Chas Moore’s Post

📝 October 24th: A decision that impacts us all. In a 10-1 vote, Austin City Council passed the police union contract — despite ongoing concerns over transparency, accountability, and the broader financial impact on our city. This wasn’t about whether to support the officers doing their jobs with integrity. It’s about the *how* — how we ensure fair compensation without compromising the future of our city’s services and financial health. As many pointed out, we’re not saying, “Don’t pay officers.” We’re asking: Is there a way to do this responsibly A way that keeps our city from overspending on one department to the detriment of others, like mental health resources and community support services. This choice isn’t just a financial one. It’s a question of priorities: What kind of city are we building? Who are we centering, and who are we overlooking? Austin deserves a strategy that balances public safety with sustainable support for all city services — a strategy that truly invests in the people who live here. This vote may have passed, but we’ll keep showing up, speaking out, and pushing for a vision of Austin that is equitable, sustainable, and just. #AustinMatters #BalancedBudgets #CommunityFirst #KeepAdvocating

📝 The outcome is clear: On October 24th, Austin City Council voted 10-1 to pass the police union contract. But let’s talk about why that matters and what it reveals. In that room, filled with voices pleading for better — for smarter, more balanced decisions — fear was palpable. Not fear from the community asking for change, but fear within the council itself. A speaker said it best: “When you take this vote... at least tell people that you honestly did this because you’re afraid of Kirk Watson and the political backlash if you tell the police no.” This wasn’t just a policy decision. It was a moment where leadership was tested against the backdrop of political pressure, and the outcome spoke volumes. To prioritize political safety over community needs sets a tone for how we move forward as a city — a tone that can either build trust or deepen divides. Austin, we deserve courage from our leaders. We deserve representatives willing to make bold choices, not driven by fear but by the vision of a just, balanced future. The vote is done, but the work is not. Let’s keep pressing for accountability, for fearless leadership, and for policies that reflect our values, not just political expediency. #AustinLeadership #CourageOverComfort #CommunityBeforePolitics #StayEngaged

Action for Race Equality Thank you so much for inviting #ShaneSmith who has been significantly impacted by this grave historic injustice and I. Shane has constantly felt like he was alone, knew no other person affected, until he heard the stories of others in person. My takeaway was Dawn Butler MP statement to all potential claimants who have been affected by this injustice: 'There is no shame in your claim'. #LiverpoolAdvocatesForWindrush asks of the #MPs and #Parliament are: 1. Why are the same pieces of legislative instruments that caused this harm, are the same pieces of instruments that are used to not only create the Windrush Schemes but assess claimants' applications, since those instruments were created to exclude minority ethnicities to/in the UK? 2. Why is the rhetoric and actions only dealing with the symptoms of this issue and not the root cause - the legislative instruments? 3. Why not Call for amendments, repeal or changes to the immigration rules, if as #AmberRudd stated in 2018, that she wanted to 'right the wrongs' against the Windrush Generation and their Descendants? 4. Why not in light of that statement, grant the Windrush Generation and their Descendants 'Amnesty'? #WindrushAmnesty 5. And finally, why is there not information/data on the successful EU claimants countries of origin tot he Windrush Schemes? According to the Home Office data factsheet, EU citizens are and have been, the most successful claimants to the schemes. However, not one EU country is listed anywhere! The schemes list 65 Commonwealth countries (they are only 56 with the other 9 being dominions and dependent territories). Not one of those 65 is an EU country. Why? We implore the Labour Party (UK) to let 'Change Begins' through action and not just words! Show the minority residents (#WindrushGenerationAndTheirDescendants) who have been wronged by successive legislative measures and governments from 1948 onwards, that you mean what you say and are prepared to follow through!!! Stop #RacismAndDiscrimination based on a protected characteristic under the #EqualityAct2010. Finally (begin to) Right The Wrong! #WindrushJusticeForAll #EqualityAndEquity #LiverpoolAdvocatesForWindrush

Let’s make the Issue of Reparations for FoundationalFreed Black Americans perfectly clear. NO, European Americans , Reparations will NOT come from taxes such as our taxes going to support illegal immigrants , coupes and wars. The USA owes a debt that must be paid and they have the money to pay. Someone replied to me: “the call for reparations must also include slaves in the Caribbean need to be included . England supported the plantation loans to sugar cane farms and tobacco farms in the Caribbean. Those can trace back as well. Ados must include all defendants of slaves. In Americas and the Caribbean. Yes some dependents have come to America from there but some of there ancestors were slaves there too.” My response: “I agree with you. All descendants of slavery must be compensated with cash reparations. However, the USA is only responsible to and culpable to Foundational Black Americans (FBA). Caribbeans and other countries who were forced into slavery must look to their slave owners & colonialist for Reparations. The USA owes them nothing! They DID NOT build America. It was Foundational Black Americans who built America on slave and free labor. Many of those countrymen came to the US and have enjoyed the fruit of our (FBA) labors then delineated themselves from us until it suited their needs. Time and time again FBA has been overlooked and kept at the bottom by those who come here to take and demean FBA. They have clouded truths, put a wedge of doubt for European Americans to deny payment of Reparations to FBA’s causing those who has objected FBA’s inalienable rights to cash payments & other forms of Reparations to become derisions of studies that causes our “colonizers” to institute another “Jim Crow”, where mazza is still making money off us. Foreigners & Black immigrants hurt FBA, the only legal heirs to Reparations in the United States of America; the land FBA’s built and still suffer from the traumas, inequity, inequality, displacement and disparities of slavery.” #WisdomByElAhora #RestitutionMustBeMade #ReparationsMustBePaid #FoundationalBlackAmericans #FreedBlackAmericans #NoMoreReparationsStudies

Decoding the Roles of Local and State Elected Offices: Understanding Their Impact on You As Ray Jeter runs for the office of State Representative in Tennessee, he's perplexed to the confusion most people have when it comes to understanding what the roles of local and state elected offices actually embody. Listen to this episode and subscribe at www.mmtbp.com #ElectedOfficials #RoleExplanation #UnderstandingPolitics #GovernmentResponsibilities #Citizenship101 #RoleOfGovernment #PoliticalEducation #CivicResponsibility #InformedCitizen #PoliticalAwareness

Reading is fundamental…

Many believe assets are split equally, but Pennsylvania uses equitable distribution, meaning marital property is divided fairly—not always 50/50. Discover what this could mean for you in our latest blog post! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gRC2QRRW #DivorceLaw #EquitableDistribution #FamilyLaw #PennsylvaniaDivorce #DawnKGullLaw #NewBlogPost

In the coming months, we’re likely to hear a lot about crime and the need to be “tough” on it. But despite growing concern, research shows that crime statistics—particularly those for violent crime—have actually fallen significantly in the last several years. Nevertheless, public perception and political rhetoric often lead to budget dollars being funneled away from social programs and into law enforcement policies that can have a dramatic impact on marginalized communities, creating an atmosphere of fear, mistrust, and isolation that actually increases criminal activity. Emmaus House stands for justice and equity, rooted in faith and deep respect for the dignity of every human being. We’re not politicians or criminal justice experts, but we hope that as we consider these and other questions in the coming months, we do so in a spirit of compassion and service to our communities.

It's not too late! Join today's ATD Equity and Justice Institute. Register now for this no charge event which examines the connection between justice work and equity work and how #comm_college can help individuals impacted by the justice system. https://t.co/kdK7uWZkS1 #ATDToday

Learn about the chair of the Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee, Senator Stephanie Chang, in our latest feature.