Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • The Mexican women who kicked out the cartels

    April 15, 2021 |

    The Guardian |

    Video |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: Mexico, Cherán, Michoacan

    Ten years after the women of Cherán, an indigenous town in Michoacán, took up arms to lead an uprising against criminal cartels, their town is an "oasis" of low crime in a region otherwise beset with violence. The town declared itself autonomous and women now belong to the community police force that patrols the town and its surroundings. The cartels' illegal logging and extortion of businesses had corrupted local politicians and threatened a way of life. The town's men did nothing about it, so the women led the uprising that established order and kept the crime at bay.

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  • A Portland Program Intended to Reduce Police Interactions With People in Crisis Is Off to a Slow Start

    April 14, 2021 |

    Willamette Week |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

    The Portland Street Response program sends a paramedic and social worker on non-emergency calls, often involving mental health crises, instead of sending police. The pilot project, operating during weekday hours in one neighborhood, was assigned 60 calls in its first 40 business days. That tiny percentage of 911 calls falls short of expectations, possibly because dispatchers' screening of calls is defined too narrowly, or because dispatchers are being protective of the police. Supporters say the program always was meant to start small and deliberately, but its call volume is averaging much less than planned.

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  • This Real Estate Co-Op is Looking for Investors Who Want to Put Community First

    April 13, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

    The 2012 federal JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) took some time to gain traction, but in recent years it has democratized the financing of worker-owned co-ops and other community-based entities that ordinarily would be frozen out of capital markets. By making possible what is called a direct public offering, the law has made it easier to finance businesses that promise greater social benefits than just profit maximization, by opening investment opportunities to a more diverse and egalitarian mix of investors.

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  • No badges. No guns. Can violence interrupters help Minneapolis?

    April 13, 2021 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    MinneapolUS puts unarmed community members on Minneapolis streets to prevent street violence, part of the city's effort to redirect resources from the police to other crime-prevention efforts. Four teams of 20 to 30 members, many of them former gang members and formerly incarcerated, have intervened in beatings and potential shootings. They use a public-health approach pioneered by the organization Cure Violence, which has proven effective in other cities.

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  • What do communities do when the police retreat?

    April 12, 2021 |

    The Washington Post |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Little Earth Protectors is one of several community patrol groups that emerged in Minneapolis' unrest after George Floyd's death in police custody. Named for a mostly Native American neighborhood with high rates of violence, the Protectors filled a vacuum left by short-staffed police who had lost support in the community. Patrolling the streets, usually unarmed, the Protectors mediate disputes, discourage drug and prostitution activity, and guard against property destruction. Seven larger groups doing this work have been given city contracts to provide their services if civil unrest breaks out again.

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  • Once jailed, these women now hold courts accountable — with help from students, retirees and Fiona Apple

    April 09, 2021 |

    The Washington Post |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Upper Marlboro, Maryland

    Court Watch PG acts as a traditional court watch program for Maryland's Prince George's County, but with a twist: the two formerly incarcerated women running it turned adversity, in the form of the pandemic's shutdown of trials, into opportunity in the form of a nationwide crew of volunteers watching over Zoom. The watchers attend bond hearings, where people jailed on pending charges try to gain pretrial release. After observing thousands of hearings, Court Watch PG has exposed flaws in the system, which it pushes to reform through the more than 100 "accountability letters" it has sent justice officials.

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  • This Sacramento-area city is paying homeless people to clean up camps — and it's paying off

    April 07, 2021 |

    Sacramento Bee |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Elk Grove, California

    Residents experiencing homelessness in Elk Grove, California, are being paid to clean up their encampments. The job was done by public services employees prior to the pandemic and cost the city upwards of $10,000. Now, the city is saving money while providing residents with gift cards that allow them to purchase basic necessities such as hygiene products and food.

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  • Can ‘Bystander Intervention Training' Stop Hate Crimes?

    April 04, 2021 |

    New York Magazine |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    High-profile violence directed at Asian-Americans generated enormous interest in bystander intervention training. The most popular program in New York, a free online course from Hollaback!, teaches five approaches to intervening in a nonviolent incident, when someone is being harassed. Research has shown the method to be effective at interrupting an attack. Some critics see these methods as too short-term a solution, but other experts say they can helpfully make people more aware of threats to others and more able to respond in the moment, rather than freezing uncomfortably in the presence of a bias attack.

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  • There's a new approach to police response to mental health emergencies. Taking the police out of it

    April 02, 2021 |

    CNN |

    Broadcast TV News |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

    San Francisco's Street Crisis Response Team replaces or aids police officers in responding to calls about people in nonviolent behavioral health crises. A collaboration of the city's fire and health departments, the program puts three-person teams – social workers, paramedics, and peer counselors – on patrol to respond to calls or to look for people in crisis. The $4 million pilot project has taken 800 calls in its first four months, connecting people to the care they need without the violence that can occur when police are first responders. The city hopes to expand its hours to 24/7 soon.

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  • Police are often first responders to mental health crises, but tragedies are prompting change

    April 01, 2021 |

    ABA Journal |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

    Chicago's debate over which responses to mental health crises will avoid needless police shootings and other tragedies led city council members to the CAHOOTS model. The Eugene, Ore., program sends two unarmed first responders to provide links to needed services without bringing people to jail or a hospital. This diverts about 20% of 911 calls away from police, saving the city millions and improving outcomes for people in need. A much larger city has different needs. Chicago police have crisis intervention team training. A small co-responder team of mental health professionals will be added at first.

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