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Non-profit

For AR People

Website:

www.forarpeople.org
Location:

Little Rock, AR
Formation:

2020
Type:

Non-Profit
Founder & Executive Director:

Gennie Diaz

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For AR People is an advocacy organization that advocates left-of-center policy positions. For AR People has labelled people opposed to mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic right-wing extremists, opposed bans on abortion, advocated for mandatory paid family medical leave for employees, advocated stricter gun control, backed increased welfare assistance, endorsed additional hate crime legislation, sought to end mandatory-minimum prison sentences, and opposes bans on teaching critical race theory in K-12 schools.

History

For AR People is an advocacy organization that aims to provide transparency, fairness, and accountability to the state government of Arkansas. 1 Along with On AR Watch and Go Vote AR, For AR People is under the umbrella of the Alliance for a Better Arkansas. 2 Alliance for a Better Arkansas, For AR People, On AR Watch, and Go Vote AR were all formed in 2020 under the direction of Gennie Diaz .3

Issues

For AR People focuses on elections, voting, redistricting, and legislation. 4 For AR People is against shortening the period for early voting, disagrees with a new law making it illegal to hand out food and beverages to people in line to vote, opposes a new law to expand investigations into registration and voter fraud, and opposes a law that requires those casting provisional ballots to produce photo ID by the Monday following election day. 5

In 2022, For AR People helped defeat a proposed constitutional amendment that would have required 60 percent voter approval for citizen-driven constitutional amendments. 6 In 2021, For AR People joined Democrats opposing a new congressional map during a redistricting process and asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate voter disenfranchisement. 7

For AR People opposed a state law prohibiting state entities from mandating masks during the COVID-19 response. 8 In a Bentonville school board race, For AR People criticized a challenger as a “right-wing extremist” for opposing mask mandates in schools. 9

For AR People is against bans on abortions and advocates for increased access to contraceptives, comprehensive sex education, expanded childcare assistance, and mandatory paid family leave. 10

For AR People advocates ending mandatory minimum prison sentences for nonviolent offenders, re-sentencing parole violators for nonviolent “technicalities,” decriminalizing marijuana, and advocates automatically sealing criminal records after a period of time. 11 For AR People advances more gun control in the state and opposes allowing EMTs to carry firearms, allowing private businesses to allow guns on the premise, allowing guns in public parks, and allowing homeowners to stand their ground without a duty to retreat. 12

For AR People advocates access to gender-change procedures, increased welfare assistance programs, comprehensive renters’ rights, increased rental assistance, and increased hate crimes legislation, and it opposes new prison construction, restrictions on minimum wage legislation, and restrictions on teaching critical race theory. 13

Programs

For AR People partnered with INTERFORM for a register and rally event along with left-of-center groups Positively Pro-Choice, League of Women Voters, Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas, Moms Demand Action, and Partners for Better Housing. 14 For AR People criticized the Arkansas legislature for passing tax cuts stating the money should instead have gone to increasing teacher pay. 15 For AR People has an online petition calling on legislators to increase teacher pay in the state. 16

Leadership

Gennie Diaz (formerly Gennie Hirschy) is founding director of For AR People and incorporator/organizer of Alliance for a Better Arkansas. 17 Diaz is also a consultant for Arcore Management, LLC which uses the name Mockingbird Media and Creative. 18 Alliance for a Better Arkansas has paid Mockingbird Creative for consulting and advertising production work. 19 Diaz has a B.A. in political science from the University of Arkansas. 20

References

  1. “About.” For AR People. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/about-us/.
  2. Alliance for a Better Arkansas, Inc.” opencorporates. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ar/811246193; “Gennie Hirschy.” District 3 Podcast. February 6, 2021. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://anchor.fm/district-3-podcast/episodes/Episode-80-Director-of-For-Arkansas-People-Gennie-Hirschy-eq04a5.
  3. Alliance for a Better Arkansas, Inc.” opencorporates. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ar/811246193; “Gennie Hirschy.” District 3 Podcast. February 6, 2021. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://anchor.fm/district-3-podcast/episodes/Episode-80-Director-of-For-Arkansas-People-Gennie-Hirschy-eq04a5
  4. “Gennie Hirschy.” District 3 Podcast. February 6, 2021. Accessed November 14, 2022. https://anchor.fm/district-3-podcast/episodes/Episode-80-Director-of-For-Arkansas-People-Gennie-Hirschy-eq04a5.
  5. “Voter Rights Tracker.” For AR People. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/voter_rights/.
  6. Diaz, Gennie. “Protect AR Vote Coalition Opposes Arleg Referendum.” For AR People. February 25, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/protect-ar-votes/; Diaz, Gennie. “Issue 2 Fails: The People Keep Their Power.” For AR People. November 10, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/issue-2-fails-the-people-keep-their-power/.
  7. Diaz, Gennie. “Take Action: Protest Arleg’s Shameful Map.” For AR People. October 18, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/protest-map/.
  8. Bruner, Hannah. “Bentonville Kids at Risk.” For AR People. October 26, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/bentonville-kids-at-risk/.
  9. Bruner, Hannah. “Bentonville Kids at Risk.” For AR People. October 26, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/bentonville-kids-at-risk/.
  10.  Bruner, Hannah. “Connect the Dots: Abortion Rates in Arkansas.” For AR People. June 30, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/connect-the-dots-abortion-rates/.
  11.  Bruner, Hannah. “Connect the Dots: Incarceration Rates.” For AR People. June 4, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/connect-the-dots-incarceration-rates/.
  12. Diaz, Gennie. “Gun Obsessed Arleg + Why Arkansans Deserve Better.” For AR People. May 27, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/gun-obsessed-arleg-why-arkansans-deserve-better/.
  13. Diaz, Gennie. “Connect the Dots: Crime.” For AR People. May 4, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/crime-connect-the-dots/.
  14. Bruner, Hannah. “INTERFORM Model Citizen: Rally and Register.” For AR People. September 13, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/interform-model-citizen-rally-and-register/.
  15. [1] Diaz, Gennie. “Dept of Ed Sounds Alarm on Teacher Shortage.” August 18, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/dept-of-ed-sounds-alarm-on-teacher-shortage/.
  16. “Pay Arkansas Teachers!.” For AR People. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://act.forarpeople.org/sign/pay-arkansas-teachers/.
  17.  “Gennie Diaz.” Arkansas Courts. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://caseinfo.arcourts.gov/cconnect/PROD/public/ck_public_qry_cpty.cp_personcase_details_idx?backto=D&soundex_ind=&partial_ind=&last_name=&first_name=&middle_name=&begin_date=&end_date=&case_type=&id_code=906525865; “About Us.” For AR People. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://forarpeople.org/about-us/; Alliance for a Better Arkansas, Inc.” opencorporates. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ar/811246193; Wickline, Michael. “Ethics Commission Fines Alliance for a Better Arkansas $500, Issues Letter of Caution.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. May 23, 2022. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/may/23/ethics-commission-fines-alliance-for-a-better/.
  18. Center for Responsive Politics. “Gennie Diaz.” Opensecrets.org. March 22, 2021. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Gennie+Diaz; “Arcore Management LLC.” Opencorporates. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ar/811251545.
  19. “Alliance for a Better Arkansas.” Secretary of State Independent Expenditure Report. October 27, 2020. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://financial-disclosures.sos.arkansas.gov//CFISAR_Service/ReportsOutput/02/fbeb52eb-be42-4ea4-a405-49b88593d0dc.pdf.
  20. “Gennie Diaz.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 4, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gennie-diaz-113a501b7/?trk=public_profile_browsemap.
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For AR People


Little Rock, AR