'It gave me hope in democracy': how French citizens are embracing people power

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/20/it-gave-me-hope-in-democracy-how-french-citizens-are-embracing-people-power

Peter Yeung

The Guardian

20 November 2020

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Cities across France are using citizens’ assemblies, where a diverse group of citizens study important issues and make policy recommendations. In Paris, 150 citizens spent nine months working on the climate convention, which resulted in 149 recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. President Macron pledged more funding and accepted all but three of the proposals. The convention also showed how citizens’ assemblies improve community cohesion and reduce polarization. Ireland, the UK, and Belgium have also successfully used citizens' assemblies to address important social issues.

Program in Montrose County Helps Homeless Families Pursue Self-Sufficiency

https://www.kvnf.org/post/program-montrose-county-helps-homeless-families-pursue-self-sufficiency

Laura Palmisano

KVNF-FM

17 November 2020

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

Haven House, a faith-based provider of transitional housing for families experiencing homelessness, offers a safe place to live while working to reunite families that face possible loss of child custody over their housing or substance-use status. Required classes in parenting and budgeting, plus job-search services and other classes, have helped more than 370 families over the past decade. Families, who often are referred to the program from the county's Child Protective Services agency, can remain at the house for up to two years if they comply with the rules.

‘How Did We Not Know?' Gun Owners Confront a Suicide Epidemic

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/health/suicide-guns-prevention.html

Roni Caryn Rabin

The New York Times

17 November 2020

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A public-education campaign to enlist gun owners in suicide prevention work by first informing them of the problem's scope has spread to programs in 21 states. Although the campaign's ultimate effects on suicide rates are not known, it has at least spurred gun-rights advocates to action, with safety and prevention messages spread through gun shows, retailers, trade groups, and gun ranges. The majority of gun deaths are suicides. Millions of guns have been sold during the pandemic and social-justice protests, elevating suicide risks. Safety measures include gun locks and having friends remove guns from homes.

A Watchdog Accused Officers of Serious Misconduct. Few Were Punished.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/nyregion/ccrb-nyc-police-misconduct.html

Blacki Migliozzi

Ashley Southall

Ali Watkins

The New York Times

15 November 2020

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New York City established its Civilian Complaint Review board in 1993 to strengthen its police-discipline system, a response to complaints that police officers rarely were punished for harassment and brutality, especially in Black and brown neighborhoods. In 6,900 cases in which the board recommended the toughest punishment, however, police officials overruled it more than 70% of the time over the past two decades. The result is a disciplinary mechanism designed to instill trust but that instead "has become all but toothless" because of how it is structured and how police leaders responded to oversight.

Why Las Vegas Is at the Heart of Western States' Water Conundrums

https://truthout.org/articles/why-las-vegas-is-at-the-heart-of-western-statess-water-conundrums

Frederick Clayton

Truthout

15 November 2020

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After running out of water during a drought in 2002, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District took proactive steps to conserve the region’s water for future generations. Thanks to public service campaigns, outdoor water usage limits, and turf replacement programs, the region’s water usage per capita has dropped by 46 percent. However, many people still don’t fully comply with the city’s water regulations and the region continues to grow at an expanding rate. Yet, similar conservation efforts could be a model for other arid regions around the United States.

Left in the Dark

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3603ef8cc492488c847cffbe03ad0f1d

Samah Assad

Christopher Hacker

Dave Savini

WBBM-TV

15 November 2020

Broadcast TV News / 5-15 Minutes

Chicago Police Department took a major step toward transparency and accountability by equipping all patrol officers with body worn cameras after a coverup of a fatal shooting. But, in tens of thousands of “investigatory stops,” police fail to fully use the cameras. In those apparent violations and a host of other gaps in camera practices, the department neither tracks its failings nor whether it has disciplined officers for policy violations, which appear to be exceedingly rare. The failures, one expert says, add up to a system of rules without consequences.

Manhattan Mental Health Court offers lifeline to those with serious mental illness — but they have to get in

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-manhattan-mental-health-court-covid-20201115-d6klmmhhkjaezolehcxzugqnrm-story.html

Chelsia Rose Marcius

New York Daily News

14 November 2020

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Manhattan Mental Health Court was created in 2011 to divert felony criminal cases to treatment, and away from prison, for people in need of mental health treatment. But few people with serious mental illness ever benefit from it. Too few defense lawyers know to request the intervention or do it correctly. Prosecutors act as gatekeepers in deciding who gets the help, and many do not see its value. And, once cases are admitted to the court, they can sometimes take years to be resolved. Covid restrictions on the courts have only aggravated these problems.

‘I Want Them to See That Someone Cares About Them'

https://www.thetrace.org/2020/11/baltimore-maryland-social-worker-trauma-care-intervention

J. Brian Charles

The Trace

14 November 2020

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The Violence Intervention Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center helps people meet basic needs after they have suffered a gunshot injury. Along with clothing, transportation vouchers, and toothbrushes, the program's social workers also provide talk therapy. The goal is to keep victims of violence from becoming victims again, and the approach is to build trust by giving the help without strings attached. Many people return for the help, and the therapy.

Denver police solved less than half of all nonfatal shootings last year. A new solution is showing promise.

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/11/13/nonfatal-shootings-denver

Elise Schmelzer

The Denver Post

13 November 2020

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By creating a centralized team of detectives to focus on non-fatal shootings, Denver police improved their rate of solving such crimes from 39% in 2019 to 65% in the program's first seven months. The team of six detectives, hired for their talent at winning the trust of victims who might be reluctant to cooperate with the police, treats such shootings with all the seriousness of a homicide investigation, on the theory that solving these crimes will prevent more shootings. The boost in the so-called clearance rate, albeit preliminary, comes despite a big increase in shootings in Denver in 2020.

Rural Black Women Turn To Each Other, Mutual Aid And Activism To Survive COVID-19

https://fierceforblackwomen.com/2020/11/12/rural-black-women-turn-to-each-other-mutual-aid-and-activism-to-survive-covid-19

Connie Green Freightman

Fierce for Black Women

12 November 2020

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Across Mississippi and Georgia, mutual aid groups have formed and existing groups have expanded to address increased racial inequities in the health care system during the coronavirus pandemic. Several of the groups are specifically focusing on food insecurity and access to basic needs, while others are raising money for personal protective equipment.