Summary: Alexa can help keep you get civically engaged, labeling the formerly incarcerated and why Black folks should care and participate in the immigration debate.<br> <br> <br> <br> #CIVICDOCKET <br> A few of the civic related stories we discussed on the show that you may have missed in mainstream media. Follow the hashtag #CivicDocket on Twitter or view more <a href="https://www.sundaycivics.org/civicdocket/">here</a>.<br> <br> * <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/342019-felons-convicts-formerly-incarcerated/">Formerly Incarcerated vs. Felon</a> L. Joy shares why she has been fixing headlines and talks about the stigma and labeling of the formerly incarcerated.<br> * <a href="https://newsone.com/3770437/black-incarceration-rate-decline-obama-criminal-justice-reform-policies/">The Black Incarceration Rate Is Declining, But For How Long?</a> By the numbers: According to the Pew Research Center, Black incarceration rate decreased by 17 percent between 2009 and 2016, Federal and state prisons held 584,800 Black inmates in 2009 and fell to 486,900 at the end of 2016. Bonus: the stubborn gap between Black and White prisoners also decreased. This Administration and their view on Criminal Justice Reform is putting all of that at risk.<br> * <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/579778555/what-happens-when-suburban-police-departments-dont-have-enough-money">What Happens When Suburban Police Departments Don't Have Enough Money?</a> This article examines several suburbs outside of Chicago where the police departments strapped for cash are paying police officers fast-food wages, they are working part-time patrolling high crime areas and then using their badge to get better paying security jobs. The lack of resources is a recipe for a lack of accountability.<br> * <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/01/17/578422668/heres-just-how-little-confidence-americans-have-in-political-institutions">Here's Just How Little Confidence Americans Have In Political Institutions</a> The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, Americans have limited confidence in its public schools, courts, organized labor and banks, and even less confidence in big business, the presidency, the political parties and the media. Buuut Americans have overwhelming faith in is the military — 87 percent say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the military.<br> * <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/17/16897870/americans-cant-name-objective-news-source">Half of Americans can’t name a news source they consider objective</a> New study by the Knight Foundation puts public perception of biased news media in a historical perspective: in 1989, only 25 percent of US adults said there was a “great deal” of political bias in news coverage. Now, that number is at an all-time high of 45 percent, and Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to see the news as politically skewed.<br> * <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/23/580149434/motel-6-sued-for-identifying-latino-guests-for-immigration-agents">Motel 6 Sued For Identifying Latino Guests For Immigration Agents</a> in a lawsuit, filed on behalf of the guests in federal court in Arizona by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund or MALDEF, the claim that this past summer Motel 6 employees gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents personal information about hotel guests in violation of federal and state laws barring discrimination based on national origin, and protecting against unreasonable searches. And Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is also suing that company claiming employees of the national budget chain divulged the names, birthdates, driver's license numbers, license-plate numbers and room numbers of more than 9,000 guests to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The agents did not have warrants.<br> * <a href="https://rewire.news/article/2018/01/18/border-patrols-destruction..."></a>
