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Topher Sanders

I report on injustice of any kind, but particularly in race, inequality and the legal system.

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What I Cover###

I report on injustice of any kind, but particularly in race, inequality and the legal system. I’m focused on how the second Trump administration will impact justice in America, but I’m always looking for under-covered stories that affect everyday folks.

My Background###

In 2023, I was part of a team of reporters that exposed the challenges communities face when freight trains block railroad crossings for days, endangering schoolchildren. Before that, my colleagues and I produced the multipart investigation “Walking While Black,” which explored how jaywalking citations are disproportionately given to Black pedestrians, and was part of a team that probed President Trump’s family separation policy. The former won the Al Nakkula award while the latter won Peabody and George Polk awards and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

My work has spurred grand juries and investigations into prosecutors,changed federal rules and forced police departments to drop charges against the unlawfully arrested.

In 2016 I co-founded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit working to increase the number of investigative reporters and editors of color. I am a graduate of Tuskegee University and I started my journalism career at the Montgomery Advertiser in Alabama.

You can send me feedback, story tips and documents via email at [email protected], or by Signal or WhatsApp at 904-254-0393

Featured Posts By This Author

  • Walking While Black

    Jacksonville’s enforcement of pedestrian violations raises concerns that it’s another example of racial profiling.

  • As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School

    When crossings are blocked for hours, kids risk their lives to get to school by crawling through trains that could start at any moment. Ambulances and fire trucks can’t get through. The problem has existed for decades. But it’s getting worse.

  • Immigrant Youth Shelters: “If You’re a Predator, It’s a Gold Mine”

    We obtained police reports and call logs from more than two-thirds of the shelters housing immigrant children. Here’s what they show.

  • Still Can’t Breathe

    How NYPD officers continue to use chokeholds — which can be deadly and are explicitly prohibited by the department — on civilians, while officers with substantiated claims of abuse go without any meaningful punishment.

All Posts By This Author