Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Statement on Proposed Acquisition of North Memorial Health by Sanford Health
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 9 -- The Minnesota Nurses Association issued the following statement on May 8, 2026:
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Statement on proposed acquisition of North Memorial Health by Sanford Health
The Minnesota Nurses Association is deeply concerned by today's announcement that South Dakota-based Sanford Health intends to acquire North Memorial Health. This could have far-reaching consequences for patients, healthcare workers, and the communities they serve.
North Memorial Health leaders say the acquisition is necessary to address long-term financial and operational pressures. This announcement
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 9 -- The Minnesota Nurses Association issued the following statement on May 8, 2026:
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Statement on proposed acquisition of North Memorial Health by Sanford Health
The Minnesota Nurses Association is deeply concerned by today's announcement that South Dakota-based Sanford Health intends to acquire North Memorial Health. This could have far-reaching consequences for patients, healthcare workers, and the communities they serve.
North Memorial Health leaders say the acquisition is necessary to address long-term financial and operational pressures. This announcementputs renewed scrutiny on the system's priorities, long-term planning, and what this means for patients, workers, and public accountability moving forward.
North Memorial Health has used Maple Grove Hospital to strengthen and sustain the broader health system financially. Despite Maple Grove's continued strong performance and ongoing multi-million-dollar expansion investments, North leaders now say the system needs to be acquired to remain financially sustainable.
Those developments increase pressure on North Memorial leaders to explain how staffing, resources, and workforce protections will be protected across the system, including at North Memorial Robbinsdale Hospital. This comes as nearly 600 Maple Grove nurses prepare to vote on whether to authorize a strike amid unresolved issues at the bargaining table over a first contract.
MNA is calling on North Memorial Health to reach a fair contract with Maple Grove and provide clear, enforceable commitments that protect existing union contracts, bargaining rights, and successor protections for nurses across both organizations before moving forward with the acquisition.
Nurses are closely watching how this may impact contracts and benefits, healthcare costs, local-decision making, and the continued corporatization of healthcare services into increasingly large systems.
The announcement also comes as Sanford Health nurses in Bemidji are holding an informational picket today in their own fight for a fair contract, underscoring the importance of strong labor protections and enforceable worker standards during periods of major healthcare consolidation and system changes.
Sanford Health and North Memorial Health must engage in a transparent public review process that includes meaningful input from nurses and other healthcare workers as the Minnesota Attorney General examines how the proposed acquisition could impact patients and communities across the state.
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Original text here: https://mnnurses.org/statement-statement-on-proposed-acquisition-of-north-memorial-health-and-sanford-health/
[Category: Nursing]
NYSNA Nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Speak Out for Patient and Nurse Safety
NEW YORK, May 9 -- The New York State Nurses Association issued the following news release on May 8, 2026:
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NYSNA Nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Speak Out for Patient and Nurse Safety
Nurses Sound the Alarm on Rise in Workplace Violence, Demand a Fair Contract that Protects Nurses and Patients
With Contract Expired, Nurses Escalate Campaign for Safe Staffing and a Fair Contract
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Brooklyn, N.Y.- Today, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital spoke out for a fair contract that improves patient and nurse safety. The
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NEW YORK, May 9 -- The New York State Nurses Association issued the following news release on May 8, 2026:
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NYSNA Nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Speak Out for Patient and Nurse Safety
Nurses Sound the Alarm on Rise in Workplace Violence, Demand a Fair Contract that Protects Nurses and Patients
With Contract Expired, Nurses Escalate Campaign for Safe Staffing and a Fair Contract
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Brooklyn, N.Y.- Today, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital spoke out for a fair contract that improves patient and nurse safety. Thecontract for nearly 1,600 nurses at the hospital expired on April 30, and nurses are demanding a fair contract that delivers enforceable safe staffing standards, protections from workplace violence, respect for nurses' clinical judgement over artificial intelligence, fair wages and benefits, and more.
Several recent incidents of workplace harassment and violence, including an active shooter incident in January, have focused NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital nurses on improving safety at the hospital. Starting in the early morning and ending in the afternoon, hundreds of nurses marched, chanted and carried signs in front of the hospital for an informational picket to raise awareness about their demands.
Nurses have been bargaining for enforceable safe staffing standards to ensure there are always enough nurses to safely care for Brooklyn patients. The busy emergency department is often understaffed, increasing the risk of workplace violence.
Local NYSNA President at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Aldrich Crespino, RN, said: "Nurses are advocating to improve staffing at the hospital. We are fighting for minimum safe staffing standards to make sure our patients are always safe, and for expedited arbitration to address problems quickly when they arise."
NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital has a history of fighting against nurses' efforts to fix understaffing at the hospital. In August 2024, the nurses brought hospital management to arbitration over understaffing in four interconnected units--labor and delivery, pediatrics, pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) and neonatal ICU. NewYork-Presbyterian used its substantial resources on legal maneuvers to delay the hearing, avoiding accountability to this day.
Nurses experience some of the highest rates of workplace violence. Protection from workplace violence is another priority in the wake of a rising tide of violence in the hospital. From an active shooter incident in January to several incidents where nurses were harassed, groped and assaulted, nurses are looking for stronger protections, including a behavioral health rapid response team to deal with patients or visitors in mental health crisis.
NY-Brooklyn Methodist nurse and NYSNA local leader Sharonda Green, RN, said: "Recently, many nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist have experienced and been victims of a multitude of abusive and violent incidents, including sexual assaults and witnessing fatal events. During bargaining, we proposed several solutions to provide a safe environment for our patients and staff. It's time for management to listen to the nurses."
This contract fight comes on the heels of the largest and longest nurses strike in New York City history, where nurses at several hospitals including NewYork-Presbyterian won improvements to enforceable safe staffing standards, workplace violence protections, safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, protections for our most vulnerable patients, and fair wages and benefits.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, said: "Nurses and patients in Brooklyn deserve the same safety and respect as NYP nurses and patients in Manhattan. NewYork-Presbyterian needs to do the right thing and negotiate a fair contract with NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital nurses. If other New York City private sector hospitals, including safety-net hospitals, can deliver safe staffing, protections from workplace violence and fair wages and benefits, so can NewYork-Presbyterian in Brooklyn."
NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital nurses have been escalating their campaign for a fair contract. On April 24, nurses showed their solidarity by wearing buttons at work reading "Fair Contact Now" and "Safe Nurses = Safe Patients." On the same day, dozens of members gathered at bargaining to deliver a petition of their bargaining priorities to management signed by over 1,100 RNs. Nurses have also been busy reaching out to the surrounding community. Approximately 50 businesses have put up store signs in solidarity with NYSNA nurses.
Assembly Member Robert Carroll said: "I am proud to stand with the nurses at New York Presbyterian Methodist Hospital and support their demands for a fair and equitable contract that ensures sufficient staffing and strong workplace health and safety protections. Our community depends on the nurses at Methodist and they deserve a contract that enables them to best serve patients and working conditions that afford them respect."
"Every day, nurses show up for their patients with compassion, professionalism, and care. They deserve contracts that respect the essential work they do and recognize the critical role they play in our communities. I am proud to stand with NYSNA nurses at Brooklyn Methodist as they fight for a fair and equitable contract," said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.
Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest said: "The nurses at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist are fighting for the same thing every nurse in this city is fighting for: enough staff to do this job the way our patients deserve, and the right to come home safe. NewYork-Presbyterian has the resources to settle a fair contract. What they're showing Brooklyn right now is that they don't have the will. That has to change, and I stand with these nurses until it does."
City Council Member and Council Hospitals Chair Mercedes Narcisse said: "NYP Brooklyn Methodist nurses deserve a contract that reflects the work they do for our community every day. When hospitals refuse to bargain in good faith, it's not just nurses who pay the price. It's the patients and families who depend on them. I stand with my fellow nurses and call on the administration to come to the table and get this done."
City Council Member Alexa Aviles said: "I am proud to stand in solidarity with NYSNA nurses in Park Slope. These strong healthcare workers put in the hours and effort to ensure that our neighbors are healthy and safe. Their workplace protections are invaluable for our communities. They ensure better care and support for those in need."
City Council Member Kayla Santosuosso said: "I stand with the Nurses of NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in their fight to secure a fair contract. Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system and deserve fair wages and benefits. I urge the hospital administration to engage with the union in good faith and listen to the needs of those on the front lines of healthcare."
"CUFFH stands with nurses at Presbyterian Methodist Hospital as they begin their contract negotiations this Month. Their work is vital in keeping our community safe and healthy in Central Brooklyn. In 2026, we can't wait any longer -- nurses need safe staffing to support patient care, fair wages and job protections. We look forward to the hospital respecting the strength and power of the union and will support and recognize NYSNA and our nurses however we can as they push for a fair contract!" -- Rob Solano, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH).
"All workers deserve safety and dignity on the job, and for nurses that means safe staffing, fair wages, worker protections, and quality patient care from nurses, not artificial intelligence. ALIGN stood with NYSNA during the largest nurses' strike in our city's history, and we stand with NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital nurses now, who deserve the same standards as their union siblings in Manhattan. Invest in patients by investing in nurses -- deliver a fair contract," said Theodore A. Moore, ALIGN Executive Director.
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York's largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide
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Original text here: https://www.nysna.org/press/nysna-nurses-nyp-brooklyn-methodist-hospital-speak-out-patient-and-nurse-safety
[Category: Union]
Minnesota Nurses Association: Nurses Picket Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Seeking a New Contract That Stabilizes the Workforce
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 9 (TNSrep) -- The Minnesota Nurses Association issued the following news release on May 8, 2026:
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Nurses picket Sanford Bemidji Medical Center seeking a new contract that stabilizes the workforce
BEMIDJI, MN - Dozens of nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association, joined by community supporters held an informational picket today to highlight nurses' concerns at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Over 400 nurses have been bargaining since February with the hospital as they fight for a contract that values a stabilized workforce, invests in highly skilled nurses and
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota, May 9 (TNSrep) -- The Minnesota Nurses Association issued the following news release on May 8, 2026:
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Nurses picket Sanford Bemidji Medical Center seeking a new contract that stabilizes the workforce
BEMIDJI, MN - Dozens of nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association, joined by community supporters held an informational picket today to highlight nurses' concerns at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Over 400 nurses have been bargaining since February with the hospital as they fight for a contract that values a stabilized workforce, invests in highly skilled nurses andreduces turnover rates that disrupt continuity of care.
"Highly skilled nurses want to work in Bemidji to uphold the quality-of-care patients deserve," said Jessica Mistic, RN at Sanford Bemidji. "Nurses are fighting for a contract where the employer relies on highly skilled nurses and attracts new ones instead of temporary staff as a solution to nurse turnover."
On average, data from the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report (https://staffreliefinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf) reveals hospitals lose millions of dollars each year because of nurse turnover.
"This is about patient care, safety and security at the bedside," said Lorrie Dols, RN at Sanford Bemidji. "Hospital leaders must prioritize nurse retention and recruitment for critical patient care and the stability of the nursing workforce in greater Minnesota."
The informational picket comes the same day Sanford Health announced plans to merge with North Memorial Health. The announcement underscores the importance of strong labor protections, good-faith bargaining, and enforceable worker standards during periods of major healthcare consolidation and system changes.
Today's informational picket was not a work stoppage. The contract for Sanford Bemidji Medical Center nurses expired on February 28, 2026. Nurses are committed to having productive negotiations with the employer with patients at the center of their contract fight.
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Original text here: https://mnnurses.org/nurses-picket-sanford-bemidji-medical-center-seeking-a-new-contract-that-stabilizes-the-workforce/
[Category: Nursing]
FFRF Action Fund: 'Secularist' Mia Farrow Avows State/church Wall
MADISON, Wisconsin, May 9 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on May 8, 2026:
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'Secularist' Mia Farrow avows state/church wall
The FFRF Action Fund honors renowned actress and activist Mia Farrow as its "Secularist of the Week" for her strong affirmation of the constitutional separation between state and church.
Farrow took to BlueSky at the end of April to dismiss the Christian nationalist myth
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MADISON, Wisconsin, May 9 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on May 8, 2026:
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'Secularist' Mia Farrow avows state/church wall
The FFRF Action Fund honors renowned actress and activist Mia Farrow as its "Secularist of the Week" for her strong affirmation of the constitutional separation between state and church.
Farrow took to BlueSky at the end of April to dismiss the Christian nationalist myththat the United States is a Christian nation while declaring her commitment to state/church separation.
"I don't want to live in a Christian country," Farrow asserted. "I want to live in a country where I can choose to be Christian, or Jewish, or Hindu, or Buddhist, or atheist. Freedom. Separation of church and state."
In addition to her acting career, Farrow is well-known for her dedicated humanitarian and environmental activism.
FFRF Action Fund sincerely thanks Farrow for publicly declaring the importance of separating state and church as essential for true freedom in our country. Consigning the United States to the status of a Christian nation obscures American history and undermines constitutional state/church separation -- as well as the rights of those of other religions and nonreligion.
Prominent public figures like Farrow are needed as allies as we fight to safeguard our secular democracy.
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FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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Original text here: https://ffrfaction.org/secularist-mia-farrow-avows-state-church-wall/
[Category: Sociological]
Club for Growth PAC Endorses Jackson Lahmeyer in OK-01 Race
WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Club for Growth, an advocacy organization, issued the following news release on May 8, 2026:
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Club for Growth PAC Endorses Jackson Lahmeyer in OK-01 Race
Club for Growth PAC has endorsed Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer in Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District. Lahmeyer has been endorsed by President Trump, and he was the founder of Pastors for Trump.
"As a pastor, Jackson Lahmeyer stood up to big-government bureaucrats by refusing to enforce lockdowns and mask mandates, and he's going to do the same thing in the Washington Swamp as a Member of Congress," said Club for Growth
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WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Club for Growth, an advocacy organization, issued the following news release on May 8, 2026:
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Club for Growth PAC Endorses Jackson Lahmeyer in OK-01 Race
Club for Growth PAC has endorsed Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer in Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District. Lahmeyer has been endorsed by President Trump, and he was the founder of Pastors for Trump.
"As a pastor, Jackson Lahmeyer stood up to big-government bureaucrats by refusing to enforce lockdowns and mask mandates, and he's going to do the same thing in the Washington Swamp as a Member of Congress," said Club for GrowthPAC President David McIntosh. "Lahmeyer is a conservative champion that will support limited government and economic freedom, and we are proud to join President Trump in endorsing him."
Club for Growth PAC is affiliated with Club for Growth Action, the nation's largest conservative Super PAC. In 2024, Club for Growth PAC endorsed candidates won 79% of their elections.
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Original text here: https://www.clubforgrowth.org/club-for-growth-pac-endorses-jackson-lahmeyer-in-ok-01-race/
[Category: Political]
Americans for Tax Reform: Small Business Deduction Shouldn't Exclude Independent Financial Advisors
WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary by Mike Palicz:
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Small Business Deduction Shouldn't Exclude Independent Financial Advisors
Americans for Tax Reform urges the Trump Treasury Department to issue guidance allowing independent financial advisors to fully qualify for the 20 percent small business deduction.
The Working Family Tax Cuts passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by President Trump delivered historic, permanent tax relief for small and individually owned businesses through the 20 percent Deduction for Qualified Business
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WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary by Mike Palicz:
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Small Business Deduction Shouldn't Exclude Independent Financial Advisors
Americans for Tax Reform urges the Trump Treasury Department to issue guidance allowing independent financial advisors to fully qualify for the 20 percent small business deduction.
The Working Family Tax Cuts passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by President Trump delivered historic, permanent tax relief for small and individually owned businesses through the 20 percent Deduction for Qualified BusinessIncome (199a).
The Section 199A Small Business Deduction
The Working Family Tax Cuts permanently extended the tax deduction for Qualified Business Income (199a) for small businesses (partnership, S corporation, sole proprietorship, etc.) at 20 percent. The bill also eases the impact of previous limitations by increasing the phase-in range from the previous $50,000 (non-joint returns) and $100,000 (joint returns) amounts to $75,000 and $150,000, respectively. The tax cuts also introduced a more generous inflation-adjusted minimum deduction of $400 for taxpayers who have at least $1,000 of QBI from one or more active trades or businesses in which the taxpayer materially participates. This ensures small business owners with a certain QBI level are entitled to an enhanced baseline deduction.
Current Rule-Making Inadvertently Excludes Independent Financial Advisors
While this deduction was intended to provide broad-based tax relief for individually owned businesses, subsequent regulatory restrictions have inadvertently excluded thousands of independent financial advisors from qualifying for the deduction.
As economist Stephen Moore points out:
"These independents add value to investors and senior citizens by building longstanding personal relationships and offering first-hand financial advice tailored to the client's personal situation. But now they face an unfair and unreasonable additional hurdle: tax rates higher than Congress intended. Instead of having their top marginal income tax rate cut from 39.6% to 29.6%, like other small businesses, they face a 37% rate because Treasury Department bureaucrats excluded them from the full benefit of the small business tax deduction."
This higher taxation on these small business owners will lead to higher costs for consumers and reduce the ability of independent financial advisors to provide financial advice and services for American families.
Tax Code Shouldn't Pick Winners and Losers
Section 199A was created in the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts to create parity in the tax treatment between pass-through businesses and their corporate competitors benefiting from the reduced corporate income tax rate.
However, the current characterization of independent financial advisors as specified service trade or businesses (SSTBs) places these small business owners at a competitive disadvantage and paying higher taxes than other small businesses offering similar services, such as insurance brokers.
The government should not pick winners and losers in the marketplace. Inequitable treatment in the tax code should always be corrected through lowering taxes and regulatory burdens to provide equal treatment for competition.
Thankfully, President Trump's Treasury Department can correct the tax treatment of these small business owners by correcting Treasury guidance that characterizes independent financial advisors as specified service trade or businesses (SSTBs) and allow them to fully qualify for the 20 percent small business deduction.
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Original text here: https://atr.org/small-business-deduction-shouldnt-exclude-independent-financial-advisors/
[Category: Political]
ADL Statement on Guilty Plea and Sentencing of Man Responsible for Antisemitic Boulder Firebombing Attack
NEW YORK, May 9 -- The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization that aims to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all, posted the following statement on May 7, 2026:
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ADL Statement on Guilty Plea and Sentencing of Man Responsible for Antisemitic Boulder Firebombing Attack
ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today released the following statement on the guilty plea and sentencing of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the individual responsible for the antisemitic firebombing in Boulder, Colorado, at a peaceful Run for Their Lives walk to bring attention
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NEW YORK, May 9 -- The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization that aims to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all, posted the following statement on May 7, 2026:
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ADL Statement on Guilty Plea and Sentencing of Man Responsible for Antisemitic Boulder Firebombing Attack
ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today released the following statement on the guilty plea and sentencing of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the individual responsible for the antisemitic firebombing in Boulder, Colorado, at a peaceful Run for Their Lives walk to bring attentionto the hostages being held by Hamas.
We welcome today's guilty plea and sentencing of the man responsible for taking the life of Karen Diamond and injuring 28 others in one of the most shocking antisemitic acts in American history. This attack deeply traumatized the entire Jewish community and served as a reminder of what can happen when antisemitism is normalized in society.
No act of justice will bring back the life of Ms. Diamond, nor will it heal the wounds of those who suffered as a result of this horrific attack on a peaceful group of Americans.
We are deeply grateful for the work of law enforcement and District Attorney Michael Dougherty and his staff for pursuing justice in this case.
This firebombing was not a random act. The perpetrator planned this attack for over a year, targeting Jewish community members who were peacefully and publicly expressing their values. This demands a serious response, but the resolution of the state charges is just the beginning of the long road to justice for the victims. As ADL's latest data reveals, 2025 was the most violent year on record for American Jews since we started tracking this data in the 1970s, and last year saw the murder of three people in antisemitic attacks, including in Boulder. We are grateful to Gov. Polis for his partnership in securing additional Non-Profit Security Grant funding to help keep our communities safe, and we are working with individuals, families, schools and elected officials to confront antisemitism every single day.
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ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all." Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.
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Original text here: https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-statement-guilty-plea-and-sentencing-man-responsible-antisemitic
[Category: Political]
