These are rare but memorable instances where large groups of people get together and successfully “demand” change. Sadly, injustice isn’t rare, and it happens at the national level and in our backyards.

A few years ago Greg Schiller, a local science teacher, was unfairly suspended by LA Unified School District. Administrators believed his students were building dangerous science projects. Many students and parents were in disbelief and quickly came to Schiller’s defense with an outpouring on social media. A petition quickly circulated and a few months later, Schiller was reinstated.

Online petitions are not new, but having the proper network and platform to propel these petitions certainly is. That’s where The Burg comes in.

For the most part, people who sign petitions today do so anonymously. The signatures are important but they are not tied directly to a voting community. On The Burg you are placed directly in your voting district and therefore when you sign a petition, your representatives know exactly what members of their constituency think. If a legislator sees a petition with massive support from within their district, they will have no choice but to respond to the mandate.

A petition cannot replace the process of turning a bill into law, but it can certainly get the ball rolling.