“Follow the money” is great on paper but can often feel tedious in real life, but this week there were a number of great examples showing how following a paper trail, whether documents regarding the incorporation of a religion or a parking ticket database, can lead to interesting stories.

Divesting from companies at the municipal level is a city-wide form of direct action that, this summer, New York City used this against for-profit prisons.

New York City announced last week that it had become the first city to fully divest from private prisons in its pension fund investments, liquidating approximately $48 million in stocks and bonds supporting for-profit prison companies.