Police Brutality
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Not Just Firing: Marvin Scott's Family Wants Criminal Charges Against Texas Cops After 26-Year-Old's Death in Custody
Another Black family is mourning a loved one and calling on the justice system to hold police officers criminally accountable. The latest call comes from the family of Marvin Scott III, a 26-year-old Black man who died in March after being arrested by officers from the Colin County Sheriff’s Office in Allen, Texas, for marijuana…
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Family Files Lawsuit After Black Teen Is Brutally Beaten by California Police Officers After Alleged Car Chase
It appears that a lot of police officers think that being led in a car chase justifies them beating the shit out of Black people once they’ve caught up with them. From Antonio Harris to Ronald Greene to Javier Ambler, their cases remind us that there are very few things that are as dangerous to…
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St. Louis Jury Returns Not Guilty and Mistrial Verdicts for Police Officers Accused of Beating Black Cop Working Undercover at a Protest
As we watch with bated breath, and not a little bit of apprehension, for the outcome of the high-profile trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin in a case of brutality against a Black man, a St. Louis jury’s failure to return a guilty verdict for any of the officers charged with beating a fellow…
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Bill Aimed at Police Reform in Texas Named for Black Police Shooting Victim Michael Ramos. Predictably, Some Officials Are Mad
Last week, The Root reported that the Austin, Texas, police officer who fatally shot 42-year-old Michael Ramos in April last year was arrested and charged with murder. Now, Ramos’ name has been attached to a new bill that is supposedly aimed at preventing killings like Ramos’ at the hands of police officers from happening again.…
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Judge Denies Bid to Delay and Relocate Derek Chauvin Trial, Rules Evidence From 2019 George Floyd Arrest Admissible
Judge Peter Cahill, who is presiding over the trial of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin—who is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of George Floyd—has ruled that Chauvin’s trial will not be delayed or relocated after requests from defense attorneys. Chauvin’s lawyers argued last week that the announcement…
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Derek Chauvin’s Attorneys Want to Use 2019 George Floyd Arrest as Evidence That Floyd Caused His Own Death
Attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin are requesting that a jury be allowed to see evidence from a 2019 arrest of George Floyd, and they’re pretending they want this for any other reason outside of hopes that racism and hatred for those suffering from drug addiction will set their client free. OK, so,…
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'He's Going to Have Nightmares': Louisiana State Troopers Accused of Exchanging Text Messages Bragging About Beating Black Suspect
The “back the blue” community would have us all believe that police brutality is a rare occurrence. But if that’s the case, why is it that many police officers appear to be comfortable discussing their own acts of brutality like it was common water cooler talk? Last month, four Louisiana State Police troopers were arrested…
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Tamika Palmer Files Complaints Against 6 Special Investigations Officers Involved in Breonna Taylor Case
Today marks exactly one year since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in Louisville, Ky., by reckless police officers who were executing a search warrant that should never have been issued. It’s also been just over five months since it was officially decided that no one murdered Breonna Taylor and that nothing in the way…
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Texas Police Officer Charged With Murder in Fatal Shooting of Michael Ramos
The April 2020 shooting death of Michael Ramos in Austin, Texas, was one of those events that remind us that “back the blue” enthusiasts don’t know what they’re talking about when they say that as long as we follow police instructions, we are sure to walk away from a police confrontation alive and unscathed. It’s…
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Louisiana State Trooper Suspended Without Pay After Video Shows Him Kicking and Dragging Ronald Greene Before He Died in Police Custody
Last October, The Root reported on the mysterious and fatal story of 49-year-old Ronald Greene—a Black man who died in police custody after leading officers on a high-speed chase in Louisiana in 2019. It’s a wild yet familiar story where a Black man is brought to the hospital bruised and bloodied. The cops claimed his…