The prior petition for Darren Rainey was closed due to insignificant coverage and attention. Help me resurface this case back up and demand justice for this man who was wrongly killed.  We demand justice for Darren Rainey, a nonviolent offender who was locked in a boiling hot shower for 2 hours by prison guards, leading to his excruciatingly painful death. The prison guards responsible for torturing and killing Darren Rainey must be held accountable. Taken from DailyKos article: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/1/25/1375218/-Prisoner-060954 His name was Darren Rainey and on June 23, 2012, he was boiled alive. In our country. In our name. And paid for, by us. His last known words were: “I can’t take it no more, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” According to reports, he screamed those words over and over and over again. And then he stopped screaming. After being removed from the shower, staff administered CPR, with one a nurse registering Rainey’s internal temperature at 102 degrees, well above the normal temperature of 98.6. The autopsy report states that 12 hours after his death, Rainey’s body still had a temperature of about 94 degrees. Darren Rainey was a 50 year old, non-violent offender serving a two year sentence for cocaine possession in Florida’s Dade Correctional Institution. He was housed in the psychiatric ward because he was schizophrenic. For reasons unknown, Rainey, a schizophrenic, had smeared feces on himself. When guards told him to clean it up, he refused. He was then hauled off and handcuffed in “the shower”. Scalding water poured over him for up to two hours. While he screamed in agony and for his life, officers reportedly taunted “how do you like your shower?”. When ‘clean up’ was called in, chunks of skin that had separated from his body were part of what remained. According to reporting, “The shower was just one tool the corrections officers used to torment prisoners in the ward, known as the transitional care unit.” Two full years after his death, no-one had been held responsible. According to a June 2014 Miami Herald report: A Herald investigation, first published in May, showed through public records and interviews by witnesses, including a nurse on duty at the time, that Rainey’s death was never properly investigated by the Department of Corrections or Miami-Dade police. Evidence also suggests that the Department of Corrections might have tried to cover up the incident. Update To The Original Diary (Published Last Year)According to the Miami Herald, four years after his death, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s office has officially ruled what happened to Darren Rainey’s “accidental”. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, completed this week, concluded that Rainey died from complications of schizophrenia, heart disease and “confinement” in the shower back in June 2012, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Rainey, 50, did not suffer any burns anywhere on his body, and investigators could not conclude that the specially rigged shower was “excessively” hot the day he collapsed, the report said. Sources said the autopsy concluded that corrections officers had “no intent” to harm Rainey when they kept him in the shower for up to two hours.  Got that? A shower that was specifically rigged to scald human beings cannot be proven — years after the fact — to have contributed to Darren Rainey being boiled alive.  The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office must now decide whether to charge corrections officers with committing a crime, such as manslaughter, for locking Rainey in the shower and leaving him. A spokesman declined to comment. A federal criminal investigation is also continuing into Rainey’s death.

This is regarding a video circulating the internet, where a group of individuals traveling at high speed on the water dragged a shark around and laughed at its distress.  This sociopathic behavior demands attention and prevention. This act of violence was in fact a criminal act. We as the people summon Palmetto, FL man Michael Robert Wenzel, born June 07, 1996, and his accomplices in this video to 1,000 community service hours. These 1,000 community service hours will be held under the supervision of The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  They will use that time to teach these men to treat our Florida wildlife with respect. Scheduling may involve either 125 days lasting 8 hours long, or as determined the FWC, given that it equals 1,000 hours and is completed within a year. Wenzel and his accomplices will pay for any costs associated. This may include hiring outside trainers and educators, on-the-clock hours, gasoline expenses, etc. We also demand that everyone in this video has their fishing licenses revoked permanently. We the people also request that Florida lawmakers pass a bill making this kind of animal torture a second-degree felony. We also demand that these people be punished for their crimes of animal abuse. This punishment should consist of jail time in addition to community service. [ Updates - 28 July, 2017 ] This act of violence is criminal per the Florida statute Chapter 828. We expect charges to be pressed as per law. The public is growing more concerned as no charges have been pressed yet. 828.12 section 2 states that a person who intentionally commits an act to any animal which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or both. s. 775.082 covers a wide variety of punishments, including imprisonment. We the people demand that Michael Wenzel and his accomplices be charged with animal abuse and arrested. The delay in action is causing the public to lose faith in the justice system. We expect to see these men arrested for crimes they have committed. Hyperlink - reference to story: http://wtfflorida.com/news-articles/boaters-drag-tormented-shark-around-laughing/

More than half of the greyhound races held in the US are in the state of Florida. Since May 2013, nearly 400 dogs have died at Florida tracks — some had their necks broken, some died of heat stroke, and still others were electrocuted to death. I’ve spent decades working to bring racing dogs back to health after they have been subjected to horrifying treatment like being kept in cramped, solitary cages for twenty or more hours a day, and even being dosed with illegal drugs like cocaine. Here’s the thing: Florida gambling facilities don’t even want to hold greyhound races in the first place — but they’re required to by a state law that mandates dog racing. If this harmful state dog racing mandate is repealed, greyhound racing will slowly phase out and end in the Sunshine State. I’ve spent 20 years working to help injured, worn-out greyhounds rescued from the racing industry. Adoption groups like mine are doing all we can, but there are far more of these amazing animals who need help than we are ever able to bring back to health. Until this law changes, we’re facing an unwinnable battle. Tell the Florida legislature that it’s time to repeal the law that requires gambling facilities to conduct greyhound racing. There is no reason for this animal cruelty to continue, especially when the businesses operating the race tracks don’t want to keep them going in the first place. Greyhound racing hasn’t been profitable in Florida for years. Last year alone, Florida tracks lost $32 million holding greyhound races. Even the state is losing money on dog racing, because the costs of regulating the races exceed revenues. The state dog racing mandate is a loser for everyone. The tracks are losing money, taxpayers are taking a loss, and the greyhounds are losing their lives. Tell the Florida State Legislature to stop keeping greyhound racing alive, and to repeal the law requiring that tens of thousands of greyhound races take place in the state each year.

My four-year-old daughter Avery has medical conditions so severe that she will need assistance for the rest of her life. When Avery is sick, I quickly find myself drowning in debt and struggling to afford the care she needs. Unfortunately, I make too much to qualify for Medicaid, even though I wouldn’t be able to afford her bills if I made double what I was making now. I am asking the state of Florida to add a need-based component to Medicaid, so that families of loved ones with severe and extremely costly medical conditions can get the healthcare they need without sacrificing their family’s financial security. Families like mine aren’t asking for handouts. Many of us are fortunate enough to have insurance, which covers some of our loved ones’ medical bills. But because we make more than the annual Medicaid income threshold of around $26,000, we are prohibited from getting state assistance, something crucial for families of debilitated children. We are left with two primary choices – hope that our child’s affliction qualifies for the Medicaid Waiver (my daughter does not because her disease is rare) and enter the seven-year long waitlist; or quit working, sacrifice our annual income and family’s well-being in order to qualify for Medicaid. As a single father of three children, I have a responsibility to provide my kids with the best life possible. I cannot do that now, because Florida’s Medicaid program refuses to help me afford Avery’s care for bills that well-exceed the scope of my insurance coverage. How can I keep a roof over my kids’ head,  food on the table, and find a way to save for  their education if the majority of my income is going towards her medical bills? Sadly, my children are the real victims here. I agree that low-income families need help in receiving healthcare, but families who have loved ones with severe and costly disabilities should also be able to get the necessary assistance from Medicaid. I shouldn’t have to quit my job so my daughter can qualify for Medicaid. I shouldn’t be penalized for trying to be a contributor.  That doesn’t help anyone -- not my daughter, my family or society at large.   Please help me change Florida’s Medicaid for the better and ask for a need-based component, so families like mine can take care of their loved ones without sacrificing their family's security.

I would like to see manatees become more protected in Florida. The Florida manatee is an endangered species. I am proposing a law that would require boaters to have prop guards on propellers so that if they were to hit a manatee, it would not injure it. It would be a simple requirement that would make a huge impact on manatee population and would benefit the ecosystem. It breaks my heart to see manatees covered in scars. Manatee populations are dwindling due to boating accidents in shallow waters. People need to respect this species by protecting it. If this law is passed it would require all boats and watercraft in Florida state springs, parks, and rivers to have safe guards over their propellers. And if people do not comply, there should be a fair priced fine. It is critical to help prevent the Florida manatee from eventually becoming extinct because they are a very important part of the ecosystem. They come to shallow water areas very frequently, especially during the winter when it is getting colder in most other regions. Manatees surface to breathe every three to five minutes. Slowing down on your boat or watercraft unfortunately is not enough sometimes, and these beautiful creatures suffer on impact from propellers. Installing safe guards would not only protect manatees, but it protects all marine life so that boaters wouldn't have to worry so much about potentially killing innocent wildlife. Some state parks have installed safe guards on their boats because they are aware. I notice that tourists and civilians are not so much aware of this problem but even more are unaware of this solution. Spread the word and help me make this a law!

I am a Type 1 diabetic and I have been since 1994. Just a couple of years ago the cost for a 3-month supply of Novolog insulin, which I have to inject every time I eat, was $100. Now, a 1-month supply costs $458.77 and there is no discount for a 3-month supply, meaning I would have to pay almost $1,500 for a 3-month supply -- about $6,000 a year for just one type of insulin. However, pricing elsewhere shows that this high cost is not necessary. Canada’s price for insulin is $90, and Colorado recently passed an insulin price cap of $100 per month. It's time for Florida to join Colorado in passing a price cap on this life-saving drug. Type 1 diabetes, which according to the CDC accounts for about 5 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Because their bodies cannot make insulin, type 1 diabetics require insulin prescriptions to live (in some extreme cases this is true for type 2 patients as well).  "When type 1 diabetics take less insulin than they need, at the expense of having higher blood sugars… glucose rises significantly and in an attempt to find alternate fuels for the brain, keto acids are formed which are potentially toxic and lower the body's pH. DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis), when left untreated, can be lethal, and can set in quickly. In the absence of insulin a person might get DKA within 24 hours," - Robert A. Gabbay, the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. The price of insulin has skyrocketed in recent years, with the three manufacturers — Sanofi, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly — raising the list prices of their products in near lock step, prompting outcry from patient groups and doctors who have pointed out that the rising prices appear to have little to do with increased production costs. In the United States, just three pharmaceutical giants hold patents that allow them to manufacture insulin: Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk. Put together, the “big three” made more than $12 billion in profits in 2014, with insulin accounting for a large portion. Because of the incredibly high cost of insulin and other expensive supplies to handle their diabetes, many diabetics are forced into dire situations. Many diabetics have resorted to rationing insulin, risking their lives every day because they can’t afford to pay for their next vial. People are forced to choose between the insulin they need to survive, and keeping a roof over their head and food on the table for their families. People’s lives shouldn’t be put at risk because the insulin they require to live isn’t deemed “necessary” by insurance. The insulin price cap in Colorado has shown that it’s possible for states to take control of outrageous insulin pricing and as a result, to save lives. It’s time for Florida to join them in protecting Floridians with diabetes from avoidable health risks. I urge you to look into the legislation that Colorado passed as a potential example for Florida to follow.

Governor Ron DeSantis and former governor Rick Scott have made filing for unemployment in Florida impossible.  They care more about showing low unemployment numbers than they do if Floridians have enough to eat.  Aside from this sad fact DeSantis waited until  the last minute to issue a stay at home  order which without a doubt caused the Coronavirus to spread much faster than necessary. The governor has also went directly against CDC guidelines and allowed churches to still have large gatherings. He is not fit to be our governor and needs to be removed  as quickly  as the constitution allows.

DWAYNE is currently awaiting an evidentiary hearing in Collier County, Florida where the alleged crime occurred and consistently declares his innocence. The alleged accuser/victim and a host of upstanding community members and friends have all petitioned the court for leniency for Dwayne. He is only one man and deserves a chance at freedom again. Your voice, persistence, and ongoing support will heighten and enlighten his cause as well as convey to the Court the need for Dwayne's release. Please continue to lend your voice as his steadfast community of supporters and scream "FREE DWAYNE JOHNSON NOW!"  DWAYNE'S STORY:  For twenty-one (23) years now, Dwayne T. Johnson – DC No. 425552, continues to awake in a Florida State Prison after having been convicted and sentenced to two (2) [(30 Year consecutive sentence terms - for a total of sixty (60) years imprisonment (with affixed minimum mandatory penalties)] for the “theft of a gold chain” (Charged in the Information as one count of Armed Robbery); which was the result of a low-level drug deal gone bad. Dwayne was also charged and plead guilty, taking a plea of (8) years for Possession of cocaine charges – to which he also had an addiction. However, he maintains his innocence of the robbery charge of the Gold Chain and the facts of his case clearly supports his claims and refutes that of the victim and the testimony of the one and only “since recanted” teenage witness.      After hearing the erroneous and egregious verdict, in haste, Dwayne “attempted to run out of the court room” but was (apprehended before leaving the Attorney’s table); Dwayne was then (Charged in the Information with one count of “Escape” – However out on Bond and Not considered In Custody at the time.) He was subsequently found guilty of Escape and handed this cumulative “60 Year Life Sentence (by an all-white jury in a predominantly white and affluent Florida city – Naples, Florida.)      Since the time of his conviction Dwayne has pursued numerous appeals and post-conviction motions which have all been denied. In fact, in May of 2001, only a few months after being found guilty, the trial court conducted a hearing on Dwayne’s motion for new trial based on the affidavit of the one and only State witness, recanting his trial testimony that Dwayne had robbed the victim. Specifically, the witness alleged that the police pressured him to say that Dwayne robbed the victim when he did not know who actually did. The court found this claim to not be credible because the officers who interviewed the victim, who was 16-years-old at the time of trial, disavowed having pressured him to identify Dwayne as the Subject. THE NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE:      On Sunday, December 18, 2016, an unknown man “a new witness” came forth and declared under penalty of perjury that he had a casual conversation with the “alleged victim.” At that time, the victim advised him that there was an individual by the name of Dwayne Johnson, also known as “Nino” who was “supposedly” in prison for robbing him back in early 2000. However, the victim told this new witness that Dwayne Johnson did not rob him. Instead, he (the victim) had pawned his jewelry to Dwayne Johnson for some drugs. The “alleged victim” explained that the only reason he claimed that Dwayne Johnson had robbed him was because his step-father was a law enforcement officer and he did not want him or his mother to know that he lost the jewelry because of drugs. After having this conversation with the “alleged victim”, the new witness, looked up Dwayne on the Florida Department of Corrections website and advised him what the “alleged Victim” had told him. He asserts that despite having served some time in prison, he never met Dwayne Johnson nor knew of his existence.      This new witness is someone who was unknown to Dwayne until he was contacted by him with the information he provided regarding the “alleged victim.” Dwayne could not have known the “alleged victim’s impeaching statement to the new witness at the time of his trial through the exercise of due diligence because this “alleged victim” never disclosed that he had described the incident as a robbery to conceal from his parents the fact that he had pawned his jewelry in exchange for drugs. Finally, in his affidavit, the “new witness” identified the man (“alleged victim”) he spoke to from a booking photograph that was obtained from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. This Motion for an Evidentiary Hearing/Mew Trial based on this newly discovered evidence has been awaiting a ruling for the past two (2) years. Meanwhile, Dwayne is just sitting in prison away from his children and our aged and ill parents to which our mother suffers from chronic Parkinson’s Disease. [Note: The “Alleged Victim has a voluminous and lengthy arrest history for drug use, drug possession, DUI, DWI, etc. in Collier and Lee County, Florida. Of further note, Dwayne plead guilty to drug possession and sale and to date, has served his sentence of nine years in full to include; all of the attached minimum mandatory sentences associated with these charges.]      I am fully aware that you all have focused your reform efforts on those trapped in Federal Prisons however, I am humbly requesting that you all please advocate on those trapped in the State Prison System, namely Florida State Prisons. African Americans in Florida have very little advocacy resources because of the highly Republican base and deep South mentality that impacts minorities and plagued many of our voiceless communities for centuries. The work is certainly here. We just need a blessing from the Lord through your help to gain traction towards significant criminal justice reform. Any type of assistance that you all could provide would be beyond anything we could ever ask for or expect. THE FACTS AND STATS:      As information, despite the lack of evidence, facts, and mitigating circumstances; Florida sends more of its citizens to prison and keeps them there longer than many other states. That is due in part to mandatory minimum and enhancement laws that require a one-size-fits-all approach to sentencing for certain offenses, regardless of an individual’s circumstances or prior record. In fact, within the last ten (10) years, dozens of states (to include, Texas) have passed reforms that saved lives, families, as well as taxpayers money, reduced crime, and reduced prison populations – Florida is not one of them. Rather, Florida spends more than 2.4 billion dollars a year to incarcerate nearly 100,000 people in prison. Moreover, Florida’s laws require those incarcerated to serve 85% of their sentence regardless of changed laws, proven rehabilitation, or the risk an inmate poses to society.      Additionally, Florida over-incarcerates low-level drug offenders and stack them with enhancements and other charges to ensure that they never see the light of day ever again. Supposedly these laws were designed to target kingpins but they ensnare low-level, often first-time offenders. As of 2015, 36.6 percent of Florida’s prisoners were serving time for non-violent crimes such as drug possession, narcotic possession, and property offenses, often tied to addition. Florida has and continues to keep these low-level offenders behind bars for such a long time which has been expensive and counter-productive.      In closing, systemic and excessive sentencing laws throughout our nation and particularly here in Florida (Namely those with minimum mandatory penalties and enhancements) often create unwarranted disparities by treating similar offenders differently and different offenders the same. It is obvious that all of the relevant facts and circumstances of Dwayne’s “alleged crime” was not carefully considered before he was wrongfully and maliciously handed this unfair punishment and “LIFE/DEATH SENTENCE.”  Dwayne is currently 51 years old and his 21 years of incarceration is beyond repaying his debt to society. His continued incarceration is now a debt to Florida taxpayers and citizens. Thus, we are requesting and praying that the facts and evidence in his case be thoroughly reviewed by an Integrity Review Board/Committee and/or the Governor please grant him Clemency or commute his sentence to time served so that Dwayne can be immediately released to his family who desperately needs and misses him. Amen.

Goal: To outlaw the cruel and inhumane practice of using dogs to hunt wild boar in Florida, as well as in the 31 others states it's currently legal or have no laws on the books.  Florida (as well as other states) has a wild boar problem. Hogs are numerous, omnivorous and have no natural predators, making them one of the largest nuisance pests in the state. There are many humane options for dealing with the pigs, which do not need to involve brutally killing the pigs or putting domesticated dogs in harm’s way. However, despite the existence of alternatives, Florida and other states have exempted the use of  "bait-dogs" in boar hunting. This practice is incredibly dangerous and very inhumane for the dogs and boars involved. Each of the 32 states that allow this practice laws differ, but Florida animal cruelty statute states:  FLORIDA ANIMALS: CRUELTY; SALES; ANIMAL ENTERPRISE PROTECTION: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0800-0899/0828/Sections/0828.122.html 828.122 Fighting or baiting animals; offenses; penalties.—(1) This act may be cited as “The Animal Fighting Act.”(2) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Animal fighting” means fighting between roosters or other birds or between dogs, bears, or other animals.(b) “Baiting” means to attack with violence, to provoke, or to harass an animal with one or more animals for the purpose of training an animal for, or to cause an animal to engage in, fights with or among other animals. In addition, “baiting” means the use of live animals in the training of racing greyhounds.(c) “Person” means every natural person, firm, copartnership, association, or corporation.(3) Any person who knowingly commits any of the following acts commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084:Baiting, breeding, training, transporting, selling, owning, possessing, or using any wild or domestic animal for the purpose of animal fighting or baiting; (9) This section shall not apply to:.....(e) Any person using dogs to hunt wild hogs or to retrieve domestic hogs pursuant to customary hunting or agricultural practices." The exception (e) makes NO logical sense, because dogs are trained to "hunt" by chasing, cornering, attacking and fighting. So, why is it illegal to cause a dog to fight another dog, or a pig in an enclosure, but it is legal to use dogs to chase and viciously attack pigs while being trained and in the wild? Boar hunting with dogs is exactly what it sounds like: dogs trained to track and attack. They are taken out into the country, or wherever wild hogs are plentiful, and set loose to sniff out hogs. Once a hog is found the dogs will chase it down, corner, bay and attack it, usually leaving it badly injured, but normally still alive. Hunters (when they catch up) will kill the pig, usually by "sticking," which is a prolonged death vs. the use of a proper gun. Wild hogs are incredibly difficult to kill and will put up a fight until the end. Many dogs involved are wounded by tusks, bitten, trampled and sometimes killed. This is basically animal fighting, in the wild. Putting dogs in such a dangerous situation is inhumane and should not be legal. Visit http://sugarshope.org/ to learn more.  PETITION LETTER: Wild boars are a major problem in Florida and in other states. The species has no natural predators, is omnivorous and repopulates very quickly: it is because of these traits that wild boars are a force hard to reckon with. There are many control methods used, some of them very inhumane. Currently it is legal for dogs to be used in wild hog hunting. This practice is extremely dangerous for the dogs involved and leads to inappropriate practices elsewhere. Dogs involved in hunting are likely to be seriously injured by the hogs. Dogs get trampled, bitten, pierced by tusks and may be infected with diseases that pigs carry. The hogs are frightened, outnumbered and suffer a painful death.  I urge you to propose a ban on hunting wild pigs with dogs in order to put a stop to these inappropriate behaviors. Please consider other methods of wild pig population control, such as designating land for hogs to be displaced to, and controlling breeding of the species. Allowing dogs to hunt them is inhumane and unnecessary. Visit http://sugarshope.org/ to learn more.  Sincerely, [Your Name Here]  

Hello , My name is Jonas Joseph and I am asking for the justice that was rightfully deserved for me and my family. I died on 4/28/2020 a result of police brutality.I got stopped and killed in my front yard that involved in my death. Lots of stories went out incriminating me for my past like I didn’t have a future. I was a son, brother,cousin,uncle,and friend. The news incriminated me quickly based off my past and said I was involved in police shootout based off what authorities supposedly said when the authorities said I never left my car. Something they had to retract as it made no sense.Witnesses said I never left my car. I was ambushed  from the little proof video my family was able to obtain I was hit from behind by an unmarked vehicle. The Tampa Police Department refuses to provide video of the scene.Bodycams/ Dashcams that are meant to protect us all is not being shown. My family continuously asked for footage and it is being denied.I had over 60 bullets shot at me that the back of my head was unrecognizable as I was ambushed from behind.My funeral was open casket so that the world could see what was done to me.My mother broke down at the injustice that was done to her youngest for so long. I longed to change the world. I preregistered for college.Had gotten my license. Bringing my family together was what I aimed to do.I enjoyed representing my family’s descendant’s country by going to Haiti and helping out in the community and with the locals.My life is worth just as much as any human being on this planet. Was worth just as much as the cops who gunned me down like I was not a human being. There are questions to be asked and time that answers should be given cause what the police is given as a explanation is making no sense and neither are these copy and pasted articles from the news. It’s time for justice! #JusticeforJonasJoseph