the stand

Syracuse is one of America's poorest cities, and its South Side area is rife with poverty and crime. For this reason, most of the news covered in the South Side is negative. The Stand is a community-based newspaper that aims to change and diversify the variety of stories published about the South Side. It does this primarily through feature stories and in-depth profiles about different members of the community.

I worked as a special assignment reporter for a special series The Stand did on how former prisoners and parolees transition back into society after jail-time. I wrote a long-form feature and produced a short video profile (right) on Karen Loftin.

I met Karen in mid-January through PEACE Inc., a non-profit organization that provides support to prison parolees. Being a former prisoner and a woman of color living with HIV, Karen has made it her mission to be a voice for those who can’t speak out for themselves. Over the next few months, I had numerous conversations with Karen in coffee shops, during car rides to events and also in her home. 

Click here for the print edition.

This story was picked up by the The Crime Report and republished on their website. It also won the Syracuse Press Club second place professional award in the Multimedia Story category.