Everyone has a basic right to be free from coercion, exploitation, economic injustice, and violence, including harm imposed by private and corporate degradation of water, air, and soil. We will support a multi-faceted strategy for public safety including law enforcement, intervention and treatment, and universal background checks for firearm purchases. We will support economic justice for all.

We Affirm

1. Journalism that is independent of government interference and corporate domination is core to the function of our democracy; and

2. Freedom of the press requires that practitioners of journalism must be protected by society and its government justice systems; and

3. Mergers of large media companies stifle information by limiting the number of voices, opinions, and facts that inform our world view; and

4. Responsible public discourse requires that all people are accorded respect and dignity. Media should report news and events objectively, accurately, and fairly to rebuild and maintain the public trust. The media must maintain ethical, respectful standards for treatment of all people; and

5. Participants in all media have a social contract that must be fulfilled by delivering fair, balanced, accurate reporting of factual information; and

6. The importance of media literacy, which is the ability to critically evaluate media messages and create media thoughtfully and conscientiously.

We Will

1. Support the principles and best practices of the Community Policing and Safety models that dedicate resources to alternative approaches and establish meaningful measures to disentangle police from nonviolent crimes; and

2. Prioritize police resources to address serious threats to public safety by resolving nonviolent crimes without the threat of arrest, using instead a focus on intervention, prevention, and rehabilitation; and

3. Oppose the sale of assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines by reinstating and strengthening the national assault weapons ban; and

4. Demilitarize law enforcement; and

5. Support increased training for de-escalation procedures for law enforcement and the use of behavioral community health and safety teams that are available 24 hours a day. Oppose the use of excessive force by law enforcement; and

6. Support efforts to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the effects of gun violence as a public-health issue and apply this data to common-sense gun legislation; and

7. Expand comprehensive services for survivors of violence and increase prevention efforts in our communities and on our campuses by providing educational and other programs that help shift cultures of violence; and

8. Ensure that all necessary measures are taken to heal and prevent family violence upon relatives, children, and animals; and

9. Support fully funded crisis triage centers that divert people experiencing mental health episodes from jail and provide safe houses and psychological counseling 24 hours a day; and

10. Support strong civilian management and community oversight of law enforcement agencies to improve transparency in the hiring and firing of officers and to make recommendations for disciplinary action, budgets, and policies; and

11. Repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke dangerous legal immunity protections for firearm manufacturers and sellers; and

12. Support the enactment and enforcement of aggressive laws against illegal gun trafficking; and

13. Recognize that nuclear material poses inherent risks to safety and encourage stronger safety-focused oversight and accountability; and

14. Demand continued public access to nuclear safety reports; and

15. Support the continued reduction of nuclear warheads and continued research on nuclear warheads’ safety, security, and reliability.