Palm Beach County, Florida has many of the same social problems that Philadelphia has, including “gangs, drugs, and poverty.” However, their school system has managed to keep students safe by employing “safe-school case managers” who build relationships with students, and they offer a youth court that is a system run by students who peer-review cases of unrest. The initiatives in this county have prevented school violence from happening without metal detectors and just two police officers.

Conventional school policies fail to address the needs of transgender students. A school district in Tampa changed its human rights ordinance to include gender identity and expression.

The Albany Times Union reported Nov. 12 that Albany Episcopal diocese Bishop Rev. William H. Love issued an edict Nov. 10 that bans same-sex couples from marrying in the diocese’s church.

Love wrote in a statement that “the Episcopal Church and Western Society have been hijacked by the ‘Gay Rights Agenda’” and that “Satan is having a heyday bringing division into the Church and is trying to use the Church to hurt and destroy the very ones we love and care about by deceiving the leadership of the Church into creating ways for our gay and lesbians [sic] brothers and sister [sic] to embrace their sexual desires rather than to repent and seek God’s love and healing grace.”

The Bishop’s directive comes three weeks before ...

Organizations working to turn people away from violent hate groups have found some success with holistic approaches that include wrap-around services and acknowledging how people get caught up in racist ideology. But finding what works is challenging because so few resources and attention are directed to domestic hate groups. Scaling successful efforts is also difficult because they often involve building personal relationships to help people rediscover their humanity and compassion.