A new report by The Sentencing Project places Wisconsin at the top of a grim list. It imprisons more of its African-American male adults than any other state. In fact, one in every 36 Black men in Wisconsin is incarcerated. This is a staggering fact on its own, but it...
Black Lives Matter
50 years in, evidence mounts against the War on Drugs
The War on Drugs was initiated in June 17, 1971, by President Richard Nixon. Any way you look at it, this effort to reduce drug use and the consequences of addiction has failed. Meanwhile, it has arguably been responsible for many of the most destructive criminal...
What has changed in the year since George Floyd’s death?
It has been just over a year since the May 24, 2020 death of 46-year-old Black man George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The event spurred nationwide – and worldwide – protests and a movement to change policing, especially as applied to Black people and...
Unrest in Kenosha highlights racial disparities in policing
Until recently, many people in Wisconsin may have assumed there was little or no problem in Wisconsin with racial disparities in policing. After a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back recently, however, protests erupted in the city of 99,000. The...
Kicked off the jury because she thinks Black lives matter
When prosecutors and defense attorneys pick a jury, they can ask any relevant question of the potential jurors. When a potential juror's answer indicates they cannot be impartial, the lawyer can legally keep them off the jury. In addition, each side gets a limited...