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

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  • Detroit Bail Project aims to disrupt the process of cash bail and incarceration

    The Bail Project is posting bond for men and women who cannot afford to pay and haven’t been convicted of a crime. Based in Detroit, the nonprofit has locations across the country and uses a revolving fund to bail out individuals, meaning once the bond is recovered, the funding is then available for another person. Its Detroit location has bailed out nearly 200 individuals in an effort to end mass incarceration and prove that holding people – most of whom are people of color or experiencing poverty – does not diminish recidivism.

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  • Fully fund the state's PILOT program

    Connecticut's PILOT program was created to partially reimburse cities and towns for state-owned, tax-exempt properties and take some financial burden off smaller towns. The PILOT program, however, is voluntary, making it easier for state legislators to disregard the reimbursement requests in tough financial times. Now, state officials are urged to make the PILOT program mandatory to keep the response working for the small individual towns and cities around Connecticut.

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  • They were raped during Colombia's civil war. Now they want justice for their children.

    Following the Colombian civil war, the country enacted The Victims’ Law, which centered on providing reparations to those affected by violence and war. But since its creation, the law has only provided reparations to less than 11% of those who have applied, and for women survivors, it’s even less. Women, who are disproportionately affected by war because of the use of sexual assault, are coming together under the National Tablle for Victim’s Participation, are demanding more.

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  • The Cities Funding Legal Defense for Immigrants

    As the struggles of refugees and immigrants drudges on, a number of cities across the US are gathering funding for their legal defense. One strategy, a legal counsel program called New York Family Immigrant Unity Project, has proven so successful that it now has 19 other counties in states like Colorado and Georgia participating in their network. Beyond that, these public defense projects often comprise of both public and private dollars and are all working for the right (not guaranteed by the US Constitution) to have access to legal counsel during immigration proceedings.

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  • Stuck in detention: For immigrants without lawyers, justice is hard to find

    In Dane County, Wisconsin, one of 13 sites in the nation served by a program to give immigrants held in detention access to free legal help, attorneys greatly increase the odds that their clients can successfully fight deportation by winning their release pending a final court ruling in their cases. Immigrants represented by counsel, who also are reunited with their families and can continue working, are more than six times as likely to be allowed to stay in the U.S. as those who lack legal representation.

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  • They threw this mom in jail over a probation violation. These activists bailed her out.

    Across the United States, Black Mama’s Bail out bailed out hundreds of black women in time for Mother’s Day. The organization accepts donations to pay bail for women cannot afford it on their own as part of their larger goal of ending the cash bail system and mass incarceration. Research shows that while black women are increasingly one of the largest groups of incarcerated individuals, and yet simply posting bail has led to a majority of these cases being dropped.

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  • #FreeBlackMamas works to bail black mothers out of jail in time for Mother's Day

    Community organizing groups around the country have mobilized to get black mothers out of prison. The initiative #FreeBlackMamas has raised over $1 million dollars in donations since 2017 and comes as a growing response against the cash bail system. Besides bailing out black mothers, the groups seek to build community and address the larger systemic issue of race and incarceration.

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  • “What Does the World Beyond Jails and Prisons Look Like?”

    The Detroit Justice Center is providing a comprehensive approach to breaking the cycle of poverty in the county. The nonprofit law firm provides immediate support, like paying back child support and posting the cash bail payments that keep those experiencing poverty trapped in a cycle of debt and imprisonment. The group also aims high in their larger efforts to disrupt the criminal justice system, like suing the county to prevent the building of a new jail complex, and provides their clients and the community the chance to reimagine what the city could look like with transformative and economic justice.

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  • Drawing better lines so that Native votes count

    Including Native Americans in the political process requires sustained efforts in redistricting by communities. The success of the 2018 mid-term election in bringing the first Native American women into Congress was made possible by the creation of legislative districts that gave Native American communities a voice. A comparison of the US states of Montana and North Dakota illustrates the importance of long-term collaboration, legal action, and community organization in redistricting efforts.

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  • Baltimore enacts new rules to root out squalid rental properties. But some tenants could lose their homes

    Baltimore passed a law that cracks down on rental property owners that have been operating without required inspection, leaving renters living in squalor. While critics fear that owners and landlords may lose business, advocates note that living conditions have drastically improved for those renting homes in these buildings.

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