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Police Reform: Police commission

John Glidden

June 30, 2021 |

Local News Matters |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Vallejo, California

Vallejo officials are studying which type of civilian oversight they want for their police department, following years of controversial shootings of residents. Nearby Oakland and San Francisco have some of the strongest models in the nation. In both cities, civilian oversight commissions can fire police chiefs while overseeing the integrity of investigations into alleged police misconduct. Such commissions come in three main types, with varying degrees of power and autonomy.

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Post-Derek Chauvin, Police Are Training to Intervene When They Witness Misconduct

Zusha Elinson Denise Blostein Rob Alcaraz

June 28, 2021 |

Wall Street Journal |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

After videos showed two Minneapolis police officers did nothing to stop Derek Chauvin from killing George Floyd, more than 130 police departments raced to sign up to train their officers on how to intervene to prevent fellow officers from using excessive force or committing other misconduct. A course called Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) trains officers who then take the training to the officers in their departments. The training seeks to overcome the insular culture of policing, teaching an escalating series of tactics to stop misconduct on the spot.

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Queer and Roma in Romania

Andrei Popoviciu

June 24, 2021 |

Are We Europe |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Romania, Bucharest

MozaiQ provides support for the LGBTQ community and fosters stronger ties among queer Romanians. The group creates safe spaces and offers programming, from football championships to job fairs and professional skills building classes. It also helps with urgent needs, like finding emergency shelter, and fosters long-term relationships in the community, offering pro bono training to companies on the importance of inclusivity in the workplace. The group has particularly empowered queer Romas, whose intersectional identities compound issues of discrimination, increase their confidence to fight for their rights.

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Millions of People With Felonies Can Now Vote. Most Don't Know It.

Nicole Lewis Andrew Rodriguez Calderón

June 23, 2021 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Nevada

Thirteen states restored the right to vote to millions of formerly incarcerated people in the years leading up to the 2020 elections. An analysis of four of them—Nevada, Kentucky, Iowa, and New Jersey—shows the new rights were rarely exercised, ranging from 4% to 23% of newly eligible voters actually registering. None of the four states required prison, parole, or elections officials to notify eligible voters. Those and other information gaps and barriers teach instructive lessons as the 2022 elections approach.

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Oregon Bottle Bill at 50

Geoff Norcross

June 23, 2021 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Oregon

In 1971, Oregon became the first state to adopt a law that established refundable deposits on beer and soft drink containers. So, if a consumer returned their plastic bottle, they would get their deposit back and that bottle then gets recycled. The Bottle Bill turned 50 this year and has proved to be a huge success. In 2019, it had a 90 percent return, meaning nine out of ten containers were being recycled. Other states are looking towards Oregon to replicate the model.

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When get-out-the-vote becomes get-out-the-vaccine

Hannah Grabenstein

June 17, 2021 |

MLK50 |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Memphis, Tennessee

The Shelby County Voter Alliance, who was used to using publicly available information to run get-out-the-vote and voter registration drives, pivoted to door-knocking to increase vaccination rates. Using a grant from Civic Nation’s Made to Save initiative, SCVA went to people’s homes to answer questions about vaccines and let them know about community vaccination pop-ups. They worked with local churches and set up at a Juneteenth celebration, where vaccines were offered. While canvassing, volunteers use a “research-based script” from Made to Save that especially helps them talk with “hesitant people.”

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The push to remake policing takes decades, only to begin again

John Sullivan Robert Klemko

June 10, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

Three "historic firsts in policing reforms" show how attempts to root out systemic problems in policing can fail. In all three cases – federal intervention to curb civil rights abuses in Pittsburgh, a computerized early-warning system to spot abusive Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, and rules put in place to reduce racial profiling in New Jersey traffic stops – bureaucratic and leadership failures, plus cultural resistance to change in police ranks, undermined early successes or good intentions. In all three cases, the problems persist decades later.

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For Black Voters Matter, the goal is greater community power

Haleluya Hadero

June 02, 2021 |

Associated Press |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Georgia

Black Voters Matter raises money to support organizations and initiatives that are often too small for institutional funders to notice. The group has given millions to community-based groups in 15 states—mostly in the South—to register voters, canvass neighborhoods with voting-related information, run phone banks, and even rent buses to drive people to the polls. They’ve raised tens of millions of dollars, mostly in small donations from about 90,000 unique donors. The group, who seeks to strengthen organizations for the long run, also funds activities like free grocery distribution for those in need.

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Black Women Come Up Short On Funds And Food In COVID-19 Pandemic

Marissa Evans

June 01, 2021 |

Fierce for Black Women |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Village Minds was started by Natia Simone as a Facebook page to connect people in need of food and assistance, due to COVID-19 and grocery store closures after the protests following the murder of George Floyd. However, a broader issue of food insecurity led her to expand into a formal organization that has made more than 3,650 grocery deliveries. A partnership with a local produce store helps fill bags with fresh food and a food pantry provides other staples. With the help of friends and family, Simone uses a rented U-Haul to deliver the groceries to seniors throughout Chicago.

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A Mexico Housing Community With No Police

Mayu Ruiz Rull

May 31, 2021 |

What's Next Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

On the outskirts of Mexico City, the self-governed Acapatzingo Housing Community prevents crime and resolves disputes without any involvement by the police. The community, founded at an abandoned mine to provide housing to people living in poverty, sits adjacent to a neighborhood that suffers thousands of violent crimes per year. But the housing community and its citizen-guard patrols, mediators, and network of walls and fences manage to limit the number of crimes and conflicts to about 60 per year. The police are viewed as unresponsive and corrupt, while the community's security is rooted in trust.

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