Criminal Justice
Immigrant raids: ‘People don’t want to risk it’
By Denise Velazquez The man and woman were scribbling down orders and handing Mexican take-out to customers at their food truck. When she heard this reporter say “immigration,” her demeanor changed. Her smile disappeared. She scanned her surroundings. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. Across New York City, it’s not uncommon for […]
Setting Free the Wrongfully Convicted
By Lucia Shen Spectrum staff In 1974, a Philadelphia judge sentenced 17-year-old Edward Baker to life in prison for murder and robbery, crimes he couldn’t have committed. He was at a funeral wake 12 miles away at the time police said the crimes happened. “December the 23rd,” Baker said, “was the day I got locked […]
A Retired Cop Joins Black Lives Matter
By Paige Gibbs Spectrum staff Rose Facey’s 27 years as a sworn officer of the New York Police Department gave her a close-up view of what can and does go wrong in American policing. And that’s why, at 69, she has joined Black Lives Matter protesters — at three separate rallies, so far — who […]