Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 141 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Drawing better lines so that Native votes count

    Including Native Americans in the political process requires sustained efforts in redistricting by communities. The success of the 2018 mid-term election in bringing the first Native American women into Congress was made possible by the creation of legislative districts that gave Native American communities a voice. A comparison of the US states of Montana and North Dakota illustrates the importance of long-term collaboration, legal action, and community organization in redistricting efforts.

    Read More

  • Baltimore enacts new rules to root out squalid rental properties. But some tenants could lose their homes

    Baltimore passed a law that cracks down on rental property owners that have been operating without required inspection, leaving renters living in squalor. While critics fear that owners and landlords may lose business, advocates note that living conditions have drastically improved for those renting homes in these buildings.

    Read More

  • Sen. Bennet: Collaboration that led to CORE Act could model a cure for “partisan disease” ailing politics

    Politicians and community leaders across Colorado take legislative creation out of Washington and into the areas they're trying to protect. Stakeholders around the state, many of whom disagree socially and politically, worked together to create a measure to protect 400,000 acres of public land while factoring in ways to maintain economic success.

    Read More

  • Proposed Gun Bill: Extreme Risk Protection Order

    Eleven states in the United States have implemented some version of “red flag laws" which aim to remove guns from those that are showing signs of imminent threat. With studies showing that these bipartisan laws are having a successful impact in the states where they are enforced, New Mexico is now looking to also implement similar policy changes during the next legislative session.

    Read More

  • Durham County Dismisses Hundreds of Traffic Fines as Part of a License Restoration Effort

    Durham County relieved hundreds of outstanding traffic fines in an effort to restore suspended driver's licenses. The program, called Durham Expungement and Restoration (DEAR), "identified more than 11,000 people eligible to have outstanding fines dropped" from charges resulting from court absence or inability to pay a traffic ticket.

    Read More

  • With eyes on COP24 in Poland, a Dutch success story offers inspiration

    With national governments around the world dragging their feet when it comes to honoring their commitments to curb carbon emissions, some citizens are finding success in court. In 2015, a coalition of unlikely Dutch citizens, including a DJ, entrepreneurs and national weathermen, successfully sued the Dutch government for endangering them by not cutting gas emissions enough. The court then ruled that the Netherlands had to cut the nation’s emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.

    Read More

  • Why Raj Jayadev is helping Philly's criminal justice system adopt participatory defense

    Participatory defense, is a model that integrates the family into the legal defense of someone being prosecuted for a crime. Loved ones can bring in evidence like photos and records that speak to the character of the accused person. In Philadelphia, the model is being implemented and already helped reduce someone’s bail from $500,000 to $0. Nationally, the method has been proven to be highly effective. “Over 10 years, participatory defense hubs have popped up in 20 other cities and reduced people’s sentences by 4,218 years.”

    Read More

  • Detroit homeless court changes lives for its defendants

    Street Outreach Court Detroit is a collaboration between the courts and service providers to waive legal and financial obligations post-conviction if a person makes a commitment to an individualized action plan. These plans can include steps such as substance misuse treatment, enrolling in a workforce readiness program, and accessing housing subsidies.

    Read More

  • How Madeline Snyder, a trans woman in Tyler, got her driver's license fixed

    The legal process for changing your name and gender on drivers' licenses or birth certificates was—and, to a degree, still is—convoluted, expensive, and time-consuming. A grassroots movement started after the 2016 Presidential Election that used GoFundMe, Facebook, and public support to help Madeline Snyder and other trans people from Tyler, Texas change their legal documents all at once. The process wasn't always straightforward, but it had about a 75% success rate and brought with it a groundswell of support from the trans and ally communities.

    Read More

  • Nonprofit helps kids impacted by homicide

    A Kansas City non-profit called Healing Pathway Victim Service Agency aids children, or the "smallest co-victims" as they call them, of crimes and homicides through case management, education, victim advocacy and trauma-informed mentorship for kids. The organization acts as a one-stop shop for families, offering connection to mental health resources, advice on navigating the courts, and assistance with victim compensation.

    Read More