Social Justice
-
Marijuana Decriminalization in Maryland Has Not Stopped Implicit Bias nor Institutional Racism Against Black People
Although marijuana has been decriminalized in the state of Maryland, black people in Baltimore are still disproportionately arrested for cannabis offenses, according to an analysis of Baltimore Police Department data supplied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Baltimore Fishbowl worked with the Baltimore Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and data researcher Andy Friedman to look at…
Published
-
Cyntoia Brown’s Name Is Not on the List of 11 People Tennessee’s Governor Granted Clemency To
On Thursday, Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Haslam granted clemency to 11 people. Cyntoia Brown’s name was not on that list. WSMV reports that Haslam said in a statement: “I am pleased to grant these acts of clemency. These individuals have made positive contributions to their communities and deserve pardons, or are individuals who will receive another…
Published
-
St. Louis County Prosecutor Voted Out After Darren Wilson Case Says He Has ‘Zero Regrets’
The outgoing St. Louis County prosecutor who oversaw the case against Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in 2014, made a compelling case for why he was voted out of office in a recent interview, blaming his loss in part on activists for whom “everything…is racially motivated” and George…
Published
-
Black Grandmother Who Could Have Been Freed for $30 Died After Spending the Last 150 Days of Her Life in Jail
Let’s talk about the injustice that is inherent in the cash bond system and how it disproportionately impacts people of color. Let’s discuss the criminal justice system’s inability to properly deal with those suffering from mental illness. Let’s talk about how those two things combined recently contributed to the death of a 61-year-old black grandmother…
Published
-
Why They Kneel: Are White Cops Worse?
To examine the injustice and inequality that prompted some NFL players to protest during the national anthem, each week, for the remainder of the NFL season, The Root will explore the data behind racial disparities in the two cities represented in the National Football League’s premiere matchup—Monday Night Football. Tonight, the New Orleans Saints travel…
Published
-
Black Lives Matter Asks Public to Help Demand Clemency for Cyntoia Brown
Black Lives Matter Nashville, along with activists nationwide, has started a campaign asking the public to pressure Tennessee’s outgoing governor to grant clemency to Cyntoia Brown, a sex trafficking victim currently serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. In 2004, when she was 16, Brown was convicted in the first-degree murder of 43-year-old Johnny Allen,…
Published
-
Los Angeles County to End Incarceration of Pregnant Girls
Of Los Angeles County’s 50 incarcerated pregnant women, 37 were 17 or 18, and 43 were “crossover” youth, involved in both the county’s probation department and its foster care system. As the number of women in prisons continues to rise nationwide, the impact of imprisonment on pregnancy can vary greatly. Los Angeles County now hopes…
By
Published
-
Why They Kneel: Why Don’t Police Kill More White People?
To examine the injustice and inequality that prompted some NFL players to protest during the national anthem, each week, for the remainder of the NFL season, The Root will explore the data behind racial disparities in the two cities represented in the National Football League’s premiere matchup—Monday Night Football. Tonight, the Minnesota Vikings travel to…
Published
-
New York Man Fractures Woman’s Spine During Homophobic Subway Attack
NYPD are searching for a 5’11” man between 50 and 60 years old who berated and subsequently assaulted a woman based upon his assumption of her sexuality. On Nov. 30 at about 5 p.m., the victim and another woman were riding the E-train bound for Manhattan when her eventual attacker began hurling homophobic slurs in…
By
Published
-
Cyntoia Brown Will Have to Serve 51 Years Before She’s Eligible For Release, Tennessee Supreme Court Rules [Corrected]
From the beginning, Cyntoia Brown’s life story has been heartbreaking. She was put up for adoption at the age of 2, and her life after that was a traumatic spiral of verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and substance abuse. At the age of 16, she was sold as a sex-slave to a 43-year-old Nashville…
Published