My brother Akram Muhammad a young black male was just found guilty of a crime in which he is clearly innocent of. The charge against him was not backed by any factual evidence. Akram's DNA or finger prints were not found on this hand gun. He was getting a ride home by a person in which he did not know was a felon and being pursued by ATF agents. My brother was getting into the backseat of this person's vehicle to be brought home after job searching at a relative's home. The moment at which my brother was entering the backseat of the vehicle the car was surrounded by a multiple police agencies to arrest the other individuals not my brother. Later when my brother could not give Federal agents information on the other parties they indicted him for a weapons charge, which was the same indictment of the two other parties. The agents found a weapon in the vehicle but this weapon did not have my brother's finger prints or DNA on it and the ATF agent testified that my brother made a motion to his waistband consistent to having a weapon. This could not be true to not have any factual evidence to what this agent testified to. My brother could not have enough time to clean all trace evidence off of said gun without wearing gloves in which he did not have on and while placing his hands up for ATF agent to arrest him. There was a lot of inconsistencies to the testimony of the agent and his initial report 6 months before my brother's trial. Please help my family get justice for my brother. He deserves a chance at freedom and to finish a life he was just starting to have. We have to take a stand against racial injustice and charging innocent people with crimes!

According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, between 80,000 and 98,000 Contra Costa County residents are estimated to remain uninsured this year. People without health care coverage generally wait to seek care until they are seriously ill. In many cases, health problems that could have been avoided with preventative care or treated early for little cost become significant and costly health issues. The impacts of this include increased demand on emergency services and increased costs to our healthcare system. Let’s build a healthier, stronger, and more prosperous Contra Costa County by ensuring access to healthcare for all.

It's time for America to stand behind Our military veterans .

The current United States government has not done enough to protect the lives and civil liberties of black and brown people.

Just watching the news nightly should give us all pause on doing away the need for gun permits.

Western Environmental Law Center is a nonprofit, public-interest environmental law firm. We filed suit on April 21, 2015, challenging the Forest Service's lack of consideration for the Tennessee Creek project's impacts on Canada lynx, wolverines, and quiet recreational activities in Colorado. Please stand with us to protect animals on our public lands.

I'm truly hoping someone, somewhere will have some common sense and NOT allow this to happen! It only spells trouble.

My son attends grade school in Wisconsin and I want him to be safe at school and on the playground. Eliminating the 48-hour waiting period will put all Wisconsin families at risk.

As a Black woman with two Black sons this is hitting pretty close to home.

On April 30, the Texas Senate State Affairs committee will hold a hearing on SB 1806 (Estes) to prevent cities from adopting ordinances to limit or ban plastic bags. Cities across the state, including Austin, Dallas, Brownsville and Laredo, have responded to the serious problem of plastic pollution by either banning or placing a fee on single-use plastic bags. These ordinances are critical to reducing the litter that clogs our waterways and parks, hurting wildlife and costing taxpayers millions to clean up. SB 1806 should be rejected by the Legislature.

Many members rely on drop off care at AFF, and it continues to be a significant selling point for membership. Parents utilize these much needed services for work and medical appointments. Busy schedules are sometimes harder to accommodate with the presence of additional school age kids at home. Perhaps a modified schedule for drop off care could be considered if it is not realistic to offer full time care services. In addition, if reduced staffing and increased numbers are a concern, then an advance reservation requirement may alleviate some challenges. I wish AFF continued success in remaining a family centered health club environment, instead of reverting to just another gym.

In 2011, Governor Christie championed and signed a law that cut workers' benefits and locked the state into making scheduled payments into the pension system. The Christie Administration now has the audacity to argue in court that its own law is unconstitutional. Governor Christie says he has no money to make the pension payments. He's right! He's given it all away to corporations and to people who make more than 99% of us! Last year when the Legislature passed a budget that raised taxes on New Jersey's wealthiest residents and most profitable corporations in order to follow the law and honor our commitments, Chris Christie vetoed those revenue raisers and then claimed poverty to defend cutting the pension payment. A pension is not a perk, it's deferred compensation that workers have earned. And I want to remind you who these workers are. They are the workers who go alone and unarmed into dangerous areas and knock on the door to ensure kids are safe, workers who teach our children, workers who patrol our streets, and workers who maintain our towns and cities. And these extravagant benefits that Governor Christie wants to cut? The average New Jersey state worker pension is $26,000 a year, less than every state in the region. The Christie Administration has said that when you won't raise taxes you're going to have to make choices. And it is extremely clear who Governor Christie has chosen. It's not you, it's not me, and it's certainly not the pensions upon which 1 in 7 New Jerseyans depend. Tell Governor Christie to obey his own law and fund NJ's pensions.