• Remove Deputy Ben Fields
    Deputy Fields has to be fired. We cannot let him get away with this because if he does, he will continue to do it. What if it was your daughter or son dragged out of a desk and flung across the classroom? SIGN the petition now!
    327 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Ashley Mitchell
  • Stop Parental Alienation through the courts
    I have decided to start this petition in order to get judges or any other state officials across the United States to listen to what is really going on with our children due to parental alienation. I want to raise awareness to the simple fact that not all sides are created equal nor should our children be seeing another parent four days out of the month! Let's raise awareness to the fact that this type of ruling is creating a huge emotional issue among our children! To be led away from another parent only allowing for four visits and no communication during the gaps is absolutely absurd! Start thinking of our children. Not your pockets!
    98 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Jamie
  • A petition to Governor John Kasich
    Everyday in Ohio, police officers are violating municipal “user participation agreements” with the Ohio Highway Patrol to spy on the state's citizens. They're driving behind motorists who've committed no crimes and using the Law Enforcement Access Data System (LEADS) computer to investigate their license plates. They're investigating the mayors, council members, safety directors and police chiefs who oversee them, and they're investigating members of these officials' families. They're investigating journalists and police critics, all in violation of state and federal laws. The LEADS computers are owned by the state under the supervision of the Ohio Highway Patrol. Governor Kasich appoints the Ohio Highway Patrol superintendent. The primary use of the LEADS database under Ohio law is the protection of the officer on the street, and use should be “maximized” for “officer safety,” pursuant to 4501:2-20-03(B)(1)(d) of the Ohio Administrative Code. Police in Ohio, however, are regularly abusing the computers every day and using them to make money for themselves and spy on other Ohioans. Thousands of Ohio women have complained that police officers who want to flirt with them use the computers to learn their names and addresses. Reports show they've even used them to gather information about people they don't like. The majority of LEADS use in Ohio has nothing to do with “officer safety” when police drive behind motorists whom they have no “reasonable or articulated suspicion” have committed a crime. In many instances small time city police are illegally accessing LEADS databases to help their mayors and council raise money. They're also violating the state's new anti-texting law by driving at high rates of speed on state highways with one hand while they type in license plate numbers with the other. Under 737.11 of the Ohio Revised Code, police have no other authority but to obey the same laws as every other Ohio citizen. There are no special exemptions in Ohio laws that allows police to violate their oaths of office. Ohio's LEADS database is also tied into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) managed by the FBI, and police in Ohio are violating federal privacy protection laws with their spying. It's no different than NSA spying on American citizens when federal employees illegally recorded their cellular phone communications. More specifically, under Title 28 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations, Section 20.1, the U.S. Congress added the protection of "individual privacy" as a mandate to the nation's police departments and law enforcement officers when they access the LEADS / NCIC databases. In cities like Akron, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Canton, Youngstown and Warren, police are targeting minorities and low-income citizens in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is a violation of their constitutional rights because it causes them to bear the burden of separate and unequal enforcement under the law. NCIC regulations clearly require “probable cause” for another offense to be determined before the federal database is accessed, and every law enforcement agency in Ohio is supposed to follow the mandates of the NCIC manual. Governor Kasich can end the practice by ordering the Superintendent of the Ohio Highway Patrol to issue an order that on the streets, police are only authorized to use the LEADS database “after” they have already initiated a traffic stop to write a citation, and before they approach the vehicle for officer safety. Governor Kasich can order the Superintendent of the Ohio Highway Patrol to stop police departments from using automatic license plate readers that they're connecting, illegally, to the LEADS/NCIC databases. The bottom line is that Governor Kasich has the authority, without going to the General Assembly of Ohio, to right a wrong that is being done everyday by police officers who are spying on American citizens in violation of federal and state laws regarding the use of LEADS and NCIC databases. All he has to do is tell the Superintendent of the Ohio Highway Patrol to end the practice, investigate the abusers and cause them to be prosecuted. Governor Kasich can also direct the Superintendent of the Ohio Highway Patrol to give every citizen the authority to ask for the information that's being stored on them without their knowledge, just to see what police have added to the LEADS database about them.
    62 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Eric Brewer
  • Oregon Lawmakers: Take Down The Mississippi Flag
    We, the undersigned, together with Don’t Shoot Portland, the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs, SURJ Portland, and members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem's Social Justice Team, call upon Governor Kate Brown, Senate President Peter Courtney, House Speaker Tina Kotek, and every other state legislator to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter and to acknowledge the following: The Problem—The Mississippi state flag, prominently displaying the Confederate battle flag in its design, flies in “Walk of Flags” Park. The Confederate battle flag is problematic in the following ways: —As a symbol of terror, hate and racist ideology, now and in the past. The symbols on the Confederate battle flag have always been used in conjunction with white supremacy. —As a symbol of the fight to maintain institutional human slavery. Flying the flag conveys the message that “The South will rise again” which, to people of color, means a return to exploitation and the enacted belief that some people are inherently worth less than others. —As a symbol used recently in Oregon, for example, to protest President Obama’s visit supporting the families affected by the terrorist shooting in Roseburg. Racism has no place in Oregon. The symbology of hate and terror are not acceptable. The Impact—The impact of the State of Oregon flying the flag of the State of Mississippi is that Oregon symbolically supports the legacy of racism. People who live in Oregon both expect and deserve more, specifically expressions of government that aspire to equality and justice for all, rather than lifting up and affirming white supremacy, which does real harm in our state every day. Flying this flag says that Oregon is home for some, but not all, which is the wrong message for our state. The Solution—For too long, Oregonians have remained silent in the face of state-supported racism. This time, Oregonians will not remain silent and will begin to loosen the stranglehold that racism has on the state. The time to face this facet of the problem is now. The removal of Confederate flag symbol is a significant step towards racial equity and sends a clear signal to Mississippi and the rest of the nation that everyone must begin the real work needed to dismantle racism. As Oregon confronts the legacy of this flag, it must confront its own legacy of forming redlines, sundown towns, and other ways it continues to systematically marginalize and hurt people of color. The Action—Therefore, we call upon Oregon state lawmakers to take immediate action to remove the Mississippi flag from the “Walk of Flags” Park until such time as the citizens of Mississippi remove all racist symbology from their banner. January is not soon enough; the time to act is now.
    369 of 400 Signatures
    Created by Chad Halsey
  • Mercedes-Benz: Cancel your Alabama expansion until the state ends its attack on voting rights
    In 2014, Alabama became one of a handful of states requiring voters to show government ID in order to vote. The rule was only allowed as a result of the 2013 Supreme Court decision removing Alabama and a handful of other states, from jurisdiction under the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, passed after the famous "March on Washington," to prevent voter suppression. During a September 2015 special session, the Alabama state legislature voted to immediately close 31 driver license bureaus in the state, making it harder to get the ID required to vote. The closed bureaus are disproportionately located in counties with high Black voter registration rolls. Today, eight of the 10 counties with majority Black voters have no driver license bureaus at all. Mercedes-Benz opened its only U.S. manufacturing plant in 1993 just south of Birmingham. The plant sits on 1,000 acres of land given by the state of Alabama for free to Mercedes. The luxury car company has publicly touted its responsible corporate citizenship in the state. In 2012 governor Bentley visited Germany to personally thank the Mercedes corporation for opening the plant in Alabama.
    195 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Mark Crain
  • Monuments to Those Killed by Police
    I have been collecting data for those killed in southern California in preparation for the national march to stop police terror and murder in NYC on Oct. 22-24. The brief summaries submitted by the police are heart-rending (and collected by The Guardian US). Something must be done so that these murders are not forgotten as the inexorable news cycle moves on to the next atrocity.
    5 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Ivan Huber
  • Remove UAB's Columbus Statue
    The students of the American Indian Association at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) would like to call attention to the Christopher Columbus statue on the campus of UAB. In school, we are taught that he was the brave hero who discovered the Americas, but the legacy of Columbus is not one to be celebrated. In reality, the effects of Columbus's colonization severely harmed the Native American population and led to the genocide of millions. This led to historical discrimination and mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples that still remains today. Columbus is not a representative of diversity, but he is instead a representative of white-washed American history. The Columbus statue is located on the terrace of the UAB Smolian International House. UAB is one of the top ranking universities in the United States of America for diversity and this statue represents neither UAB nor our current diversity. We suggest that the UAB administrators, faculty, students, and staff remove this statue and replace it with a statue that better represents the diversity of our campus! Please sign your name and list your zip code on our petition, which we will present to the UAB administrators, faculty, students, and staff.
    189 of 200 Signatures
    Created by M. Elizabeth Hendrix
  • End Corporal Punishment Of Children in America
    Children should not be hit. Women cannot legally be hit, animals cannot legally be hit, if an adult strikes another adult they will be arrested, yet it's legal to hit a child in the name of discipline without question. Why are the most fragile and vulnerable allowed to be hurt? This needs to stop.
    295 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Elaine Murphy
  • Change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day
    This is a change that is long overdue. Many indigenous people have already made the holiday their own. Changing consciousness requires changes in syntax.
    118 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Temple Weste
  • Death With Dignity for Maryland
    To convince the opponents of this Act that it is a civil right to have the CHOICE to end suffering if given a terminal diagnosis of less than six months to live.
    185 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Geraldine Lloyd
  • Reparation for Slavery
    This is about getting what the descendants of slaves are owed. Every race, except Africans, have received and continue to receive reparations for what was wrongfully done to their ancestors.
    63 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Terry
  • Dept. of Justice: Investigate Alabama voter suppression
    Alabama just closed 31 drivers license bureaus in counties with the highest percentage of non-white voters. Every county with over 75% of registered voters that are African-American will have their DMV office closed. Alabama requires voters to have photo ID to vote, so this will disenfranchise the voters in those counties. The Justice Department can put a stop to this, they are the best hope for upholding the rights of all Alabama voters. Reference: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/09/alabama_sends_message_we_are_t.html UPDATE 12-9-15: Great news! The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into the closure or reduction in services at 34 drivers' license office in Alabama, "as part of the agency's responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make sure federal dollars going to state and local governments are used in a non-discriminatory fashion". http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/12/us_dot_launches_investigation.html UPDATE 10-16-15: Alabama Governor Bentley says drivers license tests will be offered 1 day a month in those counties that formerly had an office. It's a start, but as Rep. Sewell put it, it provides "only bare minimum access". Please keep contacting the DOJ to make this right. http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/gov_robert_bentley_says_licens.html UPDATE 10-13-15: Alabama Governor Bentley is considering a plan to open the 31 drivers license bureaus back up, but nothing is decided yet. Please keep the pressure on. http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/bentley_plan_would_reopen_clos.html UPDATE 10-5-15: The Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund have asked the DOJ to investigate, as has Rep. Terri Sewell (who represents the Selma area of Alabama). "Dena Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, confirmed that the department had received Sewell’s letter, declining to comment further." Please keep contacting the DOJ. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/alabama-dmv-closings-draw-call-federal-voting-rights-probe
    134,442 of 200,000 Signatures
    Created by Laura Packard Picture