The recent hunger strike by 750 of the 1,300 people being held in the Tacoma ICE Detention Center made it clear that the GEO Group is continuing their history of abuse and corruption here in Tacoma. These are headlines our city doesn't want. For-profit prisons create a demand for prisoners that the GEO Group helps create by lobbying for more strict laws that put more people in prison. This is wrong and needs to be stopped.

"Chip Southworth is a lifelong resident of Jacksonville. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Presidential Guard and has always been very active in our community. He has worked with the Chamber, the City Council and the Cultural Council regarding his art. Some of his art is currently hanging in the Cummer Museum and he was recently commissioned by the City of Jacksonville to paint a portrait. His arrest and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's further 'social media campaign,' including trying the case in social media and posting his mugshot, is irresponsible, if not unjust. The family's focus is on clearing his name and helping his wife through her ongoing treatment for breast cancer. The locals love the artwork. He is showing off a great artist who became famous in New York for his graffitti. Jacksonville desperately needs more color, cultural and character since we were just voted " most Ordinary City" Please release Chip and commission him to repaint the ugly large 3'x4'silver boxes (eye sores) around town. It is an enhancement to the artsy community of San Marco. Thank you.

A jail library provides a low-budget, high-outcome resource for education and job preparation for those who are incarcerated. The DC Jail Library Coalition encourages Mayor Vincent C. Gray to provide for the introduction of a library to the jail - staffed by DC Public Libraries - because access to books provides incarcerated people resources for literacy, education, knowledge and job readiness that will ease their reentry into society, and reduce the likelihood of them re-offending and returning to the prison system. Literacy is a skill that directly correlates to many necessities and successes in life, and studies suggest that at least half of inmates are functionally illiterate. “If I were to summarize my experience at the prison library,” wrote a librarian from a Philadelphia prison, “I would say I met inmates who started as reluctant visitors to the library, and then went from being regular readers to voracious readers.” Many inmates and former inmates say that reading provides a way for people who are incarcerated to experience a positive escape from their surroundings and a release from the anxiety, depression and isolation associated with imprisonment. In such an environment, a library brings hope. “People always want something to read in the jail, that’s one thing I know,” said a former inmate of the DC Jail. “People do be wanting books over there.” Several nearby Maryland and Virginia counties - Anne Arundel, Fairfax, Montgomery, and Prince George’s - as well as many other jurisdictions around the country, have professionally staffed and funded libraries in their jail facilities. Washington, DC should join the positive examples set by these counties, and establish a library, staffed by at least one trained DC Public Libraries employee, in the DC Jail.

I am a civil rights attorney who is tired of hearing all the horror stories of cash and asset seizures for the sole purpose of obtaining cash for cities and counties coffers to buy more police and military equipment to seize more assets to hire more militarized police forces to seize more cash and assets to buy more ...

Mohamed A. Aden “Tiiceey”, a Somali-American and former governor of Himan & Heeb state of Somalia, was unduly arrested October 12, 2013 by the Belgium authorities accusing him of being complacent to piracy! Mr. Tiiceey is an honorable statesman and has been in Somalia to help find a lasting peace after 21 years of civil war. Mr. Tiiceey is a family man, married with 6 kids, and community leader. While in school, he helped establish number of student and not profit organizations including North American Somali Student Organization umbrella to help his fellow students. Tiiceey was known for his untiring support and advocacy for his fellow students and community. Upon completing his master’s degree from Mankato State, Tiiceey was called to serve his ancestral home as governor of Himan & Heeb State of Somalia. At the time, in an average, about 20 people were dying daily either from hostile or accidental gunfire. The people of the region lacked basic necessities. In response, Tiiceey reconciled warring groups, built schools, clinics, dug wells, and established a functioning government structure. In his tenure as the governor of Himan & Heeb State, he campaigned against both Al-Shabaab and Pirates. Tiiceey crusaded finding offshore solutions to the piracy problem in the region. He persuaded many young men to defect from these groups. Thanks to Tiiceey’s formidable efforts, the people of Himan & Heeb State of Somalia and its surrounding regions are now enjoying relative peace and stability. This arrest is the result of the Belgium authorities’ overreaction and lack of understanding of the power dynamics of this particular region of Somalia. Mr. Tiiceey ran this region politically and diplomatically but never had the military power to challenge or rid piracy from this region. We hope that you sign this petition demanding the release of Gov. Tiiceey, Belgium government afford respect for the Somali officials and the international community to put in place laws protecting individuals from such abuses. To: FREE TIICEEY NOW Sincerely, [Your name]

My brother was sentenced to life in federal prison for a first-time non-violent drug charge. This was his first offense of any kind. The federal courts took the words of 2 already jailed drug dealers to use against my brother. The jury found him NOT-Guilty of having a gun when arrested; yet the judge used it against him when determining his sentencing. The judge has told my brother's lawyer that he thought my brother lied on the stand and didn't like his attitude; so I guess that means he made it personal and thought he'd show him. The life-sentence for a first time drug offense is absolutely ridiculous and we need to put a stop to it!!!

Por que en mi País hay mucha Inseguridad y el Narcotráfico a sido apoyado por la Clase Política y se había estado avanzando con el problema de Michoacán, pero con la detención De Hipólito Mora Líder de Las Autodefensas nos esta mandando señales que Nuestro País seguirá en las mismas, con Diputados, Senadores, Gobernadores, Presidentes Municipales, puestos al Antojo por los Narcotraficantes de cualquiera de los Carteles que operan en México y que en este momento sea el elegido del Gobierno. Siempre tendrás el Apoyo del Pueblo y los esfuerzos que realizamos todos juntando firmas y presionando en las redes Sociales, nos dan la Razón de que Unidos podemos Lograr el País que nos Merecemos los Mexicanos. Decretaron tu Libertad esta Noche te tendremos de vuelta con el Movimiento de las Autodefensas. y pronto también tendremos al Compañero Enrique Hernández Saucedo, líder de las autodefensas en Yurécuaro ; detenido injustamente y torturado impunemente por los ministeriales.

To combat terrorism or crime, we are forgetting the precarious nature of our rights. The fourth amendment is perhaps the most important of them as it protects us against the power of the state to intrude into our private lives. It is entirely too easy for the state to intrude without cause into the private lives of the public through drones and other means. The end does not justify the means.

The media's focus on misuse of funding includes erroneous information and neglects to look at the good after school, summer and other work for teens and any unemployed group takes from such programming. We are seeking "Justice and Jobs."

Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years of prison time for firing a warning shot to stop her abuser from hurting her. She was granted a re-trial because of national outrage over the case. But now, Florida state attorney Angela Corey is pushing for an even harsher sentence--60 years. It's outrageous. Even more so when you consider that the average prison sentence of men who kill their female partners is 2 to 6 years. You read that right. 2 to 6 years. And Florida state attorney Corey is pushing 60 years for a woman who fired a warning shot that didn't even hurt anyone?! It's a blatant abuse of power and a clear effort by Corey to raise her profile as a tough state attorney right before an election year. But playing politics with the life of Marissa Alexander is not okay. And Governor Rick Scott, who is already facing a ton of criticism in Florida, has taken no action to curb this rogue state attorney. After two years filled with horrible stories of racial violence in Florida--the killings of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis--and falling approval rates, Gov. Scott can't afford another crisis. We need to show him that the whole country is still paying attention, and we won't stand for this kind of blatant injustice. Will you sign the petition calling on Governor Scott to remove Angela Corey as state attorney?

It is unfair that families are suffering because they think you did something. There should never be someone in jail for a crime they did not commit. They should know beyond a reasonable doubt before they place anyone in custody and probable cause is not enough!!!! Please help us fight this my children need there father who is sorry for what he did do but being punished for what he didnt do!!

TO GET JUSTICE FOR. OUR SON...