Alaska Natives

I am a strong supporter of an expansive view of tribal soverignty. I believe the BIA, and the IHS, especially has been criminally underfunded for years. I believe sacred sites should be protected like church or mosque buildings. I am an advocate for repatriation of stolen artifacts. I think the crisis of violence against native women needs serious attention.

Transportation

I believe the AMHS is in need of a federal bailout. I also believe that our rural air infrastructure is in tatters, which could be a life threatening situation, for some. To me, the solution is for the state and/or federal governemnt to step in and and assume responsibility for its operation and management. Private industry has failed too many times.

Criminal Justice Reform

I am a strong supporter of the repeal of the Controlled Substances Act, defunding of the DEA, which would end the War on Drugs. I support legalization of marijuana at the federal level. I support the abolition of the cash bail system, as well as the replacement of the probation and parole systems, which set offenders up to fail. I am also in favor of wide scale pardons for low level, nonviolent drug offenders.

Race relations

I support reparations to Black people, in order to help address the lingering impacts of slavery and a century of Jim Crow laws. I do not know what such a system would look like, just that it is a conversation that needs to begin. I support affirmative action, for the same reasons.

Police Reform

The most important change we can make, as a nation, is to change the way we think of the job of a "cop" - instead of law enforcement officers, something more along the lines of crisis defuser, counselor, and case worker. We need stronger mechanisms to hold the police accountable when wrongdoing occurs (i.e., the end of qualified immunity). I believe the police academy should be more about psychology that it is about tactics.