Law Enforcement
-
Family Files $10 Million Lawsuit Against City of Phoenix After Police Allegedly Assault, Threaten to Shoot Family
A family is suing the City of Phoenix for $10 million after police officers were caught on video using what the family believes is excessive force. Per AZ Central: Dravon Ames, 22, and his pregnant fiancée, 24-year-old Aisha Harper were pulled over by Phoenix police near 36th and Roosevelt streets on May 27. They allege…
-
California Police Swarm an Unarmed Black Man With Guns Drawn in Viral Video
On Saturday, Instagram user @blueasdasky released a nearly five-minute long video she recorded of Hawthorne, Calif., police drawing their weapons on an unarmed black man. In the viral clip, she can be heard pleading for police not to shoot a man who identifies himself as William and asserts he’s actually the victim of violence at…
-
A Black Teen Was Going Through a Mental Health Crisis. Wisconsin Police Ended Up Punching Him in the Head
Madison, Wisc., police officers were called to the home of a 17-year-old boy last week because he was experiencing a mental health crisis. The encounter ended with officers tackling the child, placing a bag over his head, and punching the teen, who is black, repeatedly. Unbeknownst to the officers, the entire incident had been recorded…
-
Cop Detains Innocent Black Man, Answers 'Fuck You Is My Name' When Asked to Identify Himself
Police officers are well aware of the tremendous power and authority they wield, yet historically they’ve abused it at the cost of black lives. Time after time, instance after instance, we’ve borne witness to innocent black men who are harassed, demeaned or slaughtered simply for existing, while those who have sworn to protect them go…
-
To Protect and Serve or to Terrorize Children? Sacramento Police Department Under Fire Again
In the 14 months that have passed since Officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet gunned down 22-year-old Stephon Clark in the backyard of his grandparents’ home, the Sacramento Police Department has not managed to stay out of the headlines with negative news stories. Chief Daniel Hahn was purported to be ushering in a new day…
-
California Assembly Passes Bill Policing When Cops Can Use Deadly Force
The California Assembly overwhelmingly passed legislation Wednesday to change rules governing when cops in the state can use lethal force, despite last-minute opposition from some families of victims of police shootings who said compromises in the bill’s language watered down the legislation. Assembly Bill 392: The California Act to Save Lives changes the use-of-force standard…
-
During Police Raid, Chicago Officers Handcuffed an 8-Year-Old Boy, Claiming They Had No Idea He Was a Child
If Chicago police are to be believed, they simply don’t know what a black 8-year-old boy looks like. That’s the defense the department is giving for why it handcuffed a child during an early morning raid by Chicago Police Department and SWAT on a family home on March 15. The raid—one of several local news…
-
#StephonClark: Bill Policing When Cops Can Use Lethal Force Advances in California
A little more than a year after Sacramento, Calif., police gunned down an unarmed Stephon Clark as the 22-year-old father of two stood in his grandparents’ backyard, California may be on the cusp of passing the nation’s strictest law governing when police can use deadly force. Under the proposed legislation headed to the state Assembly…
-
NYPD Commander Texted 'Not a Big Deal' After Being Told of Eric Garner's Death
A Staten Island police commander involved in the arrest of Eric Garner, the black man who died after an NYPD officer put him in a chokehold for allegedly selling loose cigarettes in 2014, assured one of his officers that Garner’s death was “not a big deal” upon learning about his condition. The revelation came on…
-
The Ghost of Jussie Smollett: Chicago Lawyers Cite Actor’s Treatment in Defense of a Woman Facing Similar Charge
Soooo only Jussie gets special treatment? Of course, “Jussie” is actor Jussie Smollett, and that’s the question being raised by Chicago lawyers in defense of 21-year-old Candace Clark, who faces a felony disorderly conduct charge after she allegedly filed a false police report about money missing from her bank account, the Chicago Tribune reports. But…