Oakland is on the verge of being the first city in the United States to have its police department placed into Federal receivership, losing all local control. There's no telling what may happen to the other city services as a result. Placing a measure on the ballot that creates a robust form of civilian oversight of police may prevent this Federal takeover and provide for sustainable local oversight

Mayor Denson, City Manager Reddish, and the Athens-Clarke County Commission are considering a Public Curfew law. Originally discussed as an Urban Camping Law, the ACC are now broadening the scope of it. As it is now being discussed, the law would allow the Commission to set a closing time for all County-Owned (aka owned by the citizens of ACC) properties, including City Hall, the County Courthouse, all public monuments, parks, greenways, etc. and the grounds surrounding these buildings. This law would have serious implications for the homeless, infringe upon free speech and assembly rights guaranteed in the Constitution, and could even restrict tailgating for UGA football games. The law is admittedly being drafted in response to a protest in 2012 by Occupy Athens protesters. If enacted, this law could be used at the discretion of public officials and the police, to shut down unwanted protests, harass and arrest homeless individuals, or make any activities after dark in public spaces illegal. Most area homeless do not have anywhere to go. There are over 500 homeless individuals in Athens-Clarke County, with about 20% being children, but only 250 shelter beds available. What will the police and ACC do with these people if they are not aloud to be on any public property after dark? Let's stop this law together because we should encourage our residents to take advantage of our beautiful city not limit their ability to. Join the FB group here: https://www.facebook.com/StopTheAthensPublicCurfewLaw For more information see Homeless stats gathered by the ACC Government here: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/190

The practice of the New York Police Department to Stop and Frisk Hispanics and Blacks--640,000 people in 2011 alone--is racial profiling at its extreme. We demand that Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly end this practice.

It is time to ensure that America and its lawmakers understand the difference between equal rights and special rights. The GLBT community faces discrimination every day because of sexual orientation. We need to stand up and be heard that Civil RIghts is not Special rights. We seek the same anti-discrimination protection as any other American citizen.

My petition is about equal rights for GLBT. I believe we need an organized campaign to ensure that America understands the difference between equal rights and special rights. We need to clarify the fact that the GLBT community is not seeking special rights

in the separation of Church and State there is no justification for ministers to act as agents of the State granting rights and privileges over which we have no say in their creation nor enforcement. Clergy should be free to marry whomever they feel have been brought together by God's love according to the faith and order of their tradition. Clergy should then advocate for equality in civil rights granted by civil processes.

Bullying doesn't just happen with kids, it can happen to adults, as well,especially in the workforce. All too often managers are getting away with bullying or harrassing their employees. Many States have laws or are trying to make laws banning this type of behavior. We need this behavior stopped in all 50 states, making bullying and harrassing employees illegal with consequences for the bullies.

Florida's Governor Rick Scott continues to wage a war on Florida voters. Not only has he cut the early voting days in half including the very popular Sunday before election day, but now he also is purging the voting rolls. This week, voter advocacy groups sued Florida, claiming that the purge disproportionately targets Latino voters. The majority of voters on the list are Latino while they comprise less than 14% of the state's total population, according to Tampa Bay Times.

This program needs to be reviewed and changed. The program was supposed to rehabilitate patients released from State Hospitals into the community and become self supporting but thats not the case specifically in the Los Angeles CONREP program. The patients are kept forever and no one has been recommended by the program to be restored to sanity. Those restored are through the Courts without the programs recomendation after costing them and the State hugh amounts of money to fight their cases. The funds utilised by the program is a waste of Dept of Mental Health Funds which is disproportionately spent on a small % of the mentally ill and could be effectively spent on a greater % of the mentally ill who are in need more than those receiving it. CONREP makes patients dependent on on SSI, Medical, and the Program etc eventhough they are ready to become independent. This Program needs to be investigated and reforms are needed sonner, to help the patients become independent. The actual Patients in the Program need to be interviewed and protected from any retaliation to really know the truth about the Program. Eliminate the waste of funds in this Program through proper investigations. The patients are intimidated and frightened to speak due to consequences if they speak out. The statistics about the program are also flawed and incorrect.

This petition is put in place to help end application discrimination. Race, ethnic, or criminal status should be removed from the job application process how ever it can be addressed upon interveiw. Everbody needs a equal chance from the start!!!

As a former Target worker I was a victim of Target Corp.'s ethics every day. My coworkers and I are shocked and disgusted to find them on Ethisphere's annual "World's Most Ethical Companies" list. In 2011 United States federal government charged Target Corp. for violating our rights and an Administrative Law Judge found that the company used intimidation, scare tactics and threats in order to keep us (the workers) from joining a union in Valley Stream N.Y. After the vote, Target closed the store for a convenient "remodeling", displacing us, over 250 employees. Target is far from one of the world's most ethical companies, they're not even the most ethical company in Valley Stream N.Y.. While I was working there I was harassed every day by managers because I stood up for my rights and my coworkers rights. With the United States Government finding Target violated its workers civil rights, how does Ethisphere still include Target on their annual list of World's Top Ethical Companies? Sign the petition and tell Ethisphere to remove Target from their annual list!

Our family has suffered immeasurably because a greedy stepmother, who'd promised that she would always love us and consider us part of her family, coerced my unwell father into leaving his entire estate to her and her daughter. Stepmom will not file Dad's will, nor will she probate his estate. We have no money to contest the will or to force Stepmom to open the estate. Therefore: WHEN CHILDREN ARE LEFT OUT OF A BLOOD PARENT'S WILL, OUR GOVERNMENT MUST REQUIRE AN INVESTIGATION OF THAT WILL AND ITS BENEFICIARIES. Sadly, our story is all too common. And no state-by-state measure will work. This must be a federal law, as Stepmom, in our case, may have committed felonies. One law for all states is needed to stop turning families, who are already suffering the loss of a blood parent, into real-life CINDERELLAS.