News & Commentary
Apr 28, 2014
Proposed cuts over books face opposition
April 28, 2014. Columbia. Charleston Post & Courier. By Andrew C. Smith, AP. A House budget proposal to cut $70,000 from two South Carolina universities for assigning gay-themed books to freshmen might not get much of a reception in the Senate.
Apr 28, 2014
Stop the school-to-prison-pipeline
April 28, 2014. Charleston, SC. Post & Courier. Letter to the Editor by Victoria Middleton. David Slade's article on juvenile detention ("Juvenile Justice System Fails to Educate," April 16) exposes the shortcomings of our juvenile detention centers in our state. Instead of faulting the Department of Juvenile Justice education facilities, however, we should ask how we can do a better job of keeping kids out of the juvenile justice system in the first place - which means keeping them in school and addressing discipline issues in ways that have proven successful in other states
Jan 09, 2014
Federal agencies warn school districts against racial discrimination in discipline
Black students make up 79 percent of Charleston County discipline cases referred to police
Oct 30, 2013
City Leaders Want to Expand Camera Use, Ban Gang Members
October 30, 2013. Free Times. Columbia. By Eva Moore. City leaders continue to tweak their ideas for cracking down on crime as fears mount about gangs in Five Points and citywide. But a plan to ban suspected gang members from certain parts of the city raises some concerns among civil liberties groups.
Oct 20, 2013
Richland sheriff: give Five Points pedestrian area a chance?
October 20, 2013. Columbia, SC. The State Newspaper. By John Monk. Although Five Points businesses seem to have rejected out-of-hand closing off streets to make the area a pedestrian locale on weekend nights, others say there are practical reasons for doing so.
Sep 23, 2013
Columbia, SC, to exile its homeless
The city plans to forcibly segregate them in the same year it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement.
Sep 17, 2013
Columbia homelessness plan draws heated criticism, threat of lawsuits
August 17, 2013. Columbia, SC. The State Newspaper. By Clif LeBlanc. Tempers are flaring as groups prepare to contest Columbia’s plan to remove homeless people from the city center, arguing it violates their constitutional rights.
Jun 17, 2013
NAACP calls study of racially lopsided marijuana arrests 'disturbing'
by Mark Davenport
Jun 12, 2013
War on Marijuana’ takes inordinate toll on African-Americans
June 12, 2013. Victoria Middleton. Post and Courier. Charleston. In comments reported in The Post and Courier on June 6, Sheriff Al Cannon ignores the ACLU’s findings of racial disparity in arrests in Charleston County (where blacks are 3.2 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites) and claims the report is based on “biased research.”
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