Detroit, Flint, and Chicago’s police scandal have kept me busy

Since late November I have been immersed in the Chicago police scandal that continues to grow. Writing for the Washington Post on the ground from Chicago, my work started with the release of the LaQuan McDonald video by CPD, the protests that followed, the resignations, the pledges for reform, and then two subsequent videos involving the shooting of unarmed black teenagers on the South Side. Here is the latest report.

My work struck a lighter not in Detroit where I covered the boom of restaurants over the past two years! The story ran on the front of the Washington Post’s dining section. Read it here.

Then there is Flint, Mich. One of the saddest stories of last, and presumably, this year, is the awful truth that people in that city have been drinking, bathing, and otherwise consuming water with incredibly high levels of lead. I went there two weeks ago to report for the Washington Post and will be returning for a follow-up. You can read that report here. It covers why this happened, the political fall-out in Lansing, and the despondency people there are feeling being hit with this scandal.

There was a bit of levity in all this work. I covered opening night of the Miley Cyrus/Flaming Lips tour for The Guardian. Read here.