Tehran police will no longer arrest women for failing to observe Islamic dress code
For nearly 40 years, women in Iran have been forced to cover their hair and wear long, loose garments.
Cities
Seattle decriminalizes possession and cultivation of psychedelics
The City Council voted unanimously to decriminalize the non-commercial possession and cultivation of many psychedelics for “religious, spiritual, healing, or personal growth practices.”
Los Angeles County is dismissing 60,000 cannabis convictions
The dismissals aim to reverse the racial injustices of drug laws as many of the cases are those of people of color disproportionately incarcerated for drug offenses.
New York City is removing policing from city schools
The city’s 5,000 school safety agents will be transferred from the supervision of the New York police department to the Department of Education in June of next year.
Los Angeles County votes to end oil and gas drilling
There are currently 1,046 active wells, 637 idle wells, and 2,731 abandoned wells in unincorporated areas of the nation’s most populous county.
Richmond’s massive Robert E. Lee statue has been removed
Lee’s statue was the largest Confederate monument in Richmond, Virginia and one of the largest in the country. Nearly every other Confederate statue in the city was removed last summer by protests or the city itself.
Charlotte, NC launches peer-run alternative to psychiatric hospitalization
The facility is entirely run by those who have experienced mental illness, psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, incarceration, or substance use. It is designed to be an alternative for those who are without physical injury who would otherwise be admitted to a psychiatric facility by an emergency room.
City of Madison will begin sending specialists to non-violent mental health calls instead of police
Madison’s CARES (Community Alternative Response to Emergency Situations and Services) team will feature two paramedics from Madison Fire Department, as well as two representatives from the Journey Mental Health Facility in Madison.
Charlotte passes LGBTQ nondiscrimination law
Charlotte, North Carolina has passed an ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity after years of delays and billions of dollars.
Eighteen million trees to be planted around Glasgow
An urban forest of 18 million trees, is to be planted around Glasgow over the next 10 years. The number of trees being planted is equivalent to 10 trees per resident.