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An Initiative to Improve Street Safety through Public Art
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/an-initiative-to-improve-street-safety-through-public-art
Kate Elizabeth Queram
Next City
17 May 2021
Text / Under 800 Words
Street murals and innovative safety features have transformed a dangerous intersection. The Kansas City project not only improved the aesthetic, it also decreased noise pollution, pedestrian crossing distances, and vehicle speeds by 45 percent.
The FBI is supposed to track how police use force – years later, it's falling well short
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/17/fbi-police-use-of-force-data-records
Aaron Miguel Cantú
The Guardian
17 May 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Five years after the FBI started tracking how often police use force, the majority of police departments still fail to comply and the FBI refuses to release publicly what information it has collected. The policy was enacted in response to the realization that no one had definitive data on how often the police kill people, use teargas, or other incidents of force. What little data exists showed racial disparities in whom police use force against. But compliance was made voluntary and the FBI made public release of the data contingent on 80% of police departments complying, a goal it's nowhere near.
On Parole, Staying Free Means Staying Clean and Sober
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/opinion/parole-support-program.html
Tammy La Gorce
The New York Times
14 May 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
People in two New Jersey counties who were at risk of abusing opioids while on parole were given extra support services, and an immediate trip to rehab instead of back to prison when they slipped up. The pilot program is New Jersey's version of Swift, Certain and Fair, a federally funded program to help people succeed while on parole. In some of the 30 states with SCF programs, copying the original and successful Hawaii model didn't work. But New Jersey's approach to helping people succeed instead of laying traps to send them back to prison was deemed a success with a small, focused pilot program.
Life after prison: Communities heal by helping former inmates succeed
https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2021/05/13/akron-mentors-people-rejoin-community-after-prison/4377663001
Sean McDonnell
Akron Beacon Journal
13 May 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
People returning home to Akron from prison step into a community that needs healing, work that the formerly incarcerated can help with because of the lessons they can impart to younger people. But first they need their own healing. South Street Ministries and Truly Reaching You, two non-profits run by formerly incarcerated men, help people in re-entry clear the barriers to housing and jobs that can doom them to returning to prison. They also provide peer counseling and mental health care.
Tired of long waiting times in Starbucks? How about a Robot Barista?
http://roarnews.co.uk/2021/tired-of-long-waiting-times-in-starbucks-how-about-a-robot-barista
Helena Kudiabor
Roar News
12 May 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
To reduce long wait times and exposure to health concerns amid the latest global pandemic, some coffee shops are experimenting with robot baristas. The robot barrista at Café X, in San Francisco, can make about 120 cups of coffee an hour using a robotic arm created by Mitsubishi. While the robot only performs predefined actions, like picking up a cup, pouring milk, and placing the cup in front of the customer, a barista robot at a Singapore café also plays games with customers waiting in line and a Japanese company created a “friendly” robot barista that greets customers with different facial expressions.
Digital Startups Are Breathing Life Into Canadian Journalism
https://www.canadaland.com/digital-start-ups-saving-journalism
Tobin Ng
Canadaland
12 May 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Digital news startups and platforms are contributing to the growth of independent media in Canada. The outlets are delivering news that can target specific groups and serve specific communities, as opposed to traditional media which seeks to gain the largest possible audience. An increase in subscriptions and a willingness from consumers to pay for quality content has put community news outlets in a position to succeed. Independent news entrepreneurs, Indiegraf, is helping journalists maximize profits by providing technology and business tools.
People leaving prison in Michigan still face hurdles to getting an ID
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/05/11/prison-parole-identification-michigan-department-of-corrections/4858174001
Angie Jackson
Detroit Free Press
11 May 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
Michigan prisons and the state's secretary of state teamed up to provide people leaving prison on parole with the one thing they often lack: valid personal identification papers. Without a Social Security card or state ID, people struggle to get hired, rent housing, or open a bank account. In the program's first six months, more than 1,200 people got IDs. That's only a third of those eligible. Private groups have taken up some of the slack. The state says it should provide get the service fully up to speed by late 2021.
As Formerly Incarcerated People Return to Their Communities in W.Va., This Network of 'Resource Brokers' Is There to Guide Them
https://www.100daysinappalachia.com/2021/05/community-reentry-westvirginia
Amanda Page
100 Days in Appalachia
11 May 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The West Virginia Council of Churches formed a network of community reentry councils to help people leaving prison line up basic necessities, from housing to employment. The councils use their members' community connections as a bridge between prison officials, who won't release people if they lack plans for a place to live, and returning citizens, whose housing, counseling, and employment needs can determine the difference between success and another stint in prison on a technical parole violation. Grants from two foundations helped the Council of Churches expand its network during the pandemic.
How Australia kept COVID in check, and what lessons the world can take from it
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-australia-kept-covid-in-check-and-what-lessons-the-world-can-take-from-it
Nick Schifrin
PBS NewsHour
11 May 2021
Broadcast TV Programs / 5-15 Minutes
Strict and early knockdowns and consistent public health messaging have helped Australia effectively eliminate Covid-19. Now, the country and its residents have largely returned to business as usual, despite many citizens still waiting to receive the Covid vaccine.
Is new California police deadly force law making a difference?
https://calmatters.org/justice/2021/05/police-deadly-force-law
Laurel Rosenhall
Byrhonda Lyons
CalMatters
11 May 2021
Text / Over 3000 Words
More than a year after taking effect, California's law restricting when police can use deadly force has had some effects on police accountability and training, but a number of flaws illustrate how long and difficult the process of change will be. The Act to Save Lives, which limits the use of deadly force to cases when it is needed to defend a life, has been cited by prosecutors in two homicide prosecutions. A number of police departments have followed the law's training dictates. But many others have been slow to roll out the training, and the state is not requiring officers to take it to stay certified.
The world is full of people and institutions working to advance change. Yet, these emerging ideas can be difficult to find...until now.
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