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NEW YORK CITY — Ninety-nine percent. The number sent an audible gasp throughout the City Council chamber. Chief of Detectives Dermot F. Shea had just read off the percentage of people of color on the NYPD’s controversial — and until now — largely secretive gang database. Shea was talking publicly for the first time about one of the New York Police Department’s most popular crime-fighting tools. He testified Wednesday before the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety in the database’s...

BROWNSVILLE, Tex. — In the loading docks, children sat in a darkened auditorium watching the animated movie “Moana.” Where there were once racks of clothes and aisles of appliances, there were now spotless dorm-style bedrooms with neatly made beds and Pokemon posters on the walls. The back parking lots were now makeshift soccer fields and volleyball courts. The McDonald’s was now the cafeteria. All this made it difficult to visualize what the sprawling facility used to be — a former Walmart...

The number of people dying by suicide in the United States has risen by about 30 percent in the past two decades. And while the majority of suicide-related deaths today are among boys and men, a study published Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics finds that the number of girls and women taking their own lives is rising. "Typically there's between three and four times as many suicides among males as among females," says Dr. Holly Hedegaard , a medical epidemiologist at the...

Years ago, when I was a medical student trying my hand at a variety of specialties, I spent two months on the surgery service. The days were rigorous, starting before 5 a.m., when I was expected at the hospital to round on patients who had recently undergone surgery. I then scrubbed in to the first operating room case of the day, at 7 a.m. Depending on the complexity of the procedure, we wouldn’t emerge from the O.R. for hours, biologic needs such as going to the bathroom or eating be...

When we hear the word tantrum, we picture a 2-year-old lying on the floor kicking and screaming. Very rarely do we use it to describe an adult having an outburst. In reality, adults can have this kind of outburst at any moment in time. We don’t typically refer to an adult as having a tantrum. We refer to them as being angry or “just blowing off some steam.” However, when their behavior becomes cyclical, predictive, or problematic the impact of their behavior should be assessed and addressed.

The below piece was published as the lead story in Aspenia , an Italian journal on international affairs. Their June issue explores the "rise of the city-state.” Around the world, nation-states are looking backward—electing populist leaders who want to set back the clock on economic, social, and cultural advancement. Our cities remain our truest beacons of progress and compassion, developing new approaches to equity, devising new initiatives on jobs, healthcare, and education, and, of...

Many who take up careers in clinical psychotherapy have a deep personal commitment – some might say calling – to help others on their journey toward better mental health. Some, like post traumatic stress expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (whose father was a Nazi concentration camp survivor), found powerful motivation to improve mental illness treatment, after bearing witness to the deep impact of trauma on a loved one. By nature, the work of a clinical psychotherapist can carry a high risk of...

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signed two landmark bills into law this session related to improving outcomes for youth in the state’s foster care system. As of June 1, through H.B. 18-1306 , Colorado became the first state in the nation to dedicate millions of dollars specifically to the educational stability of students in foster care. With the new law, Colorado is committing $2.8 million this fiscal year and $3.9 million the following year to ensure that foster youth have...

Steve Sturm believes every child should have the same opportunities that his 3-year-old daughter Reagan enjoys. Things like new boots, trips to the trampoline park — and preschool. But for children known to the foster care system, too many miss out on the earliest years of their education. “There wasn’t any real focus on early ed. It was kind of an afterthought,” said Sturm, who works with the education unit at L.A.’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the biggest child...

When Arizona’s foster care system swelled to an all-time-high of over 19,000 children in 2016, the reason should have been obvious to the state’s lawmakers. It certainly wasn’t because thousands of residents were suddenly abusing and neglecting their children, but Arizona approached the problem with that mentality. As a result, thousands of children were taken from their families when in-home services and support would have sufficed. Here’s what was actually happening: Since the Great...

Drama students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School performed the Rent standout "Seasons of Love" at the 2018 Tony Awards to honor their theatre teacher Melody Herzfeld, who helped saved dozens of lives during the shooting at the Parkland, Florida school. Herzfeld barricaded 65 students inside a closet within her classroom during the February 14th shooting, which killed 17 people at the school. For her actions, the Tonys awarded Herzfeld the 2018 Excellence in Theatre Education Award,...

Childhood jingles evoke memories from a most transformative time in our lives and the lives of our children. We can all remember the old classics like The ABC’s, Old McDonald Had a Farm and The Wheels on the Bus. Pause for a moment and reflect on when you last heard Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Remember the catchy melody and enjoy the words. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder What You Are Up Above the World So High Like a Diamond in the Sky Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder...