Stories I've published.
My work is in the BBC, The Nation, The New Republic, In These Times, and elsewhere.
How an Investigation Into a Homelessness Nonprofit Turned Into a LA Power Struggle
Another look at Urban Alchemy, this time in LA. Featuring interviews with the office of the City Controller and the City Attorney, among others.
Kentucky Is About to Pass the Cruelest Criminal-Justice Bill in America
I spoke to advocates and experts about why (and how) the Kentucky GOP was working to make killing unhoused people legal.
How Urban Alchemy Turns Homelessness Into Gold
Cities are pouring money into the nonprofit to manage encampments and patrol the streets where unhoused residents congregate. Not everyone is happy about it.
This article was a feature in The Nation‘s July 24/31 issue. My 9-month investigation involved trips to Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, as well as interviews with dozens of unhoused individuals, policy experts, advocates, and others. The Nation later nominated it for a Livingston award.
For Queer Starbucks Workers, Pride Month Is Strike Month
LGBTQ employees say that things are getting worse and worse at Starbucks—and they’ve had enough.
Workers Organize for Better Conditions After Air Quality Plummets
As smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the East Coast last week and air quality worsened, some workers organized to try and stay safe.
This article was turned around in less than 48 hours.
Justice for All Journal: The Autonomy Issue — Fighting for the Right 2 Dream
I wrote about Right to Dream 2, a radical, autonomous tiny-home village in Portland; why it’s under threat; and what it can teach us about our flawed approaches to homelessness.
As of July 2023, this piece is only available in print.
Out d’Coup LIVE | Rohan Montgomery on organizing and revolt by gamers and voice actors
I appeared on Raging Chicken Media’s weekly show to discuss my articles on labor rights in D&D and anime dubbing.
Slaying the Gold-Hungry Dragon
D&D players won an epic victory against corporate power. Here’s how they did it.
Anime Voice Actors Speak Out: It’s Not Kawaii When We Aren’t Paid
The union drive in anime dubbing.
This piece was a feature in In These Times‘ March 2023 issue.
A Community Archive Documents Decades of Radical Activism Against Police Brutality
A look at Interference Archive’s “Defend / Defund” exhibit.
BBC Radio 4 – From Our Own Correspondent: A Bleak Future For Afghanistan’s Women
Colombia’s new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, campaigned on the promise of tackling inequality and switching to a greener economy. But rising inflation and a depreciation of the peso has proved a challenge to introducing his manifesto pledges. Rohan Montgomery went for a ride with motorcyclists in Medellín and heard their views on life under Petro. (My report appears at around 17 minutes into the program)
“Come To The Table, Cowards”: Starbucks Workers’ First National Strike
We spoke to strikers in Boston, New York, Chicago, and Pittsburgh about their fight to bring the multi-billion dollar company to the bargaining table.
Sysco Strikers Reach a Deal
The three-week, multi-state strikes caused supply chain interruptions but drew widespread community support.
The First Item on the G7 Agenda Should Be to Cancel the Global South’s Debt
The simplest way to fight global warming and injustice at the same time would be for the world’s richest countries to end the vicious debt cycle that forces poor countries to exploit natural resources.
Legacies of Enslavement: Insights from a recent seminar
A summary of the seminar on the ‘Legacies of Enslavement’ project, at which I presented my research findings. This was the first collegiate investigation of its kind at the University of Cambridge.