Topic

Police Reform

121 petitions
1,051 new supporters this week

Petition to Robert Menendez, Cory A. Booker, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Donald J. Trump, Michelle Obama, DA Mike Freeman, Mayor Jacob Frey, Nancy Pelosi, Charles E. Schumer, James Beach

Federally Required Psychological Screenings for Police Employment and Federal Reforms

Over this past decade, we have seen numerous police killings and brutality—much of which has been captured with the help of social media. The use of social media has exposed much of the violence which would have otherwise been hidden. Recently, George Floyd was a victim of this violence. A police officer in Minneapolis, Derick Chauvin, used his knee to pin Floyd down by his neck. A 10 minute video captured his murder. Floyd pleads that he can't breath, and about halfway through the video, Floyd appears unconscious and is likely dead at this point. Still, Chauvin keeps Floyd pinned to the ground with his knee until the paramedics arrive; ignoring his duty to render aid. Also captured, were the three other officers at the scene who also refused to assist Floyd and ignored the pleas of the bystanders to check his pulse. It was recently shown that Chauvin had multiple complaints against him, 2 of which he was punished for. The following proposed law would be able to prevent many of the incidents which have occurred with George Floyd, Freddie Gray, Atatiana Jefferson, and countless others. As of now, potential officers go through a psychological screening before employment that tests their fitness to be an officer. The test screens for judgement, integrity, dealing with stress, honesty, etc. This needs to go further in order to eliminate people who could pose a danger to citizens while on the job. Not all states require psychological screening which makes a federal requirement a necessity. The psychological screening, which is already done to screen an officer, should be more in depth and should also include evaluations that test for psychotic disorders, mood disorders & personality disorders. Around 88% of police departments have required drug screening. This should be included in all police departments since it would serve as a necessary precaution for screening. Since Chauvin was involved in incidents during his tenure as an officer, a re-screening should be required every 6 months to a year while the officer is employed. Much like how a doctor or lawyer is re-examined on their knowledge to ensure they are fit to practice, an officer should be required to take a re-examination too. These requirements should be federally mandated to ensure that across the country, officers are screened effectively. I appreciate you for taking the time to read this. Thank you! UPDATE (6/5/20): Since posting this petition, I have received numerous suggestions which I believe should be included and federally required as well. These include: regular & initial drug testing, social media screening, a federal hate crime for falsely reporting a racial crime, redirecting police funding in major cities to programs that support the communities, a national database for police officers involved in misconduct, QR codes on uniforms, an associates degree requirement for all departments, and banning police officers from being hired at another department if they are fired from one previously.

Bryce Showell
1,489,216 supporters
Promoted by 222 supporters

Petition to Texas Legislate, Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Bryan Hughes, Bob Hall, Robert Nichols, Brandon Creighton, Carol Alvarado, Paul Bettencourt, Angela Paxton, Kelly Hancock, Beverly Powell, Larry Taylor, Jane Nelson, Borris L. Miles, John Whitmire, Nathan Johnson, Joan Huffman, Texas State House, Louie Gohmert

Remove Austin city council authority over APD

Former Sheriff Keel: Remove Austin City Council authority over APD Former Travis County Sheriff Terry Keel says to the Governor, lawmakers, and the people of the State of Texas: “Rescue Austin and APD from the Austin City Council before it is too late” The Texas Legislature should enact legislation removing Austin’s city council entirely from governance of the Austin Police Department and instead reassign APD – intact – as a stand-alone division within the Texas Department of Public Safety. The terms of the Texas Constitution would allow for this as a simple legislative act. The Legislature should concurrently remove from the city a commensurate fraction of the city’s sales tax revenue as the funding mechanism for this new division of DPS. In the past couple of years, Austin has devolved at an alarming rate into a haven for homelessness and petty crime. It has not been by chance, but instead by misguided policies of Austin’s mayor and city council intentionally imposed to the detriment of the public’s health and safety. As the capital city of Texas, Austin has a statewide constituency: scores of visitors including most of the citizens of the entire state, the state’s largest seasonal college population, and part-time legislative and state government residents, just to name a few. In a unique sense, it belongs to all Texans, not just those of us who reside here full time. The primary purpose of any level of government is to provide for the public safety. The Austin City Council has actually acted to the detriment of public safety by enacting foolish policies that have ballooned the city’s homeless population over the course of one year by nearly fifty percent and commensurately compromising citizens’ safety with an alarming and visible increase in quality-of-life crimes such as littering, graffiti, public urination, damage to property and trespass. Most recently, in the political atmosphere of protests over the George Floyd homicide, members of the Austin City Council have moved towards micro-managing the police department - tying officers’ hands regarding the use of force, proposing drastic cuts to the department, canceling cadet classes and actually advocating for essentially defunding the department as we know it, to reallocate tax dollars to various social programs – the same type that have placed Austin in its current downward crime spiral. Before it is too late, as the Austin City Council is now taking the next steps to eviscerate the Austin Police Department, the State of Texas should step in to rescue its citizens in the next legislative session by simple majority vote of the Texas Legislature. There is precedent for this change in governance that currently exists in a key portion of Austin. The Texas Department of Public Safety Capitol District has primary jurisdiction for an area exceeding fifty City of Austin square blocks surrounding the state capitol. The difference in safety due to that state-governed enclave is palpable compared to the streets immediately surrounding it. The Austin Police Department isn’t perfect and has had its share of problems, though fewer than one would expect, given the inherent precarious nature of its mission that occurs in countless interactions every second of every day. However, despite often dealing in recent years with a hostile and irrational mayor and city council, APD has persevered as one of the best, if not the best police departments of its size among the nation’s largest cities. The citizens of this city – and state – deserve to keep it from being destroyed. The Governor and Texas Legislature are the key to doing that. Terry Keel is an attorney and the former sheriff in Travis County, a former member of the Texas House of Representatives, and also served as a House Parliamentarian.

Ben Thomas
10,888 supporters
1,020 new supporters this week

Petition to U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate

AFRICAN AMERICAN PROTECTION ACT--Police Reform for Equality

Black Parkland Activist Develops Political Agenda for George Floyd Movement-- The “African American Protection Act” A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE PROTESTERS OF THE GEORGE FLOYD MOVEMENT by Parkland Activist, Kai Stone Koerber, Contributors: Mei-Ling Ho-Shing and Brandon Dasent Right now, we are in the midst of what our opposers are calling chaos. They look at us as rioters: members of society that are rejecting the status quo in a way that is “unacceptable” to the powers that be. It is now up to us to change this narrative. We must declare the name of our movement, we must decide what we stand for (as one body of people), and we must demand the creation of legislation that reflects our ideals--ideals that we believe will lead to the betterment of our country We must advocate for the creation of specific laws that represent the ideals of our movement and for this reason I propose the creation of the “African American Protection Act”. African American Protection Act (AAPA) Written by: Kai Stone Koerber The 9 points of the AAPA: 1. Officers may not approach unarmed suspects (suspects with no weapons in their hands) with weapons drawn. 2. Ban racial profiling by ending: stop-and-frisk, consent searches, pretext stops. (Examples: ​NYC Racial Profiling Ban​, ​NYC stop-and-frisk reform​, ​Rhode Island Consent Search Ban​) 3. Officers that are guilty of having used life-endangering excessive force against apprehended suspects are to be suspended from the police force at the discretion of the public and charged with the crimes that correspond to their actions. 4. Officers must go through mental health counseling, de-escalation training, diversity /anti-bias training, and mental state management training. The reason being that many officers suffer from PTSD and as such are more prone to police brutality. ​PTSD and Police Brutality 5. All police departments will be audited by a federal agency or organization for: biased patrolling, high fine ticketing in impoverished areas and practices that lead to minor offenses becoming bench warrants or jailable offenses. Police departments will, as a result of their audits, begin to receive ratings in various categories including: community interactions, racial bias, and unfair ticketing. 6. All police departments with low ratings will see a decrease in their funding going forward, until their ratings are indicative of optimal public service. 7. All officers on or off duty must NOT demonstrate racial bias, hatred for ethnic minorities, be members of terrorist organizations like the KKK, or practice, participate in, or have a history of harming, insulting, harassing, or targeting minority populations in their policing career.  8. This act would create the “Committee on African American Protection”, a committee that reviews instances of police violence against African Americans and minorities and determines whether or not a police encounter is demonstrative of racial bias. The majority of this committee would be chaired by Black/minority members of Congress. 9. Police officers must upload body-camera and dashboard camera footage each day into a national database for analysis-- The analysis process incorporates the use of machine learning technology (artificial intelligence softwares like computer vision and natural language processing) to analyze the audio and video for things that are indicative of excessive force, unreturned gunfire, racial slurs made by the officer, and phrases from the suspect that indicate duress or harm. If a video is flagged for any of the aforementioned practices then said video will be reviewed by the Committee on African American Protection. ​ The “African American Protection Act” is our template for change. We must march peacefully upon the cities of every state, we must petition our lawmakers to support our call for police reform, and we must vote ONLY for politicians that support police reforms such as the “African American Protection Act” and the​ ​Ending Qualified Immunity Act ​ (​an act that would allow officers who violate civil rights to be sued). We must vote at the municipal, state, and federal levels. “History will judge us on our actions: how we responded to this pandemic, not COVID, but racism. This movement is one that has never stopped, whether it was Harriet rescuing blacks from slavery to freedom, or black lives matter organizers who’s focus is calling out the injustices of this country, the movement has never stopped. We must now move this conversation to the table, removing those who are wasting a seat, and replacing them with people who know what it means to eat and come back and feed the streets.” -​ Member of Florida House of  Representatives--​ Shevrin Jones "Racial profiling needs to end. Too many innocent black men are being targeted because they “fit the profile”. When I was an officer, this was something that we had to do. I never followed that rule though.I knew in my heart that it was wrong. There were so many times where we would see a group of young black men and officers I was with would want to approach them because they had to either be selling drugs or using drugs. I would tell them we are not doing that because we have zero reason to believe that they are doing something wrong. As a father of two boys, I always tell them to be careful and I have explained to them the realities of being black. I have been a victim of racial profiling numerous times. Every time I would ask what was the reason I was pulled over the officer would say we are just checking cars in the area. It's hard as a parent not to worry. You never want to get that phone call one day. It is sad that we have to teach our children, in this day and age, what to do if they get stopped by the police. Putting an end to racial profiling will help put an end to the senseless deaths of black men across this country by police. As law enforcement, there needs to be a greater push for community involvement throughout this country. Let the black communities know and feel that we are there for them."---Retired Sergeant. NYPD, Elliot Rodriguez "We must use this moment to bring about bold transformation. George Floyd’s horrific murder cannot be in vain. Ending police brutality in communities of color will only come when we unite the passion and ideas of our young leaders, with the commitment and wisdom of those who have trekked down the long trail of justice. Change is hard even in the best circumstances, but the possibilities are endless when we work together for good. " --Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-NY) “I am so proud of Kai Koerber, my former intern, for his remarkable activism. He has been a great voice in Parkland on behalf of gun safety and now he is working to end police violence against African Americans. I am thrilled so much of his plan is encompassed in the Justice in Policing Act that was just introduced in the House of Representatives. We look forward to hearing Kai’s voice from across the table as we make significant changes in law enforcement in America to end systemic racism in our policing.”--Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL)

Kai Koerber, Societal Reform Corp
13,882 supporters
973 new supporters this week

Petition to Buffalo Police Department, GOVERNOR CUOMO, City Of Buffalo, Mayor Bryon Brown

BUFFALO POLICE DEPARTMENT: FIRE POLICE OFFICER AARON TORGALSKI

Aaron Torgalski pushed an elderly man who was trying to return an officers helmet he found clearly. Torgalski was clearly abusing his power as a police officer for NO REASON. Other officers were encouraging officer Torgalski to push him. The push was strong enough to make the old man fall backwards and crack his head and start bleeding. AaronTorgalski should not be in control of our safety! This man does not deserve a badge! This man should not be allowed to hold a gun and carry out the law! Fire him! And the others invovled!!! If we get enough people to sign they can’t ignore us. They should be fired! This man makes $80,000 a year to push an old man who did not provoke him. END POLICE BRUTALITY. 

Taylor Marquis
1,321,297 supporters
Update posted 6 hours ago

Petition to U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Governors, President of the United States, CNN, Wall Street Journal

Police Reform via Political Reform

HONORABLE SENATORS, GOVERNORS, CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AND MR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA I am writing this letter as a call to action to pass legislation that requires a new level of standardization and transparency for all police departments within the United States of America. The 14th Amendment adopted on July 9, 1868, guarantees all citizens ‘equal protection under the law’. In the 152 years since the adoption of that amendment we have witnessed increasingly flagrant violations of these basic rights, fomenting an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has spanned generations. We must address the systemic racism and inequalities that are inherent in our legal and criminal justice systems and recognize the disproportionate effect this disparity has on people of color and the communities where they live. This issue has been mislabeled for too long as a problem within our black communities or as a matter solely pertaining to people of color. This is a humanitarian crisis - it must be addressed. We must not allow ourselves to lapse into apathetic behavior either because of inertia, lack of empathy or education, or simply because we don’t know what to do.  At minimum we know that all people deserve equal protection and treatment under the law and we must work together to fix it.  The Standards for Compliance and Openness of Police Engagement Act of 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the “S.C.O.P.E Act”) should be written as a living piece of legislation that will evolve over time and establish standards for conduct, transparency, engagement and protection of individual civil rights. Below is a framework of proposed reforms that should be considered as a starting point for the S.C.O.P.E Act or any resulting legislation.  Principles of ConductCreate a national whistleblower hotline to ensure officers can report infractions free of repercussions. Whistleblower complaints should be monitored and investigated at state and/or federal levels to ensure independence and proper enforcement of violations. Police departments nationwide should be required to adopt and publish guidelines on the use of force.  Consider utilizing the Camden NJ Police Department Guidelines listed below: (Link to Camden NJ Use of Force Principles). CORE PRINCIPLE 1: Officers may use force only to accomplish specific law enforcement objectives. CORE PRINCIPLE 2: Whenever feasible, officers should attempt to de-escalate confrontations with the goal of resolving encounters without force. Officers may only use force that is objectively reasonable, necessary, and as a last resort. CORE PRINCIPLE 3: Officers must use only the amount of force that is proportionate to the circumstances. CORE PRINCIPLE 4: Deadly force is only authorized as a last resort and only in strict accordance with this directive. CORE PRINCIPLE 5: Officers must promptly provide or request medical aid. CORE PRINCIPLE 6: Employees have a duty to stop and report uses of force that violate any applicable law and/or this directive.                                             TransparencyExpand the Freedom of Information Act at the state/federal levels; mandating that all police departments record all civilian interactions via dashboard cameras and on person recording devices. All officer complaint data including disciplinary actions should be published to the department website and made available on demand to the public. All police departments nationwide must submit data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, and the data should be available for analysis at the state/city levels. As data collection and dissemination standards are established each state should set a target date to make the raw data available to the public. The data should be used to formulate a letter grade for each department with annual recertification by the state. Community EngagementRetrain police officers to adopt a guardian mindset wherein they prioritize working with the public to mitigate crime, as opposed to a warrior mindset where officers view themselves as aggressors fighting crime. The latter mentality puts officers in a position of immediate conflict with the people in the communities they serve, and teaches officers to view citizens as suspects that must be persecuted rather than people they need to help and protect. Precincts should offer mandated town halls (monthly or quarterly), with schedules posted at the precinct and online, to facilitate community engagement. Citizens should know the officers sworn to protect and serve their communities, and officers should familiarize themselves with people in the community and listen to issues that affect them.  Officers should do regular foot patrols within their districts to encourage positive interaction via direct engagement. Require training in racial sensitivity and effective communication for all department officers with annual recertification by the city and state. Civil Rights Violations                                                                                            Any police enforcement act deemed to violate the 14th amendment should be reviewed at the state and federal levels to determine if disciplinary action is warranted. Officers found in violation of 14th amendment rights and/or disciplined within a department or terminated for cause should be listed in a statewide and/or nationwide database. Depending on the circumstances of the disciplinary action or termination, officers should only be certified for rehire after extensive retraining. Police union reform to limit involvement only to matters on compensation and benefits. Support the Amash-Pressley legislation to end qualified immunity and the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, if not in entirety, at minimum in instances of clear civil rights violations.o   Amash-Pressley Bill websiteo   Ending Qualified Immunity Acto   Justice of Policing Act websiteo   Justice of Policing Act of 2020 This letter is a vehicle to add my voice of support to the reform effort that is so desperately needed to eliminate pervasive and systemic inequality.  However, we need this important matter to be taken up as a bipartisan issue and not the rallying cry of a single party. This is a humanitarian crisis that affects us all, which requires far-reaching and inclusive dialogue with representation from government at all levels, the police and our citizens. We have an opportunity to channel the anger, frustration and outrage accumulated over decades by taking positive steps to create a higher level of engagement and cooperation across all lines. The S.C.O.P.E Act is intended to increase positive interaction, accountability and ensure the formation of a partnership between police departments and the communities they serve. I invite you to take the first step by working together to create a comprehensive piece of legislation in the way that the forefathers of this country wrote the Constitution, so that as more effective ideas are introduced they can be incorporated into the law.  There are many obstacles to police reform, but we cannot allow indolence to prevent us from solving this humanitarian crisis that has plagued our country for decades, and has thus far been neglected due to apathy and inaction.  This crisis is unacceptable, and the recent deaths of George Floyd and countless others have been a wakeup call to the nation. This is an indictment on everyone in this country; we have failed as a society, and we should be tireless in our effort to get this right, by striving to realize the vision that was laid out in our Constitution. SINCERELY,  JOFFRE C. WELLS

Joffre Wells
2,989 supporters
Update posted 2 days ago

Petition to Ralph S. Northam, Kelly Thomasson Secretary of the Commonwealth, Virginia parole board chairwoman Tonya Chapman

Pardon a Child. Remove the knee that has been on his neck since he was 15 years of age!

Like George Floyd I cried for mama when they ripped me from her arms and replaced them with handcuffs. I am now 36 and still crying for mama, Delegates, Senators, Innocence Projects, celebs, Governor Northam and anyone who will help me breathe. I matter!Experts say the natural part of growth and development is experience. And naturally mistakes are a part of life. Not one human being is exempt. So...why was I along with another young man accused of Breaking & Entering a home that we 'chilled' at everyday? Why were we accused of raping a female teen? Why did I willfully go downtown to the Danville Police Department with my mother present in the interrogation room and give a signed/sworn statement of NEVER forcing entry into the home and NEVER forcing sex upon the accuser? Why did I state that we had consensual sex between the two of us and there was NEVER any physical/sexual contact between the accuser and the other young man? Why did I state all of this? Mama told me in that room, in front of the officers that "the truth will set you free". My story has NEVER changed. So...why did the officers ask if I knew the accuser's age AFTER I signed the statement? Only to learn that she was not 14, but 12? Why was I prosecuted as an adult? Why was the 'underage' element NEVER an issue during the investigation? Why did the accuser and her adult cousin, who wasn't there, swear on the Bible then spit venomous lies about me? Why is my public defender not defending me? Can you imagine being a child and sitting in a court room full of people with condemning eyes; quietly stoning you to death without a trial? I remember feeling like no one was with me, not even my mother. Fast forward 3-4 months later...someone tell me why the investigation reveals a story foundated on fabrication, a made up story? Now you are wondering why? For 21 long years I have wondered the same thing. This lie stems from two adults, the accusers female cousin and husband. Sadly they forced her to perform sexual acts with men for money. This investigation reveals a motive-to lie-to hide their own criminal activity by placing the blame on another young man and myself. This investigation reveals that we had NO knowledge nor participation in this evil. This investigation revealed a full confession by the accuser who is a also a victim. Understandably they are the reason why she lied to the authorities, in the police report, in her statement, and on the stand in a courtroom. Unbeknownst to her the same lies that certified me as an adult. The same lies that tramautized, stigmatized, and disenfranchised a child before he had a chance to come of age. Someone HELP...I can't breathe. A lie that formed a distrust in police, lawyers, and the judicial system. A lie that has enslaved me in shackles and chains. A lie that skewed my perception of what I learned in elementary school, the "Pledge of Allegience", where the last three words state, "Justice For All". So what happened... Unfortunately, before this event took place, she did what most young people do when they are trying to fit in with a new crowd, (Ironically I had just moved from Martinsville ,Va to Danville, Va and she was also new to Da-ville )...she lied about her age. How many of you have done something as a youth and made a decision for the right now? Both of my hands are up! Now if you are wondering...yes the B&E and rape charges were dismissed as a result of the accusers courage to tell the truth. The other young man went home. The two adults were convicted of pandering. I, on the other hand was deemed guilty according to Virginia law, for having consensual sex with a female who was under 13. Virginia law states that she cannot consent even if she does. In this case she stated consent and admitted to enhancing her age to more than 12. Furthermore two witness testimonies and statements corroborate that she had told them she was older as well. At 15 I still did not get it. Why am I guilty if I NEVER knew? You say I am guilty of rape because of her age yet evidence reflects that I NEVER knew, and she admitted to lying about her age. I argued with my public defender over and over and he only pressed me with one option. Plead guilty because your signed statement proves guilt. He says" Virginia law states that." Answer this...why is this statute so vague? Where is a statute or bill or amendment that includes language of ...." "unless a defendant has no prior knowledge of the age, being unable to consent, victim admits to enhancing age that would take her out of the realm of not able to consent and evidence points to this fact, then guilt should not persist..." Furthermore, can anyone explain why this case was not remanded or sent back to the Juvenile Court? At the age of 15 I was certified or to be tried as an adult based on testimony of B&E and rape. Criminal behavior based on the nature of violence and force. Accusations that were proven to NEVER have occurred. I was not prosecuted or certified as an adult for evidence of my signed statements--the 'underage' element. What is the point? No one explained to a child that a sex offense conviction in the adult circuit court requires registry. And if you don't you will be locked up again. Would this injustice have been allowed to continue if I wasn't an impoverished, and an ignorant of the law black boy without effective legal representation? Where is the Equal Protections of the Law? Right to a Fair Trial? and (Fed./State )Right to Due Process of Law? Again, I can't breathe! Reluctantly I pled guilty to a crime I never knew I had committed until an echo of lies caused an avalanche. A blind man can look at the record and see a proponderance of evidence that reflects no predatory, pedophilia, deviant, and/or criminal intent. Nor does the record reflect that I operated with the mindset as if I 'knowingly disregarded' the law. Naturally I operated as an irresponsible, curious, risk-taking teen. Everyday, teens lie about some of the darndest things. They lie about their ages, where they are going, who they are with and so forth. So if you are a parent, guardian, older sibling, older loved one, friend or someone of influence, educate your prepubescent teen and teenagers about my story. Make them aware about your States statute/laws concerning the legal age of consent. No, I am not condoning teen sex or sex before marriage but kids are going to be kids. Our innate duty is to guide the generations after us to do better than we did. Besides, if they are in the know they have a better chance of NOT making a poor decision. And this applies with everything. So I appeal to the people...given what you have read, the extraordinary circumstances and the rarity of all of this happening, do I deserve to serve 10 years? Do I deserve an unjust conviction in an adult court? Do I deserve to be on a registry? Do I deserve more suffering from a 21 year old case that stems from a made up story of lies? And forgive me if there's an inkling of concern that I am disclaiming responsibility...NO! I empathize with the accuser/victim. I empathize with countless victims of sexual abuse and deviance. I have a mother who I loved first in this world and love more than I did when I was a child. I have two younger sisters who were placed under my wing before I was big enough to retrieve items from the cupboard without having to climb on the countertops. I have 4 nieces who address me as 'sir', 'king', and 'Uncle Jamar'. I have a 16 year old brother and a 13 year old nephew who have never experienced anything with me besides prison visits and phone calls, but heed every word I say to them. I have female friends, females I work with everyday and I GUARANTEE they will say, "I don't see that on him". By habit and nature I am a respector and protector. Mama raised me like that. So God forbid if something like this or similar happens to them. Plus, as a juvenile all treatment and education was afforded me to understand the severity of sexual misconduct. Records from multiple DJJ counselors (in court records also) state that I am not a sexual predator, deviant, pedophile, or someone that needs to be on the registry. Instead I am also a victim of 'extraordinary circumstances'. Quick story....when I was at Beaumont on my second stint (DJJ) in 2001-03 for violating probation, I was in treatment and one of the requirements is 'ACCEPTANCE'. So during group everyone take turns revealing some hard truths of what they did to get there. And when I say hard, WHOA...In my immaturity I judged. Maybe because there acts were unthinkable when it came to my mind. And there sentences were much lesser. You had anywhere from sodomy with children/babies, forcible rape, beastiality, molestation of family members and all types of acts committed that you hear on '20/20', 'Dateline', or Oprah. PRAYERS TO ALL AFFECTED! I remember my first group like it was yesterday. Believe it or not my story has remained the same. The counselors scolded me about being truthful and acceptance. Of course I did not budge. So afterwards she and I are in her office conversing the subject matter and I prompt her to call my case manager/P.O. who was with the case every step of the way. She called my bluff and after their convo, she began crying, then apologized. That was me in 1999. Like a typical teen I was trying to discover me and this world. I gravitated towards the same type of people and places that got me into trouble several times over. Maybe it was due to the lack of guidance, never knowing my father, or not having. Regardless I played a major part in my mistakes. I accept that and work hard everyday to be a better man and human being. I have paid my debt and more to society. I just wanna live. Justice!!! In conclusion, if I do not receive relief via Pardon-Clemency from the Governor of Virginia, that means the mistake I made as a child is deserving of a 10 year sentence and all that comes with it. It means it is okay to lie and still receive punishment when the fact finders know the truth. It means I have no rights as a human being under the U.S. Constitution. It means Black Lives 'Do Not' Matter. I Matter! We Matter! Countless men and women inside these walls matter! And in the words of Ava Duvernay...(not verbatim ) "...we are seeing many unjustly killed in the streets. Please do not forget about us who are being killed by the courts..."Justice For All!!! Bio Facts: *26 year sentence---(4 years )Dist. crack cocaine-1st time drug offense...19 years old---(12years) shoot in occup. vehicle, attempt. mal. wounding, use of firearm in comm., and poss. of firearm as conv. juve. felon...19years old-- (Thank God NO one was shot)[THESE SENTENCES ARE COMPLETE] SENTENCE REMAINING---(10years) suspended sentence imposed due to new convictions...violation of probation...stems from juvenile-adult conviction... 15 years old ..*34 months served in Dept. of Juvenile Justice for *Current Release Date: 10-3-23*Pending Conditional Pardon--filed Jan.-Feb 2017*Pending Early Release Appeal(COVID-19) 44-146.17 of the Code of Virginia--Filed April and June 2020*Exemplary Record of Rehabilitation--HS Diploma/GED--Multiple Trades and Educational Certifications--Completed All Treatment Programs Available--New Hope Therapeutic Community Program Graduate(2016)--Infraction Free-9 + years--Commissary Worker-3+ years--Viable Home Plan--Excellent Support System--Entrepreneurial Plans*COVID-19 Concerns--Due to incarceration it is impossible to follow the guidelines prescribed by CDC. The infection likelihood is much greater in confinement.*Acting Executive Director of NonProfit...Saving Our Seeds for Change, Inc. or Saving Our Seeds( S.O.S.) CONTACT: Andrea N. Hairston, President(276)-806-6174Website: saving our seeds ueniweb.comemail: andrea68@vt.eduFacebook/saving our seeds nonprofit395 W. John Redd Blvd.Collinsville, VA 24078 Feel free to contact me @ Jamar D. Hairston-BeyActing Executive Director1607 Planters RoadLawrenceville, VA 23868or sign up for free @ JPay.com...e-stamps cost  

Jamar Hairston-Bey
258 supporters
Update posted 3 days ago

Petition to Mayor David Weiss

Petition for Mayor David Weiss to Pass The Just Society Proposal

This proposal is started by the Minorities Together Movement. The Just Society Proposal would try to end racial bias, in the Shaker Heights policing system. This proposal would create a public database with all officers' records, this would create transparency between the public eye and the police department. The proposal would also add implicit bias training and the Eight Can't-Wait rules to the Shaker Heights police department. The proposal would create a community-led police review board to watch over the police department and public database. It is important that this proposal is passed to protect our black community in Shaker Heights and to set a national standard, please sign our petition to join the movement.     

Ethan Khorana
1,182 supporters
Update posted 3 days ago

Petition to Gavin Newsom

Officer Husband Murders Pregnant Indigenous Wife And Gets Sentence Commuted By CA Governor

This story is real.  Debra Marie BlackCrow was a 39 year old Oglala Lakota Sioux woman on month 7 of her pregnancy.  After years of abuse from her Parole Officer husband, Rodney Patrick McNeal, she decides to take control of her life and leave the man who was supposed to protect her.  Sadly, she would never make it out alive.  On March 10, 1997, Debra was viciously beaten, stabbed, strangled, dragged, drowned and doused with chemicals. I am the second eldest of Debra's four surviving children.  All of us witnessed Patrick's domestic violence and had to be witnesses in the trial.  The People vs Rodney McNeal began 3 years after my mother's murder and the lawyer on our side is the previous District Attorney of San Bernardino, Michael Ramos.   After hearing all testimony and recognizing that the motive was for a $100k insurance policy, a jury of his peers handed down a sentence of two terms of 15 to Life.  One term for my mother and one term for my unborn sister to be served consecutively.   This is where the story should end and the healing begins.  Unfortunately, this would not be the case.  For the past 23 years, Debra's children have been fighting tirelessly against Patrick's constant attempts to change the person who killed my mother, appeal the sentence, convince the California Innocence Project to back him, request to be granted clemency (which was rejected by previous Governor Jerry Brown Jr.) and now having the sentence commuted to 22 to Life by the recently elected Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. Patrick has been in jail for 23 years.  This means that even through this CoVid-19 pandemic he will be up for a parole hearing this year.  What made this story even worse is the fact that Debra's children found out about the commuted sentence mere hours before the news article was released.   You may be asking why the California Innocence Project backed his case.  That was my question too.  In 2015, I was side swiped by searching online and finding out that the CIP had started representing Patrick.  I called them and set up a meeting with my sister and I in Las Vegas, NV.  I wanted to know why they never reached out to the victim's family or any of the witnesses to find out about Patrick's character.  They did come to Vegas and at the end of the meeting they stated "Even if Patrick is guilty he probably won't be getting out but we invested so much in his story already so we are going to have to just run with it." I am just a person.  I single human being amongst billions and I do not have the power of the media behind me like the California Innocence Project.  I do however have my word and the power of my story.  California is a Death Penalty State yet when I was asked as a 16 year old girl if we should shoot for Death, I chose Life.  I granted Patrick mercy.  The mercy that he never granted my mother.   I really hope that you read this and are able to help me say loudly that the California Innocence Project needs major reform on how they choose the people they represent.  They need to stop representing Patrick and Governor Gavin Newsom needs to revoke his commuted sentence.  Help me keep justice in my mother's name and the countless victims of domestic violence. 

Shantel Haynes
1,970 supporters