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2 Arrested at Baltimore City Council Hearing That Proposes Mandatory Minimum for Handgun Possession
All hell broke loose and two people were arrested at a Baltimore City Hall hearing for a proposed mandatory one-year sentence for possession of an illegal handgun—a bill that some say will continue to exacerbate the mass incarceration of young people of color. The Baltimore Police Department says that two unidentified men, a 29-year-old and…
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Trump Goads Boy Scouts to Boo Obama at National Jamboree
In his never-ending obsession with former President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump on Monday acted with no Scout’s honor. During a rambling keynote address to the Boy Scouts of America’s National Jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va., our esteemed leader goaded the group to boo his predecessor, modeling the epitome of class for the more than…
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New Study: Young Black Men Are Serving the Longest of Increasingly Longer Prison Sentences
Although criminal-justice reform has gotten a lot of airtime in the last few years—with some victories in dribs and drabs—a recent study found that the average amount of time served behind bars rose by about five years from 2000 to 2014. Not surprisingly, black men were serving the longest sentences. The Urban Institute released its…
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Mike Tyson: Being Molested as a Child Made Him ‘Tough for the World He Lived In’
In a recent ESPN interview, former pugilist Mike Tyson spoke openly about being sexually abused as a young child. On ESPN’s E:60, Tyson told host Jeremy Schapp that he was grabbed by a man who tried to pull him into a building, but he wouldn’t provide details beyond that. “Well, I don’t like to talk…
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Maya Rockeymoore ‘Seriously Looking’ at 2018 Run for Md. Governor
Maya Rockeymoore, a policy consultant and head of Global Policy Solutions, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., says that she is strongly considering a run for governor of Maryland in 2018. “I’m seriously looking at this race because I have a bold vision for a better, stronger Maryland,” she said in a statement to…
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Misty Copeland, Saul Williams Dazzle in ‘Duet’ for Under Armour
“The systemic structure made to keep me in place, is the stage I dance on. Black and woman. Motherships my mother’s hips beheld deep space … ” begin the words of the Under Armour campaign starring Misty Copeland and Saul Williams. It is beauty personified. As part of the “Unlike Any” campaign, in which athletes…
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Spelman College Announces $25,000 Scholarships for LGBTQ Advocacy at HBCUs
Spelman College, one of the most esteemed HBCUs in the country, this week announced a new scholarship program for its students, those who advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning issues. The Levi Watkins Jr. Scholars Program “will call attention to the importance of making visible the courageous and significant work of LGBTQ…
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‘Bye, Becky!’ Protests Erupt Over Gentrifyng Brooklyn, NY, Bar That Promoted Itself With Fake Bullet Holes Behind $12 Cocktails
On Monday a press release for a new “boozy sandwich shop” in Brooklyn, N.Y., went out, complete with a photo of a chichi cocktail in front of a “bullet hole ridden wall”—a wall the new owners said they were proudly keeping, but which turned out to be fake (at least the bullet holes were). By…
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8 Dead, 30 More Hospitalized in Texas ‘Hot Truck’ Smuggling Operation
Emergency responders found eight people dead in the back of a semitrailer at a Walmart in San Antonio early Sunday morning, the victims of what authorities say looks to be a human trafficking operation gone horribly wrong. CNN reports that a man from the truck went into the Walmart to ask for water and that…
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They Let O.J. Out. I’m $20 Richer but Ambivalent
Moo-la la. Orenthal James Simpson got off. Again. The juice is LOOSE! And I’m $20 richer for it. (Two people on The Root staff took the bet.) I had a feeling about this one. Would Lady Justice show her hypocritical ass or keep it classy? In Nevada it can go either way. This is the…
