SignOn.org for Creating Online Petitions

SignOn.org is a new site that is part of MoveOn.org that allows anyone to start their own online petitions.  I wanted to provide a resource which has appeared to me to be valid and stable for these types of endeavors as we proceed into 2012.  What does this have to do with health?  Directly, people might want to start petitions for their local area about getting fluoride out of the water or nationally to bring attention to matters related to health care.  OVERALL, I posted this because for wellness, people must feel empowered to change situations which are affecting them.  

It's as simple as that! I was once 'fired' as a patient from a medical doctor because I had mentioned to a former of patient of mine, who I'd told about the doctor we were both seeing that day, that the MD who contributed information at Lumigrate might have more to add to his health care, as he'd said to me "Mardy, if this doesn't work, I don't know what I'm going to do": As a person whose entire adulthood has been riddled with health challenges, plus my experience working with patients and clients who have challenges in front of them, there is NOTHING worse than feeling there is nothing you can do for your situation.  Solution suggestion/possibility. I thought about stripping out the specifics of this particular petition but felt it best to have an example of wording and structure.  

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Below is an email from Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., whose father, a 68-year-old veteran of the U.S. Marines, was killed in his home by the police in White Plains, NY, on November 19, 2011. Kenneth created his petition on SignOn.org, a new site that allows anyone to start their own online petitions. You can read more about his father's death here [1].

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We demand justice for Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., a 68-year-old veteran killed in his home by police.  Sign the petition [2]

Dear MoveOn member,

On November 19, 2011, my father, 68-year-old Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., was shot and killed in his home in White Plains, New York.

My father was a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections and proudly served the United States of America as a Marine. He stood about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and he suffered from a heart condition.

The events that led to his killing began around 5 a.m., when his medical alert device was accidentally set off, sending a call to the City of White Plains Department of Public Safety. Everything that happened after that was recorded by an audio device installed in my father's home as part of his medical alert system.

When the police arrived at my father's home, he and the staff for his medical alert service told them that there was no medical emergency and asked them to leave. And yet they insisted that my father let them into his home, banging loudly on my father's door for over an hour. On the recording, the police can be heard calling my father a "nigger."

Ultimately they broke through his apartment door and first shot him with a Taser. He was wearing nothing but boxer shorts when the police began their assault against him. Shortly after that, he was shot with two 40-caliber rounds and killed.

My family is asking the Westchester County District Attorney to bring a criminal indictment, and we call on the United States Department of Justice or the New York State Attorney General to prosecute this as a hate crime.

Will you sign our petition? Click here to sign and please share with your friends: 

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273615&id=38418-21275362-70h_rgx&t=3 [3]

The petition says:

This petition is regarding the upcoming grand jury hearing in the case of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an unarmed elderly black citizen who was shot to death by the White Plains Police Department. 

This case not only brings into question the policies and practices of this department; but it is an open question whether it was inevitable, particularly in light of the audio tapes and video tapes witnessed by Mr. Chamberlain's family members and attorneys where racial slurs and expletives were used before ultimately shooting him twice in the chest and killing him. 

It is imperative that those tapes be made available to the grand jury, and that all other evidence be presented as well. I am concerned that secrecy so far—for example, the names of officers involved have not been released—bodes badly for transparency in this case as it moves forward. Nor am I aware of any public statements about the case from elected officials calling for openness. 

Members of Mr. Chamberlain's family and community—and a much wider circle of people who need to know there is fairness in the criminal justice system—seek reassurance that, no matter what the verdict, the process has been open, honest, and just. 

We, the undersigned, implore Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore to no longer allow police misconduct, brutality, or criminality to happen in this community and ask that these officers be indicted and charged with murder and civil rights violations.

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=273615&id=38418-21275362-70h_rgx&t=4 [4]

Thanks!

–Kenneth Chamberlain Jr.

The text above was written by Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., not by MoveOn staff, and MoveOn is not responsible for the content. This email was sent through MoveOn's secure system, and your information has been kept private.

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here. [5]

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This email was sent to Mardy Ross on April 1, 2012. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here [6]. To remove yourself from this list, click here [7].