August 15, 2014

“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot:” Peaceful Protests Across the Country Last Night

As soon as Missouri police changed tactics, it seems, the atmosphere in Ferguson did too.

Capt. Ronald Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol hugs Angela Whitman, of Berkeley, Mo., on West Florissant Avenue.David Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch/AP Photo

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After four nights of heavy-handed police response, a missing-in-action governor and the general appearance of a war zone, things were much calmer in Ferguson, MO, Thursday night. Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald Johnson was put in charge, and he pledged to strike a more respectful tone with protesters. It showed in the images that poured out of the small town north of St. Louis and other rallies around the country, many using the #NMOS14 hash tag to honor victims of police brutality.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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