Criminal Justice
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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…
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Because Police Refuse to Stop Shooting Unarmed Black People, We Now Live In a World Without Professional Sports
I had no intention of watching the game. As a lifelong fan of the Orlando Magic—I still have nightmares of my Dad chasing me around the house with a broom after we got swept in the 1995 NBA Finals—I wanted no parts of the inevitable coup de grâce that would be Wednesday’s Game 5 against…
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Tune In: Queen Latifah to Host Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today on Facebook Watch
This year, the March on Washington will take place on Aug. 28 and Facebook Watch is teaming up with Will Packer and Jesse Collins Entertainment to premiere a one-hour special to recognize the 57th anniversary of the historic 1963 event. Hosted by Queen Latifah as part of Facebook’s #LiftBlackVoices initiative, Change Together: From the March…
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LeBron James, Cardi B, Michael B. Jordan and Others Express Outrage Over Shooting of Jacob Blake
The shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake at the hands of police in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday has sparked national outrage. In a video of the incident that has been widely circulated, the unarmed Black man—who reportedly was there to break up a fight—was walking back to his vehicle while being followed by police. While he…
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9 Years a Slave: Black Combat Veteran Freed After Being Legally Enslaved Over $30 Worth of Weed
This headline is clickbait. To be clear, Derrick Harris is Black. He is also a combat veteran who served in the Army during Operation Desert Storm. And, although the Constitution outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude, the 13th Amendment made a special exception for people who commit a “crime whereof the party shall have been duly…