Longreads
Spurred by Black Lives Matter, coverage of police violence is changing
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Newsrooms are moving away from privileging police accounts over those of police violence victims.
Commentary
Estudiante de raza negra reflexiona sobre cómo enfrentar el racismo en una escuela privada de Chicago: ‘Mantén la misma energía’
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Randy Pierre, un estudiante de cuarto año en Latin School of Chicago, dice que protestas en contra de una cultura racista en la escuela “no puede ser el final de la lucha.”
Commentary
Illinois criminal justice reform bill critics playing ‘Fear-Mongering Bingo’ says State Sen. Robert Peters
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Peters alleges that police and conservatives bashing the reforms, including the “Pretrial Fairness Act” that would end cash bail in Illinois, are using “Willie Horton-style scare tactics.”
Commentary
Black student reflects on confronting racism at top Chicago private school: ‘Keep the same energy’
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In this first-person piece, Latin School of Chicago senior Randy Pierre shares his experiences with racism at the top private school — and reflects on how Latin School has responded since July, when an Instagram page exposed its allegedly racist culture.
Commentary
To address the Alabama prison crisis, put an end to over-incarceration in the state
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“Alabama’s drive to lock up more of its own year after year has resulted in an unconscionable prison system that is bursting at the seams,” writes civil rights attorney John Fowler.
Commentary
Cook County Jail election guide rejection harms voters and the free press
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County officials say the jail mailroom accidentally rejected Injustice Watch’s judicial election guide. But accidents violate the Constitution, too.
Elections
Black Chicago youth are disenchanted by 2020 election options, but hope for a progressive future
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Their idea of progress isn’t attained by settling for incremental reforms.
Commentary
Watch: Wrongfully convicted Chicago man reflects on the power of judges
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Ieliot Jackson spent nearly eight years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of selling less than one gram of heroin. He was granted a certificate of innocence in 2019. Jackson recounts the obstacles he faced in the courts and why it is important to always #CheckYourJudges.
Essential Work
Listen: Youth organizers discuss Black joy, West Side history and the future
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“We are the revolution. It is in our bodies. It is in our bones. It is in our art. It is in the way that we speak.”
Essential Work
‘To be a West Side organizer’
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“We understand,” community organizer Destiny Harris writes, “that we will never have access to the resources we need in abundance if we wait on the government.”