Mental Health Awareness Month was started by MHA Mental Health America which is the oldest organization for Mental Health. Started in 1928 by a consumer finding that it was difficult and no laws to help the Mentally ILL. Join us to say that everyone is depressed once in a while and that the FMLA of 12 weeks NON-Paid leave is not reasonable when Illness causes money. Everyone with ill children or family members receive no pay for these 12 weeks

On November 19, 2011, at approximately 5 a.m., my father, 68-year-old Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., was at his home located at 135 S. Lexington Avenue in White Plains, New York. He was a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections, and he proudly served the United States of America as a Marine, receiving an honorable discharge. He stood about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and he suffered from a heart condition. His medical alert device sent an alert to his service provider, which placed a call to the City of White Plains Department of Public Safety. In response to the call, police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians went to my father’s home. Once at his house, the police knocked on my father’s door and were verbally greeted by him. He told them that he did not need assistance and that there was no medical emergency. He told them that he did not call them. Despite being told that there was no need for their services, the police refused to leave and insisted that my father let them into his home. My father had not committed any crime, and he declined to let them into his home. My father communicated with police at length, and his medical alert service provider advised the White Plains Police Department that they wanted to withdraw their request for medical assistance because there was no emergency. Despite this information, the police continued to insist that they gain an entry to my father’s apartment. During the incident, the police banged on my father’s door over and over again, causing him to fear for his life. In fact, my father contacted his medical alert service provider while the police were banging on his door and asked them for help. He told them that the White Plains Police employees were outside his door and were going to kill him. The medical alert service provider recorded the communications between the police and my father. During the incident, the police were disrespectful to my father and threatened him as he stood in his apartment and told them that he just wanted to be left alone. The police continued to bang on my father’s door for approximately an hour. During that time they taunted my father, cursed at him, and called him a "n****r." They ultimately broke through his apartment door and forced their way into his apartment, all without his consent. Upon entering his home, and without warning or prior verbal warnings or orders, police immediately used a Taser weapon against my father and attempted to shock him with the Taser’s electricity. My father was standing approximately six to eight feet away from the officers, and he was wearing nothing but boxer shorts when the police began their assault against him. After using the Taser against my father, everything else is questionable except for the fact that two 40 caliber rounds were fired into my father which resulted in his death. In my opinion my father was murdered! We are asking the Westchester County D.A. to bring a criminal indictment, and we call on the United States Department of Justice or the New York State Attorney General to prosecute this as a hate crime, since it appears that his killing was motivated by hate.

Numerous Chicago Torture victims remain in prison! Most Chicagoans and many people around the world know about the brutal acts of torture perpetrated by police officers for decades under the command of Jon Burge. Hundreds of young black men -- many mere teenagers at the time of their arrests and torture -- were forced into confessing to crimes and imprisoned for decades. While millions of tax dollars have been spent to defend the torturers, many victimized by Burge and others are still in prison with no recourse other than the potential for freedom and justice which the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission can provide. History is repeating itself as our officials refuse to prioritize this issue or the victims/survivors, so the Commission is being virtually dismantled due to reduced funding and failure to appoint commissioners for vacant seats. Governor Quinn and legislators have a chance to reverse the budget cuts in their new budget. Call on them to fully fund and staff the Torture Commission - now!

In California, voters are faced with voting on Bond Measures on the ballots. Many seem like very wonderful ideas but once voted into reality, the perimeters of those bonds of who and what really gets funded are 'gerrymandered'. Legislators find way to fund their pet projects instead funding what the voters of California thought they voted.

His death was not right because of the color of his skin.

A 2% tax on wall st. transactions will raise billions for the state and get us out of cutting education And this crisis we are in. They got us in to this...let's have them get us out.

Extend the "Do not call" registry (for the state of Michigan) to include include political "robo" calls from candidates, organizations, and legislative perspectives.

All people need afforable Health care. When people are healthy thay do not think about health care. It is when an emergency occurs that they see the drawbacks of living n a country which does not promote affordable health care for all.

Ohioans should be able to vote to recall state elected officials the same way they do county, state and other local elected leaders. That is not permitted now under state law. Please email me at [email protected] or Facebook at Representative Bob Hagan if your are interested in helping out.

The amount of student debt across the nation is on the rise as the costs of higher education increase. The bill would allow fellow teachers and public service employees to ease the burden of student loans and focus their time on what really matters...public service. This would help teachers to focus on educating youth and providing more support for instructional materials.

This petition is to force the Congress to be accountable for the money they take from Corporations and Lobbyist groups for their own personal profit. It will also allow the American People the right to take said Congressman/Congresswoman to court for prosecution. As of now the Congress handles these matters it's self. Which means that unless the press gets a hold of the story, nothing ever happens.

What is at issue is how the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System has decided to arbitrarily interpret A.R.S. 38-849. The intent of A.R.S. 38-849 (D) was to avoid double dipping which is what happens when a member of the PSPRS system “elects” to retire yet remains employed with the same municipality in a similar position and is able to collect both a retirement and a salary. While Michael Stewart’s case may seem similar on the surface in fact they are not. Mr. Stewart didn’t elect to retire. The injuries that he received while employed as a police officer prevented him from continuing to work as a police officer, he didn’t elect to retire, disabilities aren’t elective. The purpose of the disability pension is to provide some benefit for the years served when an officer is no longer able work in public safety due to an injury (not of their choice). Michael Stewart’s permanent disability prevents him from being an officer but doesn’t prevent him from being a productive member of society in a civilian position that is not a “similar position”.