Freelancing with a small community outlet that covered the protests in NJ! njurbannews.com/2025/10/20/n...

My latest, for @chalkbeat.org: El Puente, a leading environmental justice organization in Brooklyn, is fighting for its future after losing a $3M EPA grant due to cuts by the Trump administration. Decades of youth leadership and community work are at risk.

"Victoria Lee should be alive...we do not, today, find any hope or reason in the workings of the law in New Jersey." - Statement from AAPI NJ @dosocialjustice.bsky.social @njaij.bsky.social @zellieimani.bsky.social @stopaapihate.org @faithinnewjersey.bsky.social

@mixedlinguist.bsky.social dropping facts on multiracial people not fitting census categories: www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8h6Tk71/

Zohran Mamdani’s NYC mayoral primary win is inspiring hope and action across the river in NJ. Organizers and young voters see his campaign as a blueprint for change. They're pushing local leaders to listen to working families. By Priyanka Bansal, edited by me: njurbannews.com/2025/07/02/m...

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice released its landmark report on Juneteenth, providing sweeping policy proposals to enact reparations in NJ. It also provided a detailed history on why NJ is called “the slave state of the North.” My latest: njurbannews.com/2025/06/19/n...

Burning water, insufficient food, toxic air. These are the conditions people faced inside a Newark immigrant detention facility leading up to last week's protests. My latest:

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey mayor is arrested at ICE detention center where he was protesting its opening, acting US attorney says.

60 Minutes found no criminal record for 75% of the Venezuelan migrants the U.S. sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador. https://cbsn.ws/4lC4Vp5

Cory Booker urges Democrats to act in first public appearance after record-breaking speech newjerseymonitor.com/2025/04/05/c... via @taylorjung.bsky.social

@booker.senate.gov news is everywhere today but check out @bhulac.bsky.social's story for full context and fun facts you only get being there IRL. @njspotlightnews.bsky.social www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/04/book...

NEW: GEO Group, whose stock is valued at $4 billion, says that state minimum wage laws don’t apply to the cleaning services that it’s asked detained migrants to perform at facilities where they’re kept. @mckenziefunk.com

The Trump administration cut a clause from federal contracting rules that had been on the books since the 1960s: Companies are no longer explicitly prohibited from having segregated facilities

Over two years later, a state grand jury has decided not to criminally charge officers that killed #NajeeSeabrooks. His killing sparked a watershed movement in NJ, where advocates + communities pushed for police reform and non-law enforcement crisis emergency response programs.

After seven years, my time at NJ Spotlight News has come to an end. I'm leaving with immense gratitude for the stories I've told and the people I've met. I'm excited for what's next and remain passionate about social justice reporting.

Mahmoud Khalil's case is, unfortunately, not unique. Families are showing up to NJ's detention center, only to find out their loved ones are no longer there. It's becoming more difficult for families and lawyers to locate detainees. My latest: www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/03/ice-...

Expired food. Drinking water from their hands. Conditions are deteriorating at New Jersey's only immigrant detention center. Advocates are sounding the alarm as plans move forward for a new facility that will quadruple the state's detention capacity.

“I was yelled at, intimidated by men with guns on their hips,” she said. “One man got right in my face and screamed that my attitude was fucking shit.” (From a reporter attempting to re-enter her own country.)

The next time someone calls a reporter "biased" or an activist — especially someone who is a woman, a person of color, LGBTQ+, an immigrant, and/or disabled — ask them to articulate the difference between bias and expertise: longreads.com/2018/03/29/i...

being neurodivergent means figuring out every day (maybe every hour) what scrunched up position you're going to work in

ICE announced it will turn Delaney Hall into NJ's next detention center. Geo Group is the company which responded to ICE's original RFP. It also filed a complaint against NJ, which is currently battling CoreCivic over its law that (effectively) bans detention centers.

News: NPR chief diversity officer Keith Woods to retire, amid broad attack on DEI He told colleagues today that he has been planning his retirement since 2023 but delayed after home destroyed last year by Helene. It follows PBS's ouster of DEI execs. www.npr.org/2025/02/26/n...

Rep. Jeff Van Drew told reporters this afternoon he's undecided about to vote in his party's budget deal. That's scheduled for tonight. Van Drew on the fence not a good sign for passage. What this proposal means for NJ --> www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/02/cong... @njspotlightnews.bsky.social

Youth subcultures used flamboyant fashion and jazz to reject Nazi conformity. Read more here ⤵️

The 3/1 deadline approaches for the DOJ to find institutions to criminally prosecute for "illegal DEI" practices. But law experts say it's not clear what criminal laws these programs violate. “DEI has basically...been turned into...a not-so-subtle racial slur,” said David Lopez, former EEOC counsel.

SERENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy launched a clemency initiative last year focused on people with excessive sentences, those convicted of now-legal offenses, and abuse survivors. It doesn’t automatically review cases—eligible people must still apply. boltsmag.org/new-jer...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate confirms Russell Vought as White House budget director, putting Project 2025 architect at helm of powerful office.

Immigrant advocacy orgs say reports of ICE sightings are spreading anxiety, esp. b/c some reports aren't real or are old. Some ways to help: people can provide as much info as possible, report tips directly to advocates who can verify ICE encounters, and attend "know your rights" workshops

Every ICE field office is now expected to make 75 arrests a day, according to WaPo. This increases the chances of encounters with immigration officials, sowing fear and anxiety across the state. @bobby-brier.bsky.social:

Michigan State University cancels Lunar New Year event because the anti-DEI EO apparently means we can't celebrate holidays

New WH press sec Karoline Leavitt today: "This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional."

otter being down while trying to report on today's news is just 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼

Breaking - 6 state AG's, including NJ, announced a lawsuit against the federal funding freeze, calling it unconstitutional because Congress holds the purse strings. The freeze has jeopardized social programs across the country, the AG's said.

Hi, are you slouching? Have you had something high in protein or a glass of water today?

it's only tuesday

lots of new followers here! if you like my stories and want to see more, follow me elsewhere - 📷: _tayjung ⏰: tayreporting

Immigrants make up a significant share of NJ's labor force. The economic impact of hardline immigration policies could be significant. More from @johnreitmeyer.bsky.social:

Schools are no longer safe spaces from ICE agents. NJ has provided info for schools on how to deal with ICE agents showing up at their doorsteps. More from @hannah-gross.bsky.social:

Ventura County strawberry workers are harvesting in heavy smoke from the Hughes Fire. We remind workers their employers have to provide them with respirator masks if the AQI exceeds 150. Stay safe! #WeFeedYou

This exec order directly targets #highered To receive federal grants, orgs must certify they don't operate "illegal" DEI programs. Private sector will be "encouraged" to end DEI via "civil compliance investigations". Targets include higher ed institutions with >1bn endowment. #edusky #academicsky

NEW: Today, @veritenews.org is launching What Was Lost, a series that examines the emotional and cultural toll Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans through stories of the items people lost. The series starts with a story from our editor-in-chief, Terry Baquet. veritenews.org/what-was-los...

A bug in Cloudflare (and just the nature of how CDNs work) let an attacker learn the broad location of Discord, Signal, Twitter users by just sending them an image, according to a security researcher. It works because check which data center cached the image www.404media.co/cloudflare-i...

The fires in Los Angeles are a major reminder again to stock up on high-filtration masks and get a HEPA air purifier. I like Levoit, Coway and Blue Air ones. You can also get them gently used on FB Marketplace, new from a store, or make a Corsi-Rosenthal box. And don't forget to unwrap the filters.

billionaires Stewart and Linda Resnick managed to seize control of a big chunk of california's water supply. they own wonderful pistachios, pom pomegranate juice, fiji, and more brands you recognize. one billionaire couple owns almost all the water in california!!!

New Jerseyans on both sides of the aisle have been angry about NYC's new congestion pricing toll, saying it will impact everyday people trying to get to work. But just who, and how many, will be impacted? Well, the answer isn't that simple. www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/01/who-...

nothing like a news org throwing up a paywall on emergency info during an unprecedented natural disaster

City officials approved the 76ers arena earlier today despite public protest. Here is why Chinatown families are against the project:

The new Sixers arena could be approved in Philly tomorrow. But Chinatown advocates say the project will negatively affect their neighborhood, which will be right next to the facility. It's just one example of how Chinatowns across the country are fighting for survival. Here's one family's story:

them: relaxing after work, disconnecting from the day me: stalking all websites that sell sonny angels to figure out when they'll restock