• Commission to Decriminalize Md. Seeks ‘Serious Transformation’ of Justice System

    Thursday, July 23, 2020
    By Hannah Gaskill After completing their first six months of work, advocates from the People’s Commission to Decriminalize Maryland on Wednesday announced their intention to combat state and local laws that target marginalized populations. Their eyes are locked on generating policy that’s inclusive for every stakeholder in the criminal justice system. “Everyone who is a [...]
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  • Community groups unite for Md. criminal justice reform

    Wednesday, July 22, 2020
    By Steve Lash Maryland’s criminal laws and policies must be reviewed and when necessary changed to protect minorities, exploited women and the poor from being targeted by the police simply because of who they are, members of a fledgling coalition of community organizations said Wednesday.  Read Full Article
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  • Further bail reform needed in Maryland | COMMENTARY

    Friday, July 10, 2020
    By Iman Freeman, Nicole Hanson, and Caryn York  Maryland justice officials should take a fresh look and a new approach to addressing racial bias in our pretrial bail system, which continues to result in disparities in who is let out of jail and given monetary conditions of release that they can’t afford despite reform efforts [...]
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  • Baltimore to run independent contact tracing program with funds from Pepsi, Rockefeller Foundation

    Thursday, June 04, 2020
    By Hallie Miller Baltimore is launching a coronavirus contact tracing operation separate from the state that will employ up to 300 individuals who have lost work due to the pandemic, officials announced Thursday. The $12 million public-private program — supported by the mayor’s office, Baltimore Civic Fund, Baltimore Corps and a host of foundations and corporations including the Rockefeller [...]
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  • What’s at Stake in the Special Election: ‘We’re Going to Learn a Lot’

    Tuesday, April 28, 2020
    By Josh Kurtz Officially, the special congressional election in Maryland’s 7th District Tuesday pits former Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D) against conservative commentator Kimberly Klacik (R) for the right to finish the term of the late Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D). But with the outcome likely a foregone conclusion in a heavily black and historically Democratic [...]
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  • Voting during a pandemic | COMMENTARY

    Wednesday, April 15, 2020
    By Sam Novey, Nykidra Robinson and Danielle Torain The state of Wisconsin recently went ahead with its primary at polling places as planned, forcing many residents to choose between protecting their personal health and exercising their right to vote. No American should have to make that choice. Here in Maryland, we won’t have to. Unlike [...]
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  • Learn, Don’t Burn: The Baltimore Compost Collective digs into South Baltimore

    Sunday, March 01, 2020
    By Kaitlyn Pacheco When Kenneth Moss was 6 years old, he grew his first tomato at the Filbert Street Community Garden. Now, a decade later, the Benjamin Franklin High student, pictured right, gives back to the soil with the Baltimore Compost Collective, a local service that collects food scraps from South Baltimore neighborhoods to create [...]
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  • PIVOT helping women thrive post-incarceration

    Monday, February 17, 2020
    By Lisa Robinson I-Team Reporter BALTIMORE — Incarceration interrupts one's life. Once a person has served their time and is released, it's easy to enter a downward spiral. One organization is helping women released from prison find their way back. PIVOT is designed specifically for women who have been incarcerated and need help to get [...]
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  • Safe place to shoot up? Some say Baltimore needs supervised sites for drug use. Others say that’s insane.

    Friday, January 24, 2020
    By Jean Marbella and Meredith Cohn  Unlike the public bathrooms, dark alleys and vacant rowhomes where addicts furtively conduct their business, the facility’s atmosphere would be welcoming and clean. Users could avail themselves of new needles and alcohol swabs — with trained staff discreetly nearby in case of overdose — then linger in a “chill” [...]
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  • Inside Baltimore’s Unique Bid to Open Safe Consumption Sites

    Wednesday, January 22, 2020
    By Brandon Soderberg A row of seats at the front of Baltimore City Council’s chambers was reserved for harm reductionists on January 13. They were there to celebrate a small but significant shift in how Baltimore deals with the overdose crisis: The introduction of a resolution to hold an informational hearing about safe consumption sites [...]
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