Social Justice

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.

As the pandemic spread nationwide, so did breadlines—for the first time since the Great Depression. In Ulster County, a unique volunteer response prevented such a crisis. At least for a while.

Activists seeking to remove statues of enslavers and colonizers are facing racist backlash from bigots.

Every police reform that governments have tried has failed to address and correct what is toxic in American law-enforcement culture.

A June 4 march was canceled after a series of threatening comments from residents on Facebook. But local activists are not backing down.

On the ground in nine municipalities across the region.

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the need for language justice for non-English speakers in the Hudson Valley.