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Philadelphia Cop Files Police-Brutality Lawsuit
Brandon Ruff, a police officer in Philadelphia, has filed a lawsuit against his own department for assault. According to Philly.com, Ruff says that he was assaulted by seven police officers after he attempted to anonymously turn in three weapons. An eight-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, Ruff is assigned to the 16th Precinct. The…
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Study: Whites Have 1 Black Friend; Blacks Have 8 White Friends
When Beverly Daniel Tatum published Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? back in 2003, she used some statistical evidence to explain why black and white students self-segregate and also relied on anecdotes from her experiences as a black student at predominantly white schools. Those people who asked, “Well, aren’t all the…
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Black American Fighting for ISIS in Syria Is Killed
There was the idea that if the jihadist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, was able “to turn” an American—that is, win over his or her support—it would then use the American to orchestrate a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. But 33-year-old Douglas McAuthur McCain, a black American, defied that expectation,…
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The Growing Movement to Make Attacks Against Homeless People a Hate Crime
Seven states are looking to stop attacks on homeless people who are being targeted because of their race, religion and sexual orientation. Alaska, California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington have all tweaked their hate crime laws so that these kinds of attacks will earn perpetrators longer prison sentences, Al-Jazeera reports. The National Coalition…
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Have Faith in Aaron McGruder’s Black Jesus
Just about everyone in Black Jesus is selfish. But Black Jesus still has faith. Jesus’ flawed, albeit loyal friends (disciples?)—ex-con Fish (Andra Fuller), slacker Jason (Antwon Tanner), gal-pal Maggie (Kali Hawk) and drunkard Boonie (Corey Holcomb)—his curmudgeonly neighbor Vic (Charlie Murphy); even Lloyd, the conniving and cantankerous homeless drunk played by John Witherspoon. They all…
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Squatters on the Rise in Cash-Strapped Detroit
Water is not the only thing that’s becoming hard to come by in Detroit. With joblessness on the rise in a city that has already claimed bankruptcy, squatting—or staking claim to property that has been abandoned or a former owner can no longer afford—is increasing. According to an Al-Jazeera news report, 27-year-old John Deboer is…
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My Friends’ Colorism Is Affecting My Baby’s Facebook Likes!
Saw your response to racist comments posted online, but what about this? I’m trying my best not to be petty here, while I’m aware this is going to sound petty no matter how I put it. I believe my friends’ and family’s internalized racism and colorism is affecting their responses to photos of my child.…
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Infected American Linked to 4 Cases of Ebola in Nigeria
As the Ebola virus continues to wreak havoc in West Africa, and concern for foreigners who have visited the region spreads, it turns out that Patrick Sawyer, one of the three American citizens who contracted Ebola, may have infected four people while he was in Nigeria. The Washington Post, culling notes from a World Health…
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Navy Discharges Black Woman Who Refused to Cut Natural Hair
After months of discussion about how styling and protocol related to black women’s hair in the armed forces, the Navy has discharged Jessica Sims, a sailor for 12 years, for “failing to obey an order to cut off her natural hairstyle,” ThinkProgress reports. Sims, “who wears her hair in tightly twisted locks pulled back in…
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Michael Brown is Laid to Rest
After nearly two weeks of angry protests over his death at the hands of a police officer, Michael Brown is being laid to rest. The presence of White House officials at the ceremony underscores the degree to which the tragic shooting of Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, has sparked a national debate at the highest levels…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
