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Showing posts from December, 2019

The Legal System Has Failed It's Promise of Equal Justice

From police to prosecutors to courts and legislatures, both federal and state systems benefit the rich while harming people who are poor. The justice system is premised on the notion that rich and poor are treated equally. But today, access to justice is based on how much a person can pay. People who are poor are systematically treated worse than the wealthy. For example, people without financial means remain in jail prior to trial because they can't afford bail, resulting in a higher conviction rate. Individuals who can't afford to pay off court debt have their licenses suspended, sending them into an inescapable cycle of unemployment and hardship. These counterproductive policies result in an endless cycle of poverty. There is a legal group called 'Equal Justice Under Law', they are designed to bring about the change our justice system desperately needs - to STOP the seemingly endless cycle of burdens placed on people struggling to get by. They represent those who

The State of Missouri is Shutting Down a 12yo Girl's Dreams of Going to College and Playing Basketball

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"Angela"  is currently pushing 6'4" and wears a size 14 men's shoe...and she's only 12. She will end up anywhere between 6'5" - 6'7" when she finally stops growing. She's athletic and plays both travel basketball and softball, but her first love is basketball. Basketball gives "Angela" an opportunity to capitalize on her gifts, and she needs those gifts to ensure she successfully escapes the life of poverty that she, her mom, and her three siblings that live at home full-time, have been forced to live. "Angela" has played travel basketball for the past two years and most recently, she tried out for a Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) team...and made it. There are only 34 Nike EYBL teams throughout the country. The opportunity to play for an elite level basketball team at her age only gives her that much more of an advantage of reaching her ultimate goal/dream of playing college ball at the Division