Jasmyne A. Cannick

In Los Angeles, efforts have begun to change the charter of the county via ballot measure to provide the Civilian Oversight Commission with subpoena power to effectively investigate deputy misconduct. The Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative seeks to ensure that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the governing body for America’s most populous county and largest jail system, invests some of the $3.5 billion planned for building new jails into providing alternatives to incarceration....

It’s no secret that Los Angeles has a homelessness crisis — but what is less talked about are the homeless people we can’t see. These are the homeless people who are scraping by just enough to pay for a bed bug–infested motel room or whose relatives and friends have taken pity on them....