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I am all for reforming the way charter schools source and use their money. Paying charter schools is the biggest drain on public schools. I am for school choice because there will always be situations where a public school is not the right fit for an individual student, but destroying public schools in the process […]
Legally changing one’s name should be an exciting, uplifting, hopeful, and ceremonious occasion, not one clouded by uncertainty caused by the legal process or the worry of the perception of others in the courtroom, and my goal is to be a resource and ally for anyone in this position. This is the 11th post of […]
This has the potential to be a change election for our county. Nearly 25% of the court’s seats are open and up for election. It is clear that criminal justice reform is the order of the day and nearly all of the candidates in this race are astute enough to be able to speak the […]
County Council work much be approached to the lens of equity and justice. Clean water and air are a human right. Transgender rights are human rights. Affordable housing is a human right. We must all work together and leave our silos if we truly want to see change in Allegheny County. This is the ninth […]
I’ve been working on developing a glossary to be used across Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services, the Courts, and DHS-contracted service providers. The glossary is nearing completion and had been developed utilizing gender inclusive and gender neutral language throughout the glossary. It is critically important for judges to recognize the importance of word choice […]
I have virtually eliminated cash bail from my practice and doing so only in extenuating circumstances to protect the safety of the community or ensure court appearance. The variables in each and every criminal arrest are too involved to discuss here, but it cannot be denied that in using cash bail, those without cash are […]
But if a global pandemic and ensuing economic crises aren’t enough to motivate public officials to create real safeguards such as public housing (as well as healthcare, the two of which I believe are inseparable) against public health emergencies, when will they? This is the sixth post of our election season series ‘Political Q&A’ with […]
But from that experience comes a perspective that can only benefit those that might come before me as Magistrate: I’ll approach each person as more than their worst day or worst choice or most shameful story. I know first hand that we are all more than any one of those things and we deserve a […]
Let’s re-imagine public safety with a heavy emphasis on mental health and substance use response teams who have many years of school to understand how to evaluate and de-escalate, and how to encourage ongoing treatment for those who need it. We make police do this now. It doesn’t work. We will have more and more […]
My work with youth showed me how the experiences of different groups vary even when engaging in similar behaviors. I have seen how young girls are often treated more harshly by paternalistic judges than male counterparts. Similarly, I’ve seen how the experiences of black youth look drastically different than white youth regarding behaviors in schools. […]
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