Due to the increased nationwide incidence of police abuse of power, brutality, harassment, and especially, the continued militarization of local police forces, it has become necessary that there be a greater checks and balances system in place to protect citizens and our officers. Body or lapel cameras have already been successfully implemented in places such as Rialto, California, and New York City, New York. A recent article written by Fox News said the following about a success last year with a camera trial: “The police department in Rialto, Calif., concluded a yearlong University of Cambridge study last year that found an 89 percent drop in complaints against officers during the camera trial. The chief has since mandated its deployment to its roughly 90 sworn officers.”(1) As you can see the impact of such legislation has been found to be highly effective in other cities. Here are many benefits of enacting such legislation: *Body cameras act as a supplement to dashboard cameras allowing a clearer picture of incidents from the officer’s perspective. This benefits prosecutors/defense in illustrating a clear argument, reducing litigation time and cost. *Greater accountability for officers, which can reduce problematic enforcement behavior, and also serves as a means to exonerate officers from false and malicious claims, thereby saving time and legal costs to the taxpayer. *Identifying problem and/or rogue officers and creating opportunities for coaching and development or necessary disciplinary action.(2) *Footage can be used for training and educational purposes, leading to proper law enforcement. *According to a paper published on policefoundation.org, studies show that when people are aware they are being recorded or watched, they are more likely to behave in a submissive or more socially acceptable way, thus potentially resulting in de-escalated police interactions.2 *When citizens are aware police are being recorded as well, it can foster trust in law enforcement resulting in more positive interactions. We, the People of the State of Missouri, are hereby formally requesting by way of petition that you immediately implement the usage of lapel or body cameras equipped with audio recording on all law enforcement officers in our state. This would include, but not be limited to, all officers in the local police departments, FBI, SWAT, ATF, correctional officers, sheriffs, county deputies and security guards. Undercover officers will not be required to wear these devices; however, officers should not be used as “undercover” to circumvent this law. Additionally, when undercover officers use a wire or other such recording devices, either on or off their person, the recordings of such data shall be made immediately available to the public as soon as it is legally safe to release such information, i.e. such as when a case has been brought to trial and the matter has been closed. We formally request and demand the following: 1. You draft, support, and enact legislation requiring all local and federal members of law inforcement to wear audio and video recording devices during each of their shifts. Law enforcement that shall be required to wear such devices include, but is not limited to, the following: local police departments, FBI, SWAT, ATF, correctional officers, sheriffs, county deputies, and security guards. 2. Such legislation should be enacted as soon as administratively possible, but not later than June 1, 2016. 3. You allocate and secure continued funding for the use of audio and video recording devices for each officer to wear on their person while carrying out their duties. 4. Create a website where recordings are readily available to the public to view and listen to as soon as administratively possible. This information shall be available without Freedom of Information requests or other formal requests to the police or other law enforcement offices. 5. Such legislation should include wording that prohibits law enforcement officers from intentionally deactivating or rendering their recording devices incapable of recording. If this behavior becomes a pattern with an officer, he or she shall be subject to disciplinary action and termination. 6. Law enforcement officers shall either notify citizens they are being recorded during interaction or conspicuously wear such notification. 7. Law enforcement officers shall give citizens the opportunity to decline recording of their interaction with law enforcement on a case by case basis. If the citizen declines, it must be recorded. 8. Law enforcement officers who disable their recording devices during an incident who later receive a formal complaint shall not be given the usual benefit of the doubt by the court and the court shall lean in favor of the accuser unless there is a preponderance of the evidence that the officer is not guilty of the accusation(s). 9. Citizens shall be given the opportunity to notify the police department at a later date, within thirty (30) days, that their interaction be thrown out, erased, or not made public. 10. This legislation shall be extended to correctional officers in the State or Federal prisons located in Missouri now or in the future. *Others are free to copy the language of this petition to start a petition for their own state. *Upon state approval an official petition will be circulated for signatures.

A Ferguson, Missouri police officer racially profiled and fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown as the teen stood with his hands in the air. Mike Brown's father — Louis Head — and community members are calling it an execution. Racially-motivated police violence has no place in law enforcement and represents the systemic police abuse against Black communities in Ferguson and Missouri at large. Enough is enough. Please join us in calling on federal and city officials to rigorously investigate, prosecute, and fire all officers involved.

Julie Atwood was at her son's wake, standing next to his casket, when she got the news: The church was canceling the funeral because her son was gay. Rev. T.W. Jenkins of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida, told Julie that he'd read in the newspaper obituary that her son was married to another man and decided that holding the funeral would be "blasphemous." This story is generating national headlines, but so far Jenkins is only doubling down, saying his church plans to "continue to stand on the word of God." We need to show Pastor Jenkins -- and the media who are covering the story -- how many people are appalled by how he's misrepresenting Christian faith and hurting Julion Evans's grieving family.

Witnesses say that Brown, a teenager, had his hands up and was compliant before being fatally shot by police after allegedly stealing gum or cigarettes from a local store. However, the behavior of the overall Ferguson Police Department is suspect. While African-Americans make up approximately 65% of the town's population, they account for over 80% of traffic stops. It's a positive step that the Department of Justice is investigating the shooting, but they should expand the investigation into an overall inquiry into whether or not Ferguson authorities have been violating the civil rights of their citizens.

Roughly 33% of California’s workforce, nearly 6 million California workers, cannot take an hour off of work to care for themselves or a loved one who is sick without putting their pay or job in jeopardy. Workers without paid sick days must either work while sick or forego wages -- losing three days of pay can equate to a whole month’s worth grocery bill for a low-income family. Public health is very much at risk when we force people to work while sick and expose customers, co-workers, and others to often very contagious illnesses. Additionally, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research shows that 1.3 million emergency room visits could be avoided if the patients had access to paid sick leave, giving them time to visit a doctor when they were sick. Research shows that sick workers are roughly half as productive as healthy workers—a disparity that dwarfs the cost of three sick days per year. More than $160 billion is lost annually in our national economy because of low productivity when workers show up to work sick. Nearly 23 percent of adults in the US report that they have lost a job or have been threatened with being fired for taking time off due to illness or to care for a sick family member. In the recently released “Shriver Report,” more than 90 percent of single women said paid sick day reform was the most important policy that their employer could adopt to improve their lives. Connecticut is currently the only state with a statewide law on sick days. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found 3 out of 4 employers in Connecticut said the law had a positive impact on business. Fifteen percent of employers said productivity increased and 30 percent said it resulted in increased morale. AB 1522 creates a new workplace standard similar to minimum wage or the 8-hour workday. AB 1522 allows workers to seek redress for being cheated out of the sick days they earn.

My reason for this petition is to not only inform people of the Synthetic Drug but to get it removed from the shelves entirely. Until a few months ago I had never heard of "Spice" and my concern is I am among the greater population. I fear the curious teen, as most of us were, may stumble upon this drug and being it is legal, not fear they are doing anything wrong... Or just curiosity as a teen leads them to give it a try and one hit can cost them their life. I hit my mom's liquor cabinet as a kid, didn't kill me; tried marijuana, again didn't kill me. This is not the case with Spice; your curiosity can kill you if you attempt to smoke this glorified plant-like material that I refer to as Lethal Potpourri! I met a boy who took 4 puffs that put him in a coma for four days. Another boy watched his friend have a heart attack after one hit of Spice. I do not want my friends, family, co-workers or people of my community to learn of this drug at the hospital or funeral of a loved one. With your support we can make a difference... It may be tough, but if we save one life, it will be worth it!

Abuse of Professor Henry Louis Gates in Massachusetts, Murder of Eric Garner in New York., Murder of Michael Brown in Missouri. Murder of Trayvon Martin. Murder of countless others.

Discrimination is rampant against American citizens who conscientiously object to the political parties and party bosses who rule our nation. Independent voters who place loyalty to our nation above loyalty to a political party should have an equal opportunity to participate in our democratic republic.

the time is long overdue to award the black people in America the monetary entitlement they're due. this is sinister to pay out reparations to the jews of wwll, the Japanese of wwll, the aborigines of Australians and neglect the slave decendants in America as if we don't count. the bias laws in this country that allowed white people to treat blacks lower than the animals, the ruthless lynchings, the job discriminations, housing discriminations, skin color discriminations, the illegal killings from law enforcements, the racial profiling, the illegal statues of limitations on murdering black people that we have put up with for more than 400 years has to be rectified with an upgraded identity acceptance that have never been practiced to this very day. reparartions is what is needed to help restore black people to a level of acceptance of being human being of one race: the human race.

The drastic rise in global anti-Semitism and violence against Jews has put not only the Jews in danger, but humanity as we look at the faces of the next Holocaust. The Auschwitz tattoo on my father's arm is still visible as we listen to people call out for death to the Jews. Facebook has become a bulletin board for such hate mongering. It has to stop.

The drastic rise in global anti-Semitism and violence against Jews has put not only the Jews in danger, but humanity as we look at the faces of the next Holocaust. The Auschwitz tattoo on my father's arm is still visible as we listen to people call out for death to the Jews. Facebook has become a bulletin board for such hate mongering. It has to stop.

A study conducted in Rialto, CA showed conclusively that chest cameras worn by police officers reduced officers' use of force by 80% and public complaints against officers dropped by a whopping 88%. The use of the cameras protects the suspect from potential abuse and officers from frivolous and unfounded complaints.