Crime victims come together to raise awareness of resources
Alabama, like all states, has a program to compensate victims of violence. But very few survivors take advantage of such programs.
Sheree Kennon is hosting an event Friday evening trying to change that.
In 2021, Kennon lost her son to gun violence. Now, she is an advocate for survivors and their families across Alabama.
“I wasn’t able to get those services because I didn’t know about them,” Kennon said.
The Alliance for Safety and Justice, an advocacy organization for safety and justice reform, is co-hosting the event with Keenon. The alliance reports that only 4% of violent crime survivors know about victim compensation programs.
Aswad Thomas, organization vice president, said Alabama’s compensation system can cover things like funeral expenses and mental health care. But even victims who do know about the program sometimes don’t get access to state support.
“The majority of crime victims that have applied for the program have been denied access to the program because of some of the policy barriers that exist,” Thomas said.
Thomas said these barriers include a requirement to submit a police report within 72 hours of the crime and apply for support within one year. Kennon says when she finally heard about victim compensation programs, the deadline to apply in her case had expired. She hopes people attending the event can avoid that by learning more about the process and getting assistance with their applications.
The event is being held at 1200 Tuscaloosa Avenue in Birmingham at 6 p.m.
US military used laser to take down Border Protection drone, lawmakers say
The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas.
Deadline looms as Anthropic rejects Pentagon demands it remove AI safeguards
The Defense Department has been feuding with Anthropic over military uses of its artificial intelligence tools. At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and access to some of the most advanced AI on the planet.
Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes
Pakistan's defense minister said that his country ran out of "patience" and considers that there is now an "open war" with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack.
Hillary Clinton calls House Oversight questioning ‘repetitive’ in 6 hour deposition
In more than seven hours behind closed doors, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answered questions from the House Oversight Committee as it investigates Jeffrey Epstein.
Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin
Memorial services for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to honor his long civil rights legacy begin in Chicago. Events will also take place in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born and began his activism.
In reversal, Warner Bros. jilts Netflix for Paramount
Warner Bros. says Paramount's sweetened bid to buy the whole company is "superior" to an $83 billion deal it struck with Netflix for just its streaming services, studios, and intellectual property.
