We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."

― Pope Francis, Laudato Sí: On Care for our Common Home

On Friday, April 10th, the St. Timothy’s Parish community came together for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate a hard-won milestone: the opening of the new “All Wheels” skate park, made possible by years of persistence and sustained effort from St. Timothy’s parishioners and COPS/Metro leaders. 

Benavides Park was an unsafe vacant lot, becoming one of the first issues St. Timothy’s Parish organized around in the early days of COPS/Metro. Parishioners went to the Parks and Recreation Department and secured the bond money needed to clear the land and build the first iteration of the park. When progress on the park stalled, the community refused to ease up on the pressure, and it was finally opened in the late 1970s. Originally called St. Timothy’s Park, it was renamed in 1984 in honor of Fr. Albert Benavides, COPS/Metro founding leader and the beloved Pastor of St. Timothy’s, after his passing. 

[Excerpt]

Deacon Judy Eighmy stood in front of the podium at the Phoenix City Council chambers on March 25, looked directly at council members, and cited the shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35,“Jesus wept.”

Eighmy, a leader with the Valley Interfaith Project (VIP), was one of dozens of Arizonans who showed up that day to implore the city to do more to protect immigrants in the face of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents target Arizona grandmothers, mothers, and other longtime residents, Eighmy delivered a moving testimony, using scripture to defend immigrants from what she called the “trauma” imposed on them by ICE.

In response to widespread power loss during extreme weather events like Hurricane Beryl, The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) secured $250,000 to construct Houston’s first Community Lighthouse at New Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

The project comes after repeated outages left millions without reliable access to electricity, exposing gaps in disaster preparedness—particularly in neighborhoods already facing longstanding infrastructure challenges.

When the City of Flagstaff began developing its Regional Plan 2045, city leaders turned to the Northern Arizona Interfaith Council (NAIC) to ensure the process included meaningful public engagement. 

Drawing on relationships with more than 20 institutions across Flagstaff, NAIC organized a broad effort to bring community experiences into the planning process. Through house meetings and civic academies, leaders gathered input directly from residents, naming the challenges that come with rapid growth, increased tourism, economic transitions, and climate change.

The County of Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations honored One LA-IAF with its John Anson Ford Human Relations Award for their work organizing Freedom Schools that bring faith and community institutions together to strengthen civic belonging, protect human dignity, and build solidarity across lines of race, faith, language, and immigration status.

[Excerpt]

San Antonio ISD officials during a Tuesday night meeting struggled to answer basic questions from concerned parents about curricula, sports and transportation options for students at three campuses the district recently handed over to an out-of-state charter operator.

Hosted by the watchdog group COPS/Metro, the forum was arranged so SAISD could address parents’ concerns that the district is privatizing public campuses. However, some attending the gathering said they left with more questions than answers…

Since last July, Mountain Voices Project has worked with residents of Sopris Mountain Collective, a cooperative in Glenwood Springs, to organize funding to establish the park as a resident-owned community. This would keep 100 homes in the park permanently affordable in a region facing an extreme housing crisis. 

After making their case to Glenwood Springs City Council (pictured above), residents are now calling on the City of Aspen to contribute public funding toward a resident-ownership purchase of the mobile home park. As the current land owner considers a $23 million offer from an undisclosed buyer, residents continue using fundraising, political, and legal tools to advance their cooperative effort.

As the San Antonio ISD (SAISD) and Edgewood ISD Boards consider relinquishing four neighborhood campuses to Colorado-based charter operator Third Future Schools, COPS/Metro leaders and members showed up in force to testify at SAISD—uncovering the power dynamics at play, raising urgent concerns, and putting forward clear demands to protect families.

[Exerpt from op-ed by CCG Leaders Claire Zilber and Shannon Hoffman originally published in Denver Westword]

“Denver, I hear you,” Mayor Mike Johnston said on social media when he announced that the city will not renew the Flock Safety camera contract that expires March 31. 

He claims he has heard the city, but has declined to meet with his constituents.

So, Flock is out and Axon Enterprise is on deck. 

Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG) is not convinced this is a better option for the City and County of Denver.

[Excerpt by Joe Rubio, National Co-Director, Industrial Areas Foundation]

Lament demands a response. In John’s gospel for this Sunday, we find the passage where collectively expressed grief makes such a claim. “Jesus wept” is often cited as the shortest biblical verse, but it may also be the most poignant. The scripture recounts the story just prior to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem when he learns that his beloved friend Lazarus is ailing in Bethany....