Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1125 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

In Nation's Incarceration Capital, a New D.A. Is Freeing People From Prison

Katie Jane Fernelius

April 21, 2021 |

The Appeal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

In his first months as the New Orleans district attorney, Jason Williams has pushed a prosecution-reform agenda that not only limits who gets sent to prison on the front end, but also takes a backward look at who should be let out of prison. Nearly two dozen people convicted by non-unanimous juries have been granted new trials. Some people have been granted early release from prison after conviction under unduly harsh sentencing laws that no longer will be enforced. Williams' ultimate goal is to restore community trust so that necessary prosecutions have community support.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Denver police are solving more nonfatal shootings with a new unit

Kelly Reinke

April 21, 2021 |

KUSA-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Denver police solve far more nonfatal shootings than in the past because they created a special detectives unit to centralize and prioritize such investigations. In its first year, the Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST) solved two-thirds of the 165 cases it investigated, up from about 25% in the past, when investigations were a lower priority and handled at the police district level. Police in Texas and Connecticut have expressed interest in modeling programs on FAST. Denver police hope more arrests mean fewer shootings, and fewer reasons people feel a need to carry guns in the first place.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Community restores grasslands, makes village drought-resilient

Vinaya Kurtkoti

April 21, 2021 |

Village Square |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Dhule, Maharashtra

Lamakani, a small village in India, went barren and townspeople completely depended on water tankers after a drought in the 90s. One leader initiated a watershed movement. They applied a series of approaches which included things like watershed development, bans on grass grazing and tree falling, and collaborating with local artists to communicate messages of conservation. Now, the town is lush again.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How one Chinatown curbs anti-Asian violence and unites a city

Francine Kiefer

April 20, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic have sparked a movement nationwide to stand up against bias and to help protect those most vulnerable to attack, the elderly. In one of America's oldest Chinese enclaves, Oakland's Chinatown, Compassion in Oakland has attracted thousands of volunteers of all races and ethnicities to chaperone the elderly on their errands and to patrol the streets as additional eyes and ears for the police. Shopkeepers and residents feel safer. And, among the volunteer protectors, bridges are being built where tensions and rivalries have long existed.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In a roiled Minneapolis, schools are testing new model for safety

Chelsea Sheasley

April 20, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Washburn High School in Minneapolis is taking a different approach for in-school safety, one that doesn't rely on a police presence. The school district ended its contract with the Minneapolis Police Department and replaces School Resource Officers with civilian safety specialists, who are not uniformed, armed, and have no power of arrest. Instead, the specialists provide more community-centered services to visiting students who were disconnected, aiding with food distribution, and evaluate school safety plans.

Read More
Go to Original Story
‘Within minutes I was weeping': the US pastor using scripture to mobilize climate action

Melissa Godin

April 20, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Asheville, North Carolina

Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri of North Carolina works with the Creation Care Alliance to better connect his Christian faith with climate action. Over the years they have developed a toolkit for congregations on how to get involved in the climate discussion. They also host eco-grief meetings that are very popular. They would like to reach more conservative or evangelical members of their community that are more skeptical of climate change, but they have had some success in reaching a wide audience.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Polarised City (2): Jos, Divided By Religion, United By Football

Nathaniel Bivan

April 19, 2021 |

HumAngle |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Jos, Plateau State

With team names like Reconciliation, Peace, Love, Humanity, and Forgiveness, the football league organized by Face of Peace Global has begun to chip away at the religious-based fears and hostility that tore their city apart for a generation. Following 18 years of sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians in which people settled into starkly separate zones, the football coaches recruited teams deliberately mixed across religious and neighborhood lines. Divisions did not dissolve instantly, but players say that over time they have grown to trust and like their teammates, small steps toward peace.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What do communities do when the police retreat?

Robert Klemko

April 12, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Little Earth Protectors is one of several community patrol groups that emerged in Minneapolis' unrest after George Floyd's death in police custody. Named for a mostly Native American neighborhood with high rates of violence, the Protectors filled a vacuum left by short-staffed police who had lost support in the community. Patrolling the streets, usually unarmed, the Protectors mediate disputes, discourage drug and prostitution activity, and guard against property destruction. Seven larger groups doing this work have been given city contracts to provide their services if civil unrest breaks out again.

Read More
Go to Original Story
They Overcame Mutual Loathing, and Saved a Town

Nicholas Kristof

April 10, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, John Day, Oregon

Loggers and environmentalists aren’t always known for getting along, but the collaboration between these two groups in Oregon may have saved a town from going under. By creating a dialogue together and working to understand each other’s side, they were able to create a contract that allows loggers to continue thinning forests that were overgrown, which, in turn, keeps the forest healthy and people employed. This kind of cooperation could offer lessons for other groups who are looking to find common ground.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Black Churches Work To Combat Vaccine Fears

Anna Almendrala

April 09, 2021 |

Fierce for Black Women |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Richmond, California

In the Bay Area of California, Black churches are helping to encourage trust around Covid vaccines for those in their congregations who are hesitant to receive the shot. After focusing on dispelling misinformation and extending reliable resources, one church leader says "the majority of his 125-member congregation, about half of whom are senior citizens, want the vaccine."

Read More
Go to Original Story