloth, but not directly on your device. Do not use bleach and don’t submerge your phone in liquids. (Read more from Apple.)
- Samsung recommends using a “hypochlorous acid-based solution (containing 50-80ppm) or an alcohol-based solution (containing more than 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol)” gently applied to your device using a microfiber cloth.
- Allow your device to air dry for five minutes.
- If you want, you can purchase a UV-C sterilization device which works by shining a type of ultraviolet light that can destroy the genetic material of viruses and bacteria.
Posted on January 25, 2022
How CREDO is working to protect the future of our planet
At CREDO, being green isn’t just a fad. It’s who we are and who we’ve always been. We’ve been fighting the green fight—with our dollars, our deeds and our voices—for over 35 years.
Since we were founded, we’ve donated more than $20 million to climate justice and environmental organizations working to protect our planet. Groups like 350.org, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Inside Climate News, Center for Biological Diversity, Rainforest Action Network and so many more.
To reduce waste, we started printing our bills on 100% post-consumer recycled paper all the way back in 1992 — a rarity then — and now we encourage everyone to go paperless! And to date, we have planted close to 4 million trees worldwide through donations to tree-planting organizations.
This work to fight for our planet is powered by our customers who use our products and services every day — and all our members who vote to help distribute our donations to our monthly grantees.
This month, you can vote to help fund the incredible youth-powered climate justice organization Action for the Climate Emergency, who works to educate millions of teens about the climate emergency through original media, helps 750,000 youth members to participate fully in our democracy, and trains hundreds of youth climate organizers to end the era of fossil fuels.
You can cast your vote for Action for the Climate Emergency, along with People’s Action and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, this month by visiting CREDODonations.com.
Posted on January 20, 2022
How to use your smartphone as a tool for good
Your smartphone is great for staying connected with your friends and family, playing games, browsing social media and watching funny cat videos. But it can also be a tool to make positive social progress in our world.
Whether you’re looking to make change in your community, hold your lawmakers accountable, or help those less fortunate, your smartphone can be an important tool for good. Here are some quick tips to help you get the most out of your phone to make a positive difference.
Register to Vote
One of the best ways to make your voice heard and create change is by exercising your right to vote — and that starts by ensuring you are able to access the ballot box in your community by registering to vote. Our grantees at Vote.org have a number of simple tools you can access right from your smartphone or computer to check your voter registration status, locate polling places and dropboxes, access your ballot information for upcoming elections, and, of course, tools to help you register to vote.
The first 2022 primary elections are only a couple months away, so it’s never too early to check your voter registration status and register to vote. Visit Vote.org to learn more.
Donate surplus food to people experiencing hunger
Here’s a stunning statistic: Food waste accounts for roughly 30-40% of America’s food supply. And another stunner: more 38 million people, including 12 million children, are considered food insecure in our country.
What if we could ensure some of that perfectly good but potentially wasted food can be donated to people experiencing hunger instead? Thankfully, we can, and your smartphone can help.
If you’re a business owner with surplus food, or know someone who is, our allies at Feeding America have an app, MealConnect (iOS and Android), that will connect businesses with extra food with local food banks in their area. It’s easy to sign up, connect to a local food bank, take photos of your food, and wait for a volunteer to pick up the food.
Not a business owner? Use this tool from Feeding America to find a food bank near you who is currently accepting food donations, and find out which foods they will accept (self-stable and non-perishable) and not accept.
Support people facing online harassment
Research shows that four in ten Americans have experienced online harassment, with women and BIPOC communities more likely to face severe online abuse. Our grantees at Hollaback! are working to end harassment in all its forms by transforming the culture that perpetuates hate and harassment. One of the main pillars of their work is bystander intervention by training people to respond to, intervene in, and heal from harassment.
HeartMob is Hollaback!’s digital platform designed to provide immediate support to people experiencing online threats, doxxing, impersonation, DDoS attacks, swatting, and, more recently, zoom-bombing.
The HeartMob platform provides peer support, resources, and documentation for individuals experiencing online harassment. Bystanders are given tools to take concrete actions that reduce individual trauma and help build safer online spaces. User’s experiences are validated, their mental health supported, and their accounts remain secure, online, and generating content without disruption. To date, the platform has provided tools for internet users who have provided over 9,370 bystander interventions against harassment and abuse. HeartMob won Netroots Nation’s “best new product” award in 2016 and received an endorsement from the New York Times editorial board. With HeartMob, everyone has a role in providing support. For more information, or to take action against online harassment today, see iheartmob.org
Start a Petition
Maybe you want your city council to protect a local watershed, you’re fired up about combating climate change, or you want Congress to protect your community from gun violence — and you want to take action now.
Luckily, you can start a petition to get your neighbors — or activists across the country — to join you and get the attention of important decision makers. Our friends at MoveOn.org have an easy-to-use, people-powered tool that allows anyone to build a petition on the issues you care about to let you start gathering signatures right away.
To learn more and get started creating your own petition, visit https://sign.moveon.org/.
Record an interaction with law enforcement
In 2020, a bystander’s cell phone video turned the tide after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in bringing his killers to justice — and ignited a national reckoning for police reform and racial justice.
Today, everyone who owns a smartphone holds the power in their hand to ensure accountability and their own safety by recording interactions or misconduct with law enforcement. Our grantees at the Electronic Frontier Foundation believe you have a First Amendment right to record your interaction with the police, as long as you are not interfering with their official duties.
Our allies at the American Civil Liberties Union offer a mobile app that helps you easily record, witness and report law enforcement interactions and misconduct right from your phone. The app also lets you add additional information, share your location and include contact information for follow up from your local ACLU affiliate. The free app is available for iOS and Android on the ACLU’s website.
Here are some additional resources if you are interested in learning more.
Posted on January 18, 2022
Brady United is reducing gun violence in our communities, thanks to CREDO members
For more than 40 years, our partners at Brady: United Against Gun Violence have been uniting gun owners and non-gun owners alike in the fight against gun violence. With programs that tackle the root causes of America’s gun violence epidemic, Brady works to ensure that every community is safer.
In May 2021, CREDO members voted to distribute $57,360 to help bolster Brady’s on-the-ground programs in areas most impacted by gun violence, help the organization take the gun industry to court, promote safe gun storage, and more — with a goal of reducing gun violence 25% by 2025.
Here are some recent victories and highlights of Brady’s work, thanks to funding from CREDO members:
Combating Crime Guns Initiative (CCGI):
Brady’s Combating Crime Guns Initiative works to shift the burden of gun violence from the shooters to the suppliers of crime guns, including irresponsible gun industry actors who prioritize profit over public safety. One way the group accomplishes this goal is through enhancing gun dealer inspections.
Enhancing Local and State Gun Dealer Inspections
Not content with simply revealing gaps in enforcement, over the past year Brady has also looked for ways to directly improve gun industry oversight. Knowing that states and localities with appropriate authority can conduct their own gun dealer inspections, the group developed a predictive algorithm to help state and local police departments prioritize inspections. Developed by analyzing thousands of pages of inspection reports for gun dealer characteristics and violations, this tool can predict ‘high-risk’ gun dealers 4.5 times more accurately than random selection.
Over the past year, Brady’s Crime Guns team trained police in one state on how to implement this ‘inspection optimization algorithm’ into their existing gun dealer oversight practices. In just its first two weeks of use, this predictive tool identified one gun dealer that was repeatedly violating state law by not recording ammunition sales. Despite having been in operation for years and never having followed this specific state law, state police had no plans to inspect this dealer until the shop was identified by our algorithm. This was an extremely promising start to Brady’s long-term work improving gun dealer inspections across the state. Brady will soon be bringing this tool to a state where a law was recently passed requiring local law enforcement to conduct gun dealer inspections.
End Family Fire (EFF)
End Family Fire is a national public service advertising campaign from Brady and the Ad Council that debuted in August 2018. EFF recognizes that gun owners are an essential part of the gun violence prevention movement—and can prevent tragedies through safe gun storage. Grounded in extensive market research on the gun-owning population and their gun storage behaviors, EFF engages in a direct dialogue with gun owners, inviting them into the conversation about protecting their families and keeping our communities safe through responsible gun ownership.
Suicide Prevention Campaign
End Family Fire initially focused on preventing unintentional shootings. In late 2020, Brady expanded the End Family Fire campaign to focus on another type of gun violence that is often not talked about: gun suicide. In the U.S., we lose 63 people a day to gun suicide—more than those who are lost to firearm murders and unintentional shootings combined. In fact, over half of all gun deaths in America (61%) are suicides.
The new phase of the EFF campaign highlights these realities, using both behavior-changing tactics and empathy-provoking methods, to motivate gun owners to store their guns locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition, thereby giving their loved ones a second chance at life. Our September launch was the product of years of research and message testing, and we could not be more proud of the resulting unique and life-saving campaign.
Brady Legal
Brady Legal has secured landmark precedents that hold gun companies and dealers accountable for the deaths and injuries they enable. To date, the program has won over $60 million in settlements and verdicts for gun violence victims and successfully pushed many gun dealers and manufacturers to adopt more responsible, safer business practices. They have argued and won cases before numerous state supreme courts, trial courts, and federal appeals courts, and litigated in over 40 states.
Recent Legal Win
Galliher v. Cabelas: Family of slain Ohio man settles lawsuit with Cabela’s for selling a gun to prohibited purchaser Brady, on behalf of the family of Bryan Galliher, a 21-year-old man murdered in 2016, has settled a lawsuit against outdoor retailer Cabela’s and its parent company, Bass Pro Group LLC, for selling the gun used to kill him. Brady alleged that the retailer violated Ohio law by selling a black powder gun—a replica of an antique Army revolver—to an Orrville man prohibited from possessing firearms due to a felony conviction of violence. As a result of the settlement, Cabela’s has instituted sweeping reforms to its marketing and sales practices to keep black powder guns out of the hands of individuals with a violent history and others prohibited by law from possessing a gun.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Brady’s incredible, life-saving work, please visit Brady’s website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
