-
Wrongfully Convicted NYC Man to Be Freed After More Than a Decade in Prison
A wrongfully convicted Queens, N.Y., man is expected to be freed from prison Tuesday after spending more than 16 years behind bars, his lawyer told the New York Post. Tullie Hyman was convicted in 2002 of the murder of a Far Rockaway, Queens, tenant activist. However, that conviction was tossed out in July after witness testimony…
-
Ken Thompson, Brooklyn, NY’s 1st Black District Attorney, Dies at Age 50
Brooklyn, N.Y., District Attorney Ken Thompson died Sunday after a battle with cancer, his family announced, NBC New York reports. He was 50 years old. In a statement released Tuesday, Thompson had announced a leave of absence in order to fight his cancer, not specifying what type of cancer he had or any time frame…
-
University of Va. Lecturer Takes Leave After Comparing Black Lives Matter to KKK
A University of Virginia adjunct professor is facing backlash after comparing Black Lives Matter to the horrific racism and terror of the Ku Klux Klan, the Washington Post reports. Douglas Muir, who lectures at the university’s engineering and business schools, wrote a Facebook comment that Black Lives Matter is the “biggest” racist organization since the…
-
2 Ga. High School Students Found Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide
Two Georgia teens were found dead late Monday in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. A relative of 15-year-old Christopher Andrews found the bodies of Christopher and his girlfriend, 16-year-old Samyah Copeland, inside a home in Riverdale. Both teens attended Riverdale High School. “It appears that the male subject shot…
-
14-Year-Old Va. Boy Charged With Stealing 65-Cent Milk Carton to Face Trial
A 14-year-old Virginia boy will go to trial after being hit with multiple charges for “stealing” a 65-cent milk carton from his school cafeteria, even though he was enrolled in the free-lunch program, the Huffington Post reports. Back in May, Ryan Turk was charged with petit larceny and disorderly conduct after a Prince William County…
-
Ga. Sheriff’s Deputy Fired for Racist Facebook Messages Targeting Black Motorists
Two former McIntosh County, Ga., sheriff’s deputies were caught in a social media scandal in which an internal-affairs investigation uncovered racist and sexist messages they exchanged on Facebook, including one message that appeared to show an effort to target black motorists, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. One officer was terminated, while the other officer abruptly resigned…
-
3-Year-Old Daughter of Miss. Police Officer Dies After Being Left in Patrol Car
The Board of Aldermen of the city of Long Beach, Miss., voted unanimously Tuesday to fire two police officers involved in the hot-car death of the 3-year-old daughter of one of the officers, the Sun Herald reports. Initially, the officers were placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the death of 3-year-old…
-
Police in NC Release Full, Graphic Video of Keith Lamont Scott Shooting
Police in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., have released the full, graphic body-cam and dashcam footage of the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte last month, Reuters reports. According to the report, a lawyer for Scott’s family said that the videos do not support police claims that Scott was holding a gun at the time of his…
-
American Nightmare: Counsel of Record Christina Swarns Talks Buck v. Davis
Editor’s note: For more information about the Buck v. Davis case, read “Racial Bias Got Duane Buck the Death Sentence; the Supreme Court Can Fix It,” also on The Root. Christina Swarns, litigation director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, has her work cut out for her Wednesday. Swarns is lead counsel in…
-
Racial Bias Got Duane Buck the Death Sentence; the Supreme Court Can Fix It
The perceived criminality and dangerousness of black men in the United States has a long and storied history. Black men are killed, become hashtags, and their names become etched into an American lexicon of atrocities against blackness. Terence Crutcher. Philando Castile. John Crawford III. Duane Buck could be next. “Nobody in this room is unaware…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
