A Multi-Pronged Plan to Disenfranchise Black and Brown Communities in Urban Settings
“State takeovers of public schools and districts is one prong of a multi-prong approach to dismantling resistance to oppressive legislation,” Steven L. Nelson, Ph.D. writes.
Preempting Capitalism – An Alarming Trend Harming Climate Action
Ramón Cruz, President of the Sierra Club, explores how some state legislatures are targeting private financial institutions in order to boycott or penalize them simply for adopting measures that consider climate change in their investments, constituting a preemption effort against proactive climate action.
Reform-Minded Prosecutors Should Use Research to Support Their Movement
Preeti Chauhan explores how some prosecutors are using their own discretion to create a less punitive and a more fair and equitable criminal legal system – and how state preemption can impact their ability to do so.
Promoting Inclusive Growth: We Know What Works
Mildred E. Warner of Cornell University explores how abusive state preemption legislation suppresses wages, undermining inclusive growth. Warner explains how we can promote more inclusive growth by raising returns to labor.
When Preemption and Existing Systems of Oppression Collide
Courtnee Melton-Fant shares the story of Boxtown, a majority black neighborhood in Memphis harmed by the abuse of preemption.
Preemption in New Jersey: A Foundation for Locally-Led Change?
“New Jersey is a place with two major stories in land use today,” Noah Kazis writes. “One led by the state against local prerogatives, and one led by localities themselves. Understanding the relationship between those two stories may teach us much about what preemption can and can’t do.”
Dissent, Litigation & Defiance: Local Leaders Resist Abusive Preemption
In the name of personal responsibility, individual freedom, the free market, and partisanship, many states are preventing local leaders from protecting workers, low-income families, public health, the environment, among others, while failing to do so themselves. What is a locality to do?