Former child star Raven Symone used her platform on The View to justify discrimination against people with names she deems too "ghetto" -- a common epithet used to mask discrimination against poor and black people. This kind of discrimination is all too common in the real world. According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, "Job applicants with white names needed to send about 10 resumes to get one callback; those with African-American names needed to send around 15 resumes to get one callback." This has real consequences. According to NBER, "a white name yields as many more callbacks as an additional eight years of experience." This type of bias, whether implicit or explicit, unfairly disadvantages black applicants, even when their experience is exactly the same as white applicants. Name discrimination isn't limited to jobs -- name discrimination is also a significant factor in housing. No one should have to change their name in order to have a fair shot at finding a job or a home! It doesn't matter that Raven-Symone is black -- no one should have a national platform to advocate anti-black racist practices. If anything, that Raven-Symone is black actually makes matters worse -- it makes it easier for people in positions of power to self-justify imposing anti-black bias in their decisions because a famous black person said that this kind of bias is ok. ABC must fire Raven Symone today.

US military forces were responsible for the bombing of a Doctors Without Borders [MSF] hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Twelve humanitarians were killed while they worked; ten patients died in their hospital beds, including three children. US bombing of the hospital persisted, despite the fact that Doctors Without Borders notified the government of its location and the ongoing attack on the hospital. Cooperating with a thorough civilian-led investigation conducted by the UN or other independent body would communicate to the world that the US is committed to the transparency and accountability required to ensure such a catastrophic event does not happen again. The Pentagon’s changing stories in the wake of the disaster have undermined international confidence in the ability of the Pentagon to conduct a meaningful investigation. Urge Congress and the Administration to support the Ellison-McGovern-Lee-Grijalva call for a civilian-led independent investigation by signing our petition.

My daughter, Carla Juanita Carrington, was killed by a gun on August 17th, 1988. After 27 years of my grief, in 2015 we need the gun legislation to change. I have cried for every family and city in the country as I did when my Carla was killed. We all need to stand together and change the gun laws now!!!! Guns are without power without the ammunition. This is why barcoding is so important.

The Old Law Prisoners are being held unnecessarily after long periods of confinement. It's wrong to the previous offender and costly to the taxpayers, and they're long overdue for release.

This petition was started to counteract a recent re-zoning that will allow 6-story, high-density structures in an area of predominantly 3- to 4-story, low-density buildings. NCT has already changed one development proposal from 16 to 66 units, and encouraged another for 158 new apartments, all within a three-block radius. With NCT in place, there's no reason to expect that there won't be more.

My son Jamar was murdered August 21,2010. Jamar left his family very greived.Jamar will never get to see his children become adults. As a Mother who has lost a child to gun violence here in South Carolina, where there are other Mothers who have also lost their children to violent crimes that would love to see things change in our communities.

BECAUSE I WANT BIAFRA TO COME AS A SOVEREIGN STATE.

because he is mean

It has come to the attention of the Cape Ann Performing Arts Community that Mr. Ian McColl, former Director at the Gloucester Stage Company, The West End Theater, Co-Producer of Gloucester Chicken Shack, Producer of Family Theater, Scrooge, etc. - has become homeless. He finds occasional respite in friends homes. He has been living on the street since May 2015. He is homeless by no fault of his own. The following is confirmed through discussion with Mr. McColl, the GHA, and Action Inc. Mr. McColl is a 63-year-old, former home owner in East Gloucester. A series of difficult personal losses have been compounded by the natural effects of alcohol dependency. He lived on Chestnut Street in a lodging home run by Wellspring, subsidized by GHA, for three years. There were no official requirements of any kind attached to his occupancy other than that no alcohol be on premises. November 2014 he was informed by the house manager that in January 2015 Wellspring would not renew his lease. There are no known official violations, broken rules nor outstanding rent of any kind. They had arranged for him to go to a 60 day Detoxification Program. They had no legal right to require him to do this. This left Mr. McColl with no options for housing, no income, not yet receiving social security income. He was advised by two attorneys to remain in his room. This led Wellspring to take action to move him. He was granted the right to remain until May 2015. In December of 2014, he filled out the application for an apartment through Gloucester Housing. There is an expected wait time of approx 18 months. He needs housing now. Once Mr. McColl is settled into his own apartment he will likely be a wonderful, entertaining addition to the community. He will be honest, thoughtful, helpful and kind, will help the more elderly and volunteer at the meal sites. Correspondence and communication may be mailed to Mr. McColl c/o 84 Prospect Street, Gloucester, MA. You may call Mr. McColl at 978 873 1688.

I'm a teacher in Wyoming and am about to have my second active shooter drill at the elementary school where I teach. It's time to stop having drills and start changing the law. If I didn't live in a such a gun-loving state, I would even go as far as to say all guns, or at least automatic weapons, should be banned from WY.

National and state legislators as a whole seem unable to stand up to the NRA and gun manufacturing lobbies. I would hope that our local community leaders can stand up to likely political or financial pressure to continue these gun shows at the large Cow Palace venue; if they take a strong position against the gun shows, a powerful point would be made. How many deaths and injuries will it take to turn this situation around?

Thanks again!