Mass Incarceration
-
'If Black Lives Matter, What Are You Doing About Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores?': Advocacy Group Calls Out NBA In Full-Page Newspaper Ad
If you cracked open the New York Times on Sunday, you might’ve been greeted by the following full-page ad: “If Black Lives Matter, what are you doing about Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores?” That’s a hell of a question. And if you ask Worth Rises, a New York-based non-profit that would love nothing more than…
-
The Incarcerated Are Eligible for Stimulus Checks. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Danny Davis Want to Know Why the Bureau of Prisons Is Blocking Them
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the United States Congress has given only one stimulus check to help Americans weather the public health crisis and its ensuing economic downturn. For many households, that $1,200 check has long since been spent, as months of political discussions about a second stimulus bill dead-ended with the president and Senate Majority…
-
Family of Layleen Polanco Reaches History-Making $5.9 Million Settlement Over Solitary Confinement Death
The family of Layleen Polanco, a trans-Afro-Latina who died while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island jail last year, will receive a historic $5.9 million settlement—the largest New York City has ever paid out for a death in one of its city jails. In a statement to The City, family attorney David Shanies said the…
-
The Story of a Black Teenage Girl Incarcerated for Not Doing Her Online Schoolwork Shows Us Just How Big Our Criminal Justice Problem Is
As activists have sustained calls for a radical transformation of our nation’s criminal justice system over the last several weeks, many among us are reimagining what necessary interventions ought to look like, absent the police. How can we resolve domestic issues, for instance, without having to call 911? One idea that’s been frequently tossed around…
-
Chicago Police Announce Plans to Make Mass Street Arrests, Ask Courts to Hold People in Jail Over July 4th Weekend
Putting Black faces in high places will not be the solution to structural racism in the United States. And while drug-fueled gun violence in the oft-maligned city of Chicago is an objectively horrifying problem, violating the constitutional rights of young Black men isn’t the way to address it, either. Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown apparently…
-
Jay-Z, Roc Nation File Federal Lawsuit Against Mississippi Prison Officials for Violent Conditions, 'Failure to Meet Basic Human Rights'
I’ve never spent a day of my life in prison, but after a recent rash of stabbings and violent attacks led to the deaths of five inmates housed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, I’m pretty sure there’s a blatant disregard for the safety of those being kept behind bars. Evidently, Jay-Z feels the same way,…
-
In the Past Week, Five Inmates Have Been Killed in Mississippi Prisons Due to Gang Violence
In Mississippi, five inmates have been killed due to stabbings and attacks within the past week. NBC News reported on Friday that 36-year-old Denorris Howell died after sustaining neck wounds in a fatal attack following an altercation with his cellmate at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. He was the fifth inmate who was killed at…
-
‘Appalled’ and ‘Disappointed’: Federal Judge Tells St. Louis to Stop Dragging Feet on Cash Bail Order
The city of St. Louis can no longer hold people in jail simply because they’re too poor to pay bail, a federal judge ruled last week. The decision was celebrated by the city’s civil rights advocates, who have argued for years that the city’s cash bail system was unconstitutional. But following the ruling—which gave city…
-
T.I., the Central Park Five, and Ebenezer Baptist Church Kick Off Summit to End Mass Incarceration
Anyone who thinks the black church is a bygone relic with no relevance to the social justice struggles of today may need to reassess. “The church” is obviously not a monolith and is taking on everything from mental illness and HIV/AIDS to voter suppression and mass incarceration. In that vein, Rev. Raphael Warnock and the…
-
A New Lawsuit Against a Virginia Apartment Complex Shows How Modern Day Redlining Works
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against a Virginia apartment complex Tuesday morning for its policy of banning all housing applications from people with criminal records. Filed in Richmond, Va., the lawsuit accuses Wisely Properties and Multifamily Management Services, Inc., owners and operators of the Sterling Glen apartment complex, of imposing…