Social Justice

Legislators are investigating. Advocates want to put utilities in public hands. People behind on their utility bills are in trouble. Regulators have a lot of power to act—if they choose to.

Play is essential to childhood development, but the play space at Columbia County’s only public housing project is derelict.

Police and prosecutors charge that changes to the state’s bail system are causing more violent crimes. But the people helped by the new law mostly get ignored.

Some 650 Afghan refugees are expected to resettle in the Capital District before the end of next year. Will they have the resources they need?

The 11-year-old was killed in a Thruway police crash last December. Following months of calls for justice, the trooper involved was charged with murder this week.

Recent incidents of politically motivated vandalism suggest an ongoing struggle.

The “father of legal cannabis,” who has been fighting to end prohibition for nearly 50 years, outlines his vision for a more inclusive and radically just industry—and how it might change the world.

Many people behind bars are turning down or deferring vaccination, despite months of advocacy to get vaccines into jails and prisons.

The Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center is intended to advance restorative justice efforts. Its opponents, and many criminal justice reformers, argue that governments should invest instead in alternatives to incarceration.

The recent deportation of a Rockland County resident shows that reforming the system will take time. Meanwhile, state legislators and activists are trying to prevent further injustice.

The idyllic Hudson Valley town has been in the news since the owner of a popular cafe attended the DC riot. But its history of racist activity extends back more than a century.

As established systems of public safety fail them, one group of organizers take matters into their own hands.

A joint law enforcement campaign made over 1,300 stops, but nabbed only five firearms.

A program in Ulster County seeks repair, rather than retribution, for criminalized behavior. Can it be a model for a fairer criminal justice system?

An interview with program director Naima Penniman about the BIPOC-centered community farm’s efforts to fight racism and injustice in the food system through training and creating equitable distribution networks.

Involved in the shooting of Tyrell Fincher, Ricardo Rivera is also accused of nearly hitting Lakeem Thompson with a squad car, then attacking him with a canine—all for a traffic violation.

A photo series showcasing justice activists in one of New York’s most interesting and historic cities.

New York correctional facilities have been closed to visitors since March, depriving the incarcerated of vital contact with their loved ones. But a DOCCS reopening plan has done little to assuage concerns, some of which predate the pandemic.

Counterprotesters shouted ‘blue lives matter,’ racial slurs, and assaulted multiple rallygoers. The march had been coordinated with local law enforcement, which did little to intervene.