Commentary

 President Obama is the first American president to ever visit a prison. And certainly, he is the first to break with the 'law and order' consensus that has guided both parties over the past forty years. It is a big deal. But how do we, the organizers and leaders who have been working on various aspects of criminal justice reform these past several years, make use of the President's symbolic gesture?  

"The Poor Are Treated Like Criminals Everywhere, Even at the Grocery Store."

"Americans Split Over Whether Businesses Must Serve Same-Sex Couples."

Voter Fraud: an Orwellian term, wielded to roll back voting rights. Purveyors of this term have trumped up a faux crisis, replete with images of black and brown people storming the polls and casting illegitimate ballots in such numbers that they are swaying the outcomes of elections. Proponents of this faux crisis cleverly pivoted the nation’s genuine concern for voter suppression in the wake of the 2000 election.