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Lakeidra Chavis is a staff writer for The Marshall Project. She has written on wide-ranging topics including the rise in Black suicides during the pandemic, the changing structure of gangs, the opioid crisis and victim compensation. Lakeidra previously reported at The Trace, ProPublica Illinois and NPR stations in Chicago and Alaska. Lakeidra is a 2021 Livingston Award finalist. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Email lchavis@themarshallproject.org
Twitter @lakeidrachavis
A close-up shot of three peoples' hands at a table. A medium-skin person is writing on a piece of paper. Also on the table, there is a black pistol with a red tag, a water container, hand sanitizer, a blue lanyard with the words "Bureau of Organized Crime," a phone ,and the hands of a light-skinned person unloading a silver pocket pistol.
Analysis May 3
How We Reported on Rising Gun Possession Arrests
The Marshall Project used arrest data in Chicago and other cities to understand who was arrested for gun possession and how the number of arrests changed over time.
By Geoff Hing and Lakeidra Chavis
Feature March 24
How Chicago Got Its Gun Laws
It’s nearly impossible to separate modern-day gun laws from race.
By Lakeidra Chavis
An officer inspects one of the two long guns on a table.
Feature March 23
5 Things to Know About the Failed War on Gun Violence
Gun possession arrests are a major policing tactic in the fight against gun violence. Here’s how that plays out.
By Lakeidra Chavis and Geoff Hing
A photo collage displays images of side profiles of police officers, an individual being detained, ripped pages of a map of Chicago and a diagram of a gun.
Feature March 23
The War on Gun Violence Has Failed. And Black Men Are Paying the Price.
In Chicago and elsewhere, gun possession arrests are rising as shootings go unsolved.
By Lakeidra Chavis and Geoff Hing
A black and white photograph shows a large electronic billboard with a closeup of an eye at the front of a store in New York.
Analysis February 27
What the Panic Over Shoplifting Reveals About American Crime Policy
Lawmakers consider bills to crack down on people ripping off retailers, even as some stores walk back claims about a growing theft problem.
By Nicole Lewis
Life Inside April 29, 2022
My Son Nacear Was Killed on Memorial Day. It Took Me Two Years to Cry.
I was taking care of his kids, going to work, and helping my other children process their brother’s murder. I couldn’t have accomplished what I needed to if I had cried sooner.
Johndell Gredic, as told to Lakeidra Chavis
Life Inside April 28, 2022
People Often Say My Son ‘Passed Away.’ Darien Was Murdered.
If I see a car that looks like Darien’s or the sunlight hits just right, all of the sadness comes flooding back.
By Patricia Griffin, as told by Lakeidra Chavis
Life Inside April 27, 2022
My Son Alex Was Murdered at 21. Grief for Me Has Been Hurt, Anger and Bitterness
I’d put up reward posters, hoping somebody would say they knew what happened. Someone knew something, but they just wouldn’t give me any answers.
Christina Cherry, as told to Lakeidra Chavis
Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, a woman with dark brown skin and wearing a black blazer and shirt, stands in front of a gray studio background. She holds an image of her son Khaaliq Jabbar Johnson, who is wearing a graduation cap and gown.
Life Inside April 26, 2022
My Son Khaaliq Was Killed Over a Parking Space. Now I Help Other Mothers Grieve.
After a neighbor fatally shot her son in 2001, Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight started the anti-violence group Mothers in Charge. “I thought maybe two people would show up; the room was jam packed.”
Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, as told to Lakeidra Chavis
Life Inside December 9, 2021
After a Decade on Parole, I Saw 2021 As a Fresh Start. Life Had Other Plans.
A workplace injury derailed Alfonso Cobb’s progress, but the Arkansas wood factory worker is still holding on to his freedom dreams.
By Alfonso Cobb as told to Lakeidra Chavis
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