Timothy Sandefur, the principal attorney of The Pacific Legal Foundation, condemns the serious consequences resulting from many vague laws on the federal and state level. Sandefur and other opponents of over-policing say that vague laws are ineffective, illegal and permit the misuse of police power.

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Hunter College student "C." says this poster, which employers are required to display, is prominently posted and routinely ignored at her place of work. (Photo: NYS DOL/City Limits)

Like most students at Hunter College, this double-major honors student juggles work, school and bills. Yet her undocumented status, which remains a secret, weighs heavily on her chances of achieving a successful career once she finally earns her degree.

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Marc Fader/City Limits

The number of low-income New Yorkers is a matter of statistics. Answering deeper questions about poverty demands drilling down deep into the lives of individual people, a few of whose stories are presented in this month's issue of City Limits.

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The Atlas Cops & Kids Boxing Club in East Flatbush is one of a very few surviving youth boxing programs in the city. (Photo: Marc Fader/City Limits)

As budgets have tightened in recent years, the number of free boxing programs in New York City has considerably shrunk. Proponents, who say boxing teaches at-risk youth discipline, dedication and self-confidence, find themselves having to convince doubtful youth development foundations to continue support.

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The NYPD pulls over a livery cab in Queens. Street hails are common in the outer boroughs, but illegal, so drivers have to weigh the risk of getting a ticket that can wipe out a day's profits.

Livery cab drivers continue to make their living picking up street hails, a long-standing practice that's still illegal until the bill to create a regulated outer-borough taxi is approved by Gov. Cuomo. more>

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The Senate and Assembly banking committees have both approved a bill to permit check-cashing outlets to provide short-term loans. Backers say it offers financing to those whom regular banks don't serve. Critics say it would permit exploitative "payday" lending. more>

In a recent survey of correctional facilities across the nation, the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics found that three New York State prisons ranked among the top 11 participating facilities in the rate of inmate reports of staff sexual abuse. more>

An audit released Wednesday by Comptroller John Liu reported that at some facilities run by New York City's Health and Hospital Corporations, the time between available mammogram screening appointments was treacherously high. more>

The right-wing push to hike the social security retirement age is a warning siren to New York's communities of color. Make no mistake: The policy would have particularly dire implications for New York City, which is exceptional both in racial diversity and economic inequality.  more>

Kamal Nasser isn't a paid community organizer. He's a Bangladeshi immigrant who works as a street vendor in Jackson Heights. But after repeatedly losing heat and electricity, and following months of eviction threats in his rent-stabilized Kensington apartment building, Nasser has taken on the role of advocating for himself and his fellow tenants in his building. more>

Through the transitional jobs program, hundreds of former welfare recipients have performed actual city jobs – not workfare. But state budget reductions will force the program to scale back. more>

More than 5,000 NYPD school safety agents patrol the hallways of New York City's schools. But are they making them safer? Is there a different way? The following adapted excerpt from Lockdown High: When the Schoolhouse Becomes a Jailhouse, by Annette Fuentes (Verso, May 2011) finds anecdotal reports and statistical evidence that tighter security does not always make for safer schools. more>

In New York State, unfortunately, about one in 11 children – more than 400,000 kids – live in houses headed by non-parent relatives. more>

The tiff between Albany and City Hall over education aid isn't the only fight brewing over the governor's budget. His cuts to public assistance, homeless services and child welfare are also coming under fire. more>

Few would deny that state-run juvenile detention facilities are flawed. But a Bloomberg bid to take control of some of those sites has raised a new set of issues. more>

Democrats know that opponents of "Obamacare" could have more success attacking the law piece by piece, or making it an issue in the 2012 elections. So this week, the law's supporters mounted a major counter-offensive. Its thrust: that the overhaul has benefits that most Americans know nothing about. more>

The president's campaign pledge to pay attention to cities got some tough early reviews. But now communities around the country are getting federal help to plan for the future. more>

Industrial jobs are disappearing throughout America, but they're vanishing faster in New York. In this op-ed, questions about what City Hall could have done – and still could do – differently. more>

"We're the bridge," stresses Corona Queens public library manager Vilma Raquel Daza, "between the people and knowledge. This is a poor community and it has low resources. The people want to use the resources of the library." more>

Bodegas, urban convenience stores that sell items such as candy and cold medicine, are East Harlem's economic heartbeat. Despite recent news that the recession is over, bodega owners and costumers say its pulse has slowed to a murmur. more>

Because young undocumented immigrants hoping to go to college stand to gain so much from the bill, the DREAM Act has become – during the 10 years that Congress has considered the legislation – the rallying point of thousands of Latino youth activists nationwide. more>

"You have no choice.  You learn to buy better.  You become leaner.  You use your staff better," local businessman Gary Nudelman says.  "But if it doesn't start doing something soon, I'm going to be out of business after 26 years." more>

I know the money I pay my employee for those sick days will come back to me in another way – increased sales, smoother running stores, my employees taking more responsibility that I otherwise would have to take. more>

Bloomberg's 2009 proposal came as the Obama administration was ramping up its Promise Neighborhoods program, built on the Harlem Children's Zone template, a program that has received strong support from the mayor. But now, the federal program has shifted focus. more>

The involvement of a curriculum-providing company called K12 Classroom LLC – whose chairman, Andrew H. Tisch, is the brother-in-law of New York State Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch – could be a test of the state's new charter-schools law which forbids for-profit charter school management. more>

There are more than 5,200 police officers acting as safety agents in the NYC public school system, and half as many guidance counselors.  This imbalance contributes to the harsh discipline some students face, said activists.

VIDEO :: A Harlem charter school came under investigation in May after a report claims students were punched, thrown to the floor, and dragged by the hair. NY1 reports. more>

VIDEO :: Senator Bill Perkins and challenger Basil Smikle, vying for the senate seat that includes Harlem, the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights sat down for a debate on September 1st's edition of "Inside City Hall" on NY1. more>

The New York City Housing Authority announced in February that after years of inaction, Prospect Plaza was now so deteriorated it needed to be torn down. It is the first time New York City is demolishing an entire high-rise public housing development. more>

For two years, a federal agent has worked behind the scenes to quell racial tensions in the borough. In a recent spate of attacks, hate seems only one of a mixture of motives. Ethnic diversity among the assailants and the victims complicates matters further. more>

VIDEO :: Among the issues considered by the NYC Charter Revision Commission are term limits, ending partisan primaries and having non partisan elections. NY1's Grace Rauh reports. more>

City Limits joined a tour of areas where stimulus funds facilitated projects large and small.  Although there is much gratitude expressed, local leaders are asking what's next. more>

Although the Obama Administration had budgeted $210 million to fund the nationwide Promise Neighborhoods initiative – modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone – House and Senate negotiations have trimmed that amount to $20 million. This funding cut comes on the heels of a recently released report that questions the impact of such models.

VIDEO :: Harlem Program Scrutinized more>

At New York City's three juvenile justice facilities, a few hundred teenagers sleep in locked buildings fenced behind barbed wire. They wear uniforms and have their movements monitored, as if they were in jail more>

"All I am and know is of the United States of America. I know no one and have no one in my place of birth. It would be a shame to let all of my hard work in becoming a rehabilitated and changed man go to waste," stated a previously incarcerated immigrant.

VIDEO :: In May, Governor David Paterson announced the establishment of an immigrants pardon panel. NY1's Erin Billups reports. more>

Many immigrants in the New York area are seeking faith workers for assistance with immigration issues. Although comforting for those getting help, the complicated immigration system is stumping these good Samaritans, resulting in unfortunate consequences. more>

Immigrants who entered the United States illegally must now decide whether to leave their U.S. born children behind, or bring them to a land where unsafe practices abound now that they are facing deportation.  

VIDEO :: CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports on an American girl who had to choose between living in the U.S. or with her family. more>

According to a new report, "In communities of color, where the foreclosure crisis has taken an especially severe toll, access to prime, conventional mortgage loans have declined precipitously." more>

At issue is a $4.2 million reduction to the HASA budget for caseworkers. more>

A pioneering plan by a nationally known anti-poverty group to establish a charter school at a public housing complex was greeted at a Wednesday night community meeting with more skepticism than enthusiasm.

VIDEO :: Lindsey Christ of NY1 reports on plans to build a $100 million charter school on the grounds of the St. Nicholas Houses in Harlem. more>

High unemployment among black Americans means the United States has failed to live up to commitments it made under United Nations human rights agreements, a coalition of advocacy groups charges. more>

The Specialized High School Admissions Test, given free of charge by the New York City Department of Education, is the key to getting into the city's top three public high schools. So common is the exam for Bangladeshi adolescents that it's become a rite of passage. more>