Because it’s about **equal protection + safety with standards**: - **Equal rights:** lawful self‑defense shouldn’t depend on race, zip code, or who gets “approved.”   - **Deterrence:** trained, lawful carry can discourage opportunistic violence against vulnerable communities.   - **Training reduces accidents:** a basic safety standard lowers negligent discharges and misuse.   - **Clear rules = less abuse:** standardized requirements reduce arbitrary enforcement and discrimination.   - **Shared safety burden:** when communities are trained and lawful, it can reduce reliance on emergency response alone.

It’s important because it shifts public safety from **reaction** to **prevention**, and it creates measurable outcomes instead of slogans. - **Lives:** early intervention + de‑escalation reduces shootings, retaliation, and victimization.   - **Jobs:** it funds paid roles, training, and pathways so people aren’t forced into survival economies.   - **Trust:** communities cooperate more when they see accountable, local solutions—not just after-the-fact punishment.   - **Cost:** prevention is cheaper than incarceration, ER trauma care, and long-term instability.   - **National impact:** safer communities strengthen the whole country—economically, socially, and politically.

Democracy Dies Behind Closed Doors: In a representative democracy, legislation is supposed to be debated, amended, and voted on in the light of day. Currently, HB 488 is being stalled by Senate President Bill Ferguson to prevent it from ever reaching the Senate floor. This tactic allows a single individual to decide the fate of a bill before the public, or other elected Senators, have a chance to weigh in. This is not how a legislature is designed to function. The Senate President is Not a King: The role of the Senate President is to facilitate the legislative process, not to unilaterally act as the sole gatekeeper of Maryland law. By refusing to bring HB 488 to a vote, leadership is effectively silencing the constituents of every other Senator in the chamber. Representation Matters: Voters elected 47 Senators to represent them in Annapolis. When a bill is killed quietly in the Rules Committee, those Senators are denied the opportunity to do their jobs: to debate the issue and cast a vote on behalf of their districts. We cannot accept a system where procedural maneuvers are used to avoid accountability.

 🚨 Urgent: Free Narges Mohammadi! 🚨 Nobel laureate and human rights defender was violently arrested in Iran for peacefully speaking out. She and 50 other brave activists are being detained just for demanding justice. We cannot stay silent! Sign our petition NOW to demand the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience. Every signature matters—time is critical! 

SUCOL cannot honestly teach its students about the due process of law and the rights afforded to every person who comes into this country, and offer this job as an appropriate legal education. 

As one of the most diverse communities in the country, Skokie welcomes everyone. We condemn the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) activity and the fear and uncertainty terrorizing our friends, family, and neighbors. We stand with all immigrants and we denounce any attempt to justify these barbaric actions as anything less than racist and xenophobic. 

The recent acquisition of Dominion Voting Systems by Liberty Vote highlights a dangerous reality. Our election security is at risk; the most essential part of our democracy is our right to vote unmolested.  When the Oligarchs seek to undermine our democracy through technology, it is often the case that older, tested methods can foil their complex means of manipulation.  In essence, to outmaneuver their intent to manipulate our constitutional vote to free and fair elections, we must demand that our State, Governor, Assembly, and Senate lead the way for other Democratic states to follow.     We have led the way with Prop 50, and we encourage our leadership to continue this trend by taking steps to protect our rights as Californians and as Americans to free and fair elections. 

Our rights as citizens are being violated. Freedom of speech, due process, healthcare are all in the chopping block. Demand that those who profess they are defenders of democracy to take a stand!

It’s important that half our community doesn’t have to walk past a statue commemorating a group of folks whose aim was to eradicate their rights. 

 We need our New Jersey state legislature to protect our state from the threats from the federal government on our most vulnerable residents and our democracy. Last week's budget cuts threaten food and housing security. Due to the astronomical increase in ICE funding, we anticipate that actions taken by DHS will increase to the level seen in California, including tanks and military being deployed to MacArthur Park. We have elected our legislators to fight for New Jersey and we need them to be able to react urgently to the unprecedented attacks on our state coming from D.C.

This is not just Heidy Sanchez Tejeda’s story — it’s a reflection of what can happen to any loving, law-abiding family caught in a broken system. Heidy was deported despite having no criminal record, leaving behind a U.S. citizen husband and a medically fragile, one-year-old daughter who was still breastfeeding and suffers from seizures. Their daughter was born through IVF — a miracle child whose health and well-being now suffer daily without her mother’s care. This campaign is about family, justice, and compassion. By supporting Heidy’s return: • You stand for keeping families together, especially those with vulnerable children. • You send a message that non-criminal parents should not be torn from their babies. • You demand that our immigration system make room for humanity, health, and hope. Every signature, every share, every voice matters. Together, we can show decision-makers that the American public believes in second chances, in love over bureaucracy, and in doing what’s right. Join us to bring Heidy home — because no child should be separated from their mother.

Creating lists divides us. Protecting rights unites us. Stand with us to defend civil rights and human dignity. Sign this petition now to send a clear message: NO to any autism registry!