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New York Just Gave Low-Income Tenants a Big Weapon in Housing Court: A Lawyer

Henry Grabar

July 21, 2017 |

Slate |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

"Nationwide, 90 percent of landlords have attorneys, but 90 percent of tenants do not." New York City is combating this inequality with a new law guaranteeing lawyers to defend low-income tenants in housing court. The goal: prevent unjustified evictions and keep people housed.

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The Right to Pre-Trial Justice for All?

Arielle Dreher

July 19, 2017 |

Jackson Free Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

The idea that someone should not languish in jail because they cannot afford bail is gaining more support around the country, including Mississippi thanks to a lawsuit challenging lengthy detentions of two men. In the lawsuit's wake the state's high court released rules of criminal procedure that grant a minimum bail bond if an initial hearing is delayed more than 48 hours. It also guarantees a right to legal representation early on in the legal process, a key factor in how long someone is in jail.

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Fight or Flight

Angela K. Evans

June 22, 2017 |

Boulder Weekly |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

As immigration policy fluctuates under the current administration and the future of thousands of undocumented migrants remains volatile, uncertain, and complex, many find themselves in a heightened state of stress and fear. But activists in Colorado are attempting to take positive steps and support the immigrant community, specifically through the creation of the Colorado Rapid Response Network and 24-hour hotline. The network helps ensure accurate information about ICE activity is shared and that trained volunteers are available to assist with legal, human, or civil rights concerns.

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Hospitals Are Partnering With Lawyers To Treat Patients' Legal Needs

Michelle Andrews

June 06, 2017 |

NPR |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Hospitals in Omaha are creating “medical-legal partnerships” for their patients: teams of doctors, social workers and lawyers that work collaboratively with patients to help them navigate challenges like fighting to get Medicaid coverage for a cat scan, or getting a security deposit back and moving out of an apartment that’s making them sicker.

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A Haven From Trauma's Cruel Grip

Patricia Leigh Brown

May 31, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Victims of trauma are at risk for substance abuse, depression, or other difficulties. Trauma Recovery Centers are becoming increasingly prevalent for their ability to provide a wide range of services.

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How a Small Town Is Standing Up to Fracking

Justin Nobel

May 22, 2017 |

Rolling Stone |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Grant Township, Pennsylvania

While the U.S. economy enjoys the cheap fuel prices afforded by fracking, the consequences on the environment and communities like Grant Township in Pennsylvania reveal the ugly underbelly of the oil and gas industry and the broken regulatory infrastructure of state and federal government. But Grant wasn't willing to roll over and just let their woodlands and water sources be polluted, so they worked together and took a creative defense against the installation of a toxic injection well in their town: by granting the trees, animals, and streams rights to protection and battling it out in court.

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How to Turn Neighborhoods Into Hubs of Resilience

Taj James Rosa González

April 14, 2017 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Community development programs in cities around the country show how using connectedness and equity as focal points in sparking community change can be successful and sustainable in the long-term. From a Brooklyn grassroots environmental justice organization sustainably rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy to a coalition of nonprofits in Richmond fueling public participation in renewable energy awareness, these entities rely on relationships, equity and bonding over shared communities to foster solutions.

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Has a bold reform plan helped to shrink Philly's prison population?

David Gambacorta Samantha Melamed

April 12, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, but with a $3.5 million McArthur Foundation grant the city has used several initiatives to change that. The efforts appear to be working, with the number of inmates falling by 12 percent over one year. Programs include getting addicts treatment instead of more jail time, working to release those who cannot afford bail ahead of a trial and making attorneys more available for those who want to seek early parole.

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Where busing works

Simon Montlake

February 25, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

As tensions over race and education continue to be compounded by growing economic inequality and political rhetoric, one school in Connecticut bridges an otherwise widening divide. Schools like R.J. Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts - once the poorest and one of the most racially segregated schools in the state - are inspiring voluntary desegregation by offering successful magnet programs and busing students safely and efficiently across neighborhoods. The successful demonstration of integration in Kinsella is serving as a positive model for other schools around the nation.

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Legal advocate helps workers under shadow of criminal records

Jane M. Von Bergen

November 20, 2016 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia enacted a law in 2016 that allows for people convicted of minor crimes to get their records sealed by a court. In this article an employment lawyer who has worked for many years with people who have records talks about why it's extremely difficult for people to reintegrate into a community and get a job with even a minor conviction in their past. The shift has garnered support across political lines as people begin to realize the economic and other costs to society when people can't work and end up back in prison.

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