Chicago ➡️ LA Writer for Bolts Magazine. Policing & Criminal Justice. Democracy. Data.https://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mkqalg6n722m"Foxx’s prosecutors usually took no position, objecting to only 1 out of every 4 certificates sought by people exonerated in her second term. Burke is almost the opposite: Her office has objected in 4 out of 5." Great reporting by @danhinkel.bsky.social https://boltsmag.org/chicago-cook-county-certificates-of-innocence/30 Apr 2026 18:28 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkqalg6n722mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mknuyftgsk2dThe biggest Flock surveillance network in the area around Madison, Wisconsin's capital, is coming down. The Dane County Board pulled funding for Flock, which snowballed from the efforts of a small town to quit Flock due to repeated data breaches & ICE accessing cameras: https://boltsmag.org/verona-wisconsin-ends-contract-flock-ai-surveillance-cameras/ [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Apr 2026 19:56 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknuyftgsk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mknt5umjxc2a“Their attorney told them it was illegal discrimination against Black voters. And they did it anyway. So if the opportunity presents itself again—why wouldn’t they go back to it?” https://boltsmag.org/voting-rights-act-and-west-tennessee-fayette-county/29 Apr 2026 19:23 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknt5umjxc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mknrv3alsk2aToday's ruling on the VRA isn't just about Congress. VRA protections applied to countless local elections. In Western TN, Black residents used the VRA to defeat election maps that weakened Black voting power and had kept the 19-seat Fayette County Board entirely White: https://boltsmag.org/voting-rights-act-and-west-tennessee-fayette-county/29 Apr 2026 19:00 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknrv3alsk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mkiqgauwhc2sAcross the country, ICE is converting warehouses into immigrant detention centers. This story is a great look at how locals are using environmental regulations and land use restrictions to stop them. https://boltsmag.org/ice-warehouse-detenition-facility-roxbury-new-jersey/27 Apr 2026 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkiqgauwhc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mjfnfla3vk2mA ban on ballot grace periods would be devastating for the huge majority of Alaska that is unreachable by road, where harsh climate & geography make mail delays inevitable. That could disenfranchise many Alaska Natives, who make up a fifth of the state's population https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/12/it-would-be-catastrophic-a-supreme-court-decision-could-upend-alaskas-crucial-senate-race-0086769913 Apr 2026 19:53 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjfnfla3vk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3miw6rzyonk2g“There are many transgender people in Kansas … who won’t vote at all. They will just abstain from voting,” said Matthew Neumann, who directs the LGBTQ Foundation of Kansas https://boltsmag.org/kansas-transgender-license-law-also-threatens-voting-rights/07 Apr 2026 16:22 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3miw6rzyonk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mhwb47hm4k2fOnce surveillance data is shared, there’s really no way to control how it is circulated. The Verona Police Department forbade ICE from accessing their Flock cameras. But logs show officers from other police departments searched Verona’s cameras thousands of times on behalf of ICE agents. https://boltsmag.org/verona-wisconsin-ends-contract-flock-ai-surveillance-cameras/25 Mar 2026 23:38 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhwb47hm4k2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mht6wmliy22jA Wisconsin town covered several surveillance cameras with black plastic bags after the company that runs them, Flock Safety, ignored requests to take them down for months. Officials worried the cameras kept rolling even after the town ended its Flock contract: https://boltsmag.org/verona-wisconsin-ends-contract-flock-ai-surveillance-cameras/24 Mar 2026 18:21 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mht6wmliy22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3mfmugm3fbc2vMultiple Bay Area sheriffs have quit the SCAAP program that offered federal funds in exchange for personal info on immigrants held in custody. Critics have said the funds conflict with state protections on sharing data with immigration enforcement https://www.dailycal.org/news/alameda-county/alameda-county-sheriff-s-office-to-cut-ties-with-undocumented-inmate-data-sharing-program/article_c0cf79c5-0c27-483e-a75a-e4e1d407b792.html24 Feb 2026 19:07 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfmugm3fbc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/pascalsabino.bsky.social/post/3ma4kij3nwk2nNew Jersey’s largest cities have been pushing for stronger police oversight for years. But state law currently forbids civilian boards from having any real power over police. Read my latest on where recent elections have left this impasse between cities and the state: https://boltsmag.org/new-jersey-civilian-police-oversight-and-subpoena-power/16 Dec 2025 16:20 +0000at://did:plc:rut4i4sbsffo33syzokldb7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma4kij3nwk2n