Criminal Justice
-
Florida Judge Sentences 21-Year-Old to 10 Days in Jail for Missing Jury Duty
Talk about getting an “n-word wake up call”—to quote legendary comic Paul Mooney. A young black man, who said he overslept and missed jury duty, got the book thrown at him. Whether or not we are now considering missing jury duty a crime, a judge in Florida says it is—and it’s punishable by law. 21-year-old…
-
Joshua Brown, a Key Witness in Amber Guyger’s Murder Trial, Killed Outside Apartment
A message has clearly been sent. Joshua Brown, a key witness who testified for the prosecution on Tuesday in the trial of killer cop Amber Guyger, was fatally shot outside of his apartment building in Dallas on Friday night. The neighbor of Botham Jean, who was murdered by Guyger, Brown’s body was found on the…
-
Yesterday in Georgia, Women in Prison Regained Some of Their Dignity
On Tuesday, the Georgia Dignity Act (House Bill 345) went into effect in all women’s prison facilities in Georgia, giving more than 3,800 women locked up in the state access to basic necessities like sanitary napkins, as well as affording them the decency of not being chained while pregnant or giving birth. The bipartisan bill,…
-
Friend, Foe or Fraud? Shaun King on the Accusations Against Him, Rihanna's Diamond Ball, DeRay and More
By now, Shaun King should be used to the drama. After all, the accusations King has faced are legion. People have accused him of not being black, of being a government operative inserted to dismantle the movement, of being an egomaniac who centers himself in the movement, a plagiarist who co-opts the work of black…
-
Democratic Donor Ed Buck Will Finally Face Federal Charges For His Role in the Death of Gemmel Moore
Yesterday, The Root reported that Ed Buck, a prominent white Democratic donor, was being charged with battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine, and maintaining a drug house—all felonies—after a third black man suffered a drug overdose in his home. Less than 48 hours later comes the news that after somehow eluding culpability for the drug-related…
-
'I'm About to Die': Tekashi 6ix9ine Chokes Up As He Recalls Being Beaten, Kidnapped By His Former Crew
Disgraced rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, also known as cooperating witness Daniel Hernandez, has spent the last two days pointing fingers and telling on me and you, your momma, and your cousin too as he testifies against his former friends Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, alleged members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. On day…
-
Can't Nobody Sang Like Eddie King, Jr.—Except Tekashi 6ix9ine
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings took on new meaning yesterday when Daniel Hernandez—formally known as professional irritant Tekashi 6ix9ine—testified in the racketeering case against Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, his one-time allies within the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. And yes, I said testified against, because he sang like a canary as…
-
NC Sheriff Allegedly Was OK With Murder in Order to Hide Use of ‘Racially Insensitive Language’
Talk about killing a story. A North Carolina sheriff has been indicted on charges he knew of a credible threat against a deputy but did nothing to stop it — even going so far as to encourage the wannabe killer to “take care of it” — in order to stop the deputy from releasing a…
-
Strangers Chip In When Oklahoma Mom Who Got 12 Years for Selling $30 Worth of Weed Is Tossed in Jail Again When She Can’t Pay Court Fees
Years after an Oklahoma mom was released from prison after being handed a 12-year sentence for making $30 in weed sales, she landed in jail again for not paying court costs related to the case. Luckily for Patricia Spottedcrow, strangers learning of her plight chipped in to pay the $1,139.90 in court costs she still…
-
Ex-NFL Player Facing Criminal Charges for Staging Hate Crime
We may have not known who Edawn Louis Coughman was when he was playing for the NFL, but we do now. He played offense on teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins but he’s going to need a good defense in court. The cops arrested Coughman, 31, for destroying his business and…