Southern Poverty Law Center
The Fee Trap: With pistol permit revenue falling, sheriffs and counties turn to other charges
Few people renewing their vehicle registration fees in Talladega County on Aug. 31 knew the cost had gone up. There’s a new $2 fee on car tags in the county, thanks to a law that passed the Legislature this spring. It won’t fund a new program. It will offset the local sheriff’s financial losses from […]
People incarcerated in Alabama’s prisons face heat dangers as hot weather continues
The high heat in Alabama’s prisons could bring Danny Dandridge to a standstill. When temperatures hit or exceeded 100 degrees in the state’s aging facilities, Dandridge would see guys pass out. “There have been times when I had to just lay in bed and not move because as soon as I moved, you just started […]
Harm of anti-LGBTQ laws includes economic pain for communities, families
Roberto Che Espinoza had been thinking about leaving Tennessee after the 2024 election, but in June they noticed that the state attorney general was seeking medical records on gender-affirming medical care, which Espinoza, a nonbinary transgender man, said included their own records. “Being on any kind of list … I knew after the release of […]
Hate groups’ political influence growing, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 hate and anti-government extremist groups were active across the United States in 2022, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s latest report on the nationwide prevalence of extremists who target people of color, LGBTQ people, Jewish communities and other religious minorities. While the overall number of hate and anti-government groups […]
Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill that further criminalizes loitering
Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a bill into law that would subject people to jail time if they get arrested for loitering multiple times. HB 24, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, was signed by Ivey on May 24. The bill, which began as an anti-panhandling measure, makes a first arrest for loitering a […]
Gov. Kay Ivey’s dismissal of Early Childhood Education secretary brings criticism
Educators and members of the Legislature Monday sharply criticized Barbara Cooper’s forced resignation as Secretary of the Department of Early Childhood Education. Gov. Kay Ivey forced Cooper out on Friday, claiming that the program was using a book with “woke” concepts. An Alabama Reflector review of the book found that it encouraged teachers to be […]
Monuments commemorating Confederacy persist in Alabama
About 48 memorials honoring the Confederacy were removed in 2022, according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. However, the report noted that many southern states, including Alabama, make it a crime to remove the monuments, most of which went up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to celebrate white supremacy. […]
Parole Board guidelines bill stalls in Alabama House Judiciary Committee
An Alabama House committee Wednesday stalled a bill that would have established guidelines for parole and risk assessments for applicants. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent HB 16, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, to a subcommittee after a lengthy debate where opponents said it would hobble the Pardons and Paroles Board and England […]
Biden administration proposes major new limits on asylum at the border
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is rolling out a proposed rule that for two years would bar migrants from applying for asylum at the Southern border if they have not first asked for protection in a country they traveled through. The administration is seeking to limit asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border as a pandemic-era […]
Alabama legislation would increase penalties for loitering in streets
An Alabama House Republican has filed a bill that would increase penalties for loitering along public rights of way. Under current Alabama law, loitering is a violation, punishable by a fine of up to $200 or a maximum of 30 days in jail. The bill, HB 24, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Montgomery, would raise […]
SPLC hires first state director in Alabama, probes shift in strategy
The Southern Poverty Law Center has hired Tafeni English-Relf as the organization’s first-ever Alabama director, part of a new model for the nonprofit aimed at moving the SPLC’s traditional focus on legal strategies to community organizing. SPLC leaders said Tuesday in Talladega that English-Relf would focus on local matters, especially in the rural parts of […]
Advocates look to revive Alabama criminal justice reform bills
Advocates for criminal justice reform plan to petition lawmakers to pass several bills, including new legislation and bills that failed last year. Alabama Appleseed, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Alabama Arise expect to focus on reforms to driver’s license suspensions, parole grants and the state’s Habitual Offender Act. “I think with each session there […]