For many cities with a significant homeless population, a lot of money, time, and effort goes into compelling them to move along. Various methods have been deployed, from spikes embedded in the sidewalk where homeless folks might take shelter from the elements, to the intermittent waterfall that a church in San Francisco built over its
In what is being called a “landmark settlement,” a Minnesota woman has won a lawsuit that will prevent the priest who sexually abused her from returning to the ministry in India. Megan Peterson was just 14-years-old when she alleged Father Joseph Jeyapaul raped and assaulted her in her hometown of Greenbush. The abuse took place
It was announced on Tuesday, September 27, that New York City has settled with the family of a mentally ill Rikers Island inmate who died in custody for $5.75 million. The information was provided to the press by attorneys for the family and the Legal Aid Society Prisoners’ Rights Project, who helped work on the
During Tuesday’s first (and only) televised vice-presidential debate between Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine and Donald Trump’s running mate Mike Pence, the issue of abortion was brought up, quickly changing the tone of exchange between the two men. When CBS news correspondent Elaine Quijano, who served as moderator of the debate, asked the question
Out in the rural hinterlands, it’s not unusual to pass yards with “Protect Religious Freedom” signs. Religious Freedom has become a dog whistle in recent years, with the “Religion” part understood to mean the speaker’s preferred brand of Christianity, and “Freedom” meaning, in practice, the ability to force others, who may not necessarily believe the
A civil rights lawsuit has been filed against the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, former police Sergeant Stephen Matakovich, and the company in charge of security for Heinz Field by 20-year-old Gabriel Despres after the young man was viciously beaten before being charged with felony aggravated assault while attending a championship high school football game at
On Monday, September 26, a 16-year-old Houston, Texas, resident was awarded nearly $8 million in a sexual assault case against her former employer, nationwide fast-food chain Chipotle. After deliberating for just three hours, the jury ordered the restaurant pay the victim $7.65 million in damages subsequent to finding them accountable for the abuse she suffered at
On Thursday, September 29, California governor Jerry Brown signed a bill requiring every single-stall bathroom in the state be made available to all genders. The gender-neutral bathroom bill was designed to ensure the LGBTQ community has access to public restrooms in the state, along with parents and caretakers of opposite-sex children and adults, without facing
Maverick libertarian economist and author Tyler Cowen argues in his book Average is Over that in the coming years, American society will deeply bifurcate into Haves and Have-Nots. The lucky Haves will become (or remain) quite wealthy by developing tech-based skills that allow them to partner with intelligent computers. This will enable them to work
In what I’m sure comes as a surprise to no one, Donald Trump allegedly pushed his workers to fire any female employees he found unattractive and replace them with “pretty ones” at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos, California. According to a 2012 lawsuit, employees alleged they were constantly pressured by Trump to