Pennsylvania Stands Up is a lobbying and advocacy group that is the at-large parent of several Pennsylvania chapters that advocate for left-of-center criminal justice, environmental, and housing policies. Chapters such as Reclaim Philadelphia advocate for a society with “no need” for police and prisons. ¹

The at-large chapter argues for ending solitary confinement ² and a “summer of rage” in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision. ³ It has stated that it is conducting a “Mass Liberation” program that seeks to advance policies for decarceration. ⁴ The group emphasizes its commitment to elect Democrats to accomplish such goals. ⁵

Activities

Pennsylvania Stands Up advocates for many left-of-center prison policies. They succeeded in gathering the signatures needed to place a ballot measure that abolishes solitary confinement in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. ⁶ The group trains “community leaders” to become local Democratic Party Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs). The PCPs that PA Stands Up trains are tasked with “registering, educating and mobilizing Democratic voters.” ⁷

The group blames “racially-discriminatory housing policies,” and “a deepening climate crisis” for Pennsylvania’s housing problems. ⁸ PA Stands Up seeks a fund that would authorize $50,000 grants to homeowners and give loans to “small landlords.” ⁹

In 2020, they fought for a “People’s Bailout” and organized rallies and marches for the Black Lives Matter movement. ¹⁰

Chapters

Reclaim Philadelphia

The Philadelphia chapter of the PA Stands Up nonprofit, Reclaim Philadelphia, has advocated against additional funding for the Philadelphia Police Department and called for greater taxes on wealthy Americans. ¹¹ The group has criticized Philadelphia’s mayor for failing to “re-imagine other ways we can keep our community safe beyond police.” ¹² Reclaim Philadelphia claims that Philadelphia should work toward cutting “the police budget to reinvest in under-funded community programs and services.” ¹³ It has also spoken against the Philadelphia mayor’s planned tax cuts to business income and the city’s wage tax. ¹⁴ The nonprofit also directs a “Mass Liberation Taskforce” with the goal of abolishing police and prisons. ¹⁵

The group states that its vision includes “universal automatic voter registration,” “reparations to ethnic communities,” and “housing guaranteed to all as a right.” Reclaim Philadelphia offers positions in various “subcommittees” that aim to elect left-wing candidates to political office in Philadelphia. ¹⁶

The group runs a “H.E.A.R.T. Series” that serves as “digital storytelling” to advance the group’s goals of the abolition of police and prison. ¹⁷ The nonprofit’s lead organizer, Kelly Morton, helped lead a campaign in Philadelphia to divest from Wells Fargo Bank. ¹⁸

Berks Stands Up

Pennsylvania Stands Up’s Berks County affiliate Berks Stands Up emphasized that it and its state partners cooperated on “moving 53,324 votes for Joe Biden.” ¹⁹ The group also credited itself with bringing issues such as Black Lives Matter and a $15/hour minimum wage “into the mainstream in Berks.” ²⁰

Donations

Pennsylvania Stands Up received $2,000 from the Pennsylvania Stands Up PAC from 2019-2020. The PA Stands Up PAC also gave Scale to Win $57,726 from 2019-2020, ²¹ and Scale to Win gave PA Stands Up $57,726 in the 2020 cycle. ²² Donations made to Pennsylvania Stands Up pass through the left-of-center ActBlue Civics group. ²³

1. ^[1] “Mass Liberation.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022.https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070333/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/mass-liberation.
2. “PA Stands Up Announces Victory toward Ending Solitary Confinement in Lackawanna County.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. August 10, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/news/pa-stands-up-announces-victory-toward-ending-solitary-confinement-in-lackawanna-county/
3. “News You Can Use – July 25.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. July 25, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/news/news-you-can-use-july-25/.
4. “Pennsylvania Stands Up Inc.” GuideStar. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/83-2880678.
5. “Politics for the People.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/issues/politics-for-the-people/.
6. PA Stands Up Announces Victory toward Ending Solitary Confinement in Lackawanna County.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. August 10, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/news/pa-stands-up-announces-victory-toward-ending-solitary-confinement-in-lackawanna-county/.
7.  “Defend Our Democracy.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/issues/defend-our-democracy/.
8. “Whole-Home Repairs.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/issues/whole-home-repairs/.
9. “Whole-Home Repairs.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/issues/whole-home-repairs/.
10. “Institute.” Pennsylvania Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://pastandsup.org/institute/.
11. ^[1] “Reclaim the Budget!” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070307/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/reclaim-the-budget.
12. “Reclaim the Budget!” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070307/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/reclaim-the-budget.
13. ^[1] “Reclaim the Budget!” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070307/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/reclaim-the-budget.
14. “Reclaim the Budget!” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070307/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/reclaim-the-budget.
15.  “Mass Liberation.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810070333/https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/mass-liberation.
16. “Join a Subcommittee for Electoral Strategy!” The Action Network. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-a-subcommittee-of-our-electoral-strategy-taskforce?source=direct_link&.
17. “Heal, Empower, Atone, Restore, Transform.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/heart.
18. “Organizers.” Reclaim Philadelphia. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.reclaimphiladelphia.org/mentor-team.
19. “Accomplishments.” Berks Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://berksstandsup.org/accomplishments/.
20. “Accomplishments.” Berks Stands Up. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://berksstandsup.org/accomplishments/.
21. ^[1] “Pennsylvania Stands Up PAC Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/pennsylvania-stands-up/C00743021/expenditures/2020.
22. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Scale To Win.” OpenSecrets. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2020&vendor=Scale+To+Win.
23. “Donate today so we can keep winning in Pennsylvania.” ActBlue Civics. Accessed August 25, 2022. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/winpa2022.