Here's the best of The Appeal, this week:

We've relaunched our website and there's so much to explore! Check out our new front page and more here; read our mission and vision of ourselves for 2021 and beyond; and learn more about who we are, how we do our work, define our success, and our theory of change. And as always: thank you for reading.

Bodycam Video Shows ‘Mob Mentality’ Of Boston Police Who Responded To George Floyd Protests, Lawyer Says. Hours of video given exclusively to The Appeal show police officers bragging about attacking protesters and multiple instances of excessive force and the liberal use of pepper spray.

Confront and Remedy the Black Community’s COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism. Decades of exploitation, abuse, and racism in medicine have cost many Black Americans their lives during the pandemic. Now the government can act to prevent further harm.

How States Transformed Criminal Justice in 2020, and How They Fell Short. This year of crises, revisited. Nearly 90 state-level bills and initiatives. 17 themes. 7 maps.

Scandal-Plagued Sacramento Lawmaker and Ex-Cop Considers Run for Sheriff. California Assemblymember Jim Cooper may seek to be Sacramento sheriff once more—despite sexual harassment allegations and a long history of outlandish antics.

STOPPING THE EXECUTION OF LISA MONTGOMERY: Her crime occurred during a psychotic break after decades of unrelenting abuse. On The Appeal Live, we discuss efforts to stop the Trump administration’s plan to kill her on Jan. 12.

The Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped Landlords From Evicting Tenants—And It’s About To Get Much Worse. Landlords have continued forcing renters out of their homes, despite a patchwork of protections from federal and local governments. Now, with the CDC moratorium set to expire on Dec. 31, millions of Americans could be evicted.

These Cops Lied In Court. But Since The D.A. Isn’t Keeping A Brady List, They Could Testify Again. The case illustrates the importance of keeping lists of police officers with histories of misconduct or dishonesty, the defense lawyer in the case says.

What Prosecutors Should Learn from 2020’s Pandemic and Protests. In the new year, every prosecutor’s office should commit to protecting victims and workers, holding police accountable, and keeping families together.

‘She Just Said She Wanted To Be Believed’. More than 20 women accused Harry Morel, a longtime district attorney in Louisiana, of sexual misconduct. But Morel pleaded guilty to just a single obstruction of justice count while Mike Zummer, the FBI agent who investigated him, was fired. Now, Zummer is speaking about what he says is a grave injustice—at the hands of the Justice Department.

‘No Choice But To Do It’. Many of the 230,000 women and girls in U.S. jails and prisons were abuse survivors before they entered the system. Research for The Appeal shows that at least 30 percent of those serving time on murder or manslaughter charges were protecting themselves or a loved one from physical or sexual violence.

Thanks for reading. We'll see you next week.

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