Arizona Judge Blocks Law That Treats Fetuses as People The law granted embryos and fetuses the same rights as a person. Civil rights groups sought an injunction out of concern the law could criminalize people who provide or obtain abortions. Meg O'Connor Jul 12, 2022
Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Opening Door for Mass Criminalization of Abortion Police and prosecutors will now be tasked with enforcing state anti-abortion laws. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 24, 2022
Democrats Would Rather Become Republicans Than Make the Case for Justice Reform Jerry Iannelli Jun 22, 2022
New York’s Prison Package Ban Places New Burdens on the Incarcerated Advocates say the policy, aimed at eliminating contraband, will harm prisoners and their loved ones by making it much harder to send fresh food and other essentials into prisons. Molly Hagan Jun 02, 2022
Criminalized Abortions Loom Over Phoenix’s Biggest Prosecutor Election Maricopa County elects a new top prosecutor this year. In the meantime, state law could let the county’s conservative county attorney prosecute abortions if Roe falls. Meg O'Connor May 27, 2022
It’s Time to Take a Clearer Look at Bail Reform In the raucous debate over bail reform, simple facts have fallen out of sight. Bryce Covert May 09, 2022
What Would the End of Roe v. Wade Mean for Pregnancy Behind Bars? A Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion could force thousands of incarcerated people to carry pregnancies to term. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 05, 2022
The Pandemic Spurred Governors to Grant Clemency, But Advocates Say It Isn’t Enough Despite sentencing reforms, hundreds of thousands of people who have been incarcerated over the last several decades are ineligible for parole. Rachel M. Cohen May 24, 2021
California’s New Attorney General Has A Reputation As A Criminal Justice Reformer. But His Biggest Test Is Yet To Come Rob Bonta’s career has hinged on the idea that the law can be used to engender social justice. His elevation to California’s “top cop” position, where he will become responsible for the vast bureaucracy of the state’s criminal legal system, will be a crucible for that belief. Piper French May 03, 2021
San Antonio Activists ‘Cannot in Good Faith’ Support This Year’s Mayoral Candidates Local activists have soured on incumbent Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and no other candidate offers a compelling alternative. Jerry Iannelli Apr 30, 2021
Cincinnati’s Upcoming Mayoral Race is ‘Make or Break’ for Policing and Housing True public safety, advocates say, is one of the most urgent issues facing Cincinnati voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 29, 2021
How Policing Is Shaping the Pittsburgh Mayoral Race Incumbent Bill Peduto’s policing record is under scrutiny after protests last summer. He is facing what may be his most competitive race yet. Joshua Vaughn Apr 27, 2021
‘It Tears Families Apart’: Lawmakers Nationwide Are Moving to End Mandatory Sentencing Repealing state and federal mandatory minimums will help address the mass incarceration crisis, advocates hope. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 15, 2021
The Major Real Estate Donors Influencing the St. Louis Mayoral Race Days before the election, campaign finance reports show that real-estate and construction industries favor Cara Spencer over Tishaura Jones. Jerry Iannelli Apr 02, 2021
These Progressive Candidates Could Flip The Balance Of Power In St. Louis City Government Four first-time candidates could grant progressives a majority on the Board of Alders and transform public safety and housing policy. Eoin Higgins Mar 31, 2021
Anchorage’s Anti-Homeless Movement May Elect the City’s Next Mayor One of the leading candidates for Anchorage’s mayoral race is backed by a far-right Facebook group tied to the U.S. Capitol riot. Jerry Iannelli Mar 23, 2021
The St. Louis Mayoral Race Reflects a Progressive Shift In Local Politics Two progressive candidates will move on to the general election, while Lewis Reed, a figure in St. Louis’s Democratic party establishment since 1999, couldn’t carry a single ward. Meg O'Connor Mar 16, 2021
How Teri Castillo Plans to Protect San Antonio From ‘Salivating’ Housing Developers The housing advocate’s run for city council could be a Texan litmus test for the broad appeal of policies popular with working class voters. Eoin Higgins Mar 08, 2021
Tishaura Jones Wants to Change St. Louis Jones says her experience transforming the treasurer’s office will make her an effective mayor. Voters will let candidates know what they think next week. Meg O'Connor Feb 25, 2021
Virginia Governor Candidate Says It’s Time To ‘Treat Poverty Like the Emergency It Is’ Jennifer Carroll Foy is a former public defender and state legislator who wants to overhaul school funding and extend an eviction moratorium until the end of 2022. Eoin Higgins Feb 24, 2021
Virginia Bans Mental Health Evidence in Trials. Lawmakers Could Soon Change This Proposed legislation would allow people accused of crimes to tell juries if they had a mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, or an intellectual or developmental disability at the time of a crime. The bill could have helped individuals like Matthew Rushin. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
This Election Could Decide St. Louis’s Future The four candidates vying to replace the mayor are each promising to build a better St. Louis, and in a little over a week, voters will decide which visions they endorse. Meg O'Connor Feb 22, 2021
Police Violence Puts the Heat on Rochester Mayor as She Seeks a Third Term Months after footage emerged of officers fatally suffocating Daniel Prude, police were caught on video pepper-spraying a 9-year-old girl. Advocates say the incident highlights the shortcomings of Mayor Lovely Warren’s crisis response team. Meg O'Connor Feb 16, 2021
Choosing Adam Schiff For California Attorney General Would Be Ignoring What Californians Want The U.S. representative has been a chief architect of mass incarceration in the state and an instigator of racial injustice. Jody David Armour Feb 11, 2021
How the Killing of Breonna Taylor Is Reshaping Louisville Politics The political paradigm emerging in Louisville is being formed by newcomers to local politics. Jerry Iannelli Feb 08, 2021
A Florida Senator Wants to Exclude People With Felony Convictions From the State’s Minimum Wage Increase It’s the latest bill in the state legislature’s long history of meddling with voter-approved amendments. Jerry Iannelli Jan 27, 2021
Joe Manchin’s Voters Aren’t Letting Him Stop $2,000 Checks The intense backlash to his recent comments criticizing $2,000 stimulus checks signal the growing momentum for guaranteed income programs—and the emerging power of voters who care more about substantive results than partisan skirmishes. Jay Willis Jan 22, 2021
Members of Congress Call on Biden to Commute Everyone on Federal Death Row More than 35 members of Congress signed a letter asking Biden to commute the sentences of the remaining 50 people on federal death row. Meg O'Connor
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s Legacy of Empty Promises There may be one reason for local progressives to support Walsh for the U.S. secretary of labor: He’ll leave town. Jerry Iannelli Jan 12, 2021
Democrats’ Win in Georgia Shows What Voters Really Want From Government It’s time for political leaders, no matter their party, to listen to voters—and provide financial relief from the pandemic. Emily Galvin-Almanza, Sean McElwee and Ethan Winter Jan 06, 2021
The Future of Voting Rights Is at Stake in the Georgia Runoffs By winning a narrow majority in the upper chamber, Democrats could at last stop the Republican assault on voting rights—if its centrist members have the courage to do so. Jay Willis Dec 18, 2020
To Turn Election Wins Into Policy, House Progressives Need More Committee Power Progressive policies face a committee structure that distorts democracy and favors corporate-backed centrists. Zephyr Teachout Dec 04, 2020
Police Funding Is a Pivotal Issue in Two Austin City Council Runoffs Incumbents Jimmy Flannigan and Alison Alter have been targeted by conservative challengers because of the council’s votes to cut police funding and repeal a ban on public camping. Meg O'Connor Dec 01, 2020
Two Rising Democratic Stars May Be Vying for Pennsylvania Governor. On Criminal Justice, They’re Very Different Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman has jumpstarted the state’s pardons process, while Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s self-styled progressivism isn’t winning over advocates. Joshua Vaughn Nov 24, 2020
Some Texas Elections Suggest Voters Aren’t Afraid of Defunding Police None of the Austin City Council members who voted to cut police funding lost their elections, but a police union vice president who fearmongered about the defund movement did. Meg O'Connor Nov 20, 2020
Americans Are Getting Tired of Willie Horton-Style Fearmongering In North Carolina, Attorney General Josh Stein’s Republican opponent painted him as soft on crime. Voters re-elected him anyway. Jay Willis Nov 18, 2020
Joe Biden Has to Be More Than the Man Who Defeated Trump A Democratic president who politely listens to progressive rhetoric while failing to act on it is one who just watches the planet burn a little more slowly. Jay Willis Nov 12, 2020
In a Blow to the Progressive Prosecutor Movement, Allister Adel Wins the Maricopa County Attorney Race Voters decided to keep Adel in charge of the third-largest prosecuting agency in the country. She is recovering from emergency surgery for bleeding in her brain. Meg O'Connor Nov 11, 2020
Carroll Fife’s Fight For Unhoused Mothers Sparked A Movement Across The Country. Now She’s On The Oakland City Council Ready To Transform The City. Fife has pledged to reinvest in the local community, aggressively combat the housing crisis, address income inequality, education, healthcare and more. Eoin Higgins Nov 09, 2020
No, Defund The Police And Medicare For All Didn’t Lead To Democratic Losses In The House Party leaders have blamed progressive left policies for disappointing electoral results. A close examination of winners and losers suggests otherwise. Aidan Smith
Law Enforcement Reformers Sweep Major Races In Los Angeles County Candidates promising to remake Southern California’s legal system, won major races for DA, county supervisor, and City Council, among others while overcoming significant spending by pro-law enforcement groups. Jerry Iannelli Nov 06, 2020
George Gascón Wins Race for Los Angeles D.A. in Major Victory for Progressive Prosecutor Movement Los Angeles County, with the country’s largest jail system and largest local prosecutor office, is considered a crown jewel in a nationwide push for criminal justice reform. Eliyahu Kamisher
Michigan Supreme Court Flips to Democrats The ideological change is a boon for the left, as states prepare for redistricting in 2021 and the challenges that may come with it. Joshua Vaughn
Holly Mitchell Wins Supervisors Race With Big Implications For Criminal Justice Reform In Los Angeles County The LA County supervisors are poised to tackle a wide range of criminal justice reforms, including moving children and people struggling with mental health issues out of the criminal legal system, and redirecting millions of dollars away from law enforcement and back into communities. Piper French Nov 05, 2020
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
Mondaire Jones Is Bringing the Fight Against Systemic Racism to Congress Jones has vowed to support expansion of the Supreme Court, back the Green New Deal, and push for criminal justice reform. Lauren Gill
Francesca Hong Wins A Seat In The Wisconsin Legislature. She’s Fighting For A Living Wage And Workers’ Rights. The chef and restaurant owner says she plans to support the fight for a $15 minimum wage and other reforms that will make ‘Wisconsin work better for more people.’ Dawn R. Wolfe
Esther Agbaje, Fighting For Affordable Housing And Prison Reform, Becomes Minnesota’s First Nigerian-American Legislator “I have always had a focus on public service, always a desire to make sure that I’m using my skills and talents to help people and to make the community around me a little bit better,” she said. Dawn R. Wolfe
Athena Hollins Wins Seat In Minnesota State House, Pledging To Fight For Broad Police Reforms Hollins’s ‘very personal’ decision to run was sparked in part by the Trump administration ‘catching everything on fire.’ Now she wants to advocate for subsidized child care, police reform, and more. Dawn R. Wolfe
Reformer Ed Gonzalez Wins Second Term As Harris County Sheriff Houston area voters re-elected Gonzalez after he supported bail reform, cleaned up the county jail, and provided aid to incarcerated people living with opioid use disorder. Jerry Iannelli
California Voters Reject Regressive Measure That Would Have Rolled Back Years Of Successful Criminal Justice Reforms The ballot initiative would have bloated prisons and jails in the state and undone important criminal legal reforms, advocates say. Ray Levy Uyeda
‘The Squad’ Is Growing—And So Is Its Power Members of The Squad are already among the Democratic Party’s most influential voices. Jay Willis
Tarra Simmons Becomes First Person Formerly Convicted Of A Felony Elected To Washington State Legislature Simmons, an attorney, is fighting to give people “a first chance so they won’t need a second chance later on in life.” Eoin Higgins
Omar Fateh Wins Chance to Bring ‘People Power’ to Minnesota’s State Senate Minnesotans, Fateh said, “should be able to access the folks that are representing us and make sure that they’re partnering with the community.” Dawn R. Wolfe
Teresa Leger Fernandez Wins In New Mexico’s Third Congressional District. She’s Fighting For ‘A Politics Of Opportunity.’ Leger Fernandez wants to pass universal healthcare and improve infrastructure in tribal and rural communities. Lauren Gill Nov 03, 2020
Marie Newman Wins Illinois House Seat, Pledging To Fight For Working Families And The Middle Class “This economy doesn’t work for everyone; it works for very, very few people,” Newman said. Cinnamon Janzer
Jamaal Bowman Is Headed To Congress, Pledges To Make Democrats ‘The Party Of Dismantling Mass Incarceration’ Bowman has also advocated for an eviction moratorium and for rental payments to be cancelled for the duration of the pandemic. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Cori Bush Wins, Heads To Congress Committed To ‘Fighting For The Regular Person’ Bush’s victory in Missouri’s First Congressional District makes her the first Black woman elected to represent Missouri in Congress. Lauren Gill
It’s Time To Lower The Voting Age To 16 Grown adults have voted their way into the current morass in this country. Now is the time for a younger generation to lead the way. David A. Love
A Clash of Housing Philosophies Is At The Heart of a High-Profile California State Senate Race First-time state Senate candidate Jackie Fielder’s housing plans are geared toward government investment, while incumbent Scott Wiener’s plans have relied on the construction of market rate housing with some affordable units. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
The Senate Filibuster Is Hollowing Out American Democracy If Democrats win control of the Senate, allowing this archaic tradition to survive will make everything of significance the party hopes to accomplish virtually impossible. Jay Willis Nov 02, 2020
Lorenzo Sanchez Wants to Provide Healthcare to Uninsured Texans Sanchez is running for one of the state House seats that Democrats are hoping to flip. Meg O'Connor
Armed Michigan Protesters Fueled Jon Hoadley’s Commitment To Run For Congress If he wins his bid to represent the state’s Sixth District, Hoadley says he would reallocate police funding, improve health care, and invest in rural communities. Dawn R. Wolfe
Kara Eastman Looks to Represent Nebraska in Congress With An Eye On Improving Healthcare The Second District candidate, who has been endorsed by more than 50 Black leaders in Omaha, also wants to make investments in Black and Latinx neighborhoods. Lauren Gill Oct 30, 2020
Texas House Candidate Celina Montoya Is Running To Expand Medicaid and Fund Public Education She is running for a historically Republican-controlled seat, and if she wins, it could help turn the state House blue. Meg O'Connor
Candace Valenzuela Is Running to Give All People a Chance at the American Dream If she’s successful in her bid to represent Texas’s 24th Congressional District, Valenzuela will flip the district to blue and become the first Black and Latinx member of Congress. Joshua Vaughn
Francesca Hong Wants ‘Wisconsin to Work Better for More People’ The chef and restaurant owner is running for State Assembly in part to fight for a $15 minimum wage and other pro-worker reforms from within the halls of government. Dawn R. Wolfe
Democratic Candidate Brandy Chambers Wants to Help Turn the Texas House Blue If Chambers can unseat the Republican incumbent in her district, she said she’ll prioritize expanding Medicaid, improving public education funding, and lowering property taxes. Meg O'Connor Oct 29, 2020
What Raquel Terán Wants To Accomplish If Democrats Take The Arizona State Legislature The state representative wants to pass paid family leave, repeal Arizona’s pre-Roe vs. Wade abortion ban, and increase access to the ballot through automatic voter registration and same-day registration. Meg O'Connor
This California Teacher Wants Environmental Justice Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, who seeks to represent South Central Los Angeles in the State Assembly, wants 'clean air, clean water, and clean food' for her constituents. Jerry Iannelli
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
In Her First Run For Office, Teresa Leger Fernandez Wants To ‘Protect What We Love’ About New Mexico Leger Fernandez, whose district includes Navajo Nation and several Pueblo reservations, wants to pass universal healthcare and improve infrastructure in tribal and rural communities. Lauren Gill
In California Rent Control Battle, Controversies Swirl Around Funders on Both Sides Corporate backers of a group opposed to Proposition 21 don’t match the protective image it portrays. And a nonprofit that has contributed to supporters has been accused of financial improprieties. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
For Illinois Democrat Marie Newman, Progressive Is ‘Practical’ Newman, who is running for a U.S. House seat, wants Medicare for all, green jobs, and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Cinnamon Janzer Oct 27, 2020
Raph Graybill Is Running To Be A Better Attorney General For Montana Graybill’s experience with suing the state’s current AG, Tim Fox, to protect a land easement program “really pushed me over the edge,” he told The Appeal. Dawn R. Wolfe
As Arizona Politics Shift, Martín Quezada Hopes This Term Is His Most Significant Quezada has supported progressive policies since starting out in the state legislature in 2012. He’s now running for his final term, which could be his most important, given the state’s changing power dynamics. Meg O'Connor
How Julie Oliver’s Personal Experiences With Healthcare And Housing Have Influenced Her Run For Congress ‘Our Congress should be reflective of the people here, and it’s not,’ the Texas resident said. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Omar Fateh is Running to Bring a ‘Working-Class Agenda’ to Minnesota’s State Senate The current Democratic state senator, Jeff Hayden, lacks the progressive vision that Minnesotans seek, Fateh says. Dawn R. Wolfe Oct 26, 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
How One Race Could Change Police Accountability in Arizona Incumbent Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel is backed by police unions and has declined to charge officers in high-profile killings. Challenger Julie Gunnigle says she wants to create an independent unit to review police use-of-force cases. Meg O'Connor
Michigan Lifers Are Organizing Their Families to Vote The Adolescent Redemption Project, a new group organized by Michigan prisoners sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, is advocating for progressive prosecutors. Marcia Brown Oct 22, 2020
In Effort to Slow Climate Change, Texas Democrat Seeks Seat On Oil Regulation Board Chrysta Castañeda wants to use the state Railroad Commission’s powers to stop energy companies from engaging in environmentally harmful practices like burning excess gas. Jerry Iannelli
‘Democracy Pressure-Tested’: Voter Suppression Efforts Underway As Election Nears Efforts by elected leaders in several states are making it harder to get to the polls and fomenting misinformation about the election amid a pandemic. Joshua Vaughn Oct 21, 2020
This Los Angeles County Election Could Have A Big Effect On Criminal Justice Reform The Board of Supervisors wields enormous power over a county government apparatus that includes the DA’s office, probation department, and sheriffs. Piper French
Black Voters Matter Co-Founder Says Voting Enthusiasm Is Strong Despite Rampant Suppression The group is seeing real challenges posed by the pandemic, voter suppression tactics, and threats of intimidation. Kira Lerner Oct 20, 2020
Tarra Simmons, Candidate for Washington State Legislature, Is Fighting To Give People A First Chance The attorney, who is a person formerly convicted of a felony, has attracted support and praise from people around the country. Eoin Higgins
Cori Bush Wants To Make Sure That Someone Is ‘Fighting For The Regular Person’ In Washington If she wins her bid for office in November, Bush will become the first Black woman elected to represent Missouri in Congress. Lauren Gill Oct 19, 2020
Esther Agbaje Wants to Solve ‘The Million Dollar Question’ of Racial Disparities Across Minnesota If she wins at the ballot box in November, Agbaje would become the state’s first Nigerian American state legislator. Dawn R. Wolfe Oct 16, 2020
Reform Advocates Want To Oust Illinois Judge Who Fought To Detain Young Children A coalition of organizations is hoping Michael Toomin, who is also unwilling to implement diversion programs, loses his retention election. Kira Lerner
Athena Hollins Takes On Public Safety, Housing, And Affordable Child Care In Her Run For The Minnesota House When it comes to public safety, Hollins doesn’t want to stop with reallocating police funding. She’d like her state to track both proven and alleged instances of police misconduct. Dawn R. Wolfe
Tenant Organizers Are Running To Keep New Yorkers In Their Homes After defeating long-time incumbents in Democratic primaries, progressive candidates are championing cancelling rent and banning evictions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 15, 2020
From Criminal Justice Reform To Protecting The Democracy, Mondaire Jones Wants To Bring ‘Big Structural Changes’ To Congress Jones, who is running in New York’s 17th District, says fighting systemic racism and hyperpartisanship are top priorities. Lauren Gill Oct 14, 2020
Election Night Coverage Is Broken. In 2020, It Could Be Dangerous In a presidential election likely to take weeks or months to decide, the race to name a winner on Nov. 3 could do tremendous damage to the integrity of the vote-counting process. Jay Willis
Sara Innamorato Is Fighting to Reduce the Harms of COVID-19’s Economic Crush The state representative wants to bar landlords in Pennsylvania from reporting missed or late rent payments to credit agencies. Joshua Vaughn Oct 13, 2020
Democrats Could Break the Republican Trifecta in Arizona The party needs to win two state House seats and three state Senate seats in next month’s election to flip the chambers. Here are the candidates running in hotly contested races. Meg O'Connor
Los Angeles D.A. Candidates Spar on Police Shootings, Death Penalty DA Jackie Lacey and challenger George Gascón outlined diverging visions for the top prosecutor’s office in the nation’s most populous county. Kira Lerner Oct 09, 2020
California’s Proposition 20 Would Roll Back Years of Criminal Justice Reform The ballot initiative, supported by police, corporations, and even big grocery chains, would use more taxpayer money to incarcerate people, rather than invest in other social services. Ray Levy Uyeda Oct 08, 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
Portland Civil Rights Activists Want A Mayor Who Can Stand Up To Police Mayor Ted Wheeler’s popularity has declined after a summer of protests against police violence in the Oregon city. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 07, 2020
California Voters Have An Opportunity To Chip Away At Jim Crow-Era Voting Law Proposition 17 would allow people with felony convictions to cast ballots while they are on parole. Kira Lerner Oct 06, 2020
Maricopa County’s Top Prosecutor Releases Misleading Attack Ad Allister Adel paints herself as a reformer, but her record shows otherwise. Meg O'Connor Oct 05, 2020
Another Way Chaos Could Erupt on Election Day: Delayed Absentee Ballot Processing Although some GOP election officials have moved to allow mail-in ballots to be counted early, outdated rules in other key Republican-led states could feed President Trump’s Election Day fearmongering. Spenser Mestel Oct 02, 2020
Carroll Fife Is Fighting To Make Oakland Safer And More Equitable For Everyone In her run for City Council, Fife pushes back on the institutional barriers to Black people that come from a history of oppression. Eoin Higgins Oct 01, 2020
Joe Biden Should Use Federal Dollars to Fund Alternatives to Police If he becomes president and Democrats win the Senate, Biden should push a federal spending bill that includes money for civilian first-responder programs. Aaron Stagoff-Belfort
California Prison Guard Union Responsible for ‘Bullseye’ Ad Donates $1 Million to Jackie Lacey’s Re-election Campaign Late-stage donations to the Los Angeles DA race increase concerns about the influence of law enforcement money on politics. Piper French Sep 24, 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
Governors’ Coronavirus Decisions Put People of Color In Harm’s Way As the country reopens, we can’t quickly forget these failures of government, which have disproportionately harmed Black, Latinx, and Native people. David A. Love Jun 12, 2020
Mississippi Has Tested Fewer Than 1% of State Prisoners and Staff For COVID-19 Governor Tate Reeves has touted the state’s testing efforts as ‘aggressive,’ but testing rates in the state’s prisons, where the coronavirus has already claimed at least one life, remain low. Ko Bragg May 13, 2020
Coronavirus Cases Soar For The Navajo Nation As Federal Funding Shortfalls Strain Efforts To Respond ‘This is by far, by far, the biggest impact on our people since our return from the Long Walk in 1868,’ a Navajo Nation leader said. Daniel Moritz-Rabson
South Dakota Governor Doubles Down On Her Anti-Native Reputation By Targeting Tribes’ COVID-19 Checkpoints Governor Kristi Noem’s threat to sue two South Dakota tribes shows the callousness of her coronavirus plan, which seems to encourage exposure and prioritize the economy over the lives of at-risk Natives. Ruth Hopkins May 11, 2020
Hospitalized With COVID-19 and Handcuffed for Days After a man incarcerated in a New Jersey state prison was hospitalized with COVID-19, he said he was handcuffed for 36 hours. The cuffs got tangled in his IV, causing it to rip out, he said. “It was so painful. You have no idea.” Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg May 05, 2020
Why Is COVID-19 Hitting Black Communities Harder? Residential Segregation Is a Key Factor. Segregation not only increases individuals' exposure to the novel coronavirus, it also leaves them more susceptible to its effects and limits the quality of care they will receive, experts say. Akilah Wise
The Case For Universal Healthcare During A Pandemic An overwhelming majority of Americans support the federal government paying all healthcare costs for the duration of the coronavirus emergency. Alison P. Galvani Apr 30, 2020
A Man With Coronavirus Symptoms At Rikers Island Describes His Ordeal ‘I would go to the hospital very often and they wouldn’t do anything for me.’ Kim Kelly Apr 23, 2020
Judges Are Exploiting the COVID-19 Pandemic to Advance the Conservative Agenda A trio of cases in Wisconsin and Texas illustrates how Republican judges are feigning helplessness in the face of a public health crisis while furthering their own ends. Jay Willis Apr 22, 2020
New York City Must Take Action to Ensure the Most Vulnerable Survive the Pandemic The city has created the structural conditions that have engendered disproportionately high rates of infection and death among its Black and Latinx residents. TS Candii, Darializa Avila Chevalier
Emptying Prisons to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus Will Save Lives on the Outside, Too By letting people out now, we can avoid overwhelming our healthcare system with sick prisoners later. Oliver Hinds Apr 15, 2020
Methadone Rules Requiring In-Person Visits Are Putting Patients At Risk Of Coronavirus For many people across the U.S. who need methadone treatment, sheltering in place during the coronavirus outbreak is impossible. Elizabeth Brico
Transgender Sex Workers in New York City Struggle to Survive the Pandemic Advocates say the “progressive” city has left them to die. Rebecca Chowdhury Apr 14, 2020
A Public Health Focus On Coronavirus Shouldn’t Sideline Overdose Prevention Efforts Recent successes in stemming the opioid crisis could be reversed if public health budgets are cut or the crisis is seen as secondary to the pandemic. Jacqueline Goldman, Brandon Marshall
Black Women Have Long Faced Racism in Healthcare. COVID-19 Is Only Amplifying It. A Brooklyn teacher tried three times to get treatment for the coronavirus. Now she’s fighting for her life. Erin Clare Brown Apr 10, 2020
