Law Enforcement
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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…
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Minneapolis Police Must Now Keep Their Body Cameras Activated at All Times When Responding to a Call
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police spurred an ongoing nationwide reckoning on race and intensified calls by Minneapolis residents for substantial police reform. Reform efforts have been underway in the city since last summer, with the latest policy change requiring officers to keep their body cameras on at all times…
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9-Year-Old Black Girl Pepper-Sprayed by Rochester Police After Refusing to Get in Patrol Car After Domestic Disturbance
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Cops don’t need to be called to every emergency. This goes especially for emergency calls that involve the mental health or general wellness of Black people. We’ve seen time and time again that when police officers are called to handle non-violent emergencies involving Black people, they…
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Black Student Who Was Knocked Unconscious by Florida Officer Is ‘Traumatized’ and Seriously Injured, Family Says
Last week, The Root reported that a Black high school student was body-slammed and knocked unconscious by a school resource officer at Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Fla. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Department said the officer was trying to stop a fight between her and another student, but video footage of the incident recorded by…
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Independent Audit Breaks Down All the Ways the Louisville Metro Police Department Has Damaged Public Trust
It should come as no surprise, but the Louisville Metro Police Department is kind of the worst. A 150-page report commissioned by city officials in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death has found that the department is plagued with a multitude of problems and is widely distrusted by communities of color. According to CNN the…
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2 Kenosha Police Officers Who Were Present at Jacob Blake Shooting Are Back on Active Duty
While Jacob Blake hasn’t received justice for the seven shots fired into his back, two of the officers who watched it happen have been placed back on active duty. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Officers Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek had been on administrative leave since the Aug. 23 shooting. Neither of them used…
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Black Family That Was Handcuffed After Being Wrongfully Suspected of Riding in Stolen Vehicle Sues Aurora, Colo., Police
In August of last year, a Black family was stopped by police in Aurora, Colo. Four Black girls—children and teenagers, ages 6, 12, 14 and 17—were ordered out of their vehicle at gunpoint and made to lie on the ground while officers handcuffed the 12- and 17-year-olds while they screamed and cried in terror. The cops…
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Protesters Take to the Streets in Tacoma, Wash., After Video Shows Cop Driving Into a Crowd and Running People Over
You would think that “don’t drive into a crowd,” would be a pretty easy rule to follow, but for one cop in Tacoma that was just too much to ask. Protests took place in Tacoma, Wash., on Sunday night after video spread of a cop driving their car into a crowd of people and running…