Las Vegas Weekly

Who ya’ gonna call?

Whether you want to help the homeless, save the environment or to sidewalk and shove, you can depend on these proven activists to deliver

Name:

Gary Peck

Title:

Executive director

Group:

American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada

Area(s) of impact:

Civil, human and constitutional rights

Victories:

Successfully defended free speech on the Strip and the Fremont Street Experience; pressured the Las Vegas City Council to dump a provision that criminalized any homeless person sleeping near feces.

Name:

Allen Lichtenstein

Title:

General counsel

Group:

American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada

Area(s) of impact:

Civil, human and constitutional rights

Victories:

Couching Peck’s verbosity in easy-to-understand legal terms.

Name:

Linda Lera Randle-El

Title:

Founder and director

Group:

Straight from the Streets

Area(s) of impact:

Combating homelessness

Victories:

She feeds people, clothes them and helps them access social services.

Name:

Gail Sacco

Title:

Homeless advocate

Group:

Has worked with Food Not Bombs

Area(s) of impact:

Combating hunger

Victories:

Bringing the plight of the homeless into clear view politically. As a result of her homeless feedings at city parks, the council passed an ordinance in 2006 making it illegal to share food with indigents in any city park.

Name:

Jane Feldman

Title:

Energy chair

Group:

Sierra Club—Toiyabe Chapter (Nevada, Eastern California)

Area(s) of impact:

Preserving the environment and wildlife.

Victories:

Forcing concessions from the Federal Highway Administration and the Nevada Department of Transportation on the widening of U.S. 95 near Decatur (pollution monitoring and air filtration systems at nearby schools; funds to reduce school bus diesel emissions, etc.)