Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1051 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

How 12 Teens Who'd Never Met Before Organized Honolulu's Black Lives Matter Protest

Suevon Lee

June 22, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Honolulu, Hawaii

Twelve Honolulu high school students, who had only ever met online, used social media to organize a Black Lives Matter protest that drew over 10,000 people. The teens used online forums to communicate about their goals for the protest and also to provide details to the public regarding the march's route, reminders to wear masks, remain peaceful, and abide by city laws. The teens also enlisted the support of established organizations to provide volunteers and bring hand sanitizer, water bottles, face masks, and bullhorns. The result was an entirely peaceful and emotionally stirring protest march and rally.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Voter Turnout in New York City Was Cratering; Then Came 2018

Victoria Merlino

June 20, 2020 |

Gotham Gazette |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Record high voter turnout in New York's 2018 primaries was due in part to grassroots groups effectively harnessing voters’ anger towards the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of State Senate Democrats who caucused with Republicans. A coalition of over 45 organizations held protests, ran phone banks, and sent out materials to encourage voters to turn out against the IDC, and it worked. Challengers beat incumbent IDC candidates in several primaries, eventually winning seats in Congress. Despite record-high turnout, it still only averaged 29% in districts where IDC candidates were challenged.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Can Floyd protests break cycles of police brutality and racial unrest? History has lessons.

Jessica Mendoza

June 19, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Just as the Emmett Till murder helped inspire protests in the civil rights era, which in turn led to the passage of civil rights and voting rights legislation, the protests over policing in 2020 already have sparked reforms and could lead to even more dramatic social changes. Policing and racial inequity often lie at the root of protests, past and present. The question is whether the predominant focus will be on riots and violence or on the underlying grievances that concern public policy.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Coronavirus concerns revive labor organizing

Carl Segerstrom

June 18, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Employees at 7 Yakima Valley fruit packing plants, who are predominately Latinx, went on strike to protest inadequate protection and pay during the Covid-19 pandemic. Agricultural workers accounted for nearly one-fifth of the county’s positive cases. The worker initiated strikes and picket lines were supported by community members, union representatives, and non-profit legal centers. Workers returned to work after gaining concessions on better pay, safety protections, and the formation of worker advocacy committees. The state also issued new workplace safety standards for agricultural workers after protests.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What's Happened To Hawaii's Police Shootings Review Board?

Blaze Lovell

June 17, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hawaii

The groundswell for greater accountability in police shootings has barely caused a ripple in Hawaii, where the state’s Law Enforcement Officer Independent Review board has finished only one case in its first three years of existence and has suspended meetings during the pandemic. With one of its two citizen member slots vacant on an otherwise law-enforcement-heavy board, the panel fails a basic tenet of accountability by severely limiting public access to the cases it’s considering and its deliberations, says one critic.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Organizing for Help in a Pandemic

Madeline St. Amour

June 16, 2020 |

Inside Higher Ed |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Graduate students at several major universities organized to secure benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, the University of Illinois Graduate Employees Organization fought for and won the expansion of mental health services and summer health care coverage, as well as free summer housing for international graduate students who cannot return home due to travel restrictions. After graduate students at the University of Texas Austin demonstrated and 1,400 signed a petition, the dean granted expanded funding opportunities and a commitment to finding a healthcare plan that ensures no coverage gap.

Read More
Go to Original Story
This Seattle protest zone is police-free. So volunteers are stepping up to provide security.

Gregory Scruggs

June 16, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In Seattle's police-free street encampment that sprang up during protests over policing abuses, a mostly unarmed group of volunteer "sentinels" has defused a number of potential problems while largely avoiding the use of force. Trained in de-escalation and mediation tactics, the sentinels have used listening techniques to understand people's anger or mental state. Among the incidents they have addressed: fights, attempted vandalism of storefronts, visits from armed people who wanted to confront a supposed leftist threat, and the attempted arson of a police precinct building.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Two Countries Dismantled Their Police to Start Fresh. It Worked—Up to a Point.

Yaroslav Trofimov

June 13, 2020 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ukraine

Georgia and Ukraine offer cautionary advice to Americans whose mass protests seek structural changes in policing, even abolishing entire police forces. The same was true in those two countries. But, in both cases, initial successes at replacing corrupt police forces ended up reversed or at least limited by backsliding, as other parts of government and society resisted the changes.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What voting by mail looks like when it works

Amber Phillips

June 12, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Vote-by-mail in Colorado makes voting easier. Citizens are automatically registered to vote by the DMV when they get a license. Voter data is updated monthly by the post office to increase voter roll accuracy. Voters get an email or text when their ballot is sent out and unique bar codes allow ballots to be tracked with a Postal Service app. Ballots can be returned by mail, with postage covered if needed, or at an official drop-off location and signatures on the back of the envelope are matched to DMV records. For transparency, voters can watch officials process ballots in person or on a live stream.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What Estonia could teach us about internet voting in a post-pandemic world

Chris O'Brien

June 11, 2020 |

VentureBeat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Estonia

Estonia’s i-Voting system is currently used by 46.7% of voters and allows them to vote from home using a government-issued smart card. To vote, residents need a computer with a card reader or can have their encrypted ID linked to their cell phone SIM card. They can track their vote with a QR code and are able to change their choices any time during the 10-day voting period. Estonia is currently the only country to use this method, in part because eroding government trust has prevented the use of centralized systems that track personal information.

Read More
Go to Original Story