After multiple racist social media posts, West Mayor Charles Wasko MUST resign immediately. For more details on this story visit http://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2016/09/28/officials-west-york-mayor-should-resign-after-racist-posts/91236864/

On Tuesday, Alfred Olango, an unarmed Black man who was mentally ill was shot and killed by El Cajon police officers after his sister called the police asking for help for her brother. In video footage captured after Olango was killed, his sister can be heard wailing as she looked at the body of her murdered brother, crying, "Oh my God. You killed my brother. I just called for help and ... you killed him." She says she'd phoned the police three times for help stating that her brother was "not acting like himself." Witnesses report hearing as many as five gun shots. The murder of Olango by El Cajon police, comes on the heels of fatal shootings of Black men in Tulsa, OK and Charlotte, NC. Alfred Olango is the 217 Black person to be killed by U.S. police thus far this year. San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has indicated she will investigate. The community in San Diego is already demanding action and justice. Let's make the world knows that concerned Americans across the nation are also watching to see that justice is done.

I have seen a lot of people ask the question "Can we have chickens in town?". Sadly, the answer is no. I am starting this petition to see how many people really want to have chickens inside city limits. If we get enough signatures, I will petition city council to change the ordinance and try to get them to allow at least 3 chickens per household in town!

My daughter attends Valencia Elementary, which recently had their crossing guard QUIT. Daniel Sanchez was loved by teachers, parents and students. He went above and beyond every day to keep hundreds of children safe. Danny was harassed and reprimanded so many times, by his Supervisor Sheri Patton- for just doing his job and was being told that he was doing "too much," to keep our children safe. Danny was forced to adapt to street construction and deal with hundreds of cars twice daily at an intersection where drivers are careless and do not always abide by traffic laws. Valencia is a school with 80% ridership. Valencia has 80% of students come and go by car and on foot. Most of those students crossed to walk home or meet parents in waiting cars, at Danny's crosswalk and all cars exit out through his crosswalk. Danny was amazing and did what needed to be done to keep our children and even our parents safe. Danny kept traffic flowing. All this to be reprimanded constantly and for what? For doing TO MUCH?! Danny had finally had enough and quit. We want him back! After looking into this situation, we found that Danny's Area Supervisor Sheri Patton has been bashing employees and posting private conversations between them on her Facebook Page. It dates back as Far as January of 2016. Sheri even went so far as to bash parents from Valencia that questioned her about Danny's departure. She posts every time she loses an employee and it was many, many times. It seems as though she has a high turnover rate. I wonder why?? We want Danny back and we want a Danny at every location we have a City Guard at. We want crossing guards that know its okay to do their job and to actually protect the children. Danny should have been praised and given a raise! "WE WANT DANNY BACK! PRAISE AND A RAISE!

Update: (9-28-16) On Tues., Sept., 27th, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously agreed not to appeal the jury verdict, but to instead pay Justin Palmer $1.1 million in damages and $1 million for attorneys' fees. CORRECTION AND CLARIFICATION: Though at first the plaintiff Justin Palmer named the City as a defendant in the case, the City was dismissed as a defendant prior to trial -- this after the City agreed to pay damages in the event the jury issued a judgement against one or both of the officers. While the City was not found legally liable for the one officer's conduct on the job, the City did accept responsibility for paying the judgement against him. We apologize for any confusion. Note, the plaintiff and defendants recounted different versions of the events preceding Palmer's arrest when police asked to see Palmer's identification. ---------------------------------------- The Coalition for Police Reform (CPR) in Santa Monica started this petition to urge the City to respect the jury verdict in the Justin Palmer civil rights trial and to focus on adopting best police practices while addressing issues of racial profiling, racial justice, and excessive use of police force. The Coalition anticipates continued dialogue with the City to promote greater understanding between police and the diverse communities they serve. CPR members responsible for this petition include Julie Alley, Joanne Berlin, Gina Frazier, Robbie Jones, Audrey Lyness, Sheri Walker, Michele Wittig, and Marcy Winograd.

For natural African-American men and women, dreadlocks are a common hairstyle. For reasons unknown, dreadlocks are seen as unprofessional, and now the US government is allowing employers to discriminate against people who have them. This action displays the failure of the American government to fully accept African-Americans and their culture. It seems that only hairstyles chosen by Caucasians seem never to come into question. Hair has never affected one's work ethic, so why should it affect the hiring process? If equality in the workplace is real, why doesn't that apply to all aspects of a person from race to hairstyle?

Recordings from body cameras and dashboard cameras should be used to make law enforcement more transparent and accountable to the communities they serve. However, North Carolina HB 972 blocks the release of law enforcement recordings.

Too much evidence of the lethal ramifications of racism has cost too many lives. Protests over deaths as a result of police brutality are increasing because not enough has been done to PREVENT the loss of more innocent black lives. The justice system has proven to remain on the side of injustice, seen in the paid administrative leave of officers who kill innocent black citizens while the families who have lost loved ones work harder to pay for funeral expenses for their killed family members. This is permitted throughout the country as we understand that police officers work in heightened tensions, and seek to preserve their lives as well. Let's bring value to Black Lives Matter and prove that they are included in "All Lives" through education and Undoing Racism workshops to expose all our citizens in public service to the vast disparities in privileges due to differences in skin tone.

Everyone from the Indians, Jewish and the Japanese has received Reparations for their being mistreated. It's time the African-Americans received their Reparations. Why are the African-Americans the only ones undeserving of Reparations when we have suffered the most, and still suffering today.

Lennon Lacy was an African American 17-year old West Bladen high school student from Bladenboro, North Carolina. On August 29, 2014, Lacy was found hanging by belts that were tied together from a swing set in a primarily white mobile home park near his home. There is no reasonable evidence that proves that Lacy committed suicide. Lacy played football for his high school and had his uniform laid out on his bed the night before his body was found. Lennon Lacy was in a relationship with Michelle Brimhall, a 31 year old Caucasian women. Brimhall reported that the town disagreed with their interracial relationship. The population in this town is 80% white and 18% black. His death was declared as asphyxia secondary to hanging. Lacy's mother, Claudia Lacy does not believe that her son committed suicide, but was murdered. Some questions that have been left unanswered are: (1) what happened to the new Jordan’s the teen had recently bought? (2) the shoes found on Lacy’s feet were a size 10.5 but Lacy wore a size 12, who did the size 10.5 shoes belong to and why were the laces missing? (3) what did Lacy use to reach the swing set, which was 6 ft tall? (5) the belts that Lacy were found hanging from did not belong to him so who did they belong to? (6) did the person who dug up and removed the flowers from Lacy’s grave have anything to do with his death? (7) why didn’t law enforcement and the FBI do a thorough investigation and why did they rule out foul play so quickly? After two years, despite all of these unanswered questions, law enforcement still claims that it was suicide. We demand justice for Lennon Lacy! If justice is never served and this case is left closed, we are being taught that racism and murder is allowable. I created this petition to District Attorney Jon David, Quintin McGee, ADA, Cortney Sanford , ADA, and the US Department of Justice. I urge you to sign this petition to demand that this case be reopened so that a thorough and unprejudiced investigation from law enforcement and FBI.

Terence Crutcher needed help. But instead, he got a bullet. On Friday night, Terence, a father of four, was on his way home from class at Tulsa Community College when his car stalled in the middle of the road. Someone called the police. And instead of helping him, officers jumped out of their vehicles with guns drawn while helicopters circled in the sky filming the entire incident. The officers in the helicopter can be heard on video saying, "That looks like a bad dude, too. Probably on something." Terence died because he was Black. There's no other reason for someone to be killed by police when they are unarmed, walking slowly away with their hands up. He posed absolutely no threat. To make matters worse, after Officer Betty Shelby killed him, Tulsa Police let Terence Crutcher bleed out on the street. He died in the hospital a few hours later. This kind of continued disregard for Black life is enraging. Officer Betty Shelby killed someone. She should not be on administrative leave, sitting at home collecting a paycheck. Terence Crutcher's family and local activists in Tulsa are calling for Officer Shelby to be arrested and criminally charged. Let's join them and make sure this officer is held accountable.

I feel the officers involved in killing this man, violated his rights to due process and this man didn't pose a threat to the officers who taised and shot him dead. I feel the officers involved shouldn't be paid when they were put on administrative leave.