Phoenix Wants To Shift Crisis Response Away From Police—While Also Increasing The Police Budget
The trial budget includes a proposal to expand a crisis response program under the fire department, but also includes a $3.7 million increase to the Phoenix Police Department’s $745 million budget.
Meg O'Connor Mar 19, 2021
The St. Louis Mayoral Race Reflects a Progressive Shift In Local Politics
Two progressive candidates will move on to the general election, while Lewis Reed, a figure in St. Louis’s Democratic party establishment since 1999, couldn’t carry a single ward.
Meg O'Connor Mar 16, 2021
California Governor Commutes Sentence of Abuse Survivor, Grants Clemency to Several Others
Advocates have been urging Governor Gavin Newsom to make greater use of his clemency power, especially for older prisoners who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Meg O'Connor, Joshua Vaughn Mar 12, 2021
A Florida Lawmaker Introduced Legislation to Remove Traffic Enforcement From Police
Cities across the country have begun exploring traffic enforcement without police. This bill proposes doing so statewide.
Meg O'Connor Mar 05, 2021
Rochester Police Tackle and Pepper-Spray Woman With 3-Year-Old Child
It is the latest incident of violence from a police department already under fire for pepper-spraying a 9-year-old girl and fatally injuring Daniel Prude.
Meg O'Connor Mar 05, 2021
Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer Win St. Louis Mayoral Primary
The two candidates will move on to the April 6 general election after securing the most votes under the city’s new approval voting system.
Meg O'Connor Mar 02, 2021
The Future of Housing in St. Louis Hinges on the Mayoral Race
Whether the city will do more to keep people in their homes or simply do more of the same depends on who voters elect as the next mayor.
Meg O'Connor Mar 01, 2021
Policing and Public Safety at Odds in St. Louis Mayoral Race
Instead of expanding the “arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate model,” advocates want the next mayor to address the root causes of violence.
Meg O'Connor Feb 26, 2021
Tishaura Jones Wants to Change St. Louis
Jones says her experience transforming the treasurer’s office will make her an effective mayor. Voters will let candidates know what they think next week.
Meg O'Connor Feb 25, 2021
No Criminal Charges for Cops Involved in Daniel Prude’s Death
New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced today that a grand jury voted not to indict any police officers on charges related to the death of Daniel Prude.
Meg O'Connor Feb 23, 2021
This Election Could Decide St. Louis’s Future
The four candidates vying to replace the mayor are each promising to build a better St. Louis, and in a little over a week, voters will decide which visions they endorse.
Meg O'Connor Feb 22, 2021
Police Violence Puts the Heat on Rochester Mayor as She Seeks a Third Term
Months after footage emerged of officers fatally suffocating Daniel Prude, police were caught on video pepper-spraying a 9-year-old girl. Advocates say the incident highlights the shortcomings of Mayor Lovely Warren’s crisis response team.
Meg O'Connor Feb 16, 2021
Austin To Buy Second Hotel That Will Become Permanent Supportive Housing
The city will use funds diverted from its police budget to set up wraparound services for the people who will live at the hotel.
Meg O'Connor Feb 04, 2021
State Lawmakers Are Pushing New Bills To Reduce Reliance On Police
So far in 2021, lawmakers in several states have introduced at least 12 bills to shrink the footprint of policing.
Meg O'Connor Feb 02, 2021
Austin Will Use Money Cut From Police Budget To Establish Supportive Housing
The City Council voted to buy one hotel and use funds diverted from its police budget to set up wraparound services for the homeless people who will live there.
Meg O'Connor Jan 27, 2021
Austin May Use Money Cut From Police Budget To Establish Permanent Supportive Housing
The City Council will decide whether to buy two hotels and use funds diverted from its police budget to set up wraparound services for the homeless people who will live there.
Meg O'Connor Jan 26, 2021
Members of Congress Call on Biden to Commute Everyone on Federal Death Row
More than 35 members of Congress signed a letter asking Biden to commute the sentences of the remaining 50 people on federal death row.
Meg O'Connor Jan 22, 2021
Republican Lawmakers Are Using the Capitol Riot to Fuel Anti-BLM Backlash
Some lawmakers are citing the violence in Washington as a reason to pass laws that criminalize protesting, but far-right extremists aren’t the target.
Meg O'Connor Jan 19, 2021
They Took Umbrellas to a Black Lives Matter Protest. The D.A. Hit Them with Gang Charges
Police and prosecutors routinely treat white domestic terrorists with kid gloves, but use the full force of the law against protesters calling for an end to police violence against Black people.
Meg O'Connor Jan 14, 2021
What Traffic Enforcement Without Police Could Look Like
Because traffic stops all too often escalate into deadly incidents, calls have grown to disentangle traffic enforcement from police—and a measure to do so has already passed in Berkeley, California.
Meg O'Connor Jan 13, 2021
The Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped Landlords From Evicting Tenants—And It’s About To Get Much Worse
Landlords have continued forcing renters out of their homes, despite a patchwork of protections from federal and local governments. Now, with the CDC moratorium set to expire on Dec. 31, millions of Americans could be evicted.
Meg O'Connor Dec 18, 2020
D.C. May Give People Convicted As Young Adults A Chance At Resentencing
The D.C. Council is set to vote on a bill aimed at giving people who committed serious crimes before their 25th birthday an opportunity to petition a judge for resentencing.
Meg O'Connor Dec 14, 2020
Against CDC Guidance, Denver Displaces Hundreds Of Homeless People Amid COVID-19 Spike
Cities across the country have continued to displace and criminalize homelessness during the pandemic, though the CDC cautions clearing encampments can heighten the potential for the spread of COVID-19.
Meg O'Connor Dec 02, 2020
Police Funding Is a Pivotal Issue in Two Austin City Council Runoffs
Incumbents Jimmy Flannigan and Alison Alter have been targeted by conservative challengers because of the council’s votes to cut police funding and repeal a ban on public camping.
Meg O'Connor Dec 01, 2020
Some Texas Elections Suggest Voters Aren’t Afraid of Defunding Police
None of the Austin City Council members who voted to cut police funding lost their elections, but a police union vice president who fearmongered about the defund movement did.
Meg O'Connor Nov 20, 2020
In a Blow to the Progressive Prosecutor Movement, Allister Adel Wins the Maricopa County Attorney Race
Voters decided to keep Adel in charge of the third-largest prosecuting agency in the country. She is recovering from emergency surgery for bleeding in her brain.
Meg O'Connor Nov 11, 2020
Lorenzo Sanchez Wants to Provide Healthcare to Uninsured Texans
Sanchez is running for one of the state House seats that Democrats are hoping to flip.
Meg O'Connor Nov 02, 2020
Texas House Candidate Celina Montoya Is Running To Expand Medicaid and Fund Public Education
She is running for a historically Republican-controlled seat, and if she wins, it could help turn the state House blue.
Meg O'Connor Oct 30, 2020
Democratic Candidate Brandy Chambers Wants to Help Turn the Texas House Blue
If Chambers can unseat the Republican incumbent in her district, she said she’ll prioritize expanding Medicaid, improving public education funding, and lowering property taxes.
Meg O'Connor Oct 29, 2020
What Raquel Terán Wants To Accomplish If Democrats Take The Arizona State Legislature
The state representative wants to pass paid family leave, repeal Arizona’s pre-Roe vs. Wade abortion ban, and increase access to the ballot through automatic voter registration and same-day registration.
Meg O'Connor Oct 29, 2020
As Arizona Politics Shift, Martín Quezada Hopes This Term Is His Most Significant
Quezada has supported progressive policies since starting out in the state legislature in 2012. He’s now running for his final term, which could be his most important, given the state’s changing power dynamics.
Meg O'Connor Oct 27, 2020
How One Race Could Change Police Accountability in Arizona
Incumbent Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel is backed by police unions and has declined to charge officers in high-profile killings. Challenger Julie Gunnigle says she wants to create an independent unit to review police use-of-force cases.
Meg O'Connor Oct 23, 2020
If Arizona Legalizes Weed, Top Prosecutors Would Be Key To Clearing Past Convictions
One candidate for Maricopa County attorney says she’ll make clearing past marijuana convictions ‘universal and automatic’ if elected. The other has not said she would do anything to support expunging criminal records.
Meg O'Connor Oct 21, 2020
Abortion Could Be Criminalized in Arizona if Roe v. Wade Gets Overturned
The state’s pre-Roe abortion ban includes mandatory prison time for people who provide or obtain abortions. Candidates for top prosecutor in Maricopa County differ on whether they would prosecute such cases.
Meg O'Connor Oct 15, 2020
Democrats Could Break the Republican Trifecta in Arizona
The party needs to win two state House seats and three state Senate seats in next month’s election to flip the chambers. Here are the candidates running in hotly contested races.
Meg O'Connor Oct 13, 2020
Maricopa County’s Top Prosecutor Releases Misleading Attack Ad
Allister Adel paints herself as a reformer, but her record shows otherwise.
Meg O'Connor Oct 05, 2020
A Police Union Vice President Hopes Fear Of The Defund Movement Will Propel Him To The Texas House
Republicans could lose their grip on the state House this November, and their control over the 2021 redistricting process hangs in the balance. Justin Berry and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who endorsed him, are hoping to win an important seat back from the Democrats by scaring voters.
Meg O'Connor Oct 01, 2020
How One Election Might Strike a Blow to Mass Incarceration in Arizona
In Maricopa County, years of harsh charging and sentencing policies have sent state incarceration rates soaring. Now that legacy is in question in November’s prosecutor election.
Meg O'Connor Sep 22, 2020
Arizona Man Faces 8 Years in Prison For Not Returning Rental Car on Time
Brian Stepter, a 61-year-old with chronic respiratory problems, has struggled with substance use for decades. Police and prosecutors sought the harshest sentence possible after he failed to return the car.
Meg O'Connor Sep 16, 2020
His Brother Called For Help After He Was Acting Strangely. Police Knelt On Him Until He Was Brain Dead.
Body camera video shows that Daniel Prude was complying with police when they knelt on his back and pushed his face to the ground for so long that he stopped breathing.
Meg O'Connor Sep 02, 2020