GLASS invites Advancement Project, Brennan Center and Vera Institute to Monitor Top 4 Issues

Advancement Project – Washington, DC and Los Angeles, CA
Brennan Center – New York University
Vera Institute – New York, Washington, DC and New Orleans

MILWAUKEE - Keeping with expectations of collaborations and networking, Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Milwaukee Professionals Association, invited the Advancement Project, Brennan Center and the Vera Institute to monitor four (4) projects that she is working on for democracy and justice for the People. The four projects are:

• Call for Investigation – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U. S. Department of Justice

• Recent Warrant Arrest of Mary Glass – February 15, 2012
• Homeland Security, FEMA Preparedness – Milwaukee Professionals Association
• North America Stewardship – Milwaukee Professionals Association

Glass said, "I have followed their work for many years and feel that the issues mentioned above fall within their purview of work as well as the issues are today/in-the-moment topics for growth."

All three (3) of the organizations focus on democracy, the law, due process, civil rights, fair courts, racial justice, safety and justice for a better ran and just society with a judicial system that is trusted by those it serves. They are:


The Advancement Project (http://www.advancementproject.org/)
We are an innovative civil rights law, policy, and communications “action tank” that advances universal opportunity and a just democracy for those left behind in America. We believe that sustainable progress can be made when multiple tools—law, policy analysis, strategic communications, technology, and research— are coordinated with grassroots movements.

Mission
"To develop, encourage, and widely disseminate innovative ideas, and pioneer models that inspire and mobilize a broad national racial justice movement to achieve universal opportunity and a just democracy!"

Advancement Project was founded in 1999 in Los Angeles and Washington DC by veteran civil rights lawyers who were looking for new ways to dismantle structural barriers to inclusion, secure racial equity, and expand opportunity for all.
We create change by:

- Promoting and supporting coalitions and organizations that bridge race, culture, and class divisions;
- Building new tools for the national movement for social justice; and
- Effecting reform of public institutions responsible for providing democratic participation, affordable housing, education, and public health and safety.


Brennan Center (http://www.brennancenter.org/pages/about/)
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from racial justice in criminal law to Constitutional protection in the fight against terrorism. A singular institution – part think tank, part public interest law firm, part advocacy group – the Brennan Center combines scholarship, legislative and legal advocacy, and communications to win meaningful, measurable change in the public sector.

Democracy Program – Brennan Center
The Democracy Program seeks to change the ways in which citizens participate in their government by fixing the systems that discourage voting, hinder competition and promote the interests of the few over the rights of the many.

The challenge is great. Built-in obstacles bedevil our democracy. A patchwork of federal, state, and local laws govern campaigns and elections, creating a labyrinth of administrative barriers to voting. And money spent to elect candidates increases with each election cycle. District boundaries, drawn by incumbents who often elevate their personal and partisan power over the interests of their diverse constituents stifles the possibility of meaningful competition between candidates.

Our program collaborates with grassroots groups, advocacy organizations and reform-minded government officials to eliminate these obstacles. We strive to ensure that public policy and institutions reflect the diverse voices and interests that make for a rich, energetic democracy. The Center will advance these goals using tools of research, policy analysis and publications, media outreach and public education, legislative counseling and advocacy and legal action.


Vera Institute (http://www.vera.org/)
The Vera Institute of Justice combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.

Vera is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit center for justice policy and practice, with offices in New York City, Washington, DC, and New Orleans. Our projects and reform initiatives, typically conducted in partnership with local, state, or national officials, are located across the United States and around the world.

Vera’s Prosecution and Racial Justice Program (PRJ) has partnered with district attorneys in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; and San Diego County, California, to pilot an internal assessment and management procedure that is helping supervisors identify evidence of possible racial or ethnic bias in their staff’s aggregate decision making and respond appropriately when it is found. The procedure seeks to buttress the integrity of judicial outcomes and build public confidence in the criminal justice process
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On October 9-10, 2007, Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Campaign Neighborhood - CFNBA, sponsored a limited seating Reception and Seminar, Topic: Prosecution and Racial Disparity. The Guest Speaker was Attorney Wayne McKenzie, Project Director, Vera Institute. It was part of Campaign Neighborhood - CFNBA's Justice Should Matter Series. It was held at Marquette Law School and the host sites: Eisenberg Memorial Hall and Sensenbrenner Hall - Marquette University.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm was an invited guest.
Mary Glass was the Moderator.