The Movement That Is Upending Landlords’ Power Over Tenants There has been a ‘parabolic increase’ in cities and states giving tenants a right to counsel to help fight evictions. Abigail Savitch-Lew
Maryland Could Be the First State to Provide Lawyers for Tenants Facing Eviction A bill passed by the state legislature, but yet to be enacted, would offer access to counsel for low-income renters. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Pandemic Prompted Marilyn Mosby to Stop Prosecuting Low-Level Crimes. Will Other D.A.s Follow? Prosecutors across the country have begun declining low-level cases in an effort to reduce racial inequity and to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joshua Vaughn
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Will Curb Prosecutions of Low-Level Traffic Violations A new diversion program will allow people charged with driving with a suspended license or without insurance to avoid jail time and fees. Joshua Vaughn
Children Can Be On Their Own When Grilled By Police. The Push for Protection is Growing Several states, including Maryland, are considering bills to protect minors from abusive police interrogations. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Most Tenants Facing Eviction Don’t Have a Right to an Attorney. Lawmakers Want to Change That Numerous city councils and state legislatures are debating giving renters a right to counsel, which can make the difference between stability and catastrophe. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Families Urge Cuomo to Release Loved Ones from Prison During COVID-19 Pandemic In addition to the releases he has already ordered, the New York governor can grant commutations to free more incarcerated people to protect them from the disease. He has issued only three since the pandemic began. Alana Sivin, Joshua Vaughn
As COVID-19 Permeates Prisons And Jails, Baltimore Defendants Continue To Be Held Without Bail An Appeal analysis shows that the percentage of people held without bond remains steady, at roughly 33%, although arrests are down during the pandemic. Jerry Iannelli
Will Maryland Lawmakers Come Back to Work? In a moment of crisis, the state Senate and House are slated to be in recess until January. Jay Willis
Formerly Incarcerated Businessowners Sue SBA For Denying Them COVID-19 Emergency Loans The lawsuit says the Small Business Administration overstepped its authority by imposing ‘arbitrary and capricious’ restrictions on a loan program passed by Congress. Bryce Covert
Parole Reform Might Have Freed Maryland’s Longest-Serving Incarcerated Woman. Instead, She Was Hospitalized With COVID-19. Eraina Pretty has served 42 years in prison in connection with a 1978 store robbery. A new law that might have led to her release has been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Victoria Law
Delaware Officials Defy Calls To Release Prisoners Who Are At Risk Of Dying From Coronavirus Prisoners feel like they are ‘sitting ducks,’ said a woman whose boyfriend is incarcerated at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center. Lauren Gill
Shot By Police, Then Convicted In A Murder He Says He Didn’t Commit. Now He’s Facing COVID-19 Behind Bars. The 2015 shooting left Keith Davis Jr. with respiratory issues. His defense attorney says that as he appeals his case he should be freed from prison. Brandon Soderberg
Freddie Gray, Five Years Later On the anniversary of the Baltimore Uprising protests, new evidence in Gray’s death uncovers suppressed witness accounts of police brutality. Justine Barron
Baltimore Defense Attorneys Claim Surveillance Plane Footage Contradicts Law Enforcement Account Of Police Shooting Jawan Richards was shot by Baltimore police and hit with gun and assault charges stemming from the incident. His defense attorneys now say video evidence may exonerate their client. Brandon Soderberg
Helping ICE Stir Up Anti-Immigrant Fervor in Maryland WJLA’s Kevin Lewis selectively reports on immigrants arrested for sex crimes to paint a misleading picture of violence in Montgomery County. Adam H. Johnson
A Trump Favorite For His Hardline Anti-Immigration Stance, Maryland Sheriff Now Faces Re-Election Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins seeks a fourth term as critics blast him for a record that includes poor jail conditions, in-custody suicides, and the deaths of two young people at the hands of his deputies. Raven Rakia
Baltimore’s ‘Eye in the Sky’ Plane Is Back With A New Pitch: Surveil The Police Dismal police accountability has made communities vulnerable to private vendors. Brandon Soderberg, Raven Rakia
Notoriously Brutal, Racist Plainclothes Policing Makes A Return In Baltimore After the Gun Trace Task Force scandal rocked the police department, plainclothes policing was spurned. But a recently resigned commissioner championed plainclothes units, a decision the department seems to be sticking with. Larry Smith
Former Baltimore Police Officer Criticizes The Department’s Gang Database A onetime gang liaison for the Baltimore Police Department writes that its database is racist and error-ridden. Larry Smith
