Atlanta Police Target Bail Fund Organizers in Latest Crackdown on ‘Stop Cop City’ Movement
Three organizers were charged with “money laundering” and “charity fraud” in a direct attack on mutual aid and civil rights protests.
Aja Arnold Jun 02, 2023
Minneapolis Activists Could Put Police Reform Directly on the Ballot
Yes 4 Minneapolis, a coalition of advocacy organizations, is on track to place a proposed charter amendment on November’s ballot that would fundamentally change policing and public safety in the city.
Joshua Vaughn Mar 26, 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
Philadelphia Housing Advocates Declare Victory After Monthslong Battle With City
The city will give advocates 50 vacant homes to be used for permanent housing for low-income residents, according to a tentative agreement.
Joshua Vaughn Sep 29, 2020
To Cut Police Budgets, Start in Public Schools
The presence of police in schools is emblematic of America’s carceral approach to governing.
Aaron Stagoff-Belfort Aug 03, 2020
The Feds Have A Long History Of Snatching People Up. Only Now They Are Targeting Middle-Class White People
Federal agents have been unfairly arresting Black and brown people for decades. Now that white Portlanders are seeing it up close and personal, they are outraged. Better late than never.
Morgan Godvin, Leo Beletsky Jul 24, 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
Legal Experts Question Use Of Federal Law To Prosecute Torching Of Empty NYPD Patrol Car During Protests
Federal prosecutors argue that damaging a police vehicle is a violation of federal statutes in part because the police department receives federal funding. Former prosecutors and law professors say it’s an absurd rationale driven by politics of the Justice Department.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 23, 2020
Protesters Say Hamilton County Sheriff Held Them Overnight Without Food, Water, Bathrooms
Two people, arrested and detained in Cincinnati after protesting the police killing of George Floyd, recall being held at the jail, outside, for hours.
Caleb Brennan Jun 22, 2020
For Essential Workers, New York City’s Curfew Meant Fear, Harassment, and Arrest
Essential workers say curfews put them at risk of police violence, even though they were exempt.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 12, 2020
Houston Police Chief’s Speeches Supporting Protesters Were Widely Circulated—But Video Proves His Officers Cracked Down on Them
Videos contradict officers’ claims that they didn’t ‘kettle’ protesters.
Jerry Iannelli Jun 12, 2020
The Toll That Curfews Have Taken On Homeless Americans
The country’s homeless population was already struggling to access services during the pandemic.
Kira Lerner Jun 10, 2020
As the Coronavirus Spreads, Prisoners Are Rising Up For Their Health
Faced with inaction on the part of state and corrections officials, incarcerated people in jails, prisons, and detention centers are protesting their treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Dan Berger, Ryan Fatica, Duncan Tarr Apr 27, 2020
A North Carolina Professor Gave Up His Free Speech Rights To Resolve a Case Involving a Controversial Sheriff
Rann Bar-On pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault of Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson to remain a legal U.S. resident. For the next two years, he isn’t allowed to protest in the county.
Aaron Morrison Feb 11, 2020
Decades-old Protections For Protesters Are In Jeopardy
After protests over the police shooting of Alton Sterling, DeRay Mckesson, the Black Lives Matter activist, was sued by a police officer.
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 11, 2019
Law Enforcement Cracks Down On Climate Activists
Climate activists in Houston are charged under a new law aimed at criminalizing protest
Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 16, 2019
Boston judge won’t let DA dismiss cases; standoff ensues
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. “Even before Boston Municipal Court Judge Richard Sinnott had defense attorney Susan Church handcuffed on Wednesday morning, proceedings in his courtroom had gotten bizarre—and worrying,” wrote Yvonne Abraham, […]
Sarah Lustbader Sep 07, 2019
Putting Their Lives And Livelihoods On The Line To Protest Immigration Policy
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. No aspect of the Trump presidency has prompted the level of outrage, ire, frustration, devastation, and desperation as his treatment of people who did not happen to […]
Sarah Lustbader Aug 13, 2019
Years After Protests, NYPD Retains Photos of Black Lives Matter Activists
The records raise questions about the department’s compliance with its protest monitoring rules.
George Joseph Jan 17, 2019
NYPD Unit That Monitored Proud Boys Event Has Troubled History
The Strategic Response Group was created for counter-terrorism but it’s involved in everything from Broken Windows policing to suppressing protest.
Ashoka Jegroo Oct 19, 2018
Louisiana Law Enforcement Officers Are Moonlighting For A Controversial Pipeline Company
Off-duty law enforcement officers are using state resources to work side jobs for the pipeline company.
Karen Savage Aug 28, 2018
Doxxed By Berkeley Police
Critics say the Berkeley Police Department’s unusual practice of posting anti-fascist protesters’ mugshots on Twitter endangers activists and violates free speech rights.
Scott Morris Aug 24, 2018
More Than A Month After Anti-ICE Protests, Detained NYC Immigrants Still Denied In-Person Hearings
Their attorneys say the new video-teleconferencing policy is exacerbating backlogs and prolonging detention.
Emma Whitford Jul 31, 2018
US Attorney’s Office That Prosecuted Inauguration Day Protesters Has History of Misconduct Findings
Prosecutors on the “J20” case faced grave allegations of misconduct after withholding exculpatory evidence contained in videos from defense attorneys. But this is far from the first time that this office has found itself in hot water.
Jessica Brand, Ethan Brown Jul 30, 2018
Columbus Activists Turn Out to Support ‘Black Pride 4’ Protesters During Sentencing
On March 13, roughly two dozen community activists and supporters gathered outside a courtroom in Franklin County Municipal Court to support four young activists accused of disrupting last June’s pride parade in Columbus, Ohio. The Black Pride 4 — Wriply Bennet, Ashton Braxton, Deandre Miles-Hercules, and Kendall Denton — and six other activists blocked the […]
Prince Shakur Mar 15, 2018
Activists Fight Back After NYPD Turns Prosecutor To Avoid Civil Suits
In almost every criminal case in New York City, the police department makes an arrest, and it’s up to the borough’s District Attorney to decide whether to prosecute. However, since the beginning of 2016, the Manhattan DA has taken the extraordinary step of allowing the NYPD’s Legal Bureau to prosecute some cases in court. Why? […]
Max Rivlin-Nadler, Ashoka Jegroo Feb 06, 2018
St. Louis Police Team Up with Media to Smear Black Lives Matter Protesters
On September 15th, a Missouri judge found white former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley not guilty of the 2011 slaying of black motorist Anthony Lamar Smith. The second the verdict was announced and activists poured into the streets to protest, local police and government officials with the help of local and national media began framing the […]
Adam H. Johnson Sep 28, 2017