-
NYPD Disbanding Plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit, aka 'Last Chapter' of Stop and Frisk
Calls for police departments to be defunded, dismantled and outright abolished have grown nationwide over the last month. New York has responded to these calls by closing a 600-person plainclothes unit. Which, uh, is something I guess? The anti-crime unit was responsible for finding and getting guns off the street, often employing the questionable stop-and-frisk…
-
Coronavirus Expected to Wipe Out 40 Percent of Black-Owned Businesses
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted American life in an unprecedented way. While a vaccine and antiviral treatment will eventually help mitigate the health effects, the economic cost of the pandemic is shaping up to be severe and long lasting. CBS News reports that 40 percent of black-owned businesses are not expected to make it through the…
-
Joe Biden Visits George Floyd's Family in Houston; Derek Chauvin Makes First Court Appearance, Has Bail Set at $1.25 Million
On the same day that Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged in the death of George Floyd, made his first appearance in court, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden met with George Floyd’s family in Houston as they made final preparations to lay Floyd to rest. According to NBC News, Biden met with Floyd’s…
-
Tennessee Sheriff Uses N-Word in Phone Call But Vows to 'Apologize to All the Citizens in the County.' Sure, Jan
At this point, the fact that the country is currently in upheaval over racist policing shouldn’t be lost on anyone. Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t stopped police from engaging in the same behavior that has inspired nationwide protest. WREG reports that Steve Sanders, the sheriff of Lauderdale County in Tennessee has apologized after a call leaked of…
-
California Mayor Resigns After Saying 'No Good Person of Color' Has Been Killed by Police
The constant whirlwind of awfulness that’s been 2020 has had a good chunk of us feeling like this pear. I, like most of you, am simply exhausted. If it’s not the steady stream of seeing black bodies being brutalized, it’s white people coming out their mouths to say, just, the dumbest shit. Take for example…
-
George Floyd Remembered at Powerful Memorial Service in Minneapolis
One of the most powerful moments during the memorial service Thursday for George Floyd occurred near the end of the ceremony as attendees stood in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck. As mourners bowed their heads and dabbed tears…
-
Travis McMichael Was Heard Uttering Racial Slur After Ahmaud Arbery Was Killed, Investigator Testifies
On Thursday, during preliminary hearings in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, an investigator revealed damning evidence against Travis and Greg McMichael and William Bryan, the three men charged with Arbery’s death. Richard Dial, the special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, testified that William Bryan heard Travis McMichael utter a racial slur moments…
-
Derek Chauvin, Officer Involved in George Floyd's Death, Arrested and Charged With Manslaughter and 3rd-Degree Murder
The country has been reeling this week after graphic footage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minnesota police officers was released. After nationwide protests on Thursday night, one of the men responsible for Floyd’s death has finally been taken into custody. On Friday afternoon, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety John Harrington…
-
FBI to Investigate Police Shooting of Breonna Taylor
On March 13, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was at home with her boyfriend when police entered her residence, shot and killed her. Much controversy has surrounded the case as there are two different accounts of what transpired and the officers weren’t wearing body cameras. On Thursday, the FBI opened an investigation into the case according to…
-
Over 600 New Coronavirus Cases Hit One Michigan Prison
One of the populations most at risk for contracting COVID-19 is prison inmates. The cramped living spaces combined with substandard conditions have made it difficult to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Prisons across the country have been dealing with rising numbers of COVID-19 and the situation is no different in Michigan. The Detroit Free…