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Social Justice

Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

Los Angeles City Council Votes to Create Crisis Response Team for Non-Violent 911 Calls

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council took a notable step towards police reform by advancing a proposal that would create a crisis response team for non-violent 911 calls. According to CNN, the proposal, passed by a unanimous vote, will allow the city to court non-profits to execute the pilot program. The program will allow 911…

By

Joe Jurado

Published

October 15, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

Trayvon Martin to Be Honored With Street Named After Him

The death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin at the hands of neighborhood vigilante George Zimmerman was the first high-profile case to spark what would later become the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, the street outside of the high school Trayvon attended is set to be named after him. The Miami Herald reports that last week, Miami-Dade…

By

Zack Linly

Published

October 13, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

The Sports World Reacts to the Breonna Taylor Verdict: 'We Will Not Be Silent and Accept State Sanctioned Murder'

We knew it was going to happen. Yet despite having months to mentally prepare ourselves for the inevitable, it still rattled almost every last one of us to our core: there would be no justice for Breonna Taylor. As previously reported at The Root: On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted former Louisville Metro police officer…

By

Jay Connor

Published

September 24, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

LeBron James Claps Back at LA County Sheriff Who Came for Him: 'What's Right Is Right, and What's Wrong Is Wrong'

As arguably the most influential and astute athlete of this generation, LeBron James might be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. So last week, when Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva took a break from attempting to reinstate former deputies accused of domestic violence in order to issue a challenge to…

By

Jay Connor

Published

September 23, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

Pittsburgh Steelers to Honor Antwon Rose Jr. With Helmet Decal This Season

In 2018, The Root reported on a recurring theme that we just can’t seem to escape: the fatal shooting of yet another unarmed Black person at the hands of police, but what made this particular instance so disturbing was that the victim, Antwon Rose Jr., was only 17 years old. Antwon was a passenger in…

By

Jay Connor

Published

September 14, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

Dak Prescott Hopes Jerry Jones Doesn't Treat Cowboys Players Like Runaway Slaves When They Inevitably Protest the National Anthem

I know, I know, he means well. With professional athletes more expressive about social justice causes than ever before, NFL star Dak Prescott believes that Cowboys players will inevitably join the fray despite their plantation owner Jerry Jones’ wishes to the contrary. However, the two-time Pro Bowler believes that his teammates shouldn’t subscribe to groupthink,…

By

Jay Connor

Published

September 4, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

Naomi Osaka Honors Breonna Taylor With Mask at U.S. Open, Has 6 More Masks Lined Up Because She Ain't Losing Any Time Soon

Just so we’re clear, Naomi Osaka has no intention of losing in the U.S. Open anytime soon. I say that because, on Monday night, she took the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City donning a black face mask with Breonna Taylor’s name on it. She then proceeded to stomp a mudhole in…

By

Jay Connor

Published

September 1, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

Baltimore Ravens Apply Pressure, Urge Mitch McConnell to Do His Damn Job by Bringing George Floyd Police Reform Bill to Vote

In the immediate aftermath of the Milwaukee Bucks refusing to take the floor during Game 5 of their NBA playoffs series in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the Baltimore Ravens canceled practice on Friday and issued a statement demanding police reform and addressing systemic oppression in America. “This is bigger than sports,”…

By

Jay Connor

Published

September 1, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

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…

By

Jay Connor

Published

August 27, 2020
Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

At Age 73, I Feel Younger and Bolder Because of the Movement for Black Lives

When people my age think of the Black Lives Matter uprising, many picture young people taking to the streets and marching for change.But there’s also another story: the story of people like me, aged 73, sitting at the table with young people and spending hours to develop strategies, draft legislation like the BREATHE Act and…

By

Genetta M. Adams

Published

August 27, 2020