Schools Are Ending Contracts With Cops, But That’s Not Enough
While students, their families and organizers are reimagining school hallways without cops, some administrators are stuck on punitive solutions to conflict.
While students, their families and organizers are reimagining school hallways without cops, some administrators are stuck on punitive solutions to conflict.
This week’s Extra! Extra! provides yet another look at the state of political systems the world over. While democracy might be in dire straits, people are fighting for the governments they deserve. Meanwhile: some big abortion rights news that you probably didn’t see because it did not receive nearly the airtime it deserves, more Big Tech news, an update on the state of the pandemic, and more!
Kirsten Harris-Talley is an organizing phenom, queering notions of political leadership — what can a “serious” political figure value publicly?
“I would vote for a dead dog if it was running against Trump.”
We used this week’s Extra! Extra! to revisit some not-so-distant history, examine the fucked up shit happening in the name of “Homeland Security,” take a look at some of the global headlines that caught our eye and check in on how COVID continues to impact our lives. Finally, we leave you with some good news… a little optimism to carry you into the weekend.
Performative allyship isn’t helping. If you’re interested in building more than just a “woke” brand and want to be part of lasting, systemic change, here’s where to start.
Joe Biden announces his VP pick next week, and we are less than 100 days from the US presidential election. It feels impossible to overstate the importance of this election for the US, certainly, but I would argue well beyond that as well. This week’s Extra! Extra! offers a perspective on what, exactly, is at stake on November 3rd. Next week, we’ll turn our focus towards the election itself.
“I can’t speak for all harm reduction efforts, and I think the impacts can be different depending on who you’re doing outreach with or who you are centering, but here in rural West Virginia, it’s a small community; the impact is so apparent.”
This week’s Extra! Extra! covers a few topics that haven’t gotten much attention in our coverage lately: big tech and the surveillance state, a look at America’s broken education system from several angles and violence against women. We continue to provide an update on the Black Lives Matter protests, immigration and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is something very powerful about direct community aid because it allows people to bypass institutional barriers and access what they need. There isn’t a Board of Directors or a group of powerful people controlling what to do with the funds. It’s just community members supporting other community members.”
This week’s Extra! Extra! covers new expose’s on police brutality and violence against Black and brown bodies, an update on the pandemic that isn’t actually happening right now and tragically recalls the deaths of Angela Martinez Gómez and Jose I. Escobar Menendez.
“I can only describe my current emotional state as 🙃 “
As the world crosses half a million confirmed deaths due to COVID-19, this week’s Extra! Extra! turns its focus to the latest COVID news and the disparate toll of the virus. In the US, battles are raging on reopening schools in the next month or so and the Supreme Court had another big week of rulings. Meanwhile, police brutality and intimidation, along with activism against police violence, continue.
On the eve of wealthy cis white men who made their money through slavery declaring independence for stolen land, this week’s Extra! Extra! takes a look at the state of democracy in the US and abroad. The news this week serves as a reminder of the ways that equality, freedom and the most basic of human rights remain out of reach for far too many people.
This week’s Extra! Extra! takes us back to the state where George Floyd died to check on the progress towards justice. We take a look at some of the implausible stories concocted by the same people who ask us to believe them when their body cams mysteriously fall off. We look at what’s happening — or what’s not happening, as the case maybe — on addressing corruption, police brutality and immigration. And, of course, a look at how the virus continues to impact our lives.
We see violence not only in the crimson of blood spilled far too many times but also in the varying shades of brown on the skins of people of color. To be a person of color in the United States, and in the global narrative, is to be the shadow of violence.
Alternative forms of protest are necessary to make activism accessible. Sometimes, they’re even more effective at creating change than a permitted march.
For the Gworls is a prime example of how Black trans organizers have found ways to keep one another safe, housed, and healthy despite violence at every turn.
There are multiple ways to be an activist. It does not have to be a large public gesture. In private, trusting conversations with someone very different from you, you can create the space for revolutionary change. Connecting with each other on every scale contributes to a stronger global fight against injustice.
While hiring SROs is often a well-intentioned means of protecting students and staff, police are punitive — not preventative.