In Episode 1 of the From Words to Weapons series, we begin with Jimmy Warren’s story. It’s the first time he’s talking publicly about his gun case that made national headlines in 2016 when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned his conviction, ruling that police hadn’t had reasonable suspicion to stop him in the first place.  That decision attracted attention because it established running from police doesn’t necessarily justify a police pursuit, doesn’t automatically mean someone’s guilty and could seem like the logical thing to do given generational trauma over law enforcement – in communities of color, in particular. And that police need to consider that when evaluating whether a pursuit is legally justified. The thing is, no one ever heard from Jimmy. He wasn’t interviewed by any reporters. The lawyer who handled his newsworthy appeal case never even met him, despite efforts to find him. It’s like the case had a life of its own without him. In this episode, we hear about his story and the pervasiveness of law enforcement trauma and its effects. Links to research mentioned in this episode:Latent Class Profiles of Police Violence Exposure in 4 US Cities and Their Associations with Anticipation of …Read More

Fatal law enforcement encounters have understandably – and deservedly – captured our attention. But the tens of thousands of Americans who survive trauma inflicted by law enforcement every year are often overlooked. They go without the kind of support our systems offer to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and other forms of trauma. If survivors of other traumas often turn first to police, where are survivors of law enforcement trauma supposed to go? Not to mention, law enforcement often plays a significant role in survivor support beyond that (such as by funding other services and advising providers & policymakers).  On this episode, Emily and Stephanie preview Obscured’s first limited series, From Words to Weapons. They explain why this topic is the focus of their inaugural series and share highlights of interviews with law enforcement professionals, trauma survivors, healthcare providers, attorneys, social workers, journalists and researchers.    Links of interest mentioned in this episode:  No Justice for All: Pennsylvania’s unequal access to adequate public defense At the Core of Care …Read More

Over the last several years, book bans across the United States have increased. But there’s been less attention paid to restrictions on the right to read within prisons and jails and perhaps even more so than before. As part of Banned Books Week, we’re building on our previous reporting and bringing you the latest developments on the issue. To learn more about this issue, you can also check out Kouvenda Media’s original series: Restricted Reading.…Read More

On this introductory episode, meet Emily and Stephanie. They tell the story of how their journalism careers crisscrossed several times before their collaboration and what led them to launching this new podcast for underreported, complex issues missed by the daily news cycle.…Read More

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