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Let me be upfront. I am not a fan of ride sharing with anything other than a taxi. I advocated against ride sharing and when they first took flight, I criticized them publicly for not doing background checks on their drivers. They do now but they could do a much better job. There have been numerous lawsuits against both Uber and Lyft over the years accusing them of allowing unsafe conditions for riders and drivers. In 2019, according to a safety report by Uber, there were 3,045 sexual assaults, 58 fatalities, and 9 fatal physical assaults were reported out of the 1.3 billion total rides completed in the prior year, 2018.
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"How to use activism to champion change"
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How many times have you been a passenger in a vehicle where the driver was speeding, or speaking on their phone or Bluetooth, or had had a couple of drinks before getting behind the wheel. You likely bit your tongue, rationalizing that you didn’t want to meddle or sound like a “backseat driver” by telling them you felt uncomfortable with their driving choices. To speak up might feel awkward, right? Or you want to speak up but you don’t know what to say without ruining the relationship. I have often said that silence is the biggest enabler of all.
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Candace Lightner: MADD Founder and Inspiring MomSeptember 29, 2021 By Jessica
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Like most people, I’ve long known about the organization and what they stand for. But I recently met the remarkable woman behind...
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Recently I survived a fire in our apartment building that left around 60 people “displaced” according to the fire department. It seems like such an understated word when you realize these people lost everything. They will have to obtain new lodgings temporarily until they can find something permanent and start all over. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt, the animals were all safe and those of us who were not directly impacted by the fire were able to return to our apartments after about 5 hours.
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Why I support California SB 350 Alexandra’s Law that would require individuals convicted of illegally manufacturing or distributing controlled substances, to be forewarned they can be charged with murder if someone dies as a result of their actions.
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I have watched with horror at the recent violence at our nation's capital. I couldn't help but reflect back on a group of angry grieving mothers who were able to change a culture, change laws and save lives without breaking any laws or displaying any violence. Our weapons were facts, not pie in the sky conspiracy theories or conjecture based on one deranged man's opinion who was terrified of losing. We debated opposition, again with proven facts from a number of sources, not rhetoric that inflamed and incited people to kill and destroy but carefully researched arguments that convinced people we were on the right course. Our strategy was reinforced by our success.
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Another mass shooting, multiple deaths, injuries and much weeping. This one in another school. We cry, we are horrified, we scream gun reform. People take sides, it remains very political, we organize a march, host candlelight vigils and then what? I feel the pain of the families and I understand their anger and desire for change. I experienced many of these same feelings when my daughter was run over by a multiple repeat offender drunk driver and thrown 125 feet in the road to die. He was still driving on a valid California driver’s license. All I wanted to do was scream, why and how could this happen. But it did over and over again.
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