With his mom behind bars for having a deportation order, 21 year-old Bryan Rivera spoke with "the voice of hundreds of kids being affected by immigration laws," alongside Bishop Joseph Pepe and other religious leaders of Nevadans for the Common Good.

Testimony from 'Nevadans for the Common Good' detailed how the failure to address a broken system is tearing apart families, harming children and weakening communities in Southern Nevada, thus highlighting how policy implementation at the local level is ultimately dehumanizing people.

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This legislative session, with the support of Together Louisiana, lawmakers will evaluate whether to pass a bill limiting how much payday lenders can make on the backs of their customers.

Ms. Thelma Fleming, a leader with Elm Grove Baptist Church, once spent $2,500 to get out of a $300 debt trap, eventually costing her her car, bank account and gifts from her children. Her institution is a member of Together Louisiana which is on the forefront of this legislative fight.

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With 650 people in attendance and 40 institutions represented in the roll call, Metro Vancouver Alliance launched a brand new organization in Canada. The assembly included senior political and religious leaders including the Catholic Archbishop and the newly invested Anglican Bishop. in addition to a plethora of younger people and diverse faces in the crowd.

Metro Vancouver Alliance Founding Assembly, Diocese of New Westminster, Anglican Church of Canada

Nestled off the 101 Highway between Santa Cruz and Paso Robles, St. John Catholic Church hosted a listening session to begin to "organize for justice and healing." Fr. Claudio reminded parishioners and community leaders that "righteousness and peace will embrace," before urging them to share their stories of abuse at the hands of the police. Resident after resident disclosed how thousands of dollars had been spent to recuperate cars that were unfairly impounded and sold by local police. The parish hall was packed; though the effort is young, people expressed hope in the possibility of addressing police practices as a community.

King City Residents Air Grievances, KION News - Channel 46

When confronted by Everett High School youth leaders about whether he would pitch in to help clean up Acosta Plaza, Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter didn't skip a beat. "Yes," he said to a group of presumptuous, yet polite, youth that had already successfully shaken down $500 from a neighborhood association for a basketball court. The campaign to clean up Acosta Plaza is led by East Salinan youth and recent college graduates eager to improve their neighborhood's image.

The Californian.com notes that Plaza cleanup is "going to do a lot of good."

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Industrial Areas Foundation Co-Director Ernesto Cortes, Jr. articulates and models the fundamentals of relational meetings, the core practice of broad based organizing.

This video, designed to showcase the craft of experienced organizer practitioners, was shot during a 3-Day IAF Training in Las Vegas, Nevada. Click on photo at right, or click here, to view clip.

When the Houston Independent School District Superintendent proposed the closure of five schools to cut costs, concerned parents noted that in at least one case students from a higher performing school would be re-directed to a struggling one. Port Houston Elementary School parents, who happened to worship at Resurrection Catholic Church, quickly organized a challenge to the closures in partnership with TMO, which their church had just joined.

Concerned TMO leaders met with HISD board members, in addition to meeting with parents and educators, to figure out how to preserve these schools. On Thursday, March 13th, over 100 leaders and parents descended upon the HISD board meeting and recognized board president Juliet Stipeche for removing Port Houston Elementary, Nathaniel Henderson Elementary and Fleming Middle School from the closure list.

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Catholic, Baptist and union leaders of Sydney Alliance challenged the wisdom of retail trading deregulation, given the impact on workers' families. Ten delegates gave personal testimony at a 'Take The Time' event; one related that as a father that works Sundays and 2 of 4 Saturdays per month, with a mother that works Saturdays, the only time to be a family occurs on days when shops don't open.

Facebook Post, Sydney Alliance

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At a town hall on Saturday, February 22nd, Rev. Errol Domingue directly asked leaders from the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus: Have you ever taken money from the payday lending industry? Will you continue to take their money in the future?

You could cut the tension with a knife.

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"Diane Vanette, a volunteer with OneLA who screens people at Obamacare enrollment events, recently informed a couple with deferred-action status that they were both eligible for Medi-Cal. "He was shocked, she was shocked," Vanette said.

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