Five minutes and 53 seconds. That was how long George Floyd was violently restrained with undue force by Derek Chauvin before he was known to be unresponsive. Two minutes and 53 seconds. That was how long Chauvin continued applying unnecessary pressure to Floyd’s neck. Eight minutes and 46 seconds. That is the time it took to murder George Floyd in broad daylight.

Last week, the Kansas Legislature passed nine bills in their 23-hour final day. Eight of them remain to be signed by the Governor, but another she vetoed this past Tuesday, as the Governor's emergency powers to keep Kansans safe during the pandemic ran out.

Almost 24 hours after they started Thursday morning, the Kansas Legislature adjourned in the early hours today, having worked through the night to quash debate, vote on measures yet to be written, and eventually pass a terrible bill that endangers Kansans.

A week from today, on May 21st, the Kansas Legislature will convene for one final day, Sine Die, to conclude their business for the year. One day hardly seems like enough, but that's because today and tomorrow—and likely next week—legislators are getting together for committee hearings to prepare bills for that final day.

See this video of why this family is joining Walk the Vote this year.

We're holding our (virtual) Walk the Vote this year on Saturday, June 13, with a week of online events leading up to it.

One action you can take, what our communities, state, and nation need most, is for everyone to vote in 2020. Polls show youth favor change by shocking margins, and yet, turnout numbers show they don't vote. Seventy-five percent of Americans believe we should stay sheltered in place, and yet their elected representatives argue for their freedom to infect others. Most Kansans want to Expand Medicaid, and yet a few in Leadership have blocked it. The fix to this?

Vote.

As we shelter in our homes, the world hasn't stopped around us. Gov. Kelly continues to govern, candidates continue to announce and plan their races, election dates continue to approach. In a world that still needs advocates, how do we continue to engage with our causes?

Yesterday, the Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5-2, along party lines, to rescind Gov. Laura Kelly's Executive order extending 10-person limits to include funerals and religious services. The reasons given to do this were lofty and also trite, and ultimately puts Kansans in harms way.

We are all going through a lot right now, but I hope this finds you healthy and hopeful. It's a challenging time as we face difficult but important issues locally and nationally. At Mainstream we are committed to protecting our communities and continuing our advocacy efforts, all while figuring out the impact on the organization's long-term survival. We have spent the last week adapting to our new virtual reality, and working hard to continue providing the reliable information and effective action steps you’ve come to expect from Mainstream.