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Crime 32 results
By means of partisan gerrymandering, the Indiana legislature has violated the democratic principle of one person, one vote, says retired Indiana University Professor Emeritus Jim Allison. Proportional representation, he says, would help to give Hoosiers “free and fair” elections, as required by the state constitution. | Photo of the Indiana Statehouse via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; the original uploader was Jasont82 at English Wikipedia.

Indiana Legislature Violates Principle of ‘Free and Equal’ Elections
Jim Allison
Retired IU Professor Emeritus Jim Allison shows how the Indiana legislature, by means of partisan gerrymandering, has violated the democratic principle of one person, one vote. Proportional representation, he says, would help to give Hoosiers “free and fair” elections, as required by the state constitution. This article is part of Limestone Post’s coverage for Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative. Click here to read more.
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Researchers have examined the effectiveness of preparation versus security when addressing mass shootings. For this in-depth article, Rebecca Hill interviewed several local and national experts and compiled data on using a public health approach. | Photo by NEOSiAM 2021 from Pexels

Preparation vs. Security in Preventing Mass Shootings
Rebecca Hill
As a nation, mass shootings are “part of our social fabric,” writes Rebecca Hill. She interviewed several local and national experts on how to better address mass shootings, especially in schools and businesses. Her in-depth report looks at research on mass shootings through a public health approach — and the effectiveness of preparation versus security. Click here to read the article.
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Steve Hinnefeld was a reporter at the Herald-Times from 1980 to 2007, when it employed up to 59 people in the newsroom. Now it has 12. Limestone Post asked Hinnefeld to look at several media outlets that report the daily news in Bloomington. He found that the local news landscape has changed dramatically in the past few years.

Changes in Daily Local News Landscape Have Consequences
Steve Hinnefeld
What happens when local news coverage disappears? Limestone Post asked journalist Steve Hinnefeld to look at the daily news landscape in Bloomington. He interviewed people at several local news outlets and filed this report. The landscape has changed recently in subtle and dramatic ways — some for the better, some not so much. Click here to read about who’s reporting B-town’s daily news.
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While the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana peaked nearly 100 years ago, its members’ support of Christian nationalism is reflected in various political, militia, and hate groups today. Writer Laurie D. Borman interviewed several experts who suggest the ideologies espoused by today’s far-right groups is a continuation of the country’s racist past. This photo is of a KKK cross burning in northern Indiana in 1922.

‘100% American’ Hate Groups, Christian Nationalism, and the Indiana KKK
Laurie D. Borman
While the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana peaked nearly 100 years ago, its members’ support of Christian nationalism is reflected in various political, militia, and hate groups today. Writer Laurie D. Borman interviewed several experts who suggest the ideologies espoused by today’s far-right groups are a continuation of the country's racist past. Click here to read the article.
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On two consecutive days in downtown Bloomington, protestors expressed outrage at the racial aggression, profiling, and anti-Black violence that residents have faced — recently, historically, and continually — in the community. Each protest was attended by hundreds of supporters, culminating in a march through the streets. | Photo by Limestone Post

Peaceful Protesters Outraged at Racist Attacks and Anti-Black Violence
Limestone Post
On two consecutive days in downtown Bloomington, protestors expressed outrage at the racial aggression, profiling, and anti-Black violence that residents have faced — recently, historically, and continually — in the community. Each protest was attended by hundreds of supporters, culminating in a march through the streets. Click here to learn more.
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On June 5 in Bloomington, a peaceful march and protest called 'Enough Is Enough' was held in response to nationwide police brutality against People of Color. Organizers emphasized that, while people’s energy at the event was encouraging, more needs to be done in the fight for racial justice.

Photos: ‘Enough Is Enough’ March and Protest in Bloomington
Limestone Post
On June 5, Bloomington’s largest protest in decades was held in response to nationwide police brutality and systemic racism toward Black people. “Enough Is Enough” was a peaceful march and protest in which organizers emphasized that, while the event on Friday was encouraging, more needs to be done in the fight for racial justice. Click here for the photo gallery.
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Discussions about the controversy at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market have dismissed the voices of Bloomington’s people of color, says historian Ellen Wu. “This is a major omission, considering that African American, Latinx, and Asian American women have made integral interventions into the debate.” Wu interviewed eight of these women to hear what they say is at stake and what solutions can ensure the safety and well-being of everyone at the market.

Bloomington 2019: ‘The Year of the Farmers’ Market Controversy’
Ellen Wu
Media coverage and discussions about the Bloomington Farmers’ Market have dismissed the voices of Bloomington’s people of color, says historian Ellen Wu. “This is a major omission, considering that African American, Latinx, and Asian American women have made integral interventions into the debate.” For this article, Wu interviewed eight women of color to get their perspectives on the controversy. Click here to read the article.
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Resolving conflicts between offenders and victims with restorative rather than punitive measures allows the offender to repair the damage and the victim to heal. Writer Ann Georgescu explores restorative justice, mediation, and other methods used by the nonprofit Community Justice and Mediation Center as alternative approaches to the criminal justice system. | Photo by Ann Georgescu

Alternatives to the Criminal Justice System: Mediation, Restorative Justice
Ann Georgescu
Resolving conflicts between offenders and victims with restorative rather than punitive measures allows the offender to repair the damage and the victim to heal. Writer Ann Georgescu explores restorative justice, mediation, and other methods used by the nonprofit Community Justice and Mediation Center as alternative approaches to the criminal justice system. Click here to read the full story.
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In 2016, a survivor of sexual assault had a physical evidentiary exam, known as getting a rape kit, at IU Health Bloomington Hospital. While she says this process itself was consistently clear and well explained, the process of tracking the whereabouts of her kit afterward was less-so. A new law seeks to improve this process, with a system that allows survivors to track the status of their rape kits themselves, rather than having to go though detectives. | Photo by Nicole McPheeters

New Law Will Help Survivors of Sexual Assault Track Rape Kits
Hayley Miller, Nicole McPheeters
Rape kits contain evidence collected during hospital exams of the survivors of sexual assault. Nearly half of the more than 5,000 untested rape kits collected in Indiana are considered “backlog,” but a new Indiana law could make tracking easier — especially for survivors. Writer Haley Miller and photographer Nicole McPheeters take a look at the process. Click here to read the full story.
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True crime writer Sarah Kolodziej has been hooked on stories of crime, murder, and suicide since she was five years old. While a case anywhere might grab her eye, most of the ones she writes about on her "Crime Spotlight" blog and Instagram account have ties to Bloomington and Indiana — especially cold cases and unsolved crimes. | Courtesy photo

‘Crime Spotlight’ Writer Does Justice to True Crime Stories
Jonah Chester
True crime writer Sarah Kolodziej has been hooked on stories of crime, murder, and suicide since she was five years old. While a case anywhere might grab her eye, most of the ones she writes about on her "Crime Spotlight" blog and Instagram account have ties to Bloomington and Indiana — especially cold cases and unsolved crimes. Writer Jonah Chester investigates. Click here to read the full story.
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In writer Ann Georgescu’s third article on HOPE, an IU mentorship program for youths in juvenile-detention facilities across Indiana, she looks at how one of the young women used poetry to get her through the long days of incarceration. Her poem "Big Brother" was published in "Law and Disorder: An Undergraduate Journal in Special Education and Law." | Limestone Post

Expanded HOPE: Juvenile Offenders Write Poetry to Cope with Incarceration
Ann Georgescu
In writer Ann Georgescu’s third article on HOPE, she looks at how one of the young women used poetry to get her through the long days of incarceration. HOPE is an IU mentorship program for youths in juvenile-detention facilities across Indiana with a mission to help break the school-to-prison pipeline for juvenile offenders. Click here to read the full story.
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Photographer and activist Richard Ross will be in Bloomington for a two-day interdisciplinary arts program, showing his photography series Juveniles in Justice, conducting a workshop, and discussing how artists can create “in a time of rage,” among other events. | Photo courtesy of Richard Ross

Visiting Photographer Engaging Local Groups in Project ‘Juvenile in Justice’
Rachel Glago
Photographer and activist Richard Ross will be in Bloomington for a two-day interdisciplinary arts program, showing his work on juvenile justice and discussing how artists can create “in a time of rage,” among other events. One of his former assistants, Rachel Glago, writes about his work and how a dozen local groups are getting involved. Click here to read the full story.
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