Social Justice
The Public’s Opinion on Reimagining Public Safety
On this episode of Which Way Forward, we explore many, many opinions and views on the Reimagining Public Safety process. All these comments and thoughts are from the public feedback period of the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report. This ranged from early February 2021, to March 31st 2021. In that fast-moving span of time, community…
Read More2021 Izzy Award Winner: Truthout
The Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College has announced the recipients for this year’s Izzy Award for “outstanding achievement in independent media”. One of these recipients is Truthout, a nonprofit independent news outlet. During 2020, Truthout launched the series “Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of Covid-19”. This series comprises 250 articles covering…
Read More2021 Virtual Spring Writes Literary Festival Presents Variety of Panels and Workshops
The 2021 Spring Writes Literary Festival, organized by the Community Arts Partnership (CAP) of Tompkins County, begins Wednesday, May 5th and continues to Sunday, May 16. Thirteen different writing workshops will be offered to the public starting in late May, continuing into September. Artistic Director Jen Tennant and CAP Program and Grant Director Robin Schwartz…
Read MoreWhich Way Forward: What the Plan is Made of
On April 1st, Ithaca and Tompkins County submitted their plans for reforming public safety. Although the Common Council and the County Legislature have committed to the points of their plans, they still have a long way to go before they’re realized. The recommendations don’t have the mechanics and power of policy behind them yet, and…
Read MoreBack the Blue Rally Calls for Rejection of Police Reform Plan, Met with Counter-Protests
A “Back the Blue” rally held on Sunday, on the Ithaca Commons. Ralliers were there criticizing in full the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report from the City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County. But the afternoon’s affair was met with anti-racist counter-protestors. The Back the Blue rally was organized by Rocco Lucente Jr.. He stood on…
Read MoreTompkins Food Future: Development of a Food Systems Plan in Tompkins County
Katie Hallas, the Coordinator of the Community Food System Plan, discusses Tompkins Food Future. This project will create a local food system whereby sustainable, equitable healthy and affordable food is available for all members of our community. For more information, visit http://www.tompkinsfoodfuture.org (photo: Compost SDIM0891 by Stefan Szczelkun, courtesy of Creative Commons)
Read MoreCommon Council May Push Back on Deciding to Replace Ithaca Police Department and Focus on Other Recommendations Instead
Ithaca City and Tompkins County Officials have made changes to the recommendations in the Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report. Mayor Svante Myrick and County Administrator presented the updates to the document at a special Common Council meeting on Wednesday night. The report now specifies that if the Common Council approves the recommendation to replace the…
Read MoreIthaca Black Town Hall Responds to Reimagining Public Safety Draft Report
Southside Community Center hosted a Black Town Hall to talk about the Reimagining Public Safety draft report. It was held on Thursday, March 4th, and titled, “The Future of Public Safety?” Mayor Svante Myrick, and County administrator Jason Molino attended the meeting, presenting the recommendations of the report, and gathering input from members of…
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