Dismantling Democratic Norms in an Unstable Peru

Dismantling Democratic Norms in an Unstable Peru

By Guest Writer Winston Ardoin Image: "Protest in Cusco, Peru" by illuminaut is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Over the last decade, the concept of “democratic backsliding” has captured the attention of political scientists seeking to explain the unsettling increase in government overthrows and authoritarian behaviors around the world. In the Americas alone, several countries have faced democratic instability in recent years, from infamous cases like El Salvador and Venezuela to regional hegemons like Brazil and the United States. In retreating from democratic norms, states have begun institutionalizing authoritarian practices while further targeting political dissent by restricting rights and access to justice. In recent months, interim President Dina Boluarte and the Peruvian government’s response to political instability and nationwide protests exemplifies this worrisome trend. 2022-2023 Peruvian Protests & Government Response Following the ousting of controversial leftist president Pedro Castillo in December 2022 succeeding an attempted power grab, thousands of Peruvians took to the streets. At its core, protesters’ demands have been primarily political, focused on new elections...
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What’s Next in Criminalizing Intimate Partner Violence

By Staff Writer Zeqi Chen In March 2022, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), was reauthorized for the fourth time, albeit after a four-year delay. First enacted in 1994, VAWA is the federal legislative milestone against domestic violence that provides protections for individuals who have suffered gender-based harm.  VAWA’s most iconic achievement was the establishment of criminalization as a way to combat intimate partner violence and advance the criminalization of intimate partner violence. This approach, which allocates most of its funding to law enforcement to address domestic violence, was opposed by anti-violence activists as early as 1994 when VAWA was passed. They warned that criminalizing domestic violence would disproportionately target communities of color and punish survivors.  With the death of George Floyd to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, the breakdown of trust between the public and police has led to increasing challenges to the traditional role of law enforcement and debates around the effectiveness of its powers in social justice. The assumption that...
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It Is Feminist, So It Is Good: Feminist Jail Is Not Feminist

By Staff Writer Zeqi Chen In May 2022, a proposal titled The Women’s Center for Justice: A Nation-Leading Approach on Women & Gender-Expansive People in Jail, respondedresponds to concerns about New York City’s current plans to close Rikers Island by 2027. The current alternative to Rose M. Singer Center, the women’s jail on Rikers Island, is to build a new facility for women and gender-expansive people as part of a larger men’s jail in Kew Gardens, Queens. But the proposal states that “​​New York City should transform the closed Lincoln Correctional Facility at West 110th Street into a Women’s Center for Justice. ” According to the proposal, this approach is designed to highlight the unique needs for trauma-informed care, family reunification and skill building that female inmates need as mothers and victims of intimate partner violence or domestic violence. Rose M. Singer Center, which Proposal claims is the site of nearly all female and gender-expansive populations in New York City jails,...
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A Different Approach to Justice

By Staff Writer Laïssa A.  The Black Radical Tradition has long dwelled on how best to end white supremacy, and achieve something called Black liberation. Liberation, emancipation, freedom, whatever one may call it–is the goal of many politically engaged Black people. In this essay, I will ponder the possibilities of human rights practitioners taking the Black Radical Tradition seriously, focusing particularly on Black anarchist politics. The purpose is not to propose a way for human rights to decolonize or progress, but for those concerned with ‌human rights to think of the possibilities of other methods of changing the world. What might taking seriously Black radicals look like? What do Black anarchists, in particular, offer in their critical engagement with the state?  In the last decade or so, abolitionist frameworks, specifically related to the carceral system, have reached a mainstream audience in the United States. Abolitionists have torn down assumptions, forcing people to rethink the meaning of justice and punishment. They have...
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#StopCopCity: The National (and International) Movement to Defend an Atlanta Forest

#StopCopCity: The National (and International) Movement to Defend an Atlanta Forest

By Staff Writer Idalia Gonzalez Stop Cop City is at once, a movement, a hashtag, and a call to action. The decentralized, autonomous movement has quickly risen in digital popularity, amassing tens of thousands of Instagram followers since it began in 2018. It exists as part of “Defend the Forest,” though the two slogans are used interchangeably. Its main purpose is to stop a police training facility, which would be the largest in the country, from being built in Atlanta’s Welaunee Forest.  A deep dive into a few of the many interviews online indicate a movement backed by a core group of activists – also known as forest defenders, who range from abolitionists to anarchists—and supported by thousands of students, artists, socialists, educators, elders, environmentalists, eco-activists, Indigenous leaders and tribes, historians…and so on. The movement’s strength poses questions about the future of mobilizing digital resistance. How does such an intersectional, decentralized movement sustain itself? Do multiple narratives dilute or strengthen mobilization? Long Live Tortuguita  On...
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Establishing Justice in U.S. Veteran Disability Claims

Establishing Justice in U.S. Veteran Disability Claims

By Guest Writer Nicholas Sweitzer Ex-servicemembers of the United States are routinely being denied fundamental human rights by their federal government, despite their honorable service for the common national defense. In the 2020 census, the U.S. Government estimated the veteran population to be roughly 19.4 million, meaning this demographic is anywhere between 6.4% to 7.5% of the American adult population. Tragically, all stages of the disability-related claims process have become increasingly difficult for United States Veterans. For 33 years, The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a government agency overseeing the benefits and healthcare for ex-servicemembers and the family members that survive them, has fundamentally neglected their duty of care and eroded the very social contract the United States was constituted on. Several structural issues in the claims process lead the nation’s protectors down a tumultuous path for compensation, reconciliation, and justice.  In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department temporarily closed its 56 regional offices to the public, sites where veterans...
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Addressing Ableist Apologia: The Fixation on ‘Fitness’ in U.S. Politics

Addressing Ableist Apologia: The Fixation on ‘Fitness’ in U.S. Politics

By Co-Editor Jess Gallagher Content note: ableist language and disablism “Dear leftists, I see that many of you were offended by my Fetterman comments, calling me an “ableist.” After thinking about it, I’d like to apologize … for absolutely nothing. I expect potential senators to be able to form complete thoughts and/or sentences. You idiots.” –Donald Trump Jr.  And so, the age of ableism and apologia is among us, once again, in the political sphere. But where can we even begin to address this deeply ingrained rhetorical pattern amongst politicians? Let’s start with the most recent midterm election, and analyze what the victory of Pennsylvania State Senator, John Fetterman, shows us about the future of ableism in politics. In the Pennsylvania race for the state’s U.S. Senate seat, Democratic candidate John Fetterman has had to continuously defend his “fitness” to serve in office after experiencing a stroke in May. Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz, and his campaign continued to add to...
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Mind Over Matter: Why the MINDS Act is Essential Legislation

Mind Over Matter: Why the MINDS Act is Essential Legislation

By Guest Writer Emma McDonnell Playgrounds, sleepovers, and playdates; for a child, a carefree childhood is fundamental to a well-lived life. These innocent and relaxed days stand in stark contrast to the work and stress-filled days that often typify adulthood. The reality, however, is that the children of today face increased levels of stress and anxiety, sentiments which have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, war, natural disasters, and famine, among other conflicts and issues. Children who live in conflict-torn areas are unable to live, grow, and develop in normality. They cannot play as normal children would do. They may be unable to attend school as normal children would do. In these formative years, children have little to no control over their lives and as such are incredibly vulnerable.  When the images and stories of children being imprisoned in cages and separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border first surfaced, many were horrified and shocked that these measures were being taken, but...
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Most Unusual Requests: Transgender, Jewish students targeted in the US, Ukraine

Most Unusual Requests: Transgender, Jewish students targeted in the US, Ukraine

By Guest Writer Ararat L. Osipian Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is asking state universities to fill the survey regarding the number and ages of students who sought gender dysphoria treatment, including sex reassignment surgery and hormone prescriptions. This survey has been sent to the universities by the state’s budget director, Chris Spencer: “Our office has learned that several state universities provide services to persons suffering from gender dysphoria. On behalf of the Governor, I hereby request that you respond to the enclosed inquiries related to such services.” The survey is to be completed as part of the obligation to govern institutional resources and protect the public interest. It did not take long for Democrats to respond. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said that “We can see cuts in funding for universities to treat students with this condition, and I think an all-out elimination of services is certainly on the table.” According to Driskell, the Floridian Governor is trying to remake the state’s...
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A Life and Legacy, Unmatched: Remembering the Activism of Lois Curtis

A Life and Legacy, Unmatched: Remembering the Activism of Lois Curtis

By Co-Editor Jess Gallagher   “Nobody’s free until we are all free.”  These are the words of Lois Curtis, the woman whose case determined the most influential court decision for people with disabilities in history. Ms. Curtis served as one of the plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case, Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), which established the right of people with disabilities to live in the least restrictive settings possible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  As the Disability Community mourns the loss of one of the nation’s greatest advocates, we reflect on her efforts to achieve justice for all. Her work secured the right of millions of people with disabilities to live within their own communities and away from the forced institutionalization that she faced throughout her life. Growing up in Atlanta, GA., Ms. Curtis was diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a child and, due to a lack of support services for her family, she often wandered away from home. Missing person...
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