Chicago has a proud immigrant and refugee history and strong immigrant roots that persist today. We have been a welcoming and supportive city for immigrants long before we officially became an officially welcoming city in 1985. And since then, we have worked collaboratively to ensure that our immigrant neighbors, family members, loved ones, and coworkers can access critical services without fear of being deported or arrested simply because of their immigration status. But a few opportunistic politicians are trying to stoke hate and fear in our communities in order to divide us. From overwhelming our social services with inhumane stunts, like Texas Governor Greg Abbott's unethically busing and flying migrants to Chicago with no city, state, or federal coordination, to opportunistic politicians threatening our welcoming city status, anti-immigrant politicians are trying to make our city less welcoming, less vibrant, and less safe. And it’s only going to get worse as the election year progresses. We won’t let it. These efforts are part of a larger, nationwide attack on immigrant communities, and they have no place in Chicago. It’s not who we are as a city—and we urge our neighbors, local leaders, and elected officials to stand strongly against anti-immigrant efforts and protect Chicago's status and reputation as a welcoming city. Immigrants make up nearly 20% of the population of Chicago, and 1 in 3 children in the city have at least one immigrant parent. From Mexico to India, Poland, the Philippines, and China, we are a multicultural city. And our immigrant neighbors not only deserve to be treated with dignity and respect but also to have their contributions to creating a bright, vibrant, and thriving city supported, celebrated, and honored. Chicago welcomes our immigrant and refugee neighbors, and we refuse to be divided.

While sports betting should be for those 21 and up, big gambling companies have flashy advertisements, celebrity endorsements, and mobile gaming formats that inadvertently target children. Big gambling companies even offer hundreds of dollars in "free" or "bonus" bets in their advertising that have one goal: hook a new generation of consumers on their product for LIFE. And these tactics aren't new—Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol have used the same harmful marketing tactics for decades to appeal to young audiences. But unlike those industries, the gambling industry goes largely unchecked, and it's getting out of control, but there is a solution: The SAFE Bet Act, introduced by Congressman Paul Tonko would put limits on the types of advertising sports betting companies could run, reducing exposure of children and teens to these ads, and stopping gambling addiction before it even starts. Demand the billion-dollar sports betting industry be held accountable to protect kids from predatory advertising and severe gambling addiction. Sign the petition and urge Congress to pass the SAFE Bet Act NOW.

University administrators must take steps to protect students exercising their right to peacefully protest. Calling the police or the National Guard to attack them is unacceptable. Leaders across the nation should be working to de-escalate tensions and engage with student demands in good faith, rather than attempting to shut them down with violence. Antisemitic, anti-Palestinian, or Islamophobic language and actions have no place at these protests or anywhere else on campuses or in society. And we condemn them in the strongest terms possible. All people deserve to feel safe in their communities, and police shooting rubber bullets and arresting students and faculty while targeting peaceful protesters with riot gear isn’t a safe environment for anyone and harkens back to some of the darkest parts of our history. We all have a constitutional right to peacefully protest and organize without fear of retribution or violence.

We think it's important for parents to buy into Jonathan Haidt's new screen time norms when their children are young. I work in elementary schools and can tell you that many 3rd, 4th and 5th graders have smart phones. My husband works with middle schoolers and states that the majority of student social conflicts stem from social media. You can learn more about my passion project related to social media and teen mental health here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13qyKoxWw0DfO1HU8ajUhqt0_ZWD3Yaw93UHxx1-JqSE/edit?usp=sharing

Marijuana has been a Schedule I drug since the Controlled Substances Act was signed in 1970. This classification was based on stigma, not science. The current recommendation from the Department of Justice would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug—believed highly dangerous, addictive, and without medical use—to a Schedule III drug that can be lawfully prescribed as medication. But the need to legalize cannabis nationwide couldn't be more urgent. Today, police make more than 1.5 million drug arrests each year, and about 550,000 of those are for cannabis offenses alone. Almost 500,000 people are incarcerated for nothing more than a drug law violation, and Black and brown people are disproportionately impacted by drug enforcement and sentencing practices. Add your name now to join a growing number of federal lawmakers, including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Senate Majority Chuck Schumer and Oregon’s Sen. Ron Wyden, demanding that Congress pass the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would finally end the federal prohibition on cannabis while prioritizing safety, research, workers’ rights and restorative justice. Source: https://www.vera.org/news/fifty-years-ago-today-president-nixon-declared-the-war-on-drugs

If California doubles it’s PD rate we will be roughly half as bad as Texas. California business interests can congratulate themselves on successfully lobbying for a workers’ compensation system that provides among the worst PD rates in the country. It is now time to take care of our working class and provide them with the benefits that they deserve. Message your local representative and demand a change for all injured workers in California!

Though accusations had been made against Harvey Weinstein long before, they came to a head in 2017 when The New York Times and New Yorker released in-depth stories with accounts of Weinstein’s abuse. Still, it wasn’t until 2020, three years later, that Weinstein was convicted of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. He was also convicted of rape in California in 2022, a 16-year sentence that still stands. The New York Court of Appeals shamefully overturned his 2020 conviction, claiming that allowing other women to share testimony of their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse to demonstrate a pattern of behavior should not have been permitted. According to Judge Madeline Singas, this is part of a "disturbing trend" of sexual assault cases being overturned. It also comes just a few years after Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Every 68 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the U.S. Only a fraction of perpetrators of sexual assault and violence are held accountable. It is heartbreaking and infuriating that the New York Court of Appeals has twisted the law to let Weinstein, a convicted rapist, walk out of the New York prison. We owe it to the nearly 100 women who risked their livelihoods and careers to come forward— and the countless others who could not come forward—to make sure the charges against Weinstein hold. Ashley Judd, one of the early actresses to bravely share publicly her accusations against Weinstein, said that the Court of Appeals decision was "unfair to survivors," and that "(w)e still live in our truth. And we know what happened." We believe the nearly 100 women who came forward against Weinstein. And together, we can ensure that their efforts to hold Weinstein accountable are upheld by the New York legal system.

We are trying to stop and/or reverse district’s decision to transfer two of our amazing 3rd grade teachers out of Forest Hill. Removing these two educators whom are pivotal to the success of the 3rd Grade cohort, and overall school/community culture, will create an unstable environment which affects our students and is not healthy for fostering education.

The concept behind setting up local elected governments is to protect the interests of its citizens. The City of Adrian has lost sight of this core value and consistently prioritizes “SPECIAL INTERESTS” over community interests.

Our pigs are like family to us. We love them dearly and spend a lot of time outside with them. They are a small breed, and will not grow to be any larger than a medium to large sized dog. Our pet pigs are always taken care of and are very loved in our community. We understand that technically we are out of the zone to legally own them, but we have the appropriate space and shelter, which is not super visible since it is in our backyard. We also live in the corner of the town where our immediate neighbors are legally allowed to own livestock that we can see and hear regularly, but we technically are not able to.

The City's swim program activities had to rebuild after being unavailable during the COVID-19 pandemic when pools were closed, followed by a shortage of trained and certified pool guards, swim instructors, pool managers, and coaches. There was also broken pool infrastructure that took months to fix. City pools provide: • Swim lessons/classes for youth and adults at various skill levels • Year-round youth swim teams and water polo • Year-round access to recreational and lap swimming sessions for the community at large • Local high schools use city pools for their swim and water polo programs Importance of recreation swim and water polo teams: • Affordable for all • More inclusive of all swim levels; providing greater opportunities for individual swimmers - as young as age 6 • Kids who swim on recreational swim and water polo teams advance to high school aquatic programs • Neighborhood camaraderie and building community Cutting year-round recreational swim and water polo team programs: • Negatively impacts the recreational swim teams and swimmers • Large breaks in training, causing a loss of continuity, hinder progress and competitiveness in these sports, fracturing the swim and water polo programs • Families may turn to clubs or private facilities that cost significantly more and are further from their neighborhood and community Families may stop participation altogether because they are unable to find competitive aquatic programs that are budget-friendly and close to home • Creates a greater disparity in the quality of City athletic swim and water polo programs and creates a larger inequity among all residents Result in lost revenue opportunities for the City Water activities may be less top of mind for families, and there could be an increased risk of water-related accidents and drownings Deprive young people of positive recreational opportunities and social interactions San Diego boasts 26 miles of shoreline, 15 pools citywide, and a climate where residents can swim year-round. The City’s Parks and Recreation Department should invest in its swim and water polo team programs, not cut staff and resources, and continue to let pools fall into disrepair. The children learning to swim today will be more confident in the water creating a safer community. They could one day be the City’s next generation of instructors, lifeguards, first responders, and City leaders. Sign this petition to send a message to our City's leadership to preserve our youth's swim and water polo team programs.

It would change the way we act and it would make a lot of money for the University.