New report debunks 2020 youth crime wave

New report debunks 2020 youth crime wave

politicians and pundits are peddling youth gone wild but a new report says the most recent data doesn’t support their claims and harsher sentences won’t stop crime

By LJ Dawson
By LJ Dawson

Founder of The Des and freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C.

Almost a year ago, a carjacking left The District of Columbia aghast. Mohammad Anwar, died in the hospital after he was hit with a stun gun and crashed his car while two girls stole his vehicle. Carjackings are common in D.C., but what shocked residents the most was the two girls who carjacked Anwar were only 13 and 15-years-old. Now, they won’t be released from detention until they are 21.

 

This case in the city and a few other national headline grabbing crimes contributed to a political focus on the “rise” in youth crime. Chicago’s Mayor recently pushed through an earlier curfew for minors after a teen was shot.

 

But a new report debunks that violence has risen among youth, at least through 2020. The Sentencing Project, a D.C. based think tank and advocacy nonprofit, found little evidence to support the theory of a youth-led crime wave since the pandemic began.

 

The report found the number of crimes committed by youth fell by more than half over the past two decades and continued to fall in every major offense category through 2020.

 

“[…] media coverage highlighting youth involvement in carjacking has often gone well beyond the known facts or omitted critical context,” Richard Mendel, the author and senior research fellow, wrote.

 

“Scattered anecdotes and talk of out-of-control youth are fueling calls for stricter punishments and harsher treatment. But such methods have consistently proven to be ineffective at preventing crime, and are likely to cause crime to increase,” the press release stated.

 

Youth arrests fell in every crime category from 2000 to 2019, and data showed a continued decrease throughout 2020.

 

Further more, the report calls into question the focus on youth carjackings across the country because federal data, which showed an overall drop in youth robberies in 2020, did not specify car jackings. So we do not know nationally how many carjackings are committed. Over 90% of people arrested for homicides in 2020 were adults, a higher percentage than the three years prior. 

 

But recent shootings of teenagers have still racked The District. 16-year-old rapper,  23 Rackzs, was shot and killed in May in Southeast D.C. shortly after sharing a stage with Wale and other DC hip-hop legends at the city’s annual hip-hop festival, Broccoli City.

 

Homicides are up 11% from last year in the District and at least five youth have been killed since January.

 

The report does not include data from 2021 and the 2022, and it added there is a possibility that youth crime could have risen during the last year and a half. Issues such as mental health and economic stresses cannot be “solved with harsher punishments in the court system,” Mendel wrote. 

 

“Even if it is ultimately confirmed, a pandemic-era increase in youth offending should not be used as a rationale to scale back recent reforms in youth justice or to promote punitive policies against youth,” he added. 

 

The report suggests instead, hiring school counselors instead of police, using restorative justice programs to divert youth from punishment, eliminating youth imprisonment, charge all youth as youth not adults and an increase in community opportunities.

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As D.C. city council increases pretrial detention, a bill to eliminate solitary confinement in detention is trying to pass, yet again

Former Councilmember Mary Cheh proposed measures to further prohibit solitary confinement twice prior to the 2022 introduction of the ERASE bill, but none succeeded. Measures including the Inmate Segregation Reduction Act of 2017. Because the DOC denies its use of solitary confinement, there are concerns that the isolated confinement is not monitored or recorded.

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Failings of youth incarceration

The Sentencing Project held a webinar to discuss the problems of youth incarceration In the face of increased pretrial detention in The District of Columbia,

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A new investigation reveals gun seizures under Bowser’s police department broke the law

Journalists Alex Coma and Mitch Ryals published an investigative story uncovering a criminal investigation of 19 D.C. police officers for misconduct while serving in a crime suppression unit. Originally an internal MPD inquiry, the investigation has since been upgraded to a criminal inquiry, with allegations including taking firearms without making arrests and filing false reports.

House of pain

House of Pain: an introduction

My name is Bernard Jemison and I will briefly explain my story. I’ve been incarcerated since May 13, 1998, over 25 years now for felony murder that should have been self-defense. I was sentenced to serve life with the possibility of parole in the Alabama department of corrections.

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Fighting for a second chance

Dontrell Britton sits on the steps of his old apartment building where him and his mother lived in Adams Morgan, DC. Photo by LJ Dawson

Fighting for a second chance

Trell the Trainer gained clout for training Pusha T and Shy Glizzy, but his mission goes far beyond celebrity training. He wants all ex-felons to get a chance.

By LJ Dawson
By LJ Dawson

Founder of The Des and freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C.

When Dontrell Britton returned from federal prison to his mother’s DC apartment in 2017, he didn’t have tens of thousands of Instagram followers or over 400 thousand TikTok followers on his team like he does now.

 

After spending his entire early twenties behind bars and growing up rough in DC’s low income housing projects, he faced the daunting task of reentering society with few resources to help him, the label felon following him around and an ankle monitor tracking his every move. 

 

But within a few years, Britton, who goes by “Trell the Trainer,” built a fitness brand that gained notoriety in the district as a workout program based on training he did in prison. He gained celebrity clients, Shy Glizzy and Pusha T, his training business boomed, and local outlets flocked to cover the success story of an ex-felon turned celebrity trainer.

 

Britton is one of an estimated 24 million Americans with a felony, but unlike him most of his peers don’t make it after returning home from prison. Nearly half of the people released in 2012, returned to prison within five years due to a parole or probation violation or a new sentence, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. And as a whole this group of people face staggering rates of homelessness and unemployment compared to the general population.

 

Since returning home and starting two businesses, Britton has made it his mission to fight the stigma of “felon” by telling his story and help other returning citizens by employing them first in his personal training business and most recently through his vegan food truck. 

Britton points to his mother's old apartment window where he cut a hole in the screen to sell drugs out of.

Britton spent his childhood moving around different low income apartments with his mother – one bedroom units packed with up to seven family members. His father was absent while he was growing up and was shot and killed when Britton was 16. Britton and his friends looked up to the older men around the neighborhood with nice cars, shoes and flocks of women. The streets and selling drugs were the default option.

He got tangled up with law enforcement early in his teens for the common charges that plague DC’s youth: auto theft, armed robbery and illegal gun possession. He spent his young adult life cycling in and out of juvenile detention, spending more time behind bars than at a school desk.

“I think I was just too caught up in being the toughest or the coolest. And I thought that was getting in trouble carrying guns, selling drugs [and] getting all the girls. So I just embodied that whole entire lifestyle."

“All of us graduated to prison,” Britton said. Every time he was arrested, he returned to a juvenile detention center full of familiar faces of friends, young kids like him trapped in the same cycle from the same low income neighborhoods. 

 

He told his mother that his goal in life was to be “a big drug dealer.” Older mentors tried to reach Britton, but he didn’t hear them. 

 

“I think I was just too caught up in being the toughest or the coolest. And I thought that was getting in trouble carrying guns, selling drugs [and] getting all the girls. So I just embodied that whole entire lifestyle,” Britton said. 

Britton looks at his old elementary school in Adams Morgan.

But at 19-years-old that lifestyle came to an end. The FBI raided Britton’s home as part of a monthslong investigation into a network of over 15 people distributing drugs including heroin and crack cocaine. This time it wasn’t a short few month juvenile sentence. He was staring down federal time as an adult. His mother was put in cuffs when their home was raided, and a few months after the raid his grandmother died of a heart attack. 

 

Britton was sent to DC jail to await his trial, facing charges that could land him up to 10 years in prison. And DC jail was not juvenile detention. Fights in the jail meant people were stabbed and even killed, and the mental stress of seeing violence everyday wore him down. As Britton sat awaiting court dates, the gravity of his mother’s arrest and grandmother’s death sank in.

“It’s not just affecting me, it’s affecting everybody around me,” Britton said he realized. The stress of waiting trial, the environment of the jail and realizing the impacts of his actions pushed Britton to start working out. Britton and other people in the jail would sneak pull ups on the stairs when correction officers weren’t looking. He began hoarding Men’s Health magazines. 

 

“That book was like my Bible. I don’t know what it was about it, but it was teaching me hygiene, how to floss, how to do a proper push up,” Britton said. Everyone in jail knew to read the magazines before they permanently disappeared into the stack he kept in his cell. Britton adjusted to jail as the months wore on, and working out helped keep his mind preoccupied. 

By the time Britton was sentenced and transferred to prison, his training was paying off. He’d gotten “swole.” Within two months, over twenty other inmates began meeting Britton and his friend to train in the yard every afternoon. He was the rookie on the compound, but the most in shape in his unit. But he didn’t consider training as a career until an older friend in prison mentioned it to him. He looked into the average salary and decided to study for the certification as his release date loomed.

Graphic from The Prison Policy Institute.

“You'd be surprised, people genuinely do want to do good and change. Sometimes lack of finances or environment is the downfall for a lot of returning citizens,” Britton said.

When Britton returned from prison to his mothers one bedroom apartment in 2017, he was 24-years-old and the biggest bullet point on his resume was felon. The bartending job he landed didn’t last long after his parole officer insisted on checking up on him at work. “Everybody knew I was a felon and I was like the oddball out of the group,” Britton said. 

 

Britton’s ankle monitor would flag him for a violation if he left home. So when he quit his job, he started training in his apartment complex’s laundry room. He began with some Instagram pictures of his abs and then before and after photos of his first clients. Business quickly picked up as he took any clients that came his way. 

 

But as his business grew, he still struggled with finding housing and with his parole officers. 

 

“Not that they have bad intentions, but they definitely didn’t have good intentions,” Britton said. When he finally found an apartment that allowed him to rent despite his felony, his parole officer’s home visit caused his landlords to ask anxiously if they were police visiting him. 

 

“You’d be surprised, people genuinely do want to do good and change. Sometimes lack of finances or environment is the downfall for a lot of returning citizens,” Britton said. 

 

Most people return home from prison with little financial support, a record that prevents them from getting jobs and housing, and the ever-present option of slipping back to the quick money of the drug game.

 

A report on those released from prison in 2010 found that 33% of people found no job at all in four years post release and around two-thirds of the population were jobless at any given time, according to the Prison Policy Institute

Britton sits on his old block 17th and Euclid with some of the youth he employees with his vegan food truck.

And the jobs people do find are bad. “Harsh parole conditions, a lack of social welfare programs, and a tough job market are forcing formerly incarcerated people — already a low-income, majority-minority demographic — into the least desirable jobs,” the report added. 

 

Britton said he sees his peers return home and spend weeks looking for a job before returning to selling drugs in desperation often with the intention to just hold them over until they find work. 

 

“But once you pick up that pack, that job is less desirable,” he said. “It takes a strong, strong personal mindset and support and it hasn’t been easy. I still battle with it to this day, and I’ve been out five plus years.” 

 

During Britton’s reentry process he took programs like anger management that he said helped, but did not address his reality. “At the end of the day, I’m a 24-year-old man returning to society. I need money,” he said. 

 

“They want a 16-year-old to not sell drugs. They want a person coming home from prison to get a job. You gotta give me an alternative, if you want me to stop selling drugs, like you need to be putting some money in my pocket, and not having me just go to these free classes,” Britton said. 

Training celebrities was life changing for Britton not only because it built his training brand, but it put a light on what he said he was really trying to do: talk about reform and inspire people with his story. He became his best proof that it was possible to spend most of your life behind bars, wrapped up in selling drugs, and still make it out with your life, freedom and even your own businesses. 

 

Because of the stigma of being a felon and difficulty he experienced growing up and when he re-entered society after prison, Britton has made it his mission to create jobs for at-risk youth and people with records.

 

“With the food truck and the training, you’re getting paid so you have a legit job. And the environment that I create, it’s fun and it’s welcoming,” Britton said. It may not be life changing, but it is a start, he added.

 

His most recent effort, the Glizzys Vegan Food Company, started with his friend Nathan Headspeth, has been serving plant based food in district style for almost a year.

 

Whether someone working is making a plant-based hot dog or street corn, Britton said that they know they aren’t the only felon there.

 

“We together, and the goal is to uplift and show people that we collectively aren’t our mistakes that we made,” he said. 

Britton hopes to open a full restaurant for the Glizzys food truck within the next year.
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IN DEPTH

Can ‘Gunderstanding’ help fight youth violence in D.C.?

An interview with The T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project founder, Tia Bell, a gun violence prevention organization in Washington, D.C. that provides support to young people. The organization’s mission is to “denormalize and destigmatize gun violence in communities of color across the nation.”

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Wake Up: The Sentencing Project launches new campaign to end mass incarceration

A new project launched by The Sentencing Project is a campaign to end mass incarceration in the United States. The project, called “Wake Up,” aims to raise awareness about the negative impacts of mass incarceration on individuals, families, and communities and to push for reforms that will reduce the number of people behind bars.

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The BREATHE Act “A Love Letter to Black people”

The BREATHE Act “A Love Letter to Black people”

Activists have laid out a road map to build a safer world for Black and POC Americans. The Biden administration has yet to push it, favoring a softer reform package.

By LJ Dawson

Founder of The Des and freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C.

The Vision for Justice held a summit last month about The BREATHE Act. The culmination of years of activism including the 2014 the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after police killed Michael Brown and the “Freedom Summer 2020” which swept through America after the killing of George Floyd. The Black Lives Matter movement and other Black liberation organizations developed this Federal policy proposal to offer concrete law that could be adopted to answer calls for change and

  • Section 1: Divesting Federal Resources from Incarceration and Policing & Ending
    Criminal-Legal System Harms

  • Section 2: Investing in New Approaches to Community Safety Utilizing Funding
    Incentives

  • Section 3: Allocating New Money to Build Healthy, Sustainable & Equitable
    Communities for All People

  • Section 4: Holding Officials Accountable & Enhancing Self-Determination of Black Communities

Now backed by Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the Breathe Act is seeking traction in the Biden Administration. It’s now being framed as a counter proposal to The Justice in Policing Act which would increase funding for law enforcement not divest from it.

Patrisse Cullors-Brignac, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, spoke at the introduction of the summit. Here are excerpted remarks.

In our country, harm and punishment have invaded every aspect of society and have done so with surgical racial precision. We see it in the ways we address drug dependency and mental health by disproportionately jailing Black and brown people instead of providing holistic treatment. We see it when we suspend Black kids from school and give them detention at disproportionate rates. at each step, our government has chosen to legitimize punishing Black and brown people. It’s not surprising then that the police commit harm and violence against Black and brown bodies with impunity and at alarming rates. All of us need to radically re-imagine our concept of justice and safety. We need to imagine abolition.

And for far too long, we chose to address harm with more and more harm. Our elected and appointed officials catered to our worst retributive justice instincts, resulting in mandatory minimum sentencing enhancements and over policing. What did it get us? An unaddressed addiction and mental health crisis, jails overflowing with Black and brown people, and too many lost or hurt loved ones to count.

Cullors talks during the summit

When I say we need to rethink harm and punishment, it is more than personal reflection. We’re not going to love away structural racism and compassion only won’t undo, four centuries of state sanctioned violence against Black, Indigenous and POC folks, but every federal bill, city ordinance, or ballot measure I’ve ever read has told me exactly whose lived experience and expertise the writers value, who they think deserves to thrive, and who they think needs to be controlled and punished.

It’s so much deeper than a budgetary issue wrapped in that cry is a demand for culture shift. We were tired of a society where we were expendable, where policing -an institution born to keep us in bondage – was somehow lionized as a beacon of safety. We were tired of inflated carceral budgets becoming business as usual while day after day, we watch schools, our health care and our housing get defunded. Instead of listening to us dependence and the policymakers with power told us our vision was a fantasy and pursued a policy of tinkering at the edges to reform. To us reform [is just] finding new ways to justify killing Black people.

So we got to work on our own. Our movement, listened to the cries in the streets and channeled them into the BREATHE act. We built the road map to take us away from harm and toward health and healing. The BREATHE Act is a legislative love letter to Black people. When I first read it, it made me emotional to finally see a lot that made me and my community feel seen and feel heard. That is what we have been missing a policy for too long.

Read more about the Breathe Act here. Read the full proposal here.

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05.02.2022

from the frontlines: april 25 - may 1

fighting for safety inside

Cynthia Alvarado was raped in jail before going to prison to serve a life sentence for a murder she did not commit. Now, sentence overturned after she already served 12-years, Alvarado is fighting for other women who faced sexual assault while incarcerated. The Appeal (April 18, 2022)

solution or political blunder?

Two bills moving through the California legislature that propose a mental health court to address houseless people gained criticism from disability advocates who say the court “forces treatment on mentally ill people with little regard for their civil rights.”  The Sacramento Bee  (April 25, 2022)

cover up

A LA sheriff commander filed legal papers accusing the LA Sheriff, Alex Villanueva, of obstructing justice and retaliating against those who blew the whistle on a deputy who kneeled on an inmate’s head in 2021.  LA Times (April 25, 2022)

saved, for the moment

A few days before being executed Melissa Lucio was granted a stay, but she could still face being killed. Her 2-year-old daughter died after falling downstairs. Lucio was prosecuted and convicted based on a coerced false confession. Truthout (April 26, 2022)

biden makes a weak pardon effort

Biden pardoned three convicted felons and commuted 75 other sentences in the first use of his presidential clemency power. As we reported, thousands are still caught in a broken clemency system that Biden has yet to address. USA Today (April 26, 2022)

fighting for identity

In six years, a special LA diversion program kept over 3,500 people with serious mental health disorders, physical illnesses and/or substance abuse issues out of jail. But for over a year, it hasn’t been able to take on new clients and no new funds have been proposed to expand capacity. LAist (April 27, 2022)

a pattern of racism before Floyd's murder

“The Minneapolis Police Department has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade, including stopping and arresting Black people at a higher rate than white people, using force more often on people of color and maintaining a culture where racist language is tolerated, a state investigation launched after George Floyd’s killing found.”
AP (April 27, 2022) 

it's not the kids

As car jackings sweep the nation, a new study sheds light on motives in Chicago. It’s not vagabond youth joy riding on four wheels, but adults with economic motives selling cars on the black market. WBEZ (April 27, 2022)

Michigan faces prison staff shortage

“There are worker shortages in just about every industry these days and Michigan’s prison system isn’t immune– a new bill aims to change that by allowing recently retired corrections officers to return to the job temporarily.” FOX17 (April 25, 2022)

"Collier lived close to the place where Emmett Till had been lynched 16 years earlier. Yet her case didn’t have the same kind of national attention and staying power—at the time, the media often got her name wrong, misspelling it as “Jo Etha.” Her killing, and the subsequent court proceedings, did briefly galvanize civil-rights activists during the 1970s, but her story has since faded from the public imagination."

Must Read: a black girl's death faded from memory

An 18-year-old Black teenager was shot dead by a car filled with three drunk white men in 1971, her case never drew the attention that Emmet Till’s lynching did. A conviction sent her murder to prison, but he got out quickly. Her case exposes the truth behind the rose colored narrative of the civil rights movement. The Atlantic (April 28, 2022)

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Baltimore police punishments raises eyebrows; mental health faces reform in VA; D.C.’s homicide rate at 20-year high

The Department of Forensic Sciences in D.C. struggles with reform due to internal conflicts, raising concerns about the city’s criminal legal system. Former Baltimore police sergeant’s lenient sentence for misconduct stirs concerns about policing reform. Virginia State Senator dedicates career to mental health reform in the wake of personal tragedy. Former College Park Mayor is sentenced for child pornography. D.C. witnesses a two-decade high in homicides. Reports spread about crash-and-grab incidents, and imprisoned students in Maryland reflect on the power of education.

Read More »

Ex-cop in Baltimore is sentenced for misconduct in false arrests; D.C. mayor focuses on youth violence

D.C. tackles opioid crisis and youth violence with public emergency declaration. Retired Baltimore cop receives home detention for misconduct. Logan Circle small businesses doubt crime bill’s effectiveness. DAT’s questionable traffic stops spark concerns. Juvenile detention center faces crisis with rising incidents. Inmate mastermind’s escape attempt foiled.

Read More »

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04.25.2022

from the frontlines: April 18-24, 2022

into the night

The warden who ran the jail where Jeffery Epstein killed himself was allowed to quietly retire this February, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed to the AP last week. AP (April 19, 2022)

weed continues to be put on the back burner

Despite the majority of Americans supporting the legalization of cannabis, the most recent federal legislation has hit deadlock in Congress. The DOJ could deschedule and decriminalize marijuana and Biden could pardon federal prisoners of cannabis charges, but there is no indication either agency or president will act. Arizona Mirror (April 20, 2022)

on hold

South Carolina’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution.” AP (April 20, 2022)

deplorable prison conditions

A department of justice investigation “uncovered evidence of systemic violations that have generated a violent and unsafe environment for people incarcerated at Parchman.” The department began investigating after a January story  detailed gang control and subhuman living conditions. MCIR (April 20, 2022)

Flakka takes over Alabama prisons

The mother of an incarcerated person in Alabama is calling for change after her son died of a suspected flakka overdose. Flakka is a notorious drug in the state’s prison system which acts much like bath salts. WBRC (April 18, 2022)

fighting for identity

Trans people with felony convictions in Illinois are fighting to be able to change their legal names. One woman’s experience of using her deadname that she believes led to housing discrimination. Injustice Watch (April 21, 2022)

continued arrests of a cop watcher raises first amendment questions

The Real News Network (April 22, 2022) 

must read: millions of TX grants assault judges

A Texas crime stopper organization is turning millions of donors and state backed grants to attack judges it labels “activist judges.” Many of the judges it attacked, cut into the organizations revenue by “curbing a common practice requiring many people sentenced to probation to pay a $50 fee that goes to Crime Stoppers. The nonprofit’s revenue from those fees has fallen by half since Democrats swept the county’s judicial races in 2018.” The Marshall Project and The New York Times (April 21, 2022)

"The evolution of Crime Stoppers of Houston underscores the potential conflicts of interest that can arise when charities become dependent on financial support from politicians. And it illustrates how nonprofit organizations technically barred from participating in political campaigns can nonetheless exert outsize influence, especially when they wade into a potent issue like violent crime."

programmed racism

The justice department says it is moving to change a tool that it uses to predict a inmates risk of returning to prison after release. Critics have pointed to it over predicting the number of Black women who will go back to prison compared to white women. If an inmate rates high of reoffending risk they can be denied early release. NPR (April 19, 2022)

COMMUNITY BOARD

OUR LATEST

Baltimore police punishments raises eyebrows; mental health faces reform in VA; D.C.’s homicide rate at 20-year high

The Department of Forensic Sciences in D.C. struggles with reform due to internal conflicts, raising concerns about the city’s criminal legal system. Former Baltimore police sergeant’s lenient sentence for misconduct stirs concerns about policing reform. Virginia State Senator dedicates career to mental health reform in the wake of personal tragedy. Former College Park Mayor is sentenced for child pornography. D.C. witnesses a two-decade high in homicides. Reports spread about crash-and-grab incidents, and imprisoned students in Maryland reflect on the power of education.

Read More »

Ex-cop in Baltimore is sentenced for misconduct in false arrests; D.C. mayor focuses on youth violence

D.C. tackles opioid crisis and youth violence with public emergency declaration. Retired Baltimore cop receives home detention for misconduct. Logan Circle small businesses doubt crime bill’s effectiveness. DAT’s questionable traffic stops spark concerns. Juvenile detention center faces crisis with rising incidents. Inmate mastermind’s escape attempt foiled.

Read More »

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To Submit Essays, Calls To Action, and More.

Eaten up by the system

Eaten up by the system

An interview with the journalist behind the new podcast “Through the Cracks” on how racism and the justice system impacted a 8-year-old D.C. Black girl’s disappearance in 2014. She’s never been found.

LJ Dawson

Founder of The Des and freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C.

Through The Cracks is a longform podcast released this year that burrows into the 2014 disappearance of 8-year-old Relisha Rudd, a Black girl from Washington, D.C. It was 18 days before authorities declared Relisha missing. She’s never been found. The Des caught up with the host and woman behind the show, Jonquilyn Hill, about how the justice system failed Relisha, the criminalization of Black motherhood and how the relationship between D.C. law enforcement and the District’s Black community impacted the search for the missing girl. (interview has been lightly edited for clarity)

How did Relisha’s story hook you?

So I lived in DC when Relisha was missing. I moved here in 2009 to go to Howard and I ended up staying after graduation. And I remember seeing her story all of the time. And then months had passed, years had passed, and I was on the red line train, and I saw her missing poster in the window of the Einstein Bagels in Union Station. And that just was a moment that it’s like, wow, this girl is still missing. And over time, I’ve always had an interest in true crime stories. And then the fact that Relisha is this little Black girl, and the fact that when things happen to us, we don’t get as much attention. Locally, I think people knew her name, but D.C. can be very transient. When people move here, they don’t necessarily know the story so I think that’s kind of what drew me to the story.

Jonquilyn Hill – Host of Through the Cracks

What was the most difficult part for you reporting, reporting this podcast?

Man, there were days where it was really emotionally draining. I remember the first day, I got an interview with Melissa, who’s Relisha’s grandmother, and Antonio, who’s her stepfather. And we didn’t know if we weren’t going to be able to talk with them again. So it was just like, it was kind of a marathon. I talked to Antonio first, had lunch, and then talked with Melissa. And I remember, just by the end of the day, just feeling so emotionally exhausted. And part of me is like, ok, if I feel that way, just hearing about it, what about the people who live it, and I think that’s valid. But I also realized that like, wow, this is stuff that impacts me, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I would never want to become numb to this. But there were times where I would just like, man, or it would be really hard because, it can be so sad that you wonder, do people have a chance?

“Are we even giving people a fair shot at making the lives for themselves that they want to? And I questioned that over and over again. And I think that was the hardest part. Just like generations upon generations of trauma. And how do you rebuild and bounce back from that? If that is all if that is all you’re given?”

There was a lot of doing the best with what you have in this story. And that wasn’t enough. But then why does a certain person have only what they have?

Exactly, exactly. I think that was the biggest part: people doing the best with what they have, but it can be hard when you have a lot less than other people do.

So there are a lot of systems that are going on and Relisha’s story, but how does specifically the justice system fit into her story and what happened?

I think that there are so many different ways. I think something that we didn’t get to flesh out in the podcast, because you have like this limited amount of time is the fact that her mother was very hesitant to talk to the police. And that’s something that she’s been critiqued about – the fact that she changed her story multiple times. But I think if this story happened now versus 2014, there would be a discussion about, well, why would she maybe be hesitant to talk to police? I think there’s also a conversation about Kahlil Tatum, the Janitor she was last seen in the care with. He had a criminal record. It was against the policy at the time to hire him because he had a record. But there’s a conversation to be had about people who have been formerly incarcerated having access to jobs. And it’s possible that maybe if that was a conversation being had, if there had been more openness about that. People would have interrogated Kahlil Tatum more.

 

“Like asking, well, what type of crime did he go to jail for? Just being able to check in and openly communicate, rather than it being something that he and people like him have to hide and that could have made all the difference. “

You mentioned Relisha’s mom being really hesitant to talk to the police. Do you think there was a fear for her of not only are they not going to find my daughter, but they could criminalize me because of her disappearance?

Oh, I think that 1,000% was part of it. I mean technically, she was not supposed to leave her kids in the care of Tatum. I remember hearing stories that they would meet off campus of the shelter to make the exchange to leave Relisha in his care. And so I think there was a fear of consequences regarding that. I think the way that we police Black motherhood is definitely a factor. So not only is it, “Oh, my daughter’s missing, but like I could get in trouble for my daughter missing.”

Even if it didn’t happen legally, there definitely has been social consequences for her. I think also we talk about the different institutions, and a lot of the time jail and prisons are the institutions we talk about, but we also have to look at foster care and Child Protective Services and things like that. Relisha’s mother grew up in the foster care system, she bounced around to a lot of facilities. She was in a mental health facility for a period of time as a child.

 

And so it wouldn’t surprise me if things like that were in the back of her head. Like, “Oh, they could take my kids away, and [that] is what could happen to them. Or, “I could go to jail.” We see Black mothers getting arrested for letting their kids play in a park unattended while they’re at work because they can’t afford child care. So something like this would definitely have consequences. And I don’t think it’s a stretch of the imagination to think that she was aware of those consequences. And that was top of mind for her.

How did the justice system in particular fail Relisha?

I feel like there are so many ways because the thing is every system failed Relisha. And I think we have to look at the fact that when it comes to Black people and Black families, in particular, almost every system is treated like the criminal justice system. Families are policed. I think whether it’s with Tatum and the aftermath, and both the lack of background checks, but also it not being an open discussion about who can work where. I think the way her family reacted was definitely in response to our criminal justice system and this fear of going to jail, this fear of being locked up.

There was a grand jury for Relisha’s mother, and they ended up not bringing charges. It was for obstruction of justice, they didn’t find the charges. But that in and of itself is pretty traumatic. And of course, we don’t know what was said in that it’s sealed because that’s the nature of a grand jury. But there are just all these points that you can see where even if it’s not the criminal justice system outright, it’s fear of the criminal justice system that we built. And I think that that’s something that wasn’t talked about the first time around in 2014.

But now we’re having all these conversations about the prison industrial complex and who gets arrested and community relationships with police. If there was a better relationship, maybe people would have come forward sooner saying “hey, something’s going on with this family.” But there’s this, this fear and I think it colors the way people interact with law enforcement and institutions at large.

How do you feel like Relisha slipping through the cracks as a young Black girl is representative of just in general, how young Black girls just are not protected and acknowledged at large in America?

It’s so indicative, I think everything from the fact that no one realized anything was wrong until it’s too late. To the fact that locally her story got a lot of attention, but nationally it’s not as well known as other stories.

One thing that I’ve said before is that when it comes to Black girls, they’re not given the same space to either make mistakes or be protected.

And there are all these gaps that exist. And it’s this thought that we’ve created these safety nets that catch people when there are these gaps. And I think Relisha’s story is indicative of the fact that doesn’t always happen. And it doesn’t always happen for Black Girls. Black girls aren’t often not given a safe place to land. And I think we have to really be honest with ourselves about that, if we want to change that.

When the justice system does acknowledge young Black girls it’s often to criminalize them. So expanded how the story reflects that larger fact of the over criminalization of young Black women as well?

It’s something that’s always top of mind. If we knew where Relisha is and she were just a regular teenager going to school in DC, what would her life look like? How would she be treated? Are we only kind to her because there’s sort of this hagiography around her, how would we be treating her if she were just a regular teenager, going to school, hanging out with friends, doing what teenagers do? And it’s something that’s always at the top of my mind, whether it’s the fact that Black girls are seen as older when they’re younger. And the fact that leads to not only criminalization, but over sexualization of young Black girls.

It means that Black girls are forced to grow up a lot faster in a lot of different ways because of how the world treats us. And I think that’s clear in Relisha’s story. And I think it’s also clear in her mother’s story. The fact that she came from such a difficult background, and maybe if you look different people will be more kind and more understanding. But because of the way society treats Black women because they tend to be over criminalized that’s not the case with her.

Journalists are infamous for hating nuance and ignoring nuance, but you don’t do that in this podcast, which I think is really powerful. So what are some of the biggest nuances that you really want listeners to come away with a greater understanding of?

When I think it’s a nuance, I think the biggest ones are of course her mother and also her grandmother, just like motherhood as a theme in this podcast in general. I think anyone with a mom can attest to the fact that it can be a relationship that can be both difficult and rewarding, and that no one knows how to do it. And a lot of the times our moms are playing it by ear and they’re human, but that the things that they do can have real consequences nonetheless. I also think of Kahlil Tatum and his wife in particular. One interview that I’m really proud of is that I got to speak to Alexis Kelly who is Andrea Kelly’s daughter. Andrea Kelly was Kahlil Tatum’s wife [who he allegedly murdered].

People had a lot to say about her as well. This thing of like, how could [she] not know? What talking with her daughter made me realize is that love can be really difficult, and you don’t always know the person that you love as well as you think you do. And that can have major consequences, but it’s also a reality. I think also is the nuance in how we deal with homelessness. It’s the thing of, OK well, do we treat homelessness once it’s here? Or do we try to prevent it in the first place? What is a two pronged approach to that look like? So I think that nuance was something that we always came back to. We were always saying, okay, but like, what isn’t being told? I think that’s part of the beauty of a long form podcast. You get the space to for the nuance versus when I’m not doing this, I’m working on an hour on a two hour long radio program, and it can go really quickly it’s live, but when it’s recorded, when it’s long form, when you have more space, you’re able to get things more nuanced.

God forbid, this was to happen, but do you see that the systems have not changed or the attitude of DC has not changed where something like Relisha’s case could happen again in 2021?

I feel like a lot of things have changed. But at the same time they haven’t. So homelessness has gone down? Yes. But the cost of living is still going up. If you look at the types of housing being built in DC, a good chunk of it is one or two bedroom places, it’s not places for families. Families need more space than that. And that’s not what’s being built in the city. I also think that something like this could happen, but it would look different. Because something not exactly like Relisha’s case but similar happened prior. There was the Banita Jacks’ case where a woman who was struggling with mental health issues, kills her children. It took months for it to be realized, and it was when a social worker was like, Oh, these kids haven’t been at school. And I think the pandemic makes that more difficult. It makes things like attendance harder. It makes it harder for people to catch on. And then I think, you know, hopefully, the pandemic will be winding down soon, there’s an eviction moratorium. Eventually, that’s going to end and that’s going to put a lot of families out. And we have to be honest with ourselves about all that.

When you look at the justice system, in relation to Relisha’s case, do you see that there is room for improvement? Or reform? Or do you just see that it’s a system that needs to be completely rebuilt?

You know, I don’t know. I think that’s something that I think about a lot. Not only in Relisha’s story, but in general. I feel like I’m in a place where I’m still doing a lot of reading, I’m still doing a lot of research. And I can only hope that, you know, people who are much smarter than me can come to a solution. Hopefully, with the help of the kind of storytelling that I do on Through the Cracks, that highlighting these stories will make not only policymakers, but regular people realize that something needs to happen. I don’t know what that something is.

““But something has got to change if we want to protect little Black girls like Relisha.”

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NUMBERS

Still locked out of the ballot box

 An estimated 4.6 million Americans are still unable to vote due to felony records despite reforms. This includes more than one in 10 Black adults in eight states – Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia.

DISPATCHES

Bail industry gets away with murder, costing defendants and citizens alike

An investigation was published indicating that six NYC bail bond companies were using fake trade names in order to continue operations without being shut down by state officials for large amounts of debt. The ability of agencies to continue to profit off of the bail system despite state laws that allow officials to suspend agencies owing large sums of money is the sixth loophole emphasized by the report.

NUMBERS

Mass incarceration punishes kids too

The arrest of a parent can be traumatic and severe for children whose parents are incarcerated, causing emotional, physical, educational and financial well-being difficulties. According to a  new study, kids of incarcerated parents are likely to become incarcerated themselves.

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04.18.2022

"In May of last year, Fair submitted her public-records requests for the DAVID and criminal background searches performed on her. She also persuaded fellow mermaid Smiley, whom Mia also occasionally attacked on social media, and their boss Anderson to submit identical requests."

shot dead

Grand Rapids Police Department released multiple videos last week of the deadly traffic stop that led to Patrick Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, being shot dead by police officers. The Michigan State Police are leading the criminal investigation into the shooting and will forward evidence to county prosecutors. The Washington Post (April 14, 2022)

more police on more police

After a man shot up a subway car full of people in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he would double the number of police officers on subways. But there already is a heavy police presence in the subway. From the beginning of his term, Adams has made aggressive policing of subways a centerpiece of his administration. Within a month of taking office, he had already flooded the system with 1,000 additional officers. The Intercept (April 13, 2022)

confusion

A woman’s arrest after her abortion in Texas, caused national outcry and fear about the state criminalizing women’s healthcare, but the truth of the situation may come down to an error by a first-term Democratic district attorney. The state law “explicitly exempts a woman from a criminal homicide charge for aborting her pregnancy.” People on both sides of the abortion issue condemned her arrest. The Washington Post (April 13, 2022)

imprisoned with poison

Illinois prison and health officials made misleading and inconsistent statements about a Legionella outbreak at several state prisons last month, according to records and interviews with incarcerated people. Advocates and prison watchdogs say the inconsistencies highlight long-standing problems with accountability and oversight of the prison system’s water treatment practices. During routine water testing. When inhaled into the lungs, Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly form of pneumonia. Injustice Watch (April 12, 2022)

a death in shadows

Her husband died after he was transferred from jail to a hospital. Now members of the jail's oversight board and her have questions about her husband undergoing surgery and having a Do Not Resuscitate code issued when she never even knew he was even in the hospital. It took two months for her to learn details about his death. PINJ (April 12, 2022)

slow moving

A government watchdog found a “substantial likelihood” the federal Bureau of Prisons committed wrongdoing when it ignored complaints and failed to address asbestos and mold contamination at a federal women’s prison in California that has already been under scrutiny for rampant sexual abuse of inmates. AP (April 12, 2022)

no follow up

"The Senate delivered former President Donald Trump a bipartisan criminal justice reform deal shortly after the last midterm election. Staging a sequel for President Joe Biden this year won’t be so easy. Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, are still in talks over finalizing a package that would serve as a more narrow follow-up to the 2018 prison and sentencing reform bill known as the First Step Act." POLITICO (Mar. 9, 2022)

retraction

A panel of state lawmakers moved to make possession of any more than 1 gram of a substance containing fentanyl a felony in Colorado, undoing part of a bipartisan 2019 law that made possession of up to 4 grams of a controlled substance a misdemeanor. Nearly 2,000 people have died after ingesting substances containing fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, since 2015. Colorado Newsline (April 14, 2022)

must read: how a mermaid took down a sheriff

"It began with online attacks from Mia and her husband Jeff and became worse when the couple moved in next door to Fair’s home in Fort Lauderdale. [...] Fair says the scariest part of it all is that Jeff has the power of the badge: He’s a lieutenant with the Broward Sheriff’s Office" Miami New Times (April 20, 2022)

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For Some Medical Marijuana Patients, Non-Profits Fill Gaps in Accessibility

Photography by Taylor Ecker for This is Jane Project.

For Some Medical Marijuana Patients, Non-Profits Fill Gaps in Accessibility

Because marijuana remains subject to federal prohibitions, some patients find their medication financially out of reach even in states that have legalized it.

By LJ Dawson
By LJ Dawson

Founder of The Des and freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C.

Charlene, 50-years-old now, moved across the country in 2015, uprooting her life from New York to settle in Northern California. What drove her was the search for a place where she could legally use marijuana to treat the symptoms of her uterine fibroids, which were so large she looked eight months pregnant.  (New York didn’t create a medical marijuana program until 2016, which was severely limited by the tiny number of licensees, and the list of qualifying conditions was incredibly restrictive.)

In over two decades since her fibroid diagnosis, marijuana is the only medicine that effectively treats her life debilitating chronic health issue. The same fibroids affecting Charlene occur in more than 70% of women, 25-50% of whom show clinical symptoms. Fibroids appear earlier and with more severity in Black women than in white, according to the National Institute of Child and Human Development. Charlene, a Black woman, was diagnosed at 28-years-old. 

Fibroids appear earlier and with more severity in Black women than in white. Charlene, a Black woman, was diagnosed at 28-years-old.

Doctors originally prescribed birth control pills to Charlene to help regulate her period and heavy bleeding (her periods became regular but the bleeding was still heavy), and Anaprox to help with the pain. They also prescribed Lupron to help reduce the size of the fibroids before she had surgery to remove them, but the drug threw her into premature menopause, causing significant mood swings, hot flashes and it didn’t reduce the size, she said.

She had her first surgery a year after her diagnosis. In that time her fibroids grew from baseball size to the size of a five month fetus. The myomectomy, which involves essentially performing a c-section to remove the fibroids, left her recovering for weeks. The surgery ultimately did not work for her: her tumors not only grew back, but grew back larger.  “Five to six years later they were back,” she said. 

Dr.Tiffany Bowden

In 2008, doctors suggested another surgery for her five-month-fetus sized fibroids. But when  the economic crash happened and she lost her job at a bank, she also lost her insurance to have the surgery.

Things were looking up for Charlene, two years of living in California and ingesting raw juiced cannabis and full spectrum left her fibroids in recession. A 2017 MRI showed them degenerating. 

 

But then the Tubbs Fire burned through Sonoma. Taking her house, all the plants, cannabis products and much of the town she lived in. 

 

She had a small batch of cannabis oil she rationed for a few months then it was nothing. She was couch surfing. Her condition had improved enough over the years of using cannabis oil that she didn’t need to take pain killers. “All of the ground that I gained as far as shrinkage, I lost,” she said. 

Unable to afford to pay out-of-pocket for cannabis from dispensaries and unable to utilize any insurance coverage because of the continuing federal prohibition on all legal marijuana use, Charlene went without  — until last summer, when she found a compassionate gifting program to provide cannabis for her. By the time she found Survivors without Access, This is Jane Project’s SB-34 compliant compassion program, her fibroids had grown to make her look eight months pregnant. 


People of color, women and non-binary people have traditionally faced more hurdles to access all medical treatments, and marijuana has been no different. Charlene’s case is just one more example of how legalizing the medical use of marijuana doesn’t remove the roadblocks of cost and availability to patients.

“It’s legal, but not necessarily accessible,” Charlene told The Des. “And if it’s accessible, it’s not necessarily affordable.” 

“It's legal, but not necessarily accessible,” Charlene told The Des. “And if it's accessible, it's not necessarily affordable.”

Because of the severity of her symptoms, she often has difficulty finding work in her industry due to her condition. “It’s very frustrating to know something can heal you, but then it’s something I don’t have the money for so I can’t [use it].”

This is Jane gifting products. Credit: This is Jane Project

Charlene’s marijuana was provided to her after the This Is Jane Project, an existing compassionate cannabis gifting non-profit, launched a second gifting program, Survivors Without Access, last summer. It specifically focuses on getting medicinal cannabis to women and non-binary people who are survivors of trauma whether sexual or gender based or more general trauma like losing your home to wildfire like Charlene. And Survivors Without Access, in partnerships including partnerships with Eaze, Miss Grass, and Dear Cannabis, has given out over 300 compassion donations. Each one generally includes a variety of products from cannabis flower to edibles, tinctures, pain creams, and concentrates. 

“[The program] actually makes it accessible and affordable, which is what I need,” Charlene explained. ”Especially when you’re feeling like you can’t go out and get a second job when you can barely get one job right now,” she said. Charlene received two deliveries of cannabis products as part of This is Jane Project’s first initiative. “My condition is improving just in this short period of time,” she said.  “With what I’ve been able to ingest, I’ve lost three inches off my waistline so that tells me that my tumors are reducing.”

In California, The Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act of 2019 allowed already licensed cannabis retailers to provide free cannabis to medical card users or primary care givers. 

In 2019 Shannon DeGrooms, the executive director of This is Jane Project, became inspired to start the new project because she did not see a gifting organization that specifically supported women and non-binary trauma survivors. 

“I think it is utterly important because women are disproportionately victims of violence and various traumas,” DeGrooms told The Des.

“I think it is utterly important because women are disproportionately victims of violence and various traumas,” DeGrooms told The Des. 

 

In addition to providing compassionate use cannabis, the This is Jane Project also partners with Leafwell to offer medical cannabis cards for $19 instead of the typical $150-100 cost — and all its services are provided to women, transgender and non-binary people.

 

“It’s important to understand that women are at risk for a lot of different conditions especially as it relates to mental health, some of those being anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, substance abuse,” Tiffany Bowden, a This Is Jane Project board member and anti-racism educator, diversity and communication specialist, said. 

Recipients of This is Jane Project’s first gifting program. Credit: This is Jane Project

And women, women of color, transgender and non-binary people face higher rates of domestic abuse, she added, highlighting the need for a compassionare care program aimed at them specifically. 

“Socio-economic factors — combined with having to navigate systemic racism, sexism, homophobia, and other societal conditions — exacerbate already existing conditions such as PTSD and anxiety,” Bowden explained. 

“Cannabis is often a safer alternative than many of the prescribed medications that are available,” to treat those conditions, Bowden said. “Also, cannabis is significantly cheaper than many of those alternatives, particularly if you're engaging through a compassionate care program.”

DeGrooms hopes to expand This Is Jane across the country as more states legalize cannabis. 

 

Charlene said she thinks about when she was first diagnosed and her fibroids were only the size of an orange. “What if my treatment was cannabis oil then? My tumors would not have grown, it would not have disrupted my life, and put me on this track.”

 

“Cannabis is real medicine,” she said. “The work that this is Jane is doing is very necessary. As someone who’s benefiting from it, I have so much gratitude for the program.”

 

To sign up for the compassionate gifting program visit This is Jane Project. 

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left to die

new report finds ten of thousands of people over fifty who are sentenced to life without parole face increasingly grim conditions

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04.11.2022

"In Fresno, the city allocated more than double of its Cares money to police than it did to Covid testing, contact tracing, small business grants, childcare vouchers and transitional housing combined. Oakland’s police allocation was greater than the amounts spent on a housing initiative, a small business grant program and a workforce initiative."

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04.11.2022

mugshots could be protected in LA; covid relief was sunk into to law enforcement, they’re spending it on armoured vehicles and drones; police officer who shot Amir Locke is not charged

standard of privacy

The Louisiana Legislature is considering a bill that would remove most mug shots from public record and prevent the photos being published by news outlets in stories about arrests. Utah and Illinois have already enacted similar laws. Louisiana Illuminator (Mar. 23, 2022)

scot-free

The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, in a no-knock raid earlier this year will not face charges. A 44-page joint report, ruled that it was reasonable that the officer perceived a threat and was justified in using deadly force. WCCO (April 6, 2022)

covid relief rained $$$ of law enforcement

Most large California cities used covid funds and Biden's signature stimulus package as million dollar cash injections into local law enforcement. Budgeting records make it difficult to see how the departments used the funds, and it was recently reported that other states are buying new surveillance tech with the funds. The Guardian (April. 7, 2022)

covid relief is outfitting police departments

State and local officials are spending funds from Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion relief package on drones, armored vehicles and license plate readers. VICE (Mar. 29, 2022)

prison tiktok

Prison TikTok is a new viral section of the app dominated by former and current incarcerated people detailing life inside and after prison. There are few content creators of color though, raising questions about the algorithm. The Marshall Project (April. 7, 2022)

history revisited

NYC’s mayor and NYPD announced a new initiative to respond to violent crime which will include cracking down on dice games, public drinking and selling drugs. A retired officer said that it is a return to broken windows policing. “It’s never the tools that are wrong, it’s the innocent people that are abused by the officers that don’t follow the law when applying those tools.” The Davis Vanguard (April 4, 2022)

Must read: fire squads resume

"On Thursday, South Carolina scheduled the execution of Richard Moore — convicted of murder in a 2001 convenience story robbery — for April 29. Because state officials say they can’t secure lethal injection drugs, they will give him the choice between the electric chair and the firing squad. Officials have spent $53,000, by their own estimate, to renovate part of a prison to allow a three-person firing squad to carry out executions, including adding bulletproof glass to protect witnesses." The Marshall Project (April 8, 2022)

abortion arrests begin

A Texas woman was arrested and held over the weekend for murder after a ‘self-induced abortion’ worked. Texas law prevents most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The district attorney dismissed the indictment. NBC (April 10, 2022)

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04.04.22

"Hochul’s budget proposals would also allocate $527,000 to NYSIC to hire a new social media analysis team. That team would 'perform daily analysis of publicly available social media activity related to school violence threats, gang activity, and illegal firearms,' according to materials the governor published with her budget proposal — a prospect civil liberties advocates find especially alarming."

TOP STORIES

04.04.2022

Biden dedicates at least $30M to new police funding; NY Gov to increase scale of police surveillance 

defunding forgotten

"Community organizers focused on eliminating police violence say they are disappointed by President Joe Biden’s proposed budget announced this week, which would allocate at least $30 billion in new police spending." NBC (April 1, 2022)

circling back around

Three years after New York bail reform changes were hailed as a national victory to address unfair detainment, the state law and its effects are now a political grenade being lobbed from both the right and left amid surging crime. The debate has become a growing symbol of rifts among progressive and moderate Democrats that is playing out in statehouses across the U.S.  POLITICO (Mar. 27, 2022)

under the influence

You’re not allowed to be under the influence of marijuana while driving in Louisiana, but there’s no law that expressly prohibits drivers or passengers from smoking weed. That could change soon. House Bill 234, which would outlaw marijuana smoking in a moving car, advanced from a legislative committee in an 11-3 vote Tuesday morning. The Louisiana Illuminator (Mar. 29, 2022)

prison mail for profit

A massive increase in censorship and monitoring of prison communication over the last 30 years has led to companies monetizing communications for incarcerated people. “For decades, prisoners and their families have been paying outrageous rates for phone calls to stay in touch with their families. It hadn’t been uncommon for prisoners and their families to be paying up to $25 for a 20 minute phone call with loved ones.” The Real News Network (Mar. 28, 2022)

death

"Two men have died in custody at the Fairfax County jail in the last two days, according to reports from the county sheriff and the police department, which is investigating the deaths." DCist (Mar. 31, 2022)

slow moving

DC jail finally had to answer some questions, but the DOC’s director said he implemented specific plans to address concerns but refused to give details. Washington Post (Mar. 3, 2022)

Denver Liable in 2020 protester injuries

"After three weeks of trial, all eight jurors who awarded $14 million to protesters injured during the 2020 George Floyd protests in Denver agreed without debate that the city was at fault for its police officers’ actions, according to one of the jurors in the room." The Denver Post (Mar. 29, 2022)

must read: mass surveillance of a new kind

The New York Gov. silently slipped bills proposing tens of millions of dollars and several new initiatives to expand state policing and investigative power, including agencies’ ability to surveil New Yorkers and gather intelligence on people not yet suspected of breaking the law, into this years budget plan. The Intercept (Mar. 29, 2022)

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Baltimore police punishments raises eyebrows; mental health faces reform in VA; D.C.’s homicide rate at 20-year high

The Department of Forensic Sciences in D.C. struggles with reform due to internal conflicts, raising concerns about the city’s criminal legal system. Former Baltimore police sergeant’s lenient sentence for misconduct stirs concerns about policing reform. Virginia State Senator dedicates career to mental health reform in the wake of personal tragedy. Former College Park Mayor is sentenced for child pornography. D.C. witnesses a two-decade high in homicides. Reports spread about crash-and-grab incidents, and imprisoned students in Maryland reflect on the power of education.

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D.C. tackles opioid crisis and youth violence with public emergency declaration. Retired Baltimore cop receives home detention for misconduct. Logan Circle small businesses doubt crime bill’s effectiveness. DAT’s questionable traffic stops spark concerns. Juvenile detention center faces crisis with rising incidents. Inmate mastermind’s escape attempt foiled.

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