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

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  • Anti-human trafficking apps were meant to save lives. They're failing

    February 16, 2021 |

    Wired |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

    Since its April 2018 founding in Malaysia, the Be My Protector app has enabled interventions in 120 cases of suspected human trafficking, sparked by anonymous reports that its app enables. In about a third of those cases, which mostly involved migrant workers in South and Southeast Asia, the victims were able to return to their homes, while others were offered counseling. But, like the more than 90 such apps available around the world, Be My Protector has struggled to make a big impact. Many such apps capitalize on a trendy subject without a clear focus on improving conditions and helping victims.

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  • The inside story of how Pennsylvania failed to deliver millions in coronavirus rent relief

    February 15, 2021 |

    Spotlight PA |

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    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

    When Pennsylvania's coronavirus rent relief program rolled out during the first few months of the pandemic, it failed to help many due to strict deadlines, poor information management, a payment cap, and overall procedural limitations. Now, the state is "getting a second chance," and has made modifications to the program in an attempt to avoid the failures of the last round.

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  • Washington state's COVID-19 vaccine planning fell short on logistics, sowing disorder and mistrust

    February 14, 2021 |

    The Seattle Times |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Washington

    Because Washington state health officials failed to prioritize the planning of basic logistics for disseminating the COVID vaccine, the state quickly fell behind others in vaccinating the most vulnerable and at risk. Realizing that a significant part of the failure stemmed from a reliance on the already overtaxed healthcare sector to deliver the vaccine, the state has since enlisted the National Guard to provide vaccinations at various sites and has seen some improvement.

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  • American Democracy Is Only 55 Years Old—And Hanging by a Thread

    February 11, 2021 |

    The Atlantic |

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    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Mississippi

    The federal Voting Rights Act required states to ensure access to the polls for Black voters and created federal enforcement mechanisms. The law worked well in the Jim Crow South, but it wasn't built to deal with racial disenfranchisement more broadly. Congress and the courts have stripped important provisions from the bill over time, like those ensuring enforcement. A 2013 Supreme Court ruling dismissed the need for preemptive measures to protect Black voters, which created an opening for states to pass more restrictive voting laws that have created unfair burdens for Black, Latino, and Indigenous voters.

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  • Hawaii Homeless Program Failed After Prosecutors And Police Wouldn't Play Ball

    February 11, 2021 |

    Honolulu Civil Beat |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Honolulu, Hawaii

    LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) proved itself in Seattle as effective at addressing the underlying problems of people experiencing homelessness, by waiving their criminal charges if they accepted needed services. But the program's two-year test in Honolulu failed to gain traction because only some police bought into it, and the prosecutor's office never did. Instead of using criminal citations as leverage, the program was stripped down to an ordinary outreach effort, and managed to enroll only 50 people, not all of whom were helped. A new prosecutor and the police will make another go of it.

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  • A handful of Washington schools are rapid testing staff and students for COVID-19. Is it working?

    February 08, 2021 |

    The Seattle Times |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Washington

    13 Washington school districts are piloting COVID-19 testing. By doing so, they can catch stop asymptomatic people from spreading the virus, offer testing to families who might not have access, and add a “sense of security for many staff members who are nervous.” Three of the districts participating “have tested more than 4,000 people using nearly 10,000 tests.”

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  • Plan to beautify 50 vacant lots falls short nearly two years later

    February 07, 2021 |

    Chicago Sun-Times |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

    Since June 2019, Chicago's Grounds for Peace pilot project has begun cleaning up vacant, city-owned lots using an approach to urban beautification that has been shown in other cities, and in one Chicago neighborhood, to reduce crime and boost residents' feelings of safety. While the city and its contractors consider the project a success in the making, thus far only two of the original 50 targeted lots show signs of improvement. Project leaders blame funding shortfalls, disruptions due to the pandemic, and difficulties in removing abandoned vehicles.

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  • Planting Trees Sounds Like A Simple Climate Fix. It's Anything But.

    February 05, 2021 |

    The Huffington Post |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom, England

    As governments and businesses make pledges to cut their carbon emissions, planting tress has become a popular solution to combat the effects of climate change. But tree-planting schemes take time and proper management to actually be effective. Many efforts have failed to take some key factors into consideration, including types of trees, location, and even community-involvement.

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  • A GOP Governor and BLM Activists Agreed on Restoring Voting Rights to Felons. Will It Last?

    February 04, 2021 |

    Politico |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Iowa

    More than 3,000 Iowans voted in the 2020 presidential election thanks to an executive order signed by the Republican governor after a protest campaign by activists to erase Iowa's permanent ban on voting by people with felony records. But that number was just a fraction of those newly eligible to vote, due to limitations in the order and a lackluster effort to inform the public. Iowa has a disproportionately high number of disenfranchised Black citizens who could be helped by a more permanent constitutional fix. That fix has now been stalled by the choice to act by executive order.

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  • Getting vaccinated is hard. It's even harder without the internet.

    February 03, 2021 |

    MIT Technology Review |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    A focus on infrastructure has been emphasized as the solution to bridging the digital divide, with “billions of dollars going into expanding broadband infrastructure.” Rural communities have historically struggled with broadband infrastructure but many people living in cities are also kept from accessing reliable internet service due to high costs. Affordability, not just infrastructure alone, must be addressed into order to remedy a lack of internet access.

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