Fund Lobbyists for Justice
Donation protected
Leading with Our Values was founded on the belief that political strategists should devote themselves to the public good. There are five legislative items I am currently working with friends to pass through the state legislature. But even more importantly, I want you to join me as together we can solve problems - big and small - to reimagine our community into one centered on justice. Please contact me with ideas, issues, and strategies at [email redacted], and share this GoFundMe to your friends with your personal story of what justice means to you.
My history protesting with the movement for Black lives and my lived experience serving on political campaigns, organizing with labor unions, and years working with activists fighting for liberty and equality, inspired me to found Leading with Our Values, a government relations and public affairs firm committed to economic, racial, sex and environmental justice.
Our Guiding Principles
1. Advise clients towards justice. Before accepting a contract, a lobbyist must first ask, “What is the goal and is this in the public’s interest?” and then counsel the client in creative ways to get there. We must hold the standard of the world we can see with our hearts for humanity and push for it every chance that we are given.
2. Ban clients from giving money to politicians. Hiring a lobbyist is always an attempt to influence government. If the clients of lobbyists are giving money to those making the rules, you will not be able to convince the public that such transactions are not corruption. Perception is reality.
3. Be an organizer. Lobbyists have a responsibility to organize constituencies--corporations, nonprofits and citizens--to solve big problems. Lobbyists need to leverage their collective knowledge and expertise, their trusted relationships with elected officials, and their clout in the business community to help shape our democracy into one that secures life, liberty, justice, and prosperity for all.
I am seeking funding to help lobby on behalf of these 5 statewide legislative issues in New York State as well as many other issues that are dear to my heart and yours.
1. Statewide Passage of Daniel’s Law:
Daniel Prude died when his family called the law enforcement with concerns about his mental state and the belief that he was a danger to himself. The response to his crisis resulted in his death. We demand that law enforcement no longer respond to mental health calls. We call on the state legislature to work with local organizers, the Prude Family, and mental health experts to develop legislation at the statewide level.
2. Statewide Passage of Cariol’s Law: https://www.cariolslaw.com
Cariol's Law is a legislative proposal to have a mandatory statute on police bystander intervention, requiring on or off-duty law enforcement to intervene in instances of abuse or misconduct. The legislation would provide protection from retaliation, require external investigation with mandated reprimanding for abuse or misconduct, and create a required reportable registry.
3. Statewide Ban on Police Use of Force Against Peaceful Protesters:
Across New York state, protesters were shot indiscriminately with rubber bullets and chemical weapons with the permission of those who command them. We call for a ban on the use of projectiles and chemical weapons against civilians across New York State.
4. Passage of the MRTA - Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act
The MRTA legalizes the production, distribution, and use of marijuana in New York. No state in the US has legalized marijuana in a way that prioritizes economic and racial justice. If passed, the MRTA would make New York a leader and set an example for the rest of the country for how to legalize marijuana with justice at the forefront. http://smart-ny.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/MRTA-FAQ_04.8.2019.pdf
5. Public Banking in New York State
"The City of New York places billions of public dollars in Wall Street banks that routinely exploit and extract wealth from low-income communities and neighborhoods of color, perpetuating racial and economic inequality. Through a public bank, New York City can support vital sectors of our local economy and divest from banks that are financing destructive corporate interests, including speculative real estate, private prison and immigrant detention companies, the global arms trade and the fossil fuel industry." - https://www.publicbanknyc.org/about
Read about my story in an op-ed published in the Gotham Gazette. https://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/9851-black-lobbyist-my-profession-must-change-new-york-lobbying
If you have an idea, issue, or strategy please share it with us at [email redacted] and share this GoFundMe with your personal story of what justice means to you.
My history protesting with the movement for Black lives and my lived experience serving on political campaigns, organizing with labor unions, and years working with activists fighting for liberty and equality, inspired me to found Leading with Our Values, a government relations and public affairs firm committed to economic, racial, sex and environmental justice.
Our Guiding Principles
1. Advise clients towards justice. Before accepting a contract, a lobbyist must first ask, “What is the goal and is this in the public’s interest?” and then counsel the client in creative ways to get there. We must hold the standard of the world we can see with our hearts for humanity and push for it every chance that we are given.
2. Ban clients from giving money to politicians. Hiring a lobbyist is always an attempt to influence government. If the clients of lobbyists are giving money to those making the rules, you will not be able to convince the public that such transactions are not corruption. Perception is reality.
3. Be an organizer. Lobbyists have a responsibility to organize constituencies--corporations, nonprofits and citizens--to solve big problems. Lobbyists need to leverage their collective knowledge and expertise, their trusted relationships with elected officials, and their clout in the business community to help shape our democracy into one that secures life, liberty, justice, and prosperity for all.
I am seeking funding to help lobby on behalf of these 5 statewide legislative issues in New York State as well as many other issues that are dear to my heart and yours.
1. Statewide Passage of Daniel’s Law:
Daniel Prude died when his family called the law enforcement with concerns about his mental state and the belief that he was a danger to himself. The response to his crisis resulted in his death. We demand that law enforcement no longer respond to mental health calls. We call on the state legislature to work with local organizers, the Prude Family, and mental health experts to develop legislation at the statewide level.
2. Statewide Passage of Cariol’s Law: https://www.cariolslaw.com
Cariol's Law is a legislative proposal to have a mandatory statute on police bystander intervention, requiring on or off-duty law enforcement to intervene in instances of abuse or misconduct. The legislation would provide protection from retaliation, require external investigation with mandated reprimanding for abuse or misconduct, and create a required reportable registry.
3. Statewide Ban on Police Use of Force Against Peaceful Protesters:
Across New York state, protesters were shot indiscriminately with rubber bullets and chemical weapons with the permission of those who command them. We call for a ban on the use of projectiles and chemical weapons against civilians across New York State.
4. Passage of the MRTA - Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act
The MRTA legalizes the production, distribution, and use of marijuana in New York. No state in the US has legalized marijuana in a way that prioritizes economic and racial justice. If passed, the MRTA would make New York a leader and set an example for the rest of the country for how to legalize marijuana with justice at the forefront. http://smart-ny.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/MRTA-FAQ_04.8.2019.pdf
5. Public Banking in New York State
"The City of New York places billions of public dollars in Wall Street banks that routinely exploit and extract wealth from low-income communities and neighborhoods of color, perpetuating racial and economic inequality. Through a public bank, New York City can support vital sectors of our local economy and divest from banks that are financing destructive corporate interests, including speculative real estate, private prison and immigrant detention companies, the global arms trade and the fossil fuel industry." - https://www.publicbanknyc.org/about
Read about my story in an op-ed published in the Gotham Gazette. https://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/9851-black-lobbyist-my-profession-must-change-new-york-lobbying
If you have an idea, issue, or strategy please share it with us at [email redacted] and share this GoFundMe with your personal story of what justice means to you.
Organizer
Paul Hypolite
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY