February 23, 2018
This week, the Georgia Senate is fast-tracking an anti-immigrant bill that would harm public safety all over the state and would further make Georgia un-welcoming by creating a police state for everyone to prove legal status with every interaction with law enforcement, even for minor crimes.
There is a lot going on and you need to stay engaged. Please stay up to date with us on facebook.com/GALEO.org for the latest actions and information.
Please join our advocacy efforts by joining our texting campaign. The image to the right is our latest way to engage with our supporters in a timely manner and make our efforts more effective. Please stay engaged and respond to important actions by texting the word IMMIGRATION to the short code number 864-237. This will add you to our texting program to ensure we speak up at needed times.
Thank you for your support!
Jerry Gonzalez
Executive Director
GALEO
|
 |
|
Georgia Senate poised to take up the “Run from the Cops” bill that would make Georgia a Police State for immigrants and anyone who can’t prove U.S. citizenship. Call 1-855-727-7407 NOW!
Your voice is needed to help stop this bill.
Makes communities less safe, not more safe.
- Trust between immigrant communities and police are at an all-time low, and this bill discourages crime reporting by immigrant communities by making it more likely that local police will investigate immigration matters instead of focusing specifically on local crimes (see Section 1, lines 20 through 23).
- Immigrants will be discouraged from going to court for minor offense (local ordinance violation-Section 2, line 32, et seq) out of fear that they could be subjected to deportation. This creates inefficiencies in the administration of local justice.
Commandeers local police for immigration enforcement purposes, regardless of whether they wish to do this.
- There are currently a handful of 287g counties in the state. If they choose to do so, police departments can make the choice to sign up. Local police and local officials know best how to build trust with their communities and pursue public safety. This bill is an overreach, and substitutes sound on-the-ground judgment for overweening and potentially uninformed state oversight. Citizens at the local level elect local officials to hold them accountable for local outcomes. Why should the will of local voters be overruled?
Imposes undue financial burdens on local governments
- Reporting requirements under this bill use up precious time and resources and amount to an unfunded mandate.
|
|
#AdiosAmazon English Only Constitutional Amendment is up for debate in the GA Senate!
ACTION ALERT
English-only Constitutional Amendment would likely be unconstitutional and conflict with federal law. However, it will also send a negative message that Georgia is an unwelcoming state for foreigners. It would likely catch the attention as Atlanta attempts to attract Amazon’s HQ2. We call the legislation #AdiosAmazon because we do feel that it would harm Georgia’s future efforts for attracting ongoing economic development. Please call your Senator to oppose this legislation.
To find out who your Georgia State Senator is, please follow this link:
http://www.senate.ga.gov/senators/en-US/FindyourLegislator.aspx
CALL THESE HOTLINES:
Make your calls now! AND share the graphic above with the hashtag #AdiosAmazon and tag @amazon as well. Share the numbers too!
Let’s defeat this legislative initiative again.
Join us every THURSDAY for Immigrant Rights Thursdays at the Capitol hosted jointly by AAAJ-Atlanta & GALEO! See details below. Your voice of reason is needed!
https://www.facebook.com/events/153865008730338/
|
|
Georgia should pass Hate Crimes Legislation to protect communities and make #HateFreeGA ! Unfortunately, the legislation has stalled.
|
|
Hate crime legislation stalled!
Since there was a hearing on HB 660 last week, the legislation has not moved. The House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee seems unwilling to move it and hasn’t shown a willingness to seriously discuss revisions to the legislation because they’re simply philosophically opposed to what they believe to be “thought crimes.”
We are working to get the legislation moved to the House Judiciary Committee and this is the group to contact now.
The message: “I want to see Georgia pass hate crime legislation. An issue of this magnitude deserves to get a vote on the House floor.”
Contact Committee members and the Speaker’s Office now:
(thank Chairman Willard for his help and support)
Key Committee members:
|
|
Beth
|
Beskin
|
404.656.0254
|
|
|
|
David
|
Dreyer
|
404.656.0265
|
|
|
|
Scott
|
Holcomb
|
404.656.6372
|
|
|
|
Trey
|
Kelley
|
404.657.1803
|
|
|
|
Randy
|
Nix
|
404.656.5146
|
|
|
|
Mary Margaret
|
Oliver
|
404.656.0265
|
|
|
|
Jay
|
Powell
|
404.656.5103
|
|
|
|
Dale
|
Rutledge
|
404.656.0254
|
|
|
|
Andy
|
Welch
|
404.656.5912
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Georgia is one of just five states in the nation that does not protect its citizens against hate crimes. The time for Georgia to rectify this is now.
- Hate crime laws punish criminal conduct and not thought. Therefore, a person cannot be convicted of a hate crime without committing an underlying crime such as assault or arson
- Hate crime laws protect all of us. Hate crime laws don’t speak in terms of African American, Jewish or Gay. The bill covers the following categories: race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, mental disability and physical disability.
- Atlanta is a finalist for Amazon’s second headquarters, and the eyes of the nation are on Georgia. We must show that we are a welcoming state that protects ALL its residents.
- Georgia is one of just five states in the nation that does not protect its citizens against hate crimes. The time for Georgia to rectify this is now.
Make your calls and send your emails now!
|
|
FREE Citizenship Workshop in April and June!
April 14th 2018 will be in Gwinnett County
June 23rd 2018: there will be several sites: Gwinnett County, Clarkston & at the Latin American Association.
Stay tuned for updates here!
Future FREE citizenship workshops can be found online here:
http://2014old.galeo.org/citizenship2018/
|
|
Hall County should have bilingual access in English and Spanish for all elections material!
GALEO and other community members have launched a petition addressed to Hall County Commissioners and the Hall County Elections Board. Please spread the word!
http://2014old.galeo.org/hall/
#HallEspanol #GALatinoVote
|
|
Volunteers are needed to register voters at Naturalization ceremonies and for the 2018 ELECTIONS!
Many people will become U.S. citizens this year and will need to register to vote. Volunteers are needed to help us with this initiative. Please volunteer if you can!
Schedule for volunteer opportunities is posted on our website here: http://2014old.galeo.org/join-galeo/volunteer/
Let us know by sending an email to harvey@2014old.galeo.org to confirm your interest and feel free to invite friends too!
There will be training necessary for all volunteers before going to the naturalization ceremonies.
Please send us an email and let us know when you can volunteer!
|
|
GALEO Joins our Friends at the American Jewish Community Atlanta Regional Office with celebrating the Atlanta Unity Seder on March 13th!
Following on the tremendous success of our previous Black-Jewish Seders, we invite you to join us for a unique experience in celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover, which tells the story from the book of Exodus of the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt, from slavery into freedom.
This year, the Seder will be conducted by Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus with participants representing Atlanta’s diverse religious, ethnic and international communities. The evening is designed to introduce the powerful story of Passover that is shared every year in Jewish homes around the world, and to enable us to share diverse experiences with each other.
Tickets are $36 per person and $18 for students and young professionals
For more information and to RSVP on facebook, please follow this link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/149087855804341/
|
|
Check out the latest videos of our Latino Leaders Summit, the 2017 Hispanic Heritage Month Luncheon & the 2017 Graduation of our GALEO Institute for Leadership!
|
|
| 2017 Hispanic Heritage Month Luncheon |
|
|
GALEO & OLAS Latino Leaders Summit
|
|
| 2017 GALEO Institute for Leadership Graduation |
|
#iamGALEO #GALatinoVote #gapol
|
|
Check out our Job Opportunities section on our website!
Are you looking for a new career or job opportunity? Know someone who is looking for a job? Also, some volunteer positions will be posted here from time to time. Please check this link weekly!
GALEO is also seeking an part-time canvassers! Please email harvey@2014old.galeo.org for details.
http://2014old.galeo.org/category/jobs/
|
|
The 2018 Cesar Chavez Essay Contest has started! Great PRIZES will be awarded! All Adults & High School Students in GA are eligible to enter!
The GALEO Leadership Council has announced details for the 11th Annual Cesar Chavez Essay Contest.
Chavez’s leadership was critical to organizing farm workers and founding what is today known as the United Farm Workers union. Chavez remains one of the foremost Latino leaders in American history.
High school students and adults residing in the state of Georgia are encouraged to participate and submit their essays for entree in one of three categories. Categories include:
- Adult category (essays submitted in Spanish or English)
- High school student category (essays submitted in Spanish or English)
- ESOL high school student category (essays submitted in English by ESOL students)
Deadline for submissions has been extended to February 24, 2018.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category.
1st place: $200 Amazon gift card
2nd place: $50 Amazon gift card
3rd place: $25 American Express gift card
For more details, please follow this link and also download the Entry Form & Consent Form below:
|
Join GALEO & become an active member of our network!
Your membership to GALEO supports our work and also allows for you to become part of the GALEO Leadership Council!
GALEO membership is open to anyone who supports our efforts and mission. Please consider becoming a member to help support our efforts in civic engagement and leadership development of the Latino community in Georgia. Through your membership, YOU make a difference and add your voice to ours! Together, we are STRONGER!
Become part of our GALEO Familia by becoming a MEMBER of GALEO. Once you are a member, you may join our GALEO Leadership Council to engage in the many activities we have going on to promote civic engagement and leadership development of the Latino community.
GALEO Membership: http://tinyurl.com/GALEOMembership
Join the GALEO Familia today!
|
|
