#goodplatform

Arkansas: Remove Judge Milas Hale III from the bench for running an Illegal Debtors Prison

The ACLU of Arkansas recently filed a suit against Sherwood's "Hot Checks" division for being a debtors prison.

In 2009 Lee Robertson was undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. He couldn’t work.

"Robertson started off owing a few stores about $200. Six years and seven arrests later, in a closed courtroom in Sherwood District Court in Arkansas, Judge Milas “Butch” Hale sentenced the cancer patient to 90 days in jail. His crime? Owing the court $3,054.51."

But once you begin digging into the details the story only gets worse,

"Between the time of his charges and his latest jailing, Robertson had been sentenced to a stretch in jail over outstanding fines. Sherwood police officers came to his door, demanding money and threatening arrest. A private probation company, ProTrac, also charged Robertson $35 per month on top of the payments to the court, burying him further in debt.  

He’s not alone. Nikki Petree, 40, was charged for bouncing a single check for $28.93, according to the lawsuit. She has been arrested in connection with that charge on at least seven occasions, and been jailed for more than 25 days. She’s paid at least $640 to the city."

Judge Hale effectively runs his court as a debtors prison. He takes people that are impoverished, unable to pay a few hundred dollars that they owe, and straps them with thousands of dollars of court fees.

If they are unable to pay, which seems unlikely since they were unable to pay a much lower total previously, he then jails them and sends them on probation with a private company that charges them, putting them further in debt.

This is an immoral action against the citizens of this country, We demand that the state of Arkansas remove Judge Hale from the bench and revoke his license to practice law for running an Unconstitutional Debtors Prison.

Florida: Psychological Trauma suffered on the job is still a work injury and should be covered by Workers Comp

Gerry Realin helped pull 49 bodies out of Pulse nightclub June 12. That night has haunted him and made him unable to work.

After the worst mass shooting in US history Police officer Gerry Realin rushed in to help the surviving victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. A lone gunman had opened fire on the Orlando gay bar June 12, killing 49 people, Realin helped remove bodies from the club.

His wife has stated, “When he got home, 2:30 the next morning, he came in very quiet … looked at both of our kids, then went in the shower and just lost it… And he didn't stop crying. The next day, it was on and off. And it's just been really hard.”

“The man that left my house that morning did not come back to me that night,” Jessica Realin said. “He’s still not back.”

Although Realin returned to work two weeks after attack, he struggled to recover, taking frequent days off. The patrolman drained his vacation time and sick days before being placed on paid leave, but he isn’t sure how long that will last.  

Under Florida law, those who experience psychological trauma on the job are not entitled to paid days off or to have their medical bills reimbursed by their employer.

Because of this, he has had his workers compensation claim denied by the state, leaving him in a precarious situation, with the Realin’s having to begin relying to donations to cover the cost of his care and time off.

Officer Realin suffered trauma while on the Job, he walked into the worst mass shooting in US History to help people and walked out of work needing medical attention and the state of Florida is abandoning him.

This is just a snapshot of a larger problem, psychological issues are medical issues and should be covered by workers compensation plans.

So, we are calling on the State of Florida to change workers compensation laws to include psychological trauma.

Petition: Stop The North Dakota Pipeline From Being Built In Native Americans Sacred Lands!

Last week, the federal government gave final approval to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will run for 1,172 miles to transport crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken oilfields to Patoka, Illinois.

Hundreds of protesters, primarily Lakota and Dakota from Native American reservations within a several-hundred-mile radius, convened against police over the weekend at the edge of the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota to voice their anger

The pipeline would travel through lands sacred to the Lakota people, and cross under the Missouri, Mississippi, and Big Sioux rivers.

A possible spill, which can occur with pipelines, would mean contaminating farmland and drinking water for millions.

After a series of tense interactions with North Dakota state police on Monday, the protesters succeeded in temporarily halting the beginning stages of construction.

We need your help to make sure this doesn't happen!

Turkey: Release all 62 children being held in a Turkish prisons!

A few weeks ago Turkey was in the middle of military takeover. It failed. Now 62 children are in jail as "coup plotters" without a fair trial and without knowing what was happening.

It was a Friday afternoon in the middle of Turkey's long summer holiday, but Emre, a 15-year-old boy studying at Istanbul's oldest military high school, was sitting in a classroom to resit an exam he had failed.

Hours later, chaos unfolded in the city's streets when a rogue group of officers and generals attempted to stage a coup. Tanks rolled over the Bosphorus Bridge and low-flying jets roared over the streets.

Emre's mother was worried; earlier in the day, she had received a call from the school informing her that her son had been invited to a "cocktail party" after his exam. She had heard nothing since.

At 4am, finally, her phone rang. "Mum," said her son, "bad things are happening. They took away my phone. They made us wear uniforms and gave us empty guns. They told us to guard the school."

Emre mentioned that their commanders had fled the school before he hung up. He was arrested shortly afterwards, along with 61 of his fellow students at Kuleli Military High School.

We need to stop this. Please sign this petition calling for the release of all 62 children without punishment.

Maryland: Continue to try the officers who were involved in the Death of Freddy Gray

The State of Maryland just requested to drop charges against 3 of the officers involved in the death of Freddy Gray.

CNN is Reporting

"Prosecutors are dropping charges against the three remaining Baltimore police officers who were facing trial in connection with Freddie Gray's death.

Six officers were charged after the April 2015 death of Gray, a 25-year-old who sustained a neck injury while in police custody. Three of them had already been acquitted.

A pretrial hearing for Officer Garrett Miller had been set for Wednesday. Trials for Officers Alicia White and William Porter had been scheduled for the fall.

Baltimore Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow made the request to drop charges against them in court Wednesday."

To drop charges against these officers, will show that the killing of a civilian will not even warrant a trial. It will show police officers that no matter their actions, they can get away with murder, so long as they murder the "right" person.

#BlackLivesMatter

Tell Congress to ban the sale of Shark Fins

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed for their fins every year.

Shark Fin Soup is a delicacy in China and other Asian Countries. It is a soup that is flavored with either chicken or some other broth, since the fin itself has little to no flavor. The fin is primarily to add texture to the dish and because it is a delicacy. It is served at special events and can exceed $100 a bowl. The soup is often claimed to have health benefits, such as increasing your appetite, improving your kidneys, lungs and bones. However there is no evidence to support these claims and the reality is that shark meat is barely fit for human consumption. It has a very high level of mercury and the United States Environmental protection agency advises women and young children to stay clear of it.

Because of this dish, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year, primarily through a process called finning. Finning is where fisherman take Sharks and they remove the top fin, often times while the shark is still alive. Since there is no "use" and no profit to be made from the rest of the shark, there are thrown back to drown, since sharks cannot breath without having their top fin to aid them in moving through the water.

Because of this Shark populations have dropped between 60 and 90% worldwide in the last 15 years and most experts believe that many shark species will go extinct in the next 10 years.

The largest problem is that, the shark fin trade is a multi-billion dollar industry, which makes it a steep uphill battle to fight. One pound of dried shark fin can sell for $300 or more. While the fishing of Shark in US waters is Illegal, the sale and purchase of shark fins remains legal in the US. In order to protect many shark species from extinctions, we want the US Congress to pass a law outlawing the sale and distribution of Shark fin in the US.

US Government: Place Economic Sanctions against Saudi Arabia for role in 9/11

In the recent declassified pages from the 9/11 report, the involvment of Saudi Arabia is not fitting of an US Ally

Reuters reported,

“The U.S. Congress on Friday released a long-classified section of the official report on the Sept. 11 attacks describing an array of potential links between some of the hijackers and officials in Saudi Arabia.

The 28 pages of the report on the 2002 investigation focus on potential Saudi government ties to the 2001 aircraft attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3,000 people died.”

Considering that we invaded an unrelated country due to the attacks it is the least that we can do is to restrict trade with the nation that is most responsible for the attacks on our country,

Some say we should treat them kindly because they are an ally, but supporting a terrorist attack on our country is not something any ally country should do to another.

We want the US government to enact economic sanctions against Saudi Arabia.

Ban the chemical that’s killing our bees!

Neonicotinoids have decimated bee populations worldwide

The agriculture industry uses seeds coated with a pesticide called neonicotinoids. Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency based on a study funded by the makers of the pesticide, neonicotinoids are an addictive toxin bees absorb and take back to the hive or nest. The neonicotinoid spreads through the bee colony and eventually kills all the bees.

In turn, crops are not pollinated and are unable to produce fruit. Because of this pesticide, one-third of US beehives are being decimated every year. California has already lost 90% of its bee population.

The European Union has already banned neonicotinoids, and it is now time for the United States to follow suit.