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Akon Says His Senegalese Smart-City Will Be a Safe Haven for African Americans. Some Locals Wonder If There’s Room for Them, Too
Akon is plowing ahead with his plans to build the Pan-African, high-tech “Akon City” in Senegal, announcing at a press conference Monday that he had laid down the first stone in the coastal village of Mbodiene. The singer appeared in the capital city of Dakar, some 62 miles away from his proposed city, next to…
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Georgia Wrongfully Purged 200,000 Voters, Many in the Atlanta Metro Area, From Its Rolls, New Report Finds
A seven-year investigation of voter suppression in Georgia has found that the state likely removed 200,000 voters from its rolls who were, in fact, eligible to vote. The voters whose registrations were removed were also overwhelmingly concentrated in the counties comprising the Atlanta Metro area, according to initial findings released on Wednesday. Conducted by the…
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California Is Close to Banning Karens From Weaponizing 911, But What About the State’s Police Reforms?
Earlier this week, California lawmakers passed a bill that would ban residents and visitors to the state from making racist, false 911 calls. It now awaits Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature before it becomes law. The bill was part of an array of criminal justice reforms proposed by lawmakers in the wake of George Floyd’s…
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Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend Kenneth Walker Sues Louisville Metro Police, Says Wounded Cop Was Injured by Friendly Fire
Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor who was with her the night she was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police, has filed a lawsuit against the department, arguing that he is a victim of police misconduct and seeking immunity from future prosecution related to the case. The 28-year-old filed the civil complaint in…
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Black Kenosha News Editor Resigns Over Jacob Blake Rally Coverage
Editor Daniel Thompson wasn’t covering the Saturday rally for Jacob Blake but attended it anyway. The 30-year-old digital editor of the Kenosha News watched as speaker after speaker took the stage: among them were Jacob Blake’s uncle, Justine Blake, Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, Rep. Gwen Moore, local activist Ma’kia Hughes and national organizer Dijuan…
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New Jersey Mayor Tried to Charge Teenage Activist $2,500 for Police Overtime After She Planned a Black Lives Matter Protest
A New Jersey mayor has rescinded a bill he sent to an 18-year-old activist for $2,500 in alleged police overtime charges after she organized a fair housing protest earlier this summer. Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, a Republican (surprise!), took back the bill this past Saturday but has not offered an apology to activist Emily…
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Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll Calls on Other Head Coaches, White People to Tackle Systemic Racism: ‘This Is a White People’s Issue’
Though short-lived, the Milwaukee Bucks’ wildcat strike last week has recalibrated many people’s expectations of what is possible when it comes to professional athletes speaking out on social justice issues. Over the last week, teams from various professional sports leagues, including the NFL and MLB, canceled practices or games. For some, it was a necessary…
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Lafayette, La., Where Police Recently Shot and Killed a Black Man, Says It Will Not Shelter Hurricane Evacuees Because of ‘Outside Agitators’
In the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, hundreds of thousands of people across the state of Louisiana are still without power or water. But those seeking shelter—either because they lack access to important resources or because they have no home to return to—will not find it in Lafayette, according to city officials. The city was largely…
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Family of Layleen Polanco Reaches History-Making $5.9 Million Settlement Over Solitary Confinement Death
The family of Layleen Polanco, a trans-Afro-Latina who died while in solitary confinement at Rikers Island jail last year, will receive a historic $5.9 million settlement—the largest New York City has ever paid out for a death in one of its city jails. In a statement to The City, family attorney David Shanies said the…
