‘Justice for Jordan Neely’ Means Investing in Housing, Social Services
Neely’s killing is once again a reminder that carceral approaches to homelessness reproduce, rather than ameliorate, poverty.
Leah Goodridge May 18, 2023
Family Caseworkers Are Like Cops, But They Don’t Tell Parents Their Rights
New York families are organizing to require caseworkers to give parents a Miranda-like warning informing them of their rights in so-called “child welfare” investigations.
Sarah Duggan May 16, 2023
‘Never Designed to Help’: How New York’s ‘Child Welfare’ System Preys on Families
The New York City Administration for Children’s Services effectively serves as a policing system for parents, which disproportionately targets families of color and only rarely finds evidence of abuse or neglect.
Daniel Moritz-Rabson May 15, 2023
Night Court: New(ish) Sitcom, Same Copaganda
A criminal-legal reporter ventures into Night Court—the cringy sitcom reboot and the real courtroom in Manhattan.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 20, 2023
HIV Activist, Forced to Register as Sex Offender, Appeals to New York’s Highest Court
Robert Suttle was required to register as a sex offender in Louisiana after being convicted of exposing someone to HIV. But despite the fact that New York does not require its own residents to register after such a crime, the state is forcing the label on him anyway—and the Manhattan DA’s office is fighting him.
Adam M. Rhodes Mar 03, 2023
Paper Mail Gave me Hope on Rikers Island. Don’t Take it Away from Imprisoned People.
I was lucky enough to get a lot of mail while imprisoned on Rikers Island. Paper mail is one of the few things that keeps prisoners feeling human.
David Campbell Feb 08, 2023
NYC Advocates Fear More Police Violence, Homeless Criminalization Amid Forced Hospitalizations
New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a directive this week that puts police at the center of renewed efforts to remove people exhibiting signs of mental illness from public spaces.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Dec 01, 2022
How the NYPD’s Troubled Sex Crimes Unit Is Set Up To Fail Victims
Former top cops say a culture of neglect at the NYPD has left inexperienced and poorly trained officers in charge of some of the department’s most sensitive cases.
Meg O'Connor Dec 15, 2021
America’s Largest Police Department Is Neglecting Rape Cases
The Appeal is back and we’re worker-run. We’re excited to bring you the fifth edition of our weekly newsletter as we continue to work toward an official relaunch. Today, we also published our first story in a series of pieces we’ll be publishing in the coming weeks as we continue rebuilding and working toward an […]
Meg O'Connor Nov 02, 2021
A Homeless Man Has Spent 800 Days At Rikers After Stealing Cold Medicine. Now His Prison Sentence May Be Beginning.
Blind in one eye and at risk of losing vision in the other, 58-year-old Reginald Randolph is now on the verge of being sent to state prison to serve out a maximum of four years in state prison.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 02, 2021
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 Jun 01, 2021
A Manhattan D.A. Candidate Touts Her Leadership of a Conviction Review Unit. Why Did It Exonerate So Few People?
Under Tali Farhadian Weinstein’s leadership, Brooklyn’s unit exonerated just four people—a far lower rate than in previous years.
Sam Mellins May 17, 2021
The Movement to Guarantee Legal Help for Struggling Renters Is ‘Taking Root’ in Connecticut
Only 7 percent of tenants in the state have legal representation in eviction proceedings. A bill in the Connecticut house is trying to change that.
Bryce Covert May 03, 2021
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 Apr 16, 2021
What New York City’s Next Mayor Can Do to Solve the Homelessness Crisis
Creating a commission and a new deputy mayor of housing will give directly impacted people a much-needed voice in government—and help ensure a right to housing for all.
Shams DaBaron Apr 13, 2021
New York City Considers A Bold Idea To Keep People From Being Pushed Out Of Their Homes
Activists are calling for a number of new policies to expand the reach of community land trusts.
Abigail Savitch-Lew Mar 29, 2021
Misdemeanor Convictions Cause Real Harm. New York Needs a New Approach
Getting convicted of a “minor offense” inflicts serious, long-term harm. The state can and must divert more people to counseling, group meetings, or other interventions.
Jackie Fielding, Chloe Sarnoff Mar 12, 2021
How Tenants’ Right to Counsel Can End Inequality in the Eviction System—and Save Lives
Ensuring renters have representation in housing court would help close a “justice gap” and be a life-saving intervention for those at risk of losing their homes.
Emily Benfer Mar 10, 2021
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 Feb 18, 2021
New York Moves A Step Closer To Decriminalizing Sex Work
After organizing to repeal the “walking while trans” ban, advocates in the state—and around the country—are looking ahead to the next fight.
Bryce Covert Feb 09, 2021
New York City Mayoral Candidates Blast de Blasio’s Housing Record
In a forum with people experiencing homelessness, Democratic candidates criticized the mayor’s affordable housing plans, embraced a ‘right to housing,’ and rejected police intervention on homelessness calls.
Chris Gelardi Feb 05, 2021
COVID-19 is Spreading Faster Than Ever. Jail Populations are Surging, Too
In many of America’s major cities, the early efforts to reduce incarceration during the pandemic have been reversed.
Jerry Iannelli Feb 03, 2021
New Jersey Could Force Cuomo’s Hand on Pot Legalization
The New York governor has released a plan to legalize marijuana, months after voters in the Garden State approved legalization in November. Advocates say the pressure could have ripple effects regionally.
Joshua Vaughn Jan 26, 2021
Don’t Delay on Closing Rikers
The city says COVID-19 budget constraints will set back its plans to close the jail but people incarcerated there are suffering from the disease right now.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Dec 17, 2020
3 Transformational Candidates That the Working Families Party Is Excited About
The party’s national director tells The Appeal about candidates in New York, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico that the WFP would like to see oust the establishment.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 28, 2020
We Can’t Let Our Children Go Hungry
Since the pandemic began, vital programs that enable children to receive free meals, such as the National School Lunch Program, haven’t been reaching the families in need of support.
Jamaal Bowman Oct 21, 2020
NYPD Unit At Center Of Protest Policing Has Dozens Of Officers With Long Misconduct Histories
Civil liberties experts say the Strategic Response Group’s recent crackdown on ICE protests is the most brutal suppression of protests in decades—and many of its officers are the subject of significant misconduct allegations, including a supervisor with 32 complaints.
Ali Winston Oct 15, 2020
As More States Turn To Mail-In Voting, Problems Pop Up Across Country
Last week’s problems in New York were part of a widespread series of issues, both systemic and targeted, that are only now becoming fully apparent, activists say.
Eoin Higgins Oct 08, 2020
Policing Studies Measure Benefits To Crime Reduction—But Not Social Costs
Research has shown only that police can be sufficient, not that they are necessary.
John Pfaff Oct 02, 2020
Tiffany Cabán: Why I Am Running For New York City Council
In the face of a pandemic and police violence, elected leaders have failed to keep us safe and to champion the voices of marginalized communities like mine. Now it is time to determine our own future.
Tiffany Cabán Sep 23, 2020
New York Watchdogs Lack Data to Track Judges’ Compliance With Bail Reform
Although the new law took effect in January, state data showing how courts are applying it won’t be available until July 2021. And without funding, courts in small towns and villages may never collect the data.
Steven Yoder Sep 09, 2020
Prosecutors Are Using Gang Laws To Criminalize Protest
Prosecutors in states ranging from New York to Utah are using decades-old gang laws to target participants in the largest uprising against police brutality in U.S. history.
Ali Winston Sep 01, 2020
NYPD Expands Use Of Controversial Subpoenas To Criminal Cases
Administrative subpoenas—which do not require a judge’s approval—are typically used for the department’s internal investigations, but The Appeal has learned that they are being used in criminal cases.
Ali Winston Aug 25, 2020
New York City Pledged to Fund Programs to Stop Domestic Violence Without Involving the Legal System. But There’s Disagreement About How to Do It.
Rates of reporting domestic violence are low in immigrant communities, where survivors of abuse often don’t want to involve the police. As an alternative, the de Blasio administration promised to fund community-based domestic violence programming—but those funds were delayed, and advocates fear programs with strong community ties may not meet the city’s requirements.
Roshan Abraham Aug 18, 2020
How COVID-19 Is Affecting Assault Survivors Seeking Care
In New York, fewer people who have experienced sexual assault or rape have sought forensic exams at hospitals during the pandemic. But advocates suggest that’s not evidence of declining sexual violence.
Aviva Stahl Aug 10, 2020
After Woman’s Arrest in Unmarked Van, New York City Activists Fear Targeting by NYPD
Protesters believe law enforcement is looking for retribution after police arrested a woman Tuesday night and placed her in an unmarked van, a callback to recent events in Portland, Oregon.
Chris Gelardi Jul 29, 2020
‘It’s Feudalism, Pure Exploitation’
The Doe Fund says it pays homeless and formerly incarcerated people New York City’s minimum wage of $15 per hour. But the nonprofit charges weekly fees that can drive their wages below the federal minimum of $7.25.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Jul 29, 2020
New York City Public Defenders Oppose Resuming In-Person Court Appearances
The advocates describe the reopening as unsafe and unnecessary amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chris Gelardi Jul 23, 2020
The Financial Toll of COVID-19 Deaths
Organizations in New York City have stepped in to help families with funeral costs and related matters in communities hit hard by the disease, but their money and resources are strained.
Bryce Covert Jul 15, 2020
How Prison Abolitionists Are Meeting The Moment
The COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests over police brutality are strengthening the case against mass incarceration, advocates argue.
Emily Nonko Jul 14, 2020