Law Enforcement
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Family of Dijon Kizzee Files $35 Million Claim Accusing LA County Sheriff's Deputies of Using Unreasonable Deadly Force
The family of Dijon Kizzee has filed a $35 million claim for damages against Los Angeles County accusing the county’s sheriff’s department of failing to train its deputies worth a damn and accusing those deputies of using unreasonable deadly force. If you’re new to Kizzee’s story, the 29-year-old Black man was fatally shot by sheriff’s…
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Extended Rochester Police Body Cam Footage Shows Cops Who Pepper-Sprayed 9-Year-Old Girl Just DGAF About Black Children
The Rochester Police Department—like police departments across the nation—is proving itself to be a microcosm of white America in that it appears to be indifferent to Black trauma and blind to Black innocence. Earlier this month, The Root reported that a 9-year-old Black girl was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed for seemingly no other reason than because…
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Derek Chauvin Agreed to 10-Year Prison Sentence for George Floyd's Murder Before the Plea Deal Was Quashed. Here's Why That's Interesting
On Wednesday, the New York Times published a piece chronicling the case of George Floyd and the upcoming trial for the ex-Minneapolis police officer accused of killing him, Derek Chauvin. Mostly, the story by the Times was a recap of things that have already been reported regarding the case, but the report did reveal one…
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Early Report Finds Denver Program That Sends Healthcare Workers to Handle Mental Health Calls Instead of Police Has Been a Success
The pilot period for a program in Denver that sends healthcare workers to respond to calls for mental health and substance abuse issues has so far been a success, according to local officials. CBS News reports that a six-month progress report on the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program has found that the program responded…
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Maryland Considers Allowing Civilians to See Police Misconduct Records; Police Union Complains That Cops’ ‘Privacy’ Will Be Exposed
As jurisdictions across the country work to implement policing reforms in response to last year’s nationwide protests against police killings of African Americans, lawmakers in Maryland are fighting an uphill battle in pushing for transparency into law enforcement misconduct. As reported by the Washington Post, state legislators on Tuesday will hear arguments regarding a bill…
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Former NY Police Chief Says Cops Did Nothing 'Egregious' in Daniel Prude Death Because There Were No 'Strikes' or 'Punches'
On March 23, last year, police officers in Rochester, New York, confronted Daniel Prude after his brother had called them out of concern for Prude’s mental health and general wellbeing. Prude had been walking naked through the streets and rambling incoherently—but Prude complied with officers’ instructions. Police told him to get on the ground and…
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Minnesota Police Orgs Suggest Some Cops May Not Do Their Jobs During Derek Chauvin Trial Due to ‘Demonization’ of Police
Here’s a question: Are police officers born representing the epitome of snowflake-dom or is it a character trait that comes with the job? I ask this because for generations, cops have enjoyed having a certain image—one that casts them as heroes and brave warriors sworn to protect and serve. They were the only thing standing…
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Former Ohio Police Officer Charged With Murder in Fatally Shooting Unarmed Black Man Andre Hill
If we’ve learned anything in our fight against police violence and systemic racism in our justice system, it’s that it is damn hard to hold cops who kill unarmed Black people accountable for their crimes. Even when they’re charged in connection with these shootings the charge is almost never murder. I personally believe that the…
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Board Reverses Firings of Atlanta Cops Who Tased HBCU Students, Dragged Them From Car During Protest
Ever since a national spotlight was put on police violence and systemic racism amid a wave of nationwide protests, cops across America have been big mad and big hurt. They feel they’re being treated as unfairly in the court of public opinion as Black people are treated in actual courts. Here’s the thing, though: Who…
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Tennessee Cop Reprimanded for Posting Picture of Daughter as Blackface Bubba From Forrest Gump
Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m on the internet too much or if some people aren’t on the internet enough. I’m simply at a loss for how, in 2021, some whites are still posting blackface pictures on the internet and not expecting there to be consequences. A police officer in Tennessee has been reprimanded after…