Up Close: Criminal injustice during BLM movement, mail-in ballots

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Over the past two months, Americans have broached topics surrounding race and racism, equality and inequality, and leveling the playing field.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Public Advocate Jumanne Williams discussed the controversial bail reform law on how to keep Black youth out of the criminal justice program earlier this year.

In a recent call, Adams said the topic of criminal justice is more important now than ever before.

"The truth has been a downstream tool," he said. "We've been saying 'I Can't breathe' for years."

(Segment 1 is feature above)

The drive to get voters to vote this year is more controversial and more critical than ever before.

Vote.org is the largest non-profit, non-partisan voter registration and get out the vote (GOTV) technology platform in America.

The recent pandemic and racial unrest has created a new focus on voting.

There have been pushbacks from people in Washington that mail-in ballots are a ticket to voter fraud.

Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org, says those claims are inaccurate, and the company is reaching out to as many people as possible because every individual has the right to vote.

ABC News Correspondent Adriene Bankert wrote a new book, "Your Hidden Superpower: The Kindness That Makes You Unbeatable at Work and Connects You with Anyone."

Bankert explains how kindness is vital today, especially while working remotely from home.

Segment 2:

Bill Ritter speaks with Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org.

Segment 3:

Bill Ritter speaks with ABC News Correspondent Adriene Bankert.

WATCH THE SERIES: EYEWITNESS TO A PANDEMIC (Episode 6 below)

Suddenly, the brutal death of George Floyd while in the custody of police officers in Minneapolis filled the streets of a nation with rage and sorrow. New York was no different. Protesters put the fear of the virus aside and took to the streets by the thousands. Abandoning the safety and comfort of social distance, to demand social change.

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7 On Your Side Investigates: Up to 4,000 coronavirus cases prevented by NYC contact tracers

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio along with local health experts have repeatedly called contact tracing a key element in preventing another spike of coronavirus in the city.

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