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The Jim Crow Jury System Falls in New Orleans

Brentin Mock

November 08, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

An amendment passed in Louisiana does away with non-unanimous jury verdicts that have helped solidify racial discrimination in the criminal justice system since they were implemented in response to Reconstruction. Data shows black defendants were more likely to be convicted in the non-unanimous system and the votes of black jurors more likely to be silenced. Advocates said the amendment is a huge game changer against mass incarceration in Louisiana and racial discrimination.

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Diverse Immigrant Communities Unite to Preserve TPS

Chaumtoli Huq

November 08, 2018 |

Law at the Margins |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

By coming together on the national stage, immigrant communities campaign against cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The work encompasses over 40 different groups operating around the US to advocate for TPS holders. The Journey for Justice Caravan, led by TPS holders in partnership with the National TPS Alliance, mobilized support across 30 states. Other groups, including African Communities Together, coordinated to file a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s measure to cancel TPS.

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How Yemeni Immigrant Activists in NYC Are Changing a Whole Community's Mindset

Michael Nigro

November 08, 2018 |

Law at the Margins |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

To assert their voice, community activists must move from behind the scenes to the front lines. Mobilizing the ethnic and immigrant community against Trump’s executive order of 2017 has led to the creation of the Yemeni American Merchant’s Association (YAMA). YAMA behaves like an umbrella organization, working to connect visa winners with humanitarian organizations, hosting legal training programs, becoming a plaintiff on behalf of Yemenis, and partnering with community leaders in cities across the United States.

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An evidence-based way to help fix our broken politics

Jeff Grabmeier

November 05, 2018 |

Ohio State News |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

If elected representatives have a few hours to speak with their constituents, where’s what they should do: discuss policy issues online with a small group of randomly selected constituents. Participants appreciate the opportunity to speak with their representatives, rate them more highly, and are more likely to vote for them – even months later. The evidence supporting this method of engaging constituents is so compelling that researchers will present their work to all new members of Congress this year.

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The Seattle Experiment

Kenny Malone

November 02, 2018 |

NPR |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Seattle’s “Democracy Vouchers,” funded by a ballot measure to increase property taxes, provide money for residents to make campaign contributions, which increases civic participation and helps people running for office without political connections fund their campaigns. Every city resident receives four 25$ vouchers that they can sign over to the candidate of their choice and mail back in a pre-stamped envelope. Even though only 3% of vouchers were actually used, the number of people contributing to campaigns tripled and several non-establishment candidates were able to run campaigns and get elected.

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How to tackle populism: Rebuild rural civic life

Fergus Peace

November 02, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Nebraska

Access to civic institutions, such as local newspapers, arts facilities, churches, and even breweries, help people feel more connected to their communities and less inclined to support populist candidates. Rural areas suffering from a lack of strong civic institutions are experimenting with promoting local businesses, organizing town halls, and even designing town mascots.

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'A labor of love': Postcard campaign writers seek to increase voter turnout in midterm elections

Sylvie Sturm

October 30, 2018 |

Local News Matters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

After lackluster experiences phone banking during the 2016 presidential election, volunteers altered their strategy to write postcards to citizens to turn out the vote in the 2018 mid-term elections. Writing postcards was seen as a viable, and personal, alternative to door knocking, phone banking, mass leafleting, and even relatively modern techniques like mass texting.

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Law & Disorder: Progressive Prosecutors Hope to Dismantle Mass Incarceration

Manny Faces

October 30, 2018 |

News Beat |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Across the United States, individuals and organizations are seeking to shift the criminal justice system through District Attorney elections. From online communities like colorofchange.org, which seeks to support grassroots election efforts, to individuals like Minnesota’s Mark Haase, who is running on a platform of diversity and inclusion, to the Texas Organizing Project that wants to empower Black and Latinx communities, each of these missions seeks to create more equity and transparency in the criminal justice system.

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How first-time voters are being mobilized in Florida

Mason Berger

October 29, 2018 |

PBS NewsHour |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Florida

Voter registration groups, such as Next Gen and the Florida Federation of Young Republicans, were the second most common method of getting new voters to register in Florida. To grab young voters, these organizations showed up in classrooms and club meetings and focused on issues that youth care about, including the cost of college and gun violence.

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How Sex Workers Made San Francisco Safer for Everyone

Hannah Albarazi

October 25, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In San Francisco, a law that offers amnesty to sex workers who report violent crimes to police is designed to save lives and reduce crime overall in the city. It comes as the city’s police department faces a massive police sex scandal over officers abusing an underaged sex worker, something advocates say is all too common and leaves crimes women might report uninvestigated. Advocates applaud the new law, say it doesn’t go far enough and they worry new federal laws could undermine it.

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