03 May

Justice Knox changes the nature of the game

Posted by in Criminal Justice Reform, Justice Knox, Public Education Improvement

May 3, 2017. Knoxville News Sentinel.

Civic engagement in Knoxville on April 24 wasn’t boring or tedious. It was exciting and unusual – as if one went to a chess tournament and chess boxing broke out. Many area church congregations and non-profit groups came together under the banner of Justice Knox.

The group had done research and strategic planning – and it showed to the capacity crowd filling the pews of Central United Methodist Church. Justice Knox, motivated by moral imperatives of justice and compassion, narrowed its focus to two specific changes.

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01 May

Thousands demand end to ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline

Posted by in BREAD, Minority Rights, Public Education Improvement

May 1, 2017. WCMH-TV Columbus.

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — 26,000. That’s the number of suspensions given out just last year alone in the Columbus Public School District, according to the Ohio Department of Education. Monday night thousands met in Columbus to demand an end to what they call the school-to-prison pipeline.

Of the 26,000 suspensions, we don’t know how many are from the same student. Still, it’s a shocking number. The B.R.E.A.D. Organization said it’s too many and that students who get suspended are more likely to fail, drop out and end up in prison.

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28 Apr

BREAD plans annual community activism event

Posted by in BREAD, Criminal Justice Reform, Jobs and Unemployment, Minority Rights, Public Education Improvement

April 28, 2017. The Columbus Dispatch.

More than 2,000 people will flow into the Celeste Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds on Monday evening for BREAD’s annual Nehemiah Action event. Afterward, Cathy Levine hopes they leave feeling the power they have to accomplish “wonderful things” in the community.

Levine, a committee chairwoman with the interfaith group BREAD — Building Responsibility, Equality And Dignity — and other group officials are hosting the event at 7 p.m. Monday.

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24 Apr

Justice Knocks: Sheriff & Police Chief Answer, School Board Does Not

Posted by in Criminal Justice Reform, Justice Knox, Mental Health Care, Public Education Improvement

April 24, 2017. Knoxville Mercury.

“Justice!” bellowed Pastor Chris Battle from the front of Central United Methodist Church on Monday night.

“Knocks!” thundered back the 1,000 or so people in the pews, members of about 16 congregations across the city. They repeated the chant three times, then thundered their feet against the floor like the hand of God knocking.

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21 Apr

JUMP group to gather for ‘Night of Justice’

Posted by in Affordable Housing, Public Education Improvement, Public Transportation, Topeka JUMP

April 21, 2017. Topeka Capital-Journal.

Several community issues — including mental health, affordable housing and transportation — will be addressed this coming week at a gathering sponsored by the Topeka Justice Unity Ministry Project at a downtown church.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th. Organizers said as many as 1,000 people are expected to attend.

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