Take The Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

IN BRIEF - Fourth year PhD student Antonio Ruiz has been unfairly dismissed from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for COVID-19 testing non-compliance while sheltering in place. Antonio has numerous health risks and physical disabilities, including a medically diagnosed inability to take the University’s saliva test. Despite this fact, the University is choosing to expel him and evict him from his University apartment. Antonio has appealed this decision with the support of his department, the Associate Dean of his college, and the GEO, but his appeal has been callously denied. On March 10th, the University revised its testing requirements for graduate students living off campus, but it has continued to issue harsh disciplinary measures for testing non-compliance prior to the change and for non-compliance from students in University housing. After the public outcry and show of support for Graduate Employee Yidong “Ivor” Chen, the University made no modifications to the COVID-19 disciplinary procedures and continues to unfairly, disproportionately, and callously discipline graduate students.


PETITION TO REINSTATE ANTONIO RUIZ TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATORY REVIEW ON UNJUST STUDENT DISCIPLINE

In the Fall semester of 2020, fourth-year PhD student, teaching assistant, and member of the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) Antonio Ruiz lived by himself in University housing while working remotely for the University of Illinois. For medical reasons, Antonio is unable to take the University’s saliva test. Furthermore, his health conditions place him at increased risk for adverse effects due to COVID-19. The University’s own Staff Physician at McKinley Health Center has testified to Antonio’s inability to participate in the University’s saliva testing program. Because of his increased health risks, Antonio rarely left his house, only leaving for essential activities, or to go on socially distanced walks as recommended by his doctors.

On October 20th, 2020, Antonio received a UIUC disciplinary notice of testing noncompliance. Antonio communicated with a University case investigator, and did not dispute his prior testing non-compliance. He was not given the opportunity to participate in a hearing or argue his case in front of a panel representing the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR). As a consequence of this disciplinary notice, Antonio was placed on University Probation.

Following this disciplinary charge, Antonio attempted to apply for a testing exemption. In the University's January 15th Massmail about COVID-19 testing exemptions, the University stated that “only students who are living locally and NOT coming to campus are eligible to request an exemption”. Since Antonio lives in University housing, he was not eligible for an exemption. No information was given in this or future emails about the nasal swab alternative test until later in the Spring semester. Even during Antonio’s initial disciplinary procedures, the University’s case coordinator did not inform Antonio of alternative testing measures.

After failing to secure a testing exemption, Antonio received a second UIUC disciplinary notice of testing non-compliance on March 9th. Having witnessed the University’s callous attempts to dismiss Ivor Chen, and observing the GEO’s efforts arguing for Ivor’s reinstatement, Antonio contacted his union to learn what his options were to appeal the initial charges. Antonio met with an advisor, and was in this instance able to argue his situation in front of a panel from the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR).

On March 25th, 2021, Antonio and a representative from the GEO met with the OSCR. At this hearing, Antonio testified to his strong desire to remain testing compliant, his medical inability to test, and his ineligibility for a testing exemption. He then asked for a more lenient punishment than dismissal. He provided numerous supporting documents demonstrating his existing medical conditions, and letters of support from his advisor, his TA supervisor, the Chair of his department, his department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and an Associate Dean of his college. In response, the panel told Antonio that he should have proactively sought out accommodations for his disabilities. When asked to consider the letters of support testifying to Antonio’s character and the effects dismissal would have on him, the panel demonstrated disinterest towards this supporting documentation, failing to accurately summarize the contents of the letter or their signatories.

After deliberating for less than 15 minutes, the panel reconvened and issued the following discipline for Antonio’s testing non-compliance:

Dismissal from the University, effective immediately.
Trespass Notification, excluding Antonio from entering any University property effective immediately: including Antonio’s primary residence in University housing.
One 1,000-word reflective essay.
A petition letter for University re-entry after 1 year.
Evidence of successful academic or work history during his 1 year dismissal.
Antonio appealed to these sanctions on April 1st, presenting new medical documentation attesting to his inability to test and pointing to the fact that other graduate students found non-compliant in the Spring semester were given less severe sanctions than probation. Nevertheless, his appeal was denied by the panel.

Such sanctions are insulting and it is unclear how Antonio can even remain compliant with these requirements. Antonio is immediately dismissed and has been issued a trespass notification from the University, which prevents him from entering any University building, with the implicit threat of force from the University of Illinois Police Department. However, as a resident of University housing, Antonio was informed separately by his Case investigator that he would have 30 days from the denial of his appeal to vacate his University apartment. At present, Antonio is still unclear what his other expectations are as related to these disciplinary sanctions. For example, he is still participating in the alternative nasal swab testing protocol in order to remain in compliance with University COVID-19 testing. However, all such tests occur in University buildings, precisely those places he was forbidden from accessing.

Although Antonio has attempted to comply with the University testing program, he was medically unable to do so, and he was not informed of alternative testing procedures until he received a second disciplinary charge over the Spring semester. Upon learning of the nasal swab accommodation as an alternative means of remaining testing compliant, he immediately applied for and was granted the nasal swab accommodation. Antonio then immediately entered into COVID-19 testing compliance and has since regularly been testing twice a week. This alternative testing procedure was available but was not communicated in any of the University’s prior Massmails until Mid-March. This reflects confusing expectations and messaging from the University, in addition to a lack of empathy for students with disabilities.

Antonio has received support from his Department Chair, his Director of Graduate Studies, and the Associate Dean for his college. In emails and letters, they explained that this disciplinary action was vastly disproportionate to Antonio’s alleged offense. Graduate Employees have had the lowest transmission rates for COVID-19 of anyone in the Champaign-Urbana community [1]. It is precisely this type of evidence that led the University to stop requiring weekly COVID-19 tests for Graduate Employees. Consistent with this, Antonio has been an exceedingly cautious individual, following all of the CDC’s recommended guidelines for slowing the spread of COVID-19.

After he is evicted from University housing, Antonio will have to relocate to live with his family in Miami, Florida. Moving across the country presents a clear danger to Antonio’s health and well-being. He is at high risk for medical complications due to COVID-19, which makes it more dangerous for him to move to a state with uncontrolled COVID-19 transmission rates. The University appeal committee was made aware of all Antonio’s medical conditions, as well as the disproportionate consequences that dismissal would have for Antonio. However, the committee callously and hastily decided to dismiss Antonio anyway.

The GEO is pursuing all available means to support Antonio, reverse his dismissal decision, and ensure he receives pay and a tuition waiver for the Spring semester. But the University administration shows no sign of empathy or willingness to support Antonio in a meaningful way. If the GEO and the University are unable to reach a mutually agreeable compromise, we will be forced to explore other means to ensure Antonio gets justice.


[1] In the University's November 10th Massmail, they reported that since measuring transmission rates for specific populations, Graduate students had the lowest seven-day positivity rate of any group on campus.

The CROWN ACT bars against public k-12 schools policing black hair texture and style.


BUT, how are we to account for the Black children facing discrimination at privately funded institutions? Black mothers and students should not bear the brunt of going against the bureaucracy that is the private state school system. A systematic approach to a systemic problem is the only solution to protecting Black children everywhere. If the amendment to SB817 is passed, ALL schools in the state of Illinois will have to end discrimination against our Black boys and girls lest their funding is restricted! Until they change their historically racist policies their names will be listed on the state board's website to warn other incoming students of any possible trauma and their funding will be kept at the previous school year’s level. Of course, once back in compliance with the state policy their funding will be replaced. Their funding WILL be returned, but first and foremost we must stand with our babies to uphold their integrity, identity, and sense of empowerment.


Until we support Black children we will never have a fully formed society in which the voices experiencing the most oppression have the power to do something about it. Join our fight whether you are Black, Brown, White, or otherwise. This is for all of our healing and all of our acceptance. Thank you for your support and we look forward to the end of this harm for once and for all.

Twice a year, Muslims gather with their local congregation, friends, and family to celebrate Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha. Despite these joyous occasions, many Muslims end up attending school and work. Some are forced to pick between attending work and school or observing our beloved holiday. If one does take for Eid, the holiday is counted as an “excused absence” or one will have to take days off from his/her allotted vacation/ sick days. What’s more is that many do not know when Eid is and how important it is to Muslims. They do not know why we celebrate it or what it is that we do on that day.

Every single culture and religion has celebrations and holidays, and Muslims are no different. However, this is where the similarities end. While we support and respect Jewish, Christian, and Hindu holidays, we do not see this same respect reciprocated. We need to change this not because if one religion gets public holidays, all should, but because we need to respect and appreciate every single religion in the way that each religion and its followers asks for. We need to open up conversations about people from all the different backgrounds that exist. We need to change in the name of inclusiveness and in the name of diversity. We are not, and never have been, a state that ignores the beautiful diversity that surrounds us. Instead, we celebrate it.

Thus, I ask the Illinois State Government, beginning May 2022, to make Eid-ul- Fitr and Eid- ul- Adha a public holiday. As Eid is the day after the crescent moon is sighted, I ask that the designated day be when it is estimated the new moon will be out. Through this, we can add to, and work toward, the culture of awareness and tolerance that every community needs.

Hello, I am the parent of a Senior football player at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. We are so excited that the kids have been given the opportunity to play football in the Spring. Please reconsider the limit of 50 spectators for outdoor sports - the same limit that is applicable to indoor sports. Also, please consider modifying the limits based on gym and stadium size. Groups of spectators can be spread out in an outdoor stadium separated by a safe distance. The same 50 person limit should not be applied to big schools and small schools alike throughout the state, and applied equally to indoor and outdoor sports. We allow dining outdoors for as many people as a restaurant can hold with tables distanced and with people taking off their masks to eat, yet we are not allowing a gigantic stadium like Stevenson to host more than 50 spectators in an outdoor space. We allow indoor retail and dining establishments to host guests based on a percentage of capacity rather than number limits. We are asking the Governor, IDPH, and IHSA to please reconsider having the same spectator limits for indoor and outdoor sports alike and to reconsider having the same spectator limits for large and small schools with varying gym and stadium capacities. Please make a more logical limit such as a percentage of capacity limit, or let schools make a seating chart showing where spectators can and can’t sit. This will have a much more logical and practical effect for indoor and outdoor sports and schools that have varying size gyms and outdoor stadiums. This can be done safely and responsibly and in line with the current scientific recommendations.

Veto HB 3653. This bill doesn't allow illinois peace officers to fulfill their sworn oath and duty to help keep communities and citizens safe.

The Florida House passes an anti-trans bill allowing student genital inspections on April 14, 2021. This bans trans girls and women to play on school teams. "It would also allow schools to require a genital inspection of student-athletes suspected to be trans." This is sexual assault, plain and simple. People can be so ignorant and disgusting, this is violating women, particularly trans women. I would never let anyone inspect my child, for that ridiculous reason. And young people should not have to go through this. The Florida government is transphobic and violates women's rights, we need to change this.

Pesticide pollution in lake Okeechobee and the Indian River Lagoon have led to algae blooms in the Indian River Lagoon that have decimated manatee food sources. Excess pollution leads to algae blooms which block out light, killing the grasses that act as manatee's major food source. Such pollution largely originates from lake Okeechobee, where agricultural pesticides end up in the lake en masse. It then travels quickly downriver, causing algae blooms. Such lack of food has lead to the deaths of over 500 manatees recently, a dangerous high for the threatened species. We seek regulation and awareness of the harmful impacts of this pesticide use, and to see it limited to save manatee lives. As one of Florida's most treasured species, their habitat deserves protection.

Protect the manatees, sign this petition to start the wheels of change to help a gentle, treasured species.

Governor Ron DeSantis has introduced a bill that will suppress the right for protestors to peacefully protest, revoke bail for protestors, legalize running over protestors, making it a felony to march on the streets AND MORE. This bill is in response to the concerns of people of color as the justice system turns a blind eye to the injustices being faced by our communities.


Sign this petition demanding the FL Legislature to protect our constitutional right to peacefully protesting and Vote NO for the Combating Violence, Disorder, Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act.


Here's how to stop HB1:

1. Sign the petition to tell the legislature: “VOTE NO on HB1 and protect our right to dissent!”

2. Call your State Representative so you can tell them: "VOTE NO on HB1 and protect our right to dissent!"

3. Stay Connected by texting @fsubsu to 81010 so that we can continue to amplify our voices in fighting against HB 1 and other laws that will endanger you.

The Bright Futures Scholarship is available to all high school seniors in Florida who plan to go to college. It has helped over 725,000 students in Florida pursue post-secondary education. Senate Bill 86 wants to change that.

The bill requires officials within Florida’s Department of Education to create a list of degrees that lead directly to employment after graduation (which will be updated every year).

Any student pursuing a degree not designated on this list will only receive Bright Futures aid for their first 60 credit hours. This means that only two out of four years of school would be covered by the scholarship. Any college credit earned in high school would be subtracted from the amount of credits paid for by Bright Futures. If passed, this bill will be implemented within the 2022-2023 school year.

Student loan debt within the state of Florida would skyrocket in the absence of Bright Futures coverage, and it should not be up to the state of Florida to determine which majors are worthy of being funded, especially because college major and career do not always correlate.

Sign this petition to tell our Senate that this bill is harmful to the students that the Bright Futures scholarship is meant to help.

“Principal Melissa Carter was caught on video paddling a student in front of their mother.

News confirmed the Department of Children and Families is investigating.

Hendry County School District does not allow corporal. The family’s lawyer, Bret Provinsky, said Clewiston police have turned over the investigation to the State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit, which includes Hendry County. The state attorney’s office is deciding whether they will bring criminal charges against Carter and Cecilia Self, a clerk at school also in the video, Provinsky said.

The hatred with which she hit my daughter, I mean it was a hatred that, really I’ve never hit my daughter like she hit her,” the mother told WINK News in Spanish.

“I had never hit her,” the woman said as she cried.

The incident happened on April 13 when the school called the woman to say her 6-year-old daughter had caused damage to a computer. They said the fee would be $50.

According to the police report, the woman mentioned paddling with her and a deputy present, but she said she didn’t understand the process correctly due to a language barrier.

The woman went to the school to pay the fee, but she was taken to the principal’s office instead where she found her daughter, Carter and Self, but no deputy.

“My daughter was already in the office,” the woman said. “The principal started to scream.”

The woman looked around and started to get nervous.

“There are no cameras,” she said. “What are we doing in this place? My daughter and I, alone.”

So she did what she thought was her only option and hid her phone in her purse and set it to record.

“Nobody would have believed me,” the mother said. “I sacrificed my daughter, so all parents can realize what’s happening in this school.”

Hendry County School District policy does not allow corporal punishment.

It states: “The superintendent shall designate sanctions for the infractions of rules, excluding corporal punishment.”

The policy also encourages procedures that “do not demean students” and “do not tend to violate any individual rights constitutionally guaranteed to students.”

“That’s aggravated battery,” said Provinsky, an attorney who works with undocumented immigrants. “They’re using a weapon that can cause severe physical, harm.”

“The child is terrified, she feels vulnerable. There’s nothing she can do in the hands of these adults, who treated her so brutally, savagely, sadistically,” Provinsky added.

The woman took her daughter to the doctor the same day to document the red marks and bruises caused by the paddle.

She is now worried about long-lasting psychological damage.

“I’m going to get justice for my daughter because if I could not do it in front of her, I’m going to do it with justice,” the woman said.”

Source:

WINKNEWS.com

Reporter:
Val Simpson

Writer:
Melissa Montoya

Rebekah Jones is a former employee of the Florida Department of Health. In her role as a data scientist, she curated and analyzed COVID-19 data, while also helping to manage the state's COVID-19 dashboard.

Jones publicly alleged she and others were pressured to manipulate the data for better appearances, thereby helping allow the state to reopen businesses that were closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. She was subsequently terminated from her role by the Department of Health for "insubordination."

Following her termination, Jones's home was raided by armed Florida police, who seized her computer equipment and other electronic devices. On January 13, 2021, it was reported that a motion to return Jones's seized property was neither granted nor denied by a county judge.

As of January 17, 2021, there is an outstanding warrant for Jones's arrest. She has indicated that she will surrender to authorities, potentially facing a heretofore undisclosed felony charge.

In a free and open society, it is absolutely essential that analysts and scientists be allowed to conduct their work without undue pressure and fear of censorship or legal repercussions. They must be allowed to freely share public information and participate in a scientific discourse, especially at a time when human lives are imminently threatened by a global pandemic.

We hereby call upon Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, the Florida Attorney General's Office, Florida state prosecutors, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take these actions:

Drop charge(s) against Rebekah Jones.
Return all personal computers and other property taken from her residence.
Establish, disclose, and enforce policies that promote a truly unrestricted exchange of data with the public by those who curate and analyze it, without any undue interference.
Make all source data sets (as validated by data analysts, engineers, and scientists using generally accepted best practices) available to the public, redacting only that which is strictly necessary according to generally accepted best practices (such as removing the minimal amount of personally identifiable information necessary to protect the privacy of individual people) and publicly disclosing all such redactions.
Vigorously protect all whistleblowers acting in good faith from all forms of harassment and retribution, whether systematic or otherwise.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to inform you about something. 45000 acres of the Florida Panther's habitat is going to get destroyed! If something is not done soon, this will also affect other animals, leading to more extinct. Therefore, this is not just an issue of preventing one animal from getting extinct. It's about preventing MULTIPLE. Please share this petition or chip in, so we can do something about this QUICK. Thank you.

Florida Panthers are becoming endangered due to human activities. Construction is a major issue, because this leads to habitat loss, and roads make it difficult for panthers to cross.

Although this is one species, it can make a HUGE impact on its ecosystem if it goes extinct. If the Florida Panther dies out, other mammals will grow in number because the Florida Panther is a top predator. After the mammals grow in number, they will eat other mammals, decreasing their numbers. After this happens, all the mammals will die over time, making their ecosystem very unbalanced and have high risk of failing.

If we don't do anything soon, they will surely die out, as there are only 120-130 Florida Panthers left. And these numbers are falling FAST due to vehicle collisions, side effects of inbreeding, and high level of mercury in their prey.

So how can we solve this problem? Well, you can sign this petition to support the cause to save Florida Panthers. The Florida Government can make a law protecting Florida Panthers and build new habitats for them as well as make travelling across roads for them easier. So, what are you waiting for? Sign this petition and LET'S GO SAVE THE FLORIDA PANTHERS EVERYONE!

Your help is needed to prevent this from happening to the ultra-pure, clear, waters of the Sabinal River near Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Texas Hill Country. Join us in asking Young Life to stop plans that would allow discharge of treated wastewater into the pristine waters of the river. Young Life is putting this Texas treasure in jeopardy.

Young Life is proposing the construction of a wastewater treatment plant at their new camp in Vanderpool, TX and they are seeking permission from the State to release up to 60,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day into local creeks that flow to the Sabinal River. This precedent-setting Permit Application would pave the way for others to seek the same type of permits and further damage this ecologically sensitive area. We propose that Young Life seek a safe and proven alternative such as a ZERO DISCHARGE plan.

Colorado-based Young Life is opening a new camp in Texas and has applied with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit that if granted, would set a dangerously bad precedent. It would be the first wastewater discharge permit EVER in the Upper Nueces River Basin which includes the Frio, Nueces and Sabinal Rivers, along with many small creeks and streams. If we don’t stop this plan now it will pave the way for others to secure similar permits putting this sensitive area at greater risk.

Thousands of recreational tourists and nature enthusiasts from around the world come to the area each year to enjoy the Sabinal River. Many small businesses in the area are dependent on visitors coming to the area to enjoy the river. These visitors spend money on lodging, supplies, dining, outdoor activities and purchases at other local retail establishments. Protecting the river ensures the livelihoods of those who call this area home.

Releasing wastewater, even treated to the highest levels, does not match the purity of the river. Wastewater treated with the latest technology --- to ‘drinking water” standards--- would still introduce harmful nutrients into the river that would cause the water to become cloudy and promote algae blooms (like in the image above of the San Gabriel River. Source: www.nodumpingsewage.org) that would clog the river, make it unsightly, un-swimmable and cause harm to wildlife, fish and birds. This environmentally sensitive area is comprised of a complex network of underground springs, streams and waterways that feed the critical Edwards Aquifer. If this precedent-setting permit application is allowed to move forward, it’s expected many others will follow.

Please reach out and ask Young Life to change from setting a horribly bad precedent to setting a good one. There’s an opportunity here for Young Life to change their plans to a ZERO DISCHARGE approach such as a Texas Land Application Permit. This proven method is successfully used by State Parks in the area along with other commercial and private landowners to responsibly handle wastewater using it for irrigation. This method also helps to reduce the vulnerability of area water wells during times of drought.

Young Life is a valued organization with a Christian mission that provides meaningful and life-changing programs for young people around the world. We support this mission—but we do not support Young Life’s attempt to manage wastewater in a destructive way. One of Young Life’s guiding values is “Observing the highest standards of stewardship of all of the resources placed in our trust.” We agree with this and are committed to work together to protect the beautiful land and water God has entrusted to us.

Please sign our petition to send this message to Young Life to change their plans. More information about how you can get involved is available at www.banderacanyonlandsalliance.org ; Facebook at Sabinal Canyon Coalition; or Instagram: SabinalCanyonCoalition. Help us spread the word— share this with anyone you know who loves the Texas Hill Country or would want to be aware of this risk to one of our natural treasures.

Quick action is needed by you to save this precious Texas river for the enjoyment of future generations. Help us “Save Our Sabinal."

Here’s how you can help:
1.) Sign this Change.org petition and share with everyone you know.
2.) Specifically, if you know people who are active with Young Life, Alumni or Donors make sure they know about this issue. Let’s all ask Young Life leadership to live their values and do the right thing.
3.) Learn more about how discharge of treated wastewater poses a huge threat to Texas rivers.
4.) If you’re able, donate to help us in our efforts to protect this Texas river. You can gain more information at the website above, or can mail a donation to Bandera Canyonlands Alliance, P.O. Box 164, Vanderpool, TX 78885

Bandera Canyonlands Alliance

As I’m sure you all know, Boulder, Colorado has a fentanyl issue and it’s killing people. In fact, three teens have died in the last week due to fentanyl related overdoses- they died from something preventable. Teens should be able to equip themselves with the tools they need to save their own lives and the lives of those they love. More importantly, they should be able to ask for help without fearing punishment. Schools should offer free Narcan and drug testing mechanisms to its students along with training sessions on how to properly assist someone in an emergency beyond just calling 911. For those struggling with addiction, schools should offer free substance abuse counseling; a resource students should feel comfortable using without their parents automatically being informed. Saying “don’t do drugs” isn’t enough. People- kids- are dying and we know how to prevent it. If it can save lives, why not offer such resources?

Initiative 25, Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress (LEAP) Program is a neo-voucher. A neo-voucher is any program by which the state – indirectly – diverts funds from its coffers or uses money that the state would otherwise collect in taxes, to subsidize private education options. This educational voucher lacks accountability to taxpayers and can be given to organizations that discriminate against children and families.


If allowed to pass, the initiative will:


Redirect public school funds from the State Land Trust (the State Land Trust was created to fund only public schools) to private institutions.


Create an agency within the Colorado Department of Education to administer the voucher program.


Redirect general fund dollars by sending tax dollars to the agency to fund the vouchers.


Demand resources from public schools to help with testing and data collection.


Further reduce funding to our already underfunded public schools.

Do not be fooled, this initiative is NOT revenue neutral when it comes to funding public schools. Agency monies will not be impacted by the negative factor (budget stabilization factor) and #25 will negatively impact public school funding.

Funding for public education in Colorado is inadequate. Because every public dollar set aside to support our underfunded public schools is critically important to maintaining the sustainability of those public schools, every public dollar designated for public education should be spent only for public schools.

Colorado is in the midst of a mental health emergency.

With the nation's highest rate of substance abuse among adults, and the third-highest rate of adults considering suicide¹, it's clear that Colorado needs a radically effective and alternative solution to address this crisis before it gets any worse, especially in the wake of lockdowns, business closures, and further isolation related to COVID-19.

Major depression, treatment-resistant depression, addiction, and anxiety are not simply the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain or body, they are symptoms related to unresolved and/or ignored trauma². In many cases these symptoms are a coping mechanism used to find comfort from pain in the short term in order to avoid the stress and uncertainty related to confronting and finding closure with deeper wounds.

While every body is different, and every person has different needs, issues, and trauma related to their struggles, there is no reason or justification for people to suffer when we have solutions – especially solutions that can be so much more effective than conventional treatment – literally growing beneath our feet.

Psilocybin mushrooms are one of those solutions.

Clinical research over the past 20 years has demonstrated time and time again that psilocybin, when used responsibly, has statistically-significant results in addressing depression³, anxiety⁴, and addiction⁵ in the long term after a single treatment⁶ and, in most cases, much more effectively than traditional medical interventions.

Additionally, since May 2019, there are no reported significant public health or safety issues related to decriminalizing psilocybin in Denver, and more cities and states have followed Denver's lead to decriminalize psilocybin since then.

We need to not only fully decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in Colorado so that folks can have control over their personal health and treatment protocol, but also create a regulated medical model that is equitable and accessible to everyone whether they are sitting privately with an experienced guide or in a clinic with a licensed professional.

There is no time to waste – Colorado lawmakers return to their session in mid-February and we need to let them know that we want access to psilocybin so that we can not only find healing for our own struggles, but create a new culture that prioritizes the health and radiance of our community.

Support this petition today to send a message to your elected officials that you want control over your health and mental wellbeing with psilocybin.

I wanted to share with everyone that didn't know about HB21-1160, that it has reared its ugly head again this year. This bill effectively eliminates the option of a true no-kill shelter as this bill would deem as neither "Healthy nor Safe".

I personally know that MaxFund No-Kill Animal Shelter is one of the places that will be highly impacted by this bill. I am a volunteer and through my volunteer time I fell in love with a dog that was deemed unadoptable. Because MaxFund is so great at working with the animals and making sure they are ready to be in a home before they even open up the possibility of adoption, had I not come along, my special boy would have never lived life outside of MaxFund, or possibly Majestic which is a long-life safe haven for dogs that can’t be deemed safe. More on that to come. My pup was approved walkers only, which meant that I had to get special permission to even interact with him. Not because he was aggressive, or was mean, but because he was scared. It is very apparent that his past contained many different forms of abuse and because of that, he is triggered A LOT. When he is scared, he does just about everything he can (including biting) to get out of the situation. I was approved quickly (because I have past experience with abused animals and can become the alpha quickly) and began working with him. I took him on “field trips” every week to see what triggered him, and to give him extra stimulation. After two months of constant work and home visits, I brought him home. He has adjusted beautifully to normal life and is thriving in a strong and caring environment. Without MaxFund, and the work that they do with not only “non-safe” dogs, but dogs that are sick or injured and they nurse them back to health, I would not have my special pup. He is my constant companion, and my cuddle bug. He just needed someone to give him a chance.



Just because animals aren’t ready to be adopted, doesn’t mean that they will live a bad life. Some go to fosters, some will stay at the shelter and some will graduate to a magical place called Majestic. Majestic is a mountain home for wayward dogs who can’t be rehabbed into a regular home. Each one has a large enclosure where they can run and play and live out their life in a stress-free environment. Just because a dog doesn’t get to eventually live in a traditional home doesn’t mean that they are miserable or abandoned or mistreated. Even at MaxFund, the dogs interact with volunteers and staff daily and if possible put in play-groups where they can interact with other appropriate dogs. They are socialized, taught commands and manners, loved, cuddled; and bottom line, they are ALIVE AND SAFE.

Please take a moment to sign this petition so that we may present to the legislature a strong and united front that all animals matter; and just because they have experienced trauma, it shouldn’t be a death sentence. There are too many high-kill shelters now, so let the ones who are willing to do the hard work continue to do so.

You can also find out more information here: https://www.nokillcolorado.org/sb20164-socially-conscious-sheltering-bill-colorado

Here are the email addresses to the representatives/senator that are taking this bill forward:
Rep Monica Duran [email protected]
Rep Matt Soper [email protected]
Senator Ginal [email protected]
Contact your legislators in the district where you live: http://leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator
Also contact First Gentleman Reis at [email protected] as he may want to help our cause as well.

The Willow Project is a proposed pipeline in Northern Alaska that has been proposed by ConocoPhillips, a company that has been surrounded by controversy for continued oil drilling, exploitation of nature, and posing risks to indigenous communities globally. This project was proposed during the Trump administration, but has yet to be approved by the Biden administration. Despite Biden promising to turn away from non-renewable energy sources such as oil, he is still defending this project.

If this pipeline were to be approved, 100,000 barrels of oil would be produced for the next 30 years. The first oil to be used from this pipeline would be as early as 2024. We do not have much time, but it's still enough to defend our earth and the Iñupiat that live there.

ConocoPhillips, the company that has proposed this project, claims that half of the federal royalty will be shared with the State of Alaska to be used to address potential needs of North Slope communities. In other words, none of the money goes directly to Alaska Natives, but rather goes to the state who decides whether or not Natives deserve it. These colonial governments have caused more than enough damage to Alaska Native communities. Assuming that you can pay off Indigenous people to be silent while exploiting and ruining our ancestral lands is nothing short of an insult and a continuation of genocide.

Alaska has warmed more than twice as fast as the rest of the United States. Water levels are rising and the ground is thawing. Ruining our earth so that the rest of the world can live conveniently will have detrimental effects for our generations to come. Our earth, our people, and our wildlife are crying. KEEP IT IN THE GROUND!

Today, 4, February 2021 the Canadian government banned all cruise ships from entering Canadian waters. Due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act requiring the large, foreign flagged cruise ships to stop in a foreign port (Canada) before re-entering US waters (Alaska) this effectively ended the 2021 Alaska summer tour season. Much of Southeast Alaska is dependent upon these ships for a stable economy. After understandably shutting the 2020 season down, it would be tough to think of a way that many tourism businesses, people, and communities could withstand another complete shutdown in 2021. I propose an exemption for the year 2021 of this part of the PVS Act to enable a way for these ships to come to Alaska and for Alaskans, as well as the cruise industry to be able to work and provide ourselves with a stable livelihood.


I am just one of many who have lost my dream, and livelihood that I worked my entire adult life to achieve due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are approximately 2,275 Alaskan businesses and entire communities that rely solely upon these ships to support their economy. There are safe ways to do this. It can be done, but the first step has to be to make it possible through making this reasonable exception.