I am the mother of a teenage boy who's Gay and was taunted and tortured even raped in the school system . We begged for help and never received it. My son was suicidal and depressed for many years and started to become violent because he had no choice , his defense mechanism was all he had . Being a teen is hard enough but when you're a Gay teen teenagers can be very cruel. Please give this young man a second chance at life .

We are calling on you to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus, who committed genocide against indigenous people. He enslaved, raped, and killed them without mercy. There should be a standard of behavior behind the people we choose to celebrate. We shouldn’t idolize someone who enslaved, raped, and killed indigenous people. Leaving the Columbus statue up makes it seem like the things he did were okay. It’s a sign of hate that shouldn’t be on public display. We understand that, to some, Columbus represents also Italian heritage, but Italian Americans don’t have to rely on Christopher Columbus’s legacy in order to be proud of their heritage. The statue should be taken down because NYC is a very diverse place, with all types of people, including Native Americans who feel hurt or intimidated by the display of this statue.

The WFP Platform endorses legalizing marijuana and solicits voters and donations on this platform. The Working Families Party official website states, "Marijuana arrests unfairly hold back prospective job applicants and unjustly target communities of color across the district." WFP Hudson Valley coordinator Phillip Leber refused to interview candidates seeking an endorsement that was against marijuana arrests and instead awarded the endorsement to Daniel Torres and Neil Bettez of New Paltz. Both have directed New Paltz Police Department to aggressively pursue marijuana arrests, accounting for 36% of all arrests. Their WFP endorsement was prominently featured in their political advertising and led to their winning a major party platform. They both refuse to address or reform marijuana or other drug arrests, while their opposition ran with criminal justice reform as their main goal.

This is at least the third time this bill has been introduced in Congress since 2014. Other bills with similar intent have likewise been introduced, but all have died a slow death languishing in one committee or another. I have friends, family, and acquaintances who have been impacted by criminal convictions. Witnessing their experience has convinced me of the ineffectiveness of our current system, that punishes someone for a misdeed long after they have served their sentence. The current system that does not allow for expungement of the majority of federal felony convictions does not contribute to rehabilitation and the proper function of our society; and does contribute to recidivism and the downfall of the very societal norms that criminal sentences are intended to reinforce. This must be changed and we must be the ones to change it.

A militia of Nazis armed with automatic weapons and shields marched through the street of Charlottesville chanting hate and threats. A woman was murdered, many wounded intentionally, and two police died as a result of the Nazi march. As senator McCain said, the USA fought a war against Nazis. Nazis marching armed in American streets are traitors and enemies of the USA. The Nazis who marched, their allies who marched with them, and other self identified Nazis who did not march should be identified and prosecuted for all crimes against the USA, including if applicable, treason, and any complicity in the deaths and injuries which arose out of the March.

We all have seen video after video, and heard story after story that have horrified us. Whether the numbers are increasing is irrelevant. The numbers, as they are, are far too high. This is unacceptable and cannot stand! For-profit prisons are exploitation at its worst. It is unbelievable that our government has allowed this to go on, and for so long.

While attending Edgewood Student Services, Montravious Thomas was slammed on the floor, as a result his leg had to be amputated. No medical personnel was contacted to have him checked. He was unable to walk and had to be carried to the bus, which was shown on a video that has been released. His mother took him to the emergency room and he had to be air-lifted to Atlanta due to the severity of his injury. The person that slammed him was a contract worker, however, that should not negate accountability. It is important that parents know that their children will be safe and cared for while at school. The members of the Board of Education are our representatives and are to act in the best interest of their constituents. In this case it would be to request the GBI conduct an investigation of Montravious Thomas' injury.

To request Kym Worthy, in her capacity as the Wayne County Prosecutor, to reverse the decision to not file animal cruelty charges against the AT&T contractor who deliberately shot and killed Kadie (a family dog, in Livonia, MI) on her own property. (Kadie is her correct name) The contractor failed to ask the family to secure Kadie before shooting and killing her. The contractor knew several of his actions were wrong, including violating AT&T's policy banning weapons. His statements to the police contradict his reckless actions that endangered the public, and his ruthless killing of Kadie. The family will address the Livonia City Council, Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. The contractor had numerous other options, then killing Kadie. Before beginning any work on any residential homes, the contractor could and should have knocked on doors to: 1) announce work he had to perform and, 2) request any dogs to be secured. Instead of shooting and killing Kadie, he could've instead screamed, yelled, ran, ran to his vehicle, banged on doors and yelled, "Secure your dog!" He never should have shot and killed Kadie. Regardless of easement rights, utility companies should always: 1) send notice to residents, when they will be in the area performing non-emergency utility work and, 2) request that residents secure their dogs. DTE does an exemplary job in providing notice whenever they're in the area to perform non-emergency work. They send notice of when they will be in the area, with days, dates, times, and ask people to secure their dogs. If DTE can do it, then AT&T has no excuse to not follow suit. Because, shooting and killing a family dog that was startled by the contractor, while the dog was on its own property, should never have been a first resort, nor any resort for that matter. Again, Kadie was shot by the contractor while on her own property. She remained within the electric fence boundary, while he deliberately shot her to death. The contractor is clearly abusing the defense, "I feared for my life." It doesn't matter that the contractor had no way of knowing an invisible fence existed. Because, again, the contractor had other options than to shoot and kill Kadie. The contractor was not justified in shooting and killing Kadie. He alleges she lunged at him, that he feared for his life. That still does not excuse him in killing her. He could've ran to his vehicle if he's going to claim fearing for his life. AT&T, the general contractor, and the contractor who killed Kadie have not bothered to apologize to the family. Prosecutor Worthy, we ask that you understand a civil action is not enough. We do not view dogs as the arcane law does; as property. We do not view dogs being the same as furniture; a desk, a table, or any other intangible object. Dogs and other animals are family members and faithful/loyal companions. For some, that is the only family and loyalty they have. We respectfully request that you and your office immediately reverse the decision to not file any animal cruelty charges. We ask for the immediate filing of felony animal cruelty charges against the AT&T contractor. The contractor knew exactly what he was doing, he deliberately killed her. He knew, and had reason to know his felonious action would result in her death. He didn't fire a warning shot, he didn't shoot at the ground to scare her off, he didn't shoot her in the leg. He deliberately shot and killed her with impunity. He acted with the same contempt in killing Kadie, as those who act with contempt when they kill rats. In absence of felony animal cruelty charges, animal abusers will hide behind the defense, "I feared for my life," when they shoot and kill dogs. Since no felony animal cruelty charges were filed, all dogs that bark at strangers who startle them or try to enter their property, are at risk of being shot and killed. Last of all, postal carriers don't carry guns. They only carry mace, and have far more encounter with dogs. However, they don't kill the dogs. Prosecutor Worthy, we need your office need to hear this message loud and clear: Contractors who fail to provide notice to residents, and fail to ask residents to secure their dogs, do not get a free pass in shooting and killing family dogs on their own property. In closing, we ask you Prosecutor Worthy to understand that Justice for Kadie begins with you and your office reversing your decision, and immediately file felony animal cruelty charges against the AT&T contractor who deliberately and with impunity killed Kadie.

For decades, the failed War on Drugs has locked up millions of nonviolent drug offenders—especially for marijuana-related offenses—at an incredible cost of lost human potential, torn apart families and communities, and taxpayer dollars. The effects of the drug war have had a disproportionately devastating impact on Americans of color and the poor. The Marijuana Justice Act is a bill ,that if passed, will legalize marijuana at the federal level and go even further in an effort to remedy many of the failures of the War on Drugs. This is the right thing to do for public safety, and will help reduce our overflowing prison population.

When Trump gave a speech encouraging police to brutalize suspects, the crowd of officers laughed and cheered. Police departments and law enforcement officials across the country responded by condemning Trump’s comments. But the Fraternal Order of Police -- the largest police union in the country -- defended Trump. So did the leader of Cleveland’s police union. Dozens of police unions across the country have remained completely silent, while their police chiefs speak out. Only two police unions have said anything that even comes close to disagreeing with Trump’s comments -- and their statements were weak and made excuses for Trump. Police unions have a long history of defending cops who brutalize, kill, and abuse their power. They fight against common sense reforms and any kind of accountability for police. Now, on top of that, they’re sending a dangerous message to the police officers that make up their membership -- that cops should be even more violent than they already are. It threatens the communities that police are sworn to serve and protect, and it puts officers themselves in more danger by further eroding trust in police. By calling them out, we can expose how police unions are cheerleaders and enablers of police brutality, and one of the biggest enemies of police accountability and reform. It’s the first step to reducing their political power, their ability stop the common sense policing reforms we desperately need, and their practice of shielding officers who brutalize, kill, and break the law.

On January 1, California, Maine, and Massachusetts joined the growing list of states that legalized recreational marijuana. Yet, Attorney General Jeff Sessions just announced that he will end the current policy of federal non-interference, so that the Justice department could crack down on marijuana in states where it has been legalized for recreational use. For decades, the failed War on Drugs has locked up millions of nonviolent drug offenders, especially for marijuana-related offenses. This has wasted human potential, torn apart families and communities, and squandered massive sums of taxpayer dollars. That's why I introduced the Marijuana Justice Act to call for the legalization of marijuana at the federal level. If passed into law, the Marijuana Justice Act would have an immediate impact on our criminal justice system, policing, our communities, and even the economy. This legislation would remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances, making it legal at the federal level. The bill would also incentivize states to change their marijuana laws if those laws are shown to disproportionately affect low-income individuals and/or people of color. The Marijuana Justice Act would be applied retroactively for those already serving time for marijuana-related offenses, providing for a judge's review of marijuana-related sentences. That means that we could reduce our prison population—a goal that Democrats and Republicans alike have claimed to support. Add your name to show your support for national marijuana legalization. State governments have, so far, led the way in reforming our failed drug policy and in beginning to fix our criminal justice system. Unfortunately, the federal government isn't doing its share—and Sessions, among his many offenses, is working actively to undermine the progress in this area. We can't let Sessions roll back our progress, criminalize more Americans, and terrorize our communities by doubling down on failed drug policy.

Our Country has been in turmoil since Trump took office. The last thing we need now is a blatant firing of Mueller thwarting the investigation and causing a Constitutional crisis not unlike and possibly worse than the Nixon/Watergate scandal of 1973. The Senate must stand up to Trump and his bullying ways.