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Responding to reports of the death of a Tibetan man following an apparent act of self-immolation outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

“Our thoughts are with everyone who knew and loved the man who has died and the broader Tibetan community. Self-immolation as protest by Tibetans has persisted for many years, and it does not happen in a vacuum. It reflects the depth of desperation felt by people who see no other way to draw attention to ongoing human rights violations.

“This death comes just a day after China’s Ethnic Unity Law entered into force, a law that brazenly pushes non-Han ethnic groups including Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians toward a single, state-defined national identity rather than protecting their distinct cultures and languages.

“This tragedy is a moment for all to reflect on the human cost of these policies: for the Chinese authorities to end their repressive policies in Tibet, including those entrenched by the Ethnic Unity Law, and for other governments to recognize the Law for the dangerous tool of repression that it is.

“The international community must not allow this death to pass without renewed scrutiny of the human rights crisis in Tibet. Chinese authorities must end their repression of Tibetans and allow independent access to the region for UN experts and other independent observers. They must also ensure there are no government reprisals against the family of the man who died, as has happened previously in response to self-immolations by Tibetans.”

Background

According to media reports and Tibetan organizations, a 52-year-old Tibetan man named Lobga Rangzen (also known as Lobsang Palden) died after an apparent act of self-immolation outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on 2 July 2026. Described as a Tibetan activist, he was reportedly carrying a Tibetan flag and calling for freedom for Tibet before setting himself on fire.

Amnesty International has documented decades of human rights violations against Tibetans, including severe restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and cultural rights. Tibetans continue to face pervasive surveillance, arbitrary detention, restrictions on the use of the Tibetan language and the criminalization of peaceful expressions of Tibetan identity.

On 1 July 2026, China’s new Ethnic Unity Law entered into force. Amnesty International warned that the law would further institutionalize policies of forced assimilation targeting Tibetans, Uyghurs and other non-Han ethnic groups, and could strengthen the legal basis for transnational repression, targeting and violating fundamental freedoms of those peacefully advocating for minority rights outside China.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Chinese authorities to end policies that violate the human rights of Tibetans, in concert with Tibetan advocacy groups and with UN experts, and will continue to urge China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Tibet for UN experts and other independent observers.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/self-immolation-of-tibetan-man-outside-un-highlights-long-standing-chinese-repression/

(If you don’t read this part please read the second part) Peaceful protest was often an idea perpetuated by people who were activly leading there people into a hostile enviornment. MLK did not free black people he ruined our infrastructure by advocating for intergration into an enviornment that did not like black people. The reason his peaceful protest worked was because it wasn’t challenging the system that was and still is oppressing us till this day. Protest that are not disruptive in nature do not get the job done. Pushing the idea that a peaceful one would work is just not the move honestly. We are in a crisis we are fighting wars in other countries with no money for ourselves.

(2nd part) We are having the food taken right out of our mouths we are not angry enough. I don’t mean for just black people but all people. People who actually challenge the system that keeps us devided and money amongst us scarce well those people are put down. A prime example is Fred Hampton. He did more good than MLK ever did for his community and other communities black, white, asian, hispanic, gay doesn’t matter what does matter is he was able to unite people. And he was killed by a cia agent they don’t teach this because it disrupts the system it disturbs the peace. (Sorry about the lack of punctuation)

IHOP Servers Deserve a Living Wage, Mandatory Gratuity on Large Parties, and Fair Compensation for To-Go Orders

THE ISSUE:

We are the service staff at our IHOP location, and we have reached a breaking point.

In Oklahoma, tipped workers earn a base wage of $2.13 per hour. That is not a typo. Two dollars and thirteen cents an hour. We depend entirely on tips to survive — and right now, the system is failing us in ways that are no longer sustainable.

Here is what that looks like in reality:

A server on the night shift takes a table of 30 guests. She serves them from 10pm straight through to close — then stays for side work. Restocking. Cleaning. Rolling silverware. Resetting the entire restaurant for the morning crew. She doesn't walk out the door until 6am or later. A full 10-hour shift, sometimes more. She walks away with less than $40.

That is not an isolated incident. That is our normal.

We work overnight shifts through holidays, weekends, and the hardest hours of the night. We give everything we have to every table. And we are doing it on $2.13 an hour with no guarantee that our tips will even bring us to federal minimum wage — which, under the law, they are supposed to.

WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR:

1. Raise the Tipped Minimum Wage

$2.13 is not a wage — it is a legal technicality that puts the entire burden of paying us on our customers. We are asking IHOP management and IHOP Corporate to advocate for and implement a meaningful wage floor for tipped employees that exists independently of tips received. No one who works a 10-hour overnight shift should walk away wondering if they made minimum wage.

2. Mandatory 18% Gratuity on Parties of 4 or More

Not 6 — four. Parties of 6 or more can be deliberately split into smaller checks to avoid automatic gratuity, and we have seen it happen. Four is the threshold that actually protects us.

This is already standard practice at full-service restaurants across the country. A large party takes up an entire server's section for hours. It requires constant coordination, multiple trips, and total focus — often at the expense of every other table in that server's rotation. An 18% automatic gratuity on parties of 4 or more is not unreasonable. It is fair.

3. Built-In Gratuity or Tip Pooling on All To-Go Orders

To-go orders are not passive. Taking the order, carefully packaging every single item, verifying accuracy, handling payment, and managing pickup — that is real labor. And it pulls us directly away from our dine-in tables, which is where we earn our tips. Every to-go order we handle is income we are not earning somewhere else.

We are asking for either a built-in gratuity on to-go orders reflected on the receipt, or a fair tip pool shared among the staff who prepare them. The work is real. The compensation should be too.

WHY THIS MATTERS BEYOND OUR LOCATION:

Under federal law, if a tipped employee's combined wages and tips do not equal at least $7.25 per hour, the employer is legally required to make up the difference. Many of our shifts fall below that threshold. This is not just a fairness issue — it is a legal obligation.

The service industry has one of the highest turnover rates of any sector in the country, and chronic underpayment is a primary reason why. High turnover costs restaurants thousands of dollars per employee in hiring and training. Fair gratuity policies mean steadier income, better morale, more experienced staff, and ultimately better service for every single customer who walks through the door.

This isn't just about us. It's about every server, every busser, every host working overnight shifts across this country on $2.13 an hour hoping their tables show up and tip fairly.

A MESSAGE TO OUR CUSTOMERS:

We love what we do. We show up for you on the hardest nights — the late nights, the early mornings, the holidays, the nights when you need pancakes at 2am and we are there with a smile. We are not asking for charity. We are asking to be compensated fairly for work we are already doing, every single shift.

If you have ever been served by someone who remembered your order, refilled your coffee before you asked, and made you feel welcome at any hour of the day or night — this petition is for them.

Please sign. Please share. And please tip your servers.

WE ARE ASKING IHOP MANAGEMENT AND IHOP CORPORATE TO:

Implement a meaningful tipped minimum wage increase above $2.13

Enforce mandatory 18% gratuity on all parties of 4 or more

Establish built-in gratuity or tip pooling on all to-go orders

We are proud to work here. We just want to be paid fairly for it.