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Commentary

The commentary section features work from staff, faculty, members of the editorial board, and outside contributors. 

The positions stated within commentary articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the Chicago Policy Review nor Editorial Board.


100 posts
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No Amount of Training Can Prevent Police Brutality

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Marvin Slaughter contributed to this piece.The killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by officers of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) has led to renewed calls for improved police training. But no amount of training can fix the institution of policing; we need a... More »

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Yellow Phone Booth

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With promising advances in the COVID-19 vaccination effort and a new administration in the White House, 2021 has felt hopeful for many reasons. For me, an Iranian-American immigrant who has maintained an emotionally split home for the past eighteen years, the ... More »

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The Student Debt Crisis

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The time to pass universal student loan forgiveness is now. To date, more than 45 million current and former students are burdened with student debt, with collective debt exceeding $1.6 trillion. The current global pandemic has only exacerbated this crisis, an... More »

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Over-Criminalized & Under-Resourced

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The murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Elijah McClain have drawn national attention to policing issues throughout the U.S. One reform in the wake of these murders that is gaining attention is the Counseling Not Criminalization Act. This act proposes ... More »

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The Case for Puerto Rican Self-Determination

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On February 3, 2020, I stood outside the Drake University building where one of the Iowa Caucuses was taking place. That morning, I had driven up from Humboldt Park, Chicago, squeezed into a rental van with a group of four other members of the Puerto Rican Age... More »

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The Coffee Cup and Plastic Straw

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Introduction: A regular day in the life of an American Jennifer is on her way to work when she makes her daily stop at the local coffee shop in Chicago to pick up her iced coffee for the day, served in a coffee cup with a single-use plastic straw. As an Americ... More »

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Direct Democracy Now

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In the internet age, middlemen of all stripes have found themselves out of a job. But there is one type of middleman that seems immune from disruption: the legislator. Each election cycle, these grifters regale us with fantastical promises. Then, their campaig... More »

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It’s Time for a New Constitution

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On Thursday September 17, the United States celebrated Constitution Day—a holiday celebrating the signing of the Constitution in 1787. In the intervening 233 years, the document has undergone 27 revisions that have aimed at making the United States and its ins... More »