If we stand for anything, we have got to stand together against all forms of racism. Let's start by making sure that no one with ties to white supremacist groups is allowed to hold public office. Intolerance and hate have no place in our society, especially in our government!

Several days ago I along with other Americans across this Nation viewed videos of a terrible and vicious assault against a 16- year old female student who was grabbed by her neck and pulled out of her seat and brutally slammed to the floor and then dragged across the floor by her legs and arms and on her face with less regard for than an animal or even a bag of trash. The videos went viral and it caused us to be traumatized to the point where we cringed in pain to even believe we were watching as a child was being brutally assaulted in her own school by a policeman. The policeman, Deputy Ben Fields, showed no regards for the young girls life and has surely physically and emotionally damaged her in way that may not ever completely heal and our children are effected by this brutal assault! There were students who were so scared for their lives as they were frozen in the seats, turning away to not have to view the horror of the assault; and for fearing they could be next if they showed any opposition to the man known for "slamming students." But there were students that risked their own safety to "STAND UP" and speak out and who thought quickly knowing this deputy's reputation. One student was arrested and charged for speaking up, crying out and even praying for her young classmate that was being assaulted by a 300 lb muscle man as she described Fields. Her name is Niya Kenny an 18-year old fellow classmate. She was told by Fields she was coming too. So, she just put her hands behind her back and was arrested. All this time the teacher, Robert Long did nothing to help the students. The other brave heroes are Tony Robinson Jr. who knew from the moment Deputy Fields walked in the room something bad was going to happen and he needed to start filming and Reginald Seabrooks who also posted a video and Aaron Johnson who posted tweets as to what happened. These students with a few others did the best they could do with what they had, even scared for their lives and being caught, to stand up as American Young Citizens to help their classmate who was being assaulted by Fields. She was a young girl, a human being and Fields HAD NO RIGHT TO ASSAULT HER! Sending out S.O.S and 911 EMERGENCY CRIES FOR HELP via alerting us of the assault that was taking place by video. I CALL THEM HEROES! Help me say, "THANK YOU" to these very BRAVE young people! We want them to know that we "STAND UP” together with them against the violence and we honor their bravery for their fellow human being. Because we know that WITHOUT THEIR VIDEOS and CRYING OUT FOR JUSTICE there would be no "real proof" and Fields would have gotten away with this vicious assault against this young girl. Something which had never been done before was catching Fields in the ACT of slamming and committing these brutal assaults on video, because it was always the kids word against a police. President John F. Kennedy said, "A Nation reveals itself not only by the individuals it producers, but those it honors." Honor these brave young people with me and show them that their efforts to STAND UP against the VIOLENCE they witnessed has not gone unnoticed. As PARENTS with your own children and as American Citizens, we applaud their bravery and their spirit to use their intelligence, their skills, their quick thinking and their compassion for a fellow human being so that JUSTICE could be served. I CALL THEM HEROES! It takes HUMILITY in order to see HUMANITY! Thank you for showing your pride in them. Please take a moment to write a positive message for all the officials in South Carolina to see. American Citizen & Parent

The time is long past to stop encouraging black-on-white violence. Firing Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott will send a signal that it will not always be tolerated.

"Internalized racism kept me sick, living to survive, living a diminishing life and limiting my most personal relationships". President Obama recently shared with the world that the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and discrimination is in almost every institution of our lives. He stated that slavery casts a long shadow and is still part of our DNA that's passed on, and we’re not cured of it. Provide Georgia children with the Freedom Remedy; steps to replace deep-seeded beliefs and behaviors with new beliefs and behaviors that demonstrate reverence, respect and value for all human life.

TO PREVENT THE FURTHERING OF PROFILING, ABUSE AND MURDERS OF BLACK CHILDREN IN AMERICA WHETHER THEY ARE IN SCHOOL, AT THE STORE, AT THE PARK OR STANDING ON A PUBLIC SIDEWALK . TO ENSURE THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST IN A SOCIETY FREE OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO SEEK THEM OUT AS IF THEY ARE QUARRY AND NOT HUMAN BEINGS.

Multiple videos show school Police Officer Ben Fields brutally attacking a peaceful black female high school student. Officer Fields has a history of attacking students, who say they’ve complained about him for years. He’s facing a lawsuit from another student, and he was sued by a couple who he attacked and arrested without provocation. This time, his violence was caught on camera. The number of police in schools has skyrocketed, and every year thousands of students – disproportionately black – are needlessly arrested and abused. Local police say they’re “investigating” Officer Fields' brutality. But videos of what happened provide more than enough evidence he committed a crime. Join us in demanding that Officer Fields be fired and prosecuted immediately and that all charges be dropped against students already victimized by 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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.