Pope Francis has joined Congressional Representatives Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver II to encourage Missouri governor Michael Parson to halt the execution of Ernest Lee Johnson, a Black man with disabilities.
Vigilantes and law enforcement groups have long worked together to create and protect the racial order in the United States.
Sentencing enhancements are often used to coerce defendants out of their constitutional right to a trial. Advocates are working to eliminate the exploitative practice.
Defunding the police allows communities to reinvest in other forms of community support while dismantling a system rooted in racism and white supremacy.
Pervis Payne, a Black man who was convicted for murder 33 years ago, will be executed in December, despite DNA evidence that could prove his innocence (CNN). While the execution of an intellectually disabled person is unconstitutional, the court didn’t recognize Payne’s disability at the time of his trial (Tennessean). The Innocence Project, a legal organization that works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted, is trying to stop Payne’s execution. As of today, “375 people in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 21 who served time on death row” (The Innocence Project).
5,805 workers at an Amazon facility in Alabama will decide whether they wish to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. If they vote yes, they would be the first Amazon warehouse in the United States to unionize.
Historically, drug policy has been written with racist intentions and fueled by hysteria over the war on drugs. This has led to racial disparities in sentencing for crack cocaine possession.
The 1992 Los Angeles riots were sparked by a series of injustices by the criminal justice system against marginalized people that remain unaddressed 30 years later.
911 was created in part to thwart demands for racial justice. That’s why groups around the country are creating new infrastructure to deal with emergencies.
Participatory defense promotes the agency of the families and communities of people facing criminal charges.
