Melissa Gira Grant
Senior Staff Reporter, The Appeal. Author, Playing the Whore: The Work of Sex Work.
Women Describe How A Columbus Vice Cop Pressured Them to Trade Sex for Rent
Andrew Mitchell, a former officer in Ohio who was recently indicted on charges he kidnapped women and forced them to have sex for their freedom, will soon face a grand jury for killing Donna Dalton during a prostitution arrest.
Melissa Gira Grant Mar 28, 2019
‘The Police Act Like We Are Nothing’
A new coalition of people in the sex trades wants New York to become the first state to fully decriminalize their work.
Melissa Gira Grant Feb 25, 2019
Family of Donna Dalton, Who Was Shot By a Columbus Police Officer During Arrest, Demands Independent Inquiry
Advocates say the case hasn’t been handled fairly and there’s little hope for justice.
Melissa Gira Grant Feb 01, 2019
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin Announces Run for District Attorney
In a wide-ranging interview, Boudin, a progressive reform candidate, told The Appeal he wants to redefine ‘public safety’ to encompass the rights of both victims and defendants.
Melissa Gira Grant Jan 15, 2019
If Cyntoia Brown Can Be Released from Prison, Why Not Trafficking Survivor Alexis Martin?
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam just granted clemency to Brown, who was forced to trade sex for money, but Ohio’s governor declined this week to do the same for Martin.
Melissa Gira Grant Jan 11, 2019
Trump Has Turned the War on Trafficking Into a War on Immigrants
The president is drawing on two decades of bipartisan support for crackdowns on traffickers to secure support for his agenda at the border.
Louisiana Strip Club Dancers Fear More Crackdowns as ‘Anti-Trafficking’ Law Goes Into Effect
A ban on dancers under 21 raises questions on the growing role of the state's Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control in policing clubs.
Melissa Gira Grant Dec 21, 2018
San Francisco Officials Wanted to Close A Dilapidated Jail by 2019. So Why Is It Still Open?
Everyone agrees the jail at 850 Bryant should close, but it’s not yet clear what would happen to those locked inside.
Melissa Gira Grant Dec 14, 2018
In ‘Amazing’ Verdict, Jury Awards Transgender Woman Punitive Damages Against Suffolk County Jail
The landmark decision could help other transgender people in jails and prisons who have been denied access to hormone treatment, a violation of their constitutional rights.
Melissa Gira Grant Dec 07, 2018
California Governor Jerry Brown is Fighting Trump With Pardons. Will Other Governors Follow Suit?
The departing governor has chosen to pardon immigrants whose past criminal offenses put them in danger of deportation.
Melissa Gira Grant Nov 29, 2018
Manhattan D.A.’s Office Still Prosecuting People for the Knives They Carry for Work
In 2016, the office said it dismissed such cases, but Legal Aid says that’s not what’s happening.
Melissa Gira Grant Nov 26, 2018
Could New Cash to Fight Homelessness in San Francisco Mean Less Reliance on Police?
Supporters hope the passage of Prop C may herald a more compassionate—and effective—approach.
Melissa Gira Grant Nov 15, 2018
Billionaire Pushes Marsy’s Law To Victory in Six States, Despite Concerns That It Threatens Defendants’ Rights
Victims’ rights campaign spent more than $70 million nationwide, with more than half of that spent in Florida.
Melissa Gira Grant Nov 07, 2018
In Allegheny County, People Arrested With Cell Phones Can Be Charged With ‘Possessing Instruments of Crime’
Advocates say these charges endanger sex workers and urge the police to stop using them.
Melissa Gira Grant Oct 31, 2018
U.S. Marshals Exaggerated A Recent ‘Child Recovery’ Sweep in Michigan. Here’s Why That Matters.
Experts say playing up the risk of sex trafficking fuels anxiety and criminalization.
Melissa Gira Grant Oct 19, 2018
Suit Filed by Strip Club Workers in Columbus Sheds Light on Troubled Vice Squad
The women, who were arrested alongside Stormy Daniels in July, allege that they were smeared by arresting officers, but they’re just the latest to raise concerns.
Melissa Gira Grant Oct 05, 2018
Inside NY Courts Where Sex Workers are ‘Painted as Victims and Treated as Criminals’
Two new reports challenge the efficacy and ethics of prostitution diversion programs in New York City and nationwide.
Melissa Gira Grant Sep 21, 2018
Ohio State Rep: If Police Tase or Shoot a Child, She Probably Acted ‘Stupid’ or Was ‘a Punk’
Rep. John Becker doubles down on his recent comments about the tasing of an 11-year-old for allegedly shoplifting.
Melissa Gira Grant Sep 14, 2018
How decriminalizing sex work became a campaign issue in 2018
State Senate candidate Julia Salazar explains how sex workers’ rights is a key part of reforming criminal justice in New York.
Melissa Gira Grant Sep 07, 2018
Columbus Officer Was Under Investigation When He Shot and Killed Donna Dalton
Community outrage mounts over Officer Andrew Mitchell’s killing of Dalton during an attempted prostitution arrest.
Melissa Gira Grant Aug 30, 2018
It Is Now Even Harder for Trafficking Survivors to Get Visas
Local advocates are struggling with a new immigration memo that makes it more difficult to support these survivors.
Melissa Gira Grant Aug 22, 2018
Broad Anti-Trafficking Law Faces Its First Constitutional Challenge
Human rights groups, sex worker rights activists, a digital archive and others say they are already facing censorship.
Melissa Gira Grant Jun 28, 2018
Queens DA releases final report on massage worker’s death, calling sex work ‘degrading and humiliating’
As anticipated, district attorney finds no misconduct in raid that led to Yang Song’s fatal fall.
New Evidence in the Death of a Queens Massage Worker
Surveillance video sheds some light on the police raid that killed Yang Song last year while, advocates say, the raids continue.
‘Whores Will Rise’
As part of International Whores' Day, hundreds gathered in New York City to protest new anti-sex work laws.
Melissa Gira Grant Jun 04, 2018
The New Orleans Police Raid That Launched A Dancer Resistance
From local charities, to the editorial pages, to city politicians, New Orleans strip clubs were blamed for human trafficking, leading to abusive police raids – harming the dancers they claimed they were protecting, and pushing the dancers to fight back.
Melissa Gira Grant May 30, 2018