Piper French
@psfrench.bsky.social
reporting on prisons, jails, DAs for Bolts. freelance magazine work: NYRB, NYmag, Aperture, Lux, Drift, Nation
piperstrehlowfrench@gmail.com
-> psfrench.com
en/es/fr
piperstrehlowfrench@gmail.com
-> psfrench.com
en/es/fr
Pinned
Piper French
@psfrench.bsky.social
· Mar 20
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions - Bolts
Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.
boltsmag.org
In January 2024 I got a one-line email from a woman I didn't know: "Jimmie Duncan an innocent man on death row is looking to get into contact with you."
I've been working on the story ever since. Here it is, finally - a @motherjones.com / @bolts.bsky.social feature: boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
I've been working on the story ever since. Here it is, finally - a @motherjones.com / @bolts.bsky.social feature: boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
Reposted by Piper French
This is exactly why this piece is so important. The national conversation has largely flattened the effects of the VRA -- and it's potential demise -- to which party controls Congress. There's so much more to the VRA than that, and so much more on the line
I, for one, have only really thought about the VRA through the prism of federal elections, not local elections.
But this well-reported piece reminds us that ending the VRA will have an impact on ALL levels of representative government.
Via @pascalsabino.bsky.social.
boltsmag.org/voting-right...
But this well-reported piece reminds us that ending the VRA will have an impact on ALL levels of representative government.
Via @pascalsabino.bsky.social.
boltsmag.org/voting-right...
Black Residents in West Tennessee Just Won Fairer Districts. Now Comes SCOTUS. - Bolts
The Supreme Court may further erode the Voting Rights Act in an upcoming decision. Beyond affecting Congress, that would reverberate across local governments nationwide.
boltsmag.org
November 22, 2025 at 10:40 PM
This is exactly why this piece is so important. The national conversation has largely flattened the effects of the VRA -- and it's potential demise -- to which party controls Congress. There's so much more to the VRA than that, and so much more on the line
Thrilled to share that Chris Duncan, whose conviction was vacated in April, was just granted bail today, after spending over 25 years on Louisiana's death row.
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
In January 2024 I got a one-line email from a woman I didn't know: "Jimmie Duncan an innocent man on death row is looking to get into contact with you."
I've been working on the story ever since. Here it is, finally - a @motherjones.com / @bolts.bsky.social feature: boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
I've been working on the story ever since. Here it is, finally - a @motherjones.com / @bolts.bsky.social feature: boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions - Bolts
Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.
boltsmag.org
November 22, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Thrilled to share that Chris Duncan, whose conviction was vacated in April, was just granted bail today, after spending over 25 years on Louisiana's death row.
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
Reposted by Piper French
A vote to sharply lower rent hikes for 1.5 million Los Angeles tenants caps years of wins for local activists and comes amid a national focus on affordability punctuated by Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Los Angeles limits rent hikes in historic vote
The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to cap rent increases for most apartments, a decision that continues a wave of tenant victories in the city and across the country.
www.politico.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:13 AM
A vote to sharply lower rent hikes for 1.5 million Los Angeles tenants caps years of wins for local activists and comes amid a national focus on affordability punctuated by Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Piper French
"ProPublica’s reporting debunks the idea of a ’Tren de Aragua complex' taken over by a horde of terrorists. We found no criminal convictions for 18 of the 21 Venezuelans we identified. Three of the men had been charged with offenses ... but in each case the charges were dropped."
“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime
Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...
www.propublica.org
November 16, 2025 at 6:29 PM
"ProPublica’s reporting debunks the idea of a ’Tren de Aragua complex' taken over by a horde of terrorists. We found no criminal convictions for 18 of the 21 Venezuelans we identified. Three of the men had been charged with offenses ... but in each case the charges were dropped."
This is so cool. I interviewed Calvin Duncan - exoneree, and now Orleans Parish Clerk of Court - back in 2023 about his work as a jailhouse lawyer for the folks on death row in Louisiana. I remember being really struck by his words:
November 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
This is so cool. I interviewed Calvin Duncan - exoneree, and now Orleans Parish Clerk of Court - back in 2023 about his work as a jailhouse lawyer for the folks on death row in Louisiana. I remember being really struck by his words:
Reposted by Piper French
I'm seeing people wonder why ICE is going after Charlotte.
ICE has been at war with Charlotte's sheriff ever since he won in 2018.
We'd covered this at Bolts back in the day; this quote is from that sheriff:
ICE has been at war with Charlotte's sheriff ever since he won in 2018.
We'd covered this at Bolts back in the day; this quote is from that sheriff:
“When the 8 African American sheriffs took over the largest counties in North Carolina, it became a threat to the good ol’ boy system,” says the sheriff of Charlotte. These new sheriffs broke ties with ICE.
But GOP lawmakers cracked down this week, overbidding the governor’s veto to adopt this law:
But GOP lawmakers cracked down this week, overbidding the governor’s veto to adopt this law:
North Carolina GOP Is Cracking Down on the Black Sheriffs Who Stood Up to ICE
Boosted by new supermajorities, Republicans are closing in on legislation to mandate more collaboration with ICE and preempt local policies hard-won by immigrants’ rights advocates.
boltsmag.org
November 15, 2025 at 10:43 PM
I'm seeing people wonder why ICE is going after Charlotte.
ICE has been at war with Charlotte's sheriff ever since he won in 2018.
We'd covered this at Bolts back in the day; this quote is from that sheriff:
ICE has been at war with Charlotte's sheriff ever since he won in 2018.
We'd covered this at Bolts back in the day; this quote is from that sheriff:
Reposted by Piper French
a big runoff last night, in New Orleans:
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Calvin Duncan wins Orleans clerk of court race - Verite News New Orleans
Duncan, a political newcomer and former prisoner, defeated incumbent Darren Lombard by a wide margin in Saturday's runoff.
veritenews.org
November 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
a big runoff last night, in New Orleans:
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
Calvin Duncan was exonerated after spending *28 years* in prison; he tried to get his own case records from the New Orleans city clerk—but the office dragged its feet.
So Duncan ran to become city clerk himself, and yesterday ousted the incumbent.
In July, an ICE agent told Orgullosa Pitillo: self-deport or risk losing your children. She knew it wasn’t an empty threat: in 2018 she was one of 1000s of parents separated from their kids at the border.
Now, Trump is coming for these families again. For
@nymag.com : www.thecut.com/article/fami...
Now, Trump is coming for these families again. For
@nymag.com : www.thecut.com/article/fami...
Separated, Reunited, Now Deported
The Biden administration tried to undo the damage of Trump’s border policies. Now the government is coming for the same families again.
www.thecut.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:52 PM
In July, an ICE agent told Orgullosa Pitillo: self-deport or risk losing your children. She knew it wasn’t an empty threat: in 2018 she was one of 1000s of parents separated from their kids at the border.
Now, Trump is coming for these families again. For
@nymag.com : www.thecut.com/article/fami...
Now, Trump is coming for these families again. For
@nymag.com : www.thecut.com/article/fami...
Reposted by Piper French
New data shows that the CCRB retroactively doctored public data for more than 10,000 misconduct allegations against NYPD officers.
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
The NYPD’s Watchdog Whitewashed More Than 10,000 Misconduct Allegations in Public Data, New Evidence Shows
Allegations of lying, sexual misconduct, bigoted statements, and racist policing were among those quietly reclassified by the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
hellgatenyc.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:46 PM
New data shows that the CCRB retroactively doctored public data for more than 10,000 misconduct allegations against NYPD officers.
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
hellgatenyc.com/ccrb-whitewa...
Reposted by Piper French
This about knocked me flat: "However, I know the feeling of being at school and not being offered the same food as your friends, or being warned, “you don’t have any money left." Now, faces of all ages ask me: What will happen next? How will we afford to feed and clothe our families?"
As a Pike Co. student, I see the SNAP delays, and I see our people suffer | Opinion
OpEd: As a high school student, I see the struggles of our mountain communities, already hurt by floods, now suffering under SNAP delays.
www.kentucky.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
This about knocked me flat: "However, I know the feeling of being at school and not being offered the same food as your friends, or being warned, “you don’t have any money left." Now, faces of all ages ask me: What will happen next? How will we afford to feed and clothe our families?"
Reposted by Piper French
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
November 6, 2025 at 5:49 PM
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
Reposted by Piper French
As the face of the “progressive prosecutor” movement steamrolls to a 3rd term, let me be the millionth person to note that when that movement loses elections it’s billed in national media as a crisis for the left, while the movement’s high points, of which there have been many, are largely ignored.
Democrat Larry Krasner, a national figurehead for reform prosecutors, has won reelection as Philadelphia’s district attorney.
November 5, 2025 at 2:42 AM
As the face of the “progressive prosecutor” movement steamrolls to a 3rd term, let me be the millionth person to note that when that movement loses elections it’s billed in national media as a crisis for the left, while the movement’s high points, of which there have been many, are largely ignored.
Reposted by Piper French
Former interim NYPD commissioner Tom Donlon described the NYPD as a criminal enterprise. How would it even be possible to reform an organization that’s rotten from the inside out? @awinston.bsky.social describes the mess Adams leaves in his wake.
Infernal Affairs | Ali Winston
The NYPD is ripe for top-to-bottom reform. Does Zohran Mamdani have it in him?
thebaffler.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Former interim NYPD commissioner Tom Donlon described the NYPD as a criminal enterprise. How would it even be possible to reform an organization that’s rotten from the inside out? @awinston.bsky.social describes the mess Adams leaves in his wake.
Reposted by Piper French
New from me:
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Accusing Jordan Silverman
A D.C. teaching assistant was accused of molesting up to 15 kids. Multiple law enforcement agencies cleared him. But his nightmare was just beginning.
radleybalko.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:55 PM
New from me:
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
Elite law firms, multiple media outlets, the D.C. attorney general, and a group of parents accused a teacher of molesting 15 kids. They were wrong.
This piece is two-and-a-half years in the making. And as you'll see, it took some incredible turns, even as I was reporting it.
There are serious, serious doubts about Ant Boyd's guilt. No physical evidence and his co-defendant was coerced into testifying against him. His execution is scheduled for today - his daughter's birthday. Please read this piece from @laurengill.bsky.social: boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
October 23, 2025 at 9:24 PM
There are serious, serious doubts about Ant Boyd's guilt. No physical evidence and his co-defendant was coerced into testifying against him. His execution is scheduled for today - his daughter's birthday. Please read this piece from @laurengill.bsky.social: boltsmag.org/anthony-boyd...
Chief Justice Roberts' long game on voting rights: In '82 when Congress amended the VRA to switch to an *effect* rather than intent-based test, the Reagan admin's opposition was led by Roberts. "Now, in Callais, Roberts has engineered the chance to take down Section 2."
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
How the Supreme Court could aid the GOP's redistricting games
If the court rules quickly enough in a key voting rights case, it could allow yet another round of partisan redistricting before the 2026 midterms.
www.msnbc.com
October 8, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Chief Justice Roberts' long game on voting rights: In '82 when Congress amended the VRA to switch to an *effect* rather than intent-based test, the Reagan admin's opposition was led by Roberts. "Now, in Callais, Roberts has engineered the chance to take down Section 2."
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Great new investigative piece showing how the new Cook County prosecutor has weakened the conviction integrity unit - even as concerns mount over the pressure tactics of a former Chicago detective, with the reporter finding evidence of 24 cases with coercion allegations:
boltsmag.org/chicago-cook...
boltsmag.org/chicago-cook...
Exonerations Grind to a Halt Under Chicago’s New Prosecutor - Bolts
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has weakened her office’s already broken system for freeing the innocent, even as allegations of coercion mount against a former Chicago detective.
boltsmag.org
October 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Great new investigative piece showing how the new Cook County prosecutor has weakened the conviction integrity unit - even as concerns mount over the pressure tactics of a former Chicago detective, with the reporter finding evidence of 24 cases with coercion allegations:
boltsmag.org/chicago-cook...
boltsmag.org/chicago-cook...
Reposted by Piper French
"The documents also show that ICE is planning to once again use location data remotely harvested from peoples’ smartphones after previously saying it had stopped the practice." -- @josephcox.bsky.social for @404media.co:
ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day
Documents show that ICE has gone back on its decision to not use location data remotely harvested from peoples' phones. The database is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data.
www.404media.co
October 1, 2025 at 1:26 PM
"The documents also show that ICE is planning to once again use location data remotely harvested from peoples’ smartphones after previously saying it had stopped the practice." -- @josephcox.bsky.social for @404media.co:
Boston's Michelle Wu has attracted notice for standing up to Trump on ICE raids. But her stance is undermined by the city's fusion center, which civil liberties advocates have warned abt for yrs: "The whole purpose of it is federal & local law enforcement collaboration."
boltsmag.org/boston-polic...
boltsmag.org/boston-polic...
Bid to Renew Federal Grant Sparks Concern Boston May Help Trump’s DHS on Immigration - Bolts
The grant helps fund a law enforcement center that’s drawn criticism over privacy and over data-sharing with ICE. It would also come with new strings to spend money on border control.
boltsmag.org
September 30, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Boston's Michelle Wu has attracted notice for standing up to Trump on ICE raids. But her stance is undermined by the city's fusion center, which civil liberties advocates have warned abt for yrs: "The whole purpose of it is federal & local law enforcement collaboration."
boltsmag.org/boston-polic...
boltsmag.org/boston-polic...
disgusting
JERUSALEM (AP) — In 'unprecedented operation,' Israeli army takes over mobile phones of Gaza residents to carry Netanyahu UN speech live.
September 26, 2025 at 5:42 PM
disgusting
"...Weiss and the Free Press were there to help reactionaries at elite institutions advance their internal turf wars – & unlike a year ago, those reactionaries can now count on the full weight of Trump’s authoritarian administration to back them up."
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
Disgruntled NYT journalist to ‘anti-woke’ power grab: how far can Bari Weiss go?
After leaving the New York Times, she turned her Substack into an unshakable pro-Israel voice. Now as Paramount eyes acquisition of her company, Weiss is poised to become Trump’s ally among media elit...
www.theguardian.com
September 15, 2025 at 6:29 PM
"...Weiss and the Free Press were there to help reactionaries at elite institutions advance their internal turf wars – & unlike a year ago, those reactionaries can now count on the full weight of Trump’s authoritarian administration to back them up."
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
Reposted by Piper French
A couple of months ago, I started digging into the Justice Department’s decision to seek a death sentence for Luigi Mangione.
One thing I found: Never since Congress reinstated the federal death penalty had an attorney general bent so many rules to get her way.
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/l...
One thing I found: Never since Congress reinstated the federal death penalty had an attorney general bent so many rules to get her way.
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/l...
How Luigi Mangione Is Fighting the Trump Justice Department’s “Unprecedented” Rush to Execute Him
Lawyers for the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson argue that their client’s constitutional rights are being violated by the government, while legal experts question Attorney Genera...
www.vanityfair.com
September 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
A couple of months ago, I started digging into the Justice Department’s decision to seek a death sentence for Luigi Mangione.
One thing I found: Never since Congress reinstated the federal death penalty had an attorney general bent so many rules to get her way.
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/l...
One thing I found: Never since Congress reinstated the federal death penalty had an attorney general bent so many rules to get her way.
www.vanityfair.com/news/story/l...
Reposted by Piper French
ICE Air ran an excruciatingly long 50-hour deportation flight on Sept. 11-12, stopping at Guantanamo Bay before deporting people to Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, DRC, & Guinea. The plane also stopped in Senegal on the way there and back—likely for fuel—and in Ghana again on the return.
September 15, 2025 at 4:42 PM
ICE Air ran an excruciatingly long 50-hour deportation flight on Sept. 11-12, stopping at Guantanamo Bay before deporting people to Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, DRC, & Guinea. The plane also stopped in Senegal on the way there and back—likely for fuel—and in Ghana again on the return.
"“They thought we were just white trash rednecks & that we would just roll over & take it & not say anything." Remarkable new feature by @laurengill.bsky.social about the doubts & resistance that Sarah Huckabee Sanders' mega prison project has spurred in rural Arkansas: boltsmag.org/arkansas-pri...
The Prison Next Door - Bolts
How Arkansas’ secretive plan for a new state lockup angered residents in a deep red corner of rural America—and changed how some see incarceration.
boltsmag.org
September 15, 2025 at 6:01 PM
"“They thought we were just white trash rednecks & that we would just roll over & take it & not say anything." Remarkable new feature by @laurengill.bsky.social about the doubts & resistance that Sarah Huckabee Sanders' mega prison project has spurred in rural Arkansas: boltsmag.org/arkansas-pri...