How Los Angeles Created the Playbook for a Nationwide War on the Unhoused As politicians look to build public support for homeless encampment sweeps, they’re using tactics popularized in LA—the site of one of the nation’s most intense battles over the unhoused. Jonny Coleman May 26, 2022
The Dishonest Blame Game of Retail Store Closures and Crime Reporters who parrot corporate claims of out-of-control theft play into a narrative that benefits big business and perpetuates carceral policies. Kyle C. Barry Jun 22, 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
The Successes and Shortcomings of Larry Krasner’s Trailblazing First Term Philadelphia’s top prosecutor has made good on promises to reduce incarceration in the city. His re-election bid will be a litmus test for the progressive prosecutor movement he helped start. Joshua Vaughn Mar 22, 2021
How Chesa Boudin Is Pursuing His Promise to Reduce Incarceration After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA’s policies have kept people out of jails and prisons. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 18, 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
San Francisco Voters Abolish Mandatory Staffing Levels for Police Current law mandated that the city have at least 1,971 full-time police officers. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 04, 2020
Teens Younger Than 18 Could Soon Have The Right To Vote In San Francisco A measure on the ballot next month would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote, a change that advocates say would crucially expand the voting pool. Lauren Gill Oct 23, 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
San Francisco Voters Will Decide On Abolishing Mandatory Staffing Levels For Police Under current law, established during the "tough on crime" era, San Francisco mandated at least 1,971 full-time police officers. Voters will now have the opportunity to reconsider that mandate. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jul 21, 2020
Cities Fighting Coronavirus Must Provide Housing For The Homeless Taking emergency measures to protect homeless people from the pandemic is simply common sense. Jonathan Ben-Menachem Apr 14, 2020
What Sheriffs Can Do To Slow the Coronavirus Outbreak Sheriffs wield enormous power, and they can direct it in ways that will help contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect incarcerated people. Jessica Pishko Mar 18, 2020
Prosecutors Across U.S. Call for Action to Mitigate Spread of Coronavirus in Jails and Prisons In a joint statement, they emphasized the need to reduce the number of people currently incarcerated in order to contain the deadly COVID-19 virus. Jessica Pishko Mar 17, 2020
To Stop the Spread of Coronavirus, California Officials and Attorneys Call for Eviction Bans Experts say evictions cause a ‘downward spiral’ of health problems for renters, and that housing security is necessary to slow the spread of the pandemic. Darwin BondGraham Mar 13, 2020
San Francisco Officials Push to Reduce Jail Population to Prevent Coronavirus Outbreak The public defender and district attorney both directed their staffs to keep individuals who are more vulnerable to the virus out of jail. Darwin BondGraham Mar 11, 2020
Jamal Trulove: The Enduring Trauma of Stop-and-Frisk As a Black child in San Francisco, I learned early that mine and others’ bodies meant nothing to those supposedly tasked with our protection. Jamal Trulove Feb 19, 2020
Family Separation And ‘A Longer View Of Public Safety’: A Conversation With San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 24, 2020
Chesa Boudin Sworn In as San Francisco’s New District Attorney The former deputy public defender promised that his office would immediately end cash bail and stop seeking three-strikes sentencing enhancements. Jay Willis Jan 08, 2020
Los Angeles County Democratic Party Endorses George Gascón for District Attorney The former San Francisco DA got the nod over incumbent Jackie Lacey, whose tenure advocates and activists have long criticized as lackluster. Jessica Pishko Dec 10, 2019
Kamala Harris’s Criminal Justice Record Killed Her Presidential Run Harris’s record as a prosecutor was representative of a politics of the past. The nation has moved on. Lara Bazelon Dec 04, 2019
Public Defender Chesa Boudin Wins San Francisco D.A. Race In Major Victory For Progressive Prosecutor Movement Son of incarcerated parents, backed by Black Lives Matter co-founders, Boudin will be the next DA of San Francisco. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 09, 2019
Deadlocked San Francisco District Attorney Race Shows Strength of Progressive Prosecutor Movement Chesa Boudin is just 240 votes behind Suzy Loftus, even after local law enforcement spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat him. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 06, 2019
It’s Time to Fight the Democratic Mayors Who Are Champions of the Carceral State The mayors of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco wrap themselves in the language of progressivism, but when it comes to the criminal legal system they’re Trumpian. Kelly Hayes Nov 04, 2019
Who Gets To Proclaim The Progressive Prosecutor Mantle? Interim San Francisco D.A. Suzy Loftus claims to be a "progressive," but her long record as a prosecutor reveals an all-too-familiar path chosen by establishment-types who have little interest in disrupting the status quo. Patrisse Cullors Nov 01, 2019
San Francisco Police Brutality Claim Puts Pressure on Next D.A. to Hold Cops Accountable Ahead of the city’s district attorney election on Tuesday, the alleged baton beating last month of Dacari Spiers has renewed debate over police accountability. Darwin BondGraham
Interim San Francisco D.A. Suzy Loftus is Running for Office as a Reformer. But Critics Say She Didn’t Do Enough to Reform the SFPD. Loftus led the San Francisco Police Commission through a bloody and turbulent era. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 04, 2019
Chicago’s Top Prosecutor: Clearing Marijuana Records Will Be ‘Life-Changing’ Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is partnering with a technology nonprofit to expunge tens of thousands of minor marijuana convictions. Other jurisdictions could follow. Kira Lerner Aug 30, 2019
San Francisco Deserves Restorative Justice Our response to crime should focus on healing and accountability, not punishment and retribution. Chesa Boudin
Rape Survivor Petitions Supreme Court Over How Police Handled Her Case Heather Marlowe, now an activist, says neglected kits are a reflection of who and what police prioritize. Raven Rakia Aug 15, 2019
San Francisco Is Paying For Jamal Trulove’s Wrongful Conviction. Will Kamala Harris? Police and prosecutors framed a father of four in a 2007 murder case with local and national political implications. Kyle C. Barry Jul 02, 2019
One Simple Way To Hold Bad Prosecutors Accountable State bar organizations have the power to discipline prosecutors, but they studiously ignore bad behavior. Jeff Adachi, Peter Calloway Mar 21, 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
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
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
The Only Winners In California’s Fines and Fees System Are Private Debt Collectors San Francisco just became the first city in the nation to stop charging court fines and fees, but the rest of the state has a long way to go. Teresa Mathew Jul 02, 2018
These Public Defenders Want to Fight Bias From the Bench But their push to unseat judges is drawing backlash from a surprising source—fellow Democrats. Max Rivlin-Nadler Jun 01, 2018
