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Meet the Bristol collective putting surplus wealth in the hands of people tackling injustice

Alex Turner

October 02, 2020 |

The Bristol Cable |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: England, Bristol

Bristol Redistro is an experiment in wealth redistribution that taps the social-justice consciences of people who pool what they see as their excess money to make grants to small community groups that are "challenging unfair power structures." An initial round made £1,000 grants to such groups as Mandem, an online artistic platform for young men of color, and No More Exclusions, which seeks to reform school discipline. Funding decisions get made by a collective, not Redistro's leaders, with the aim of driving social change and challenging inequality by sharing the wealth with grassroots community groups.

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What legislators can learn from a Boston public housing development

Jasmine Nicole Olivier

October 02, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Over the four decades that a major Boston public housing development was run by a tenant management corporation (TMC), residents' safety and relations with police improved in ways that serve as lessons today as gun violence in neighborhoods with high poverty rates has prompted debates over reimagining public safety. As the first of many TMCs in the nation, the one at the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments lowered crime by changing the dynamic between residents and police, through greater community control. The TMC, with its own police department, was disbanded in 2012. Crime since has gone up there.

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'A New Generation of Poll Workers' Steps Up to Ensure Safe, Fair Elections

Juhie Bhatia

October 01, 2020 |

Ms. Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

New groups are recruiting poll workers to help fill shortages made worse by Covid-19. Poll Hero Project is an initiative created and led by young people that has recruited over 28,000 high school and college-age poll workers using social media. Power the Polls is a coalition of well-known brands that used social media outreach, digital marketing, and celebrity promotions to sign up over 530,000 volunteers. Both groups help navigate what can be a complicated process to sign up to work the polls.

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The Residents Setting California on Fire in Order to Save It

Kate Wheeling

September 30, 2020 |

Future Human |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Fire Forward trains Californians to conduct controlled burns, setting fires to make future wildfires less destructive. With state and federal resources skewed heavily toward suppression of wildfires, the prevention-minded approach of controlled burns – informed by forest management science and inspired by ancient Native American practices – depends on informing and training more people to conduct controlled burns independent of government. Fire Forward's scale makes it more of a demonstration project than an effective response to the overall problem, but it grew during 2020's historic wildfires.

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Here Comes the Neighborhood

James Boo Cathy Erway Rochelle Kwan

September 29, 2020 |

Self Evident |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In New York's and San Francisco's Chinatowns, groups responding to anti-Asian hate crimes and harassment illustrate the tension between community-led public safety efforts that either rely on the police for assistance or actively avoid entanglement with the police because of a lack of community trust. The groups actively patrol streets and get to know residents and mediate disputes, maintaining a visible presence as a deterrent. There's no evidence they have reduced anti-Asian bias incidents, but residents of the two neighborhoods, mainly business owners, said both types of groups make them feel safer.

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Navajo COVID relief drives also highlight census participation

Luke Simmons Daja E. Henry

September 29, 2020 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Navajo Nation, Arizona

Navajo Nation volunteers combine COVID relief events with efforts to ensure residents are counted by the Census. Working together, aid organizations hand out supplies like food, water, diapers, and “hygiene kits” with masks and sanitizer. After receiving supplies, residents work with a census specialist to fill out Census paperwork. The dual goals of the events, held at reservation chapter houses, are to help residents stay safe during the pandemic and increase Navajo participation in the census before counting ends. A single event can reach hundreds of the reservation’s 174,000 residents.

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Brokering peace on the South Side

Antonia Hylton

September 28, 2020 |

NBC News |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Outreach workers with CRED (Create Real Economic Destiny) in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood are paid under a city grant to de-escalate and mediate disputes among the same gangs that some of the workers once belonged to. Able to win the trust of people who distrust the police, CRED's violence prevention workers also provide therapy to trauma victims and job development help, in order to address the underlying causes of violence in a neighborhood where a lack of hope can breed a lack of respect for others' lives. Fatal shootings in Roseland are down by one-third while up elsewhere in Chicago.

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Chicago Teens Unveil Vision for Change and Public Safety in Their Neighborhood

Zach Mortice

September 23, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Twenty high school students enrolled in Territory, an urban design nonprofit, produced a zine and their own quality of life report for West Austin, where many of the students live. The students conducted interviews, surveys, and gathered community input to create the report. It includes sections on public safety, youth empowerment, and mental health.

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In Slumping Energy States, Plugging Abandoned Wells Could Provide an Economic Boost

Erika Bolstad

September 23, 2020 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Watford City, North Dakota

North Dakota is using some of its COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to plug 239 abandoned oil wells and reclaim 2,000 acres of lands. Abandoned wells can contaminate groundwater and leak methane that is hazardous to human health and contributes to climate change. While not everyone agrees that the funds should be used to plug wells, state officials say the economic relief program is keeping about 600 oilfield workers employed.

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How Did These Students Get The City To Change The Name Of Douglass Park? They Built Collective Power And Didn't Back Down

Pascal Sabino

September 22, 2020 |

Block Club Chicago |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago students organized and, for the first time, convinced the city to rename a park in honor of Frederick and Anna Murray Douglass. The former Douglas Park was named after a Civil War era Illinois senator who advocated to expand slavery, and whose wife owned slaves. Not daunted by the city’s bureaucracy, the students canvassed in their community and gathered over 10,000 signatures for a petition to change the park’s name. The campaign, which began in 2017, was much harder and longer than the students anticipated, but by forming a coalition and continuing to speak out they persevered.

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