During the Cold War, the nuclear apocalypse came with a dress code
Earlier, we looked at Plan C, the government’s Cold War contingency plan to declare martial law if war with the Soviets became inevitable. More recent releases reveal that not only did the FBI drill for its new role in an irradiated police state, but that even in the face of nuclear Armageddon there were strict guidelines on employee attire.
Intelligence agency takes on intelligence agency in the “Astral Projection Caper”
A formerly TOP SECRET document from the NSA describes an incident which it called the “Astral Projection Caper,” which revolved around what seems to have been fabricated, or at least nonexistent, CIA evidence of confirmed psychic phenomenon.
You can FOIA selfies … so long as they’re of Paul Krugman
Back in 2014, journalist J.K. Trotter received in response to a FOIL request correspondence between City University of New York and economist/New York Times columnist/cat aficionado Paul Krugman, regarding an upcoming gig at their Income Inequality Institute. While Krugman’s $225,000 salary drew significant attention, there was one email in particular that stood out for the hardcore Krugman wonks - the one about the selfies. In response, Trotter filed for said selfies, and the rest is #OpenGov history.
Better know a private prison giant: GEO Group’s Board of Directors
Who’s overseeing America’s largest for-profit immigration detention operation? More than a few familiar faces, including former leaders at the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice.
Suicides are often missing from gun violence data
When it comes the debate around to gun violence, we’re bombarded by tragedies like Columbine, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, the list goes on. But framing the issue around mass shootings misses a crucial point: guns are not only being used to kill other people. Overwhelmingly, they’re being used by people ending their own lives.
Projects See all
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The Private Prison Project
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- 43% funded
- $4335.00 raised
- 103 backers
Despite what you've heard, for-profit detention continues to reap the rewards of an incarceration system filled to the brim and facing an uncertain future. Over the last two years, our FOIA requests have released thousands of documents that show how for-profit prisons have leveraged the legal system to their advantage, letting companies pick-and-choose inmates to off-load costs, ignore complaints and concerns, and create dangerous conditions for prisoners and staff alike. This is all done while billions of taxpayer dollars are funneled into these private companies, which then pour millions into politicians' campaigns to keep their growth going. With your help, we can provide needed scrutiny of an industry few are even aware exists. -
Subjects Matter: FBI Files
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- 34% funded
- $1725.00 raised
- 12 backers
From Abbie Hoffman to Malcolm X, Ol' Dirty Bastard to the Insane Clown Posse, FBI files read like a veritable Who's Who of the 20th Century. This project aims to sift through the hundreds of thousands of agency archival material we've managed to get released, so we can better understand why the Bureau had an eye on these people - and through that, better understand who they're keeping tabs on today. -
Counting the Uncounted: The Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Project
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- 35% funded
- $405.00 raised
- 7 backers
- 3 months, 1 week remaining
Despite an estimated 175,000 sexual assault evidence collection kits that sit untested in evidence rooms and crime labs across the country, there is no federal law in place mandating policies or testing of kits, and we don't know how many more go uncounted. This project aims to end that, one city and one kit at a time.