Politics
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La. 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill Goes Into Effect
Louisiana’s “Blue Lives Matter” bill went into effect Monday, making it a hate crime to intentionally harm a police officer or first responder because of his or her uniform, KSLA reports. As the station notes, the bill, formally called Act 184, is the first of its kind and was officially signed into law by Gov. John…
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Black Lives Matter Movement Recruits Other People of Color: Report
From the beginning, Black Lives Matter supporters have included protesters and activists of all races. In a recent campaign, people of color are turning to their own communities and recruiting them to the BLM fight as well, the Associated Press reports. Like the rest of the country, the especially explicit deaths of Philando Castile and Alton…
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St. Louis Reporter Loses Job After Sick Michael Brown Joke
In more news of just how sick American racism is and, further, how it permeates every single aspect of American life, a St. Louis TV reporter got the boot after he posted a crass “lead diet” joke on Facebook around the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. According to reports, after it was announced that…
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Texas Cop Says He Had Evidence of Wrongdoing in Sandra Bland’s Case but Was Threatened Into Silence
There are still several questions that remain in connection with the 2015 death of Sandra Bland while she was in custody at a Waller County, Texas, jail. Now an officer of the small Texas town where Bland was pulled over says that he has evidence of wrongdoing in Bland’s case but was threatened into silence by the…
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Freddie Gray Didn't Kill Himself, but Cop Obstruction Made It Hard to Prove: Prosecutor
In a controversial move, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby dropped charges against Police Officer Garrett Miller, Police Sgt. Alicia White and Police Officer William Porter, the three remaining Baltimore officers accused in the arrest and death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. The timing of the dismissals was surprising to medical professionals, lawyers and laymen alike who had theorized that Miller,…
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'Mothers of the Movement' Stand With Hillary Clinton at the DNC
It was an emotional moment Tuesday night when the “Mothers of the Movement” took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to speak about their children’s deaths and endorse Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The nine mothers walked onstage amid cries of “Black lives matter!” from the crowd, the Los Angeles Times notes, as Geneva…
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Dallas Police Department Job Applications Almost Quadruple
The number of applications for employment at the Dallas Police Department has almost quadrupled since Police Chief David Brown told protesters, “We’re hiring” at a news conference shorty after the ambush that left five officers dead, according to the Washington Post. As reported by the Post, from July 8 to July 20, the Dallas Police Department received…
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Michael Jordan: A Day Late and a Million Dollars Short
On Monday, Michael Jordan decided to break his Clarence Thomas-like silence on race relations in this country to denounce the killings of unarmed black men, women and children at the hands of police. In a piece for The Undefeated, Jordan also condemned the killings of cops and donated $1 million each to the NAACP Legal…
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Ohio Attorney Faces Jail for Refusing to Remove Black Lives Matter Pin
An Ohio attorney was sentenced to five days in jail after refusing to remove a Black Lives Matter pin she was wearing. According to the Washington Post, an Ohio judge had told attorney Andrea Burton that there had been complaints about her pin and that court officials were not allowed to wear political pins in…
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WNBA Drops Fines for Players Who Wore Protest Shirts
The WNBA has reversed its decision to fine the teams and players who wore black protest warm-up shirts saying “Alton Sterling,” ”Philando Castile,” “Black Lives Matter” and “Dallas 5,” ESPN reports. WNBA President Lisa Borders said in a statement Saturday that the league was rescinding the $5,000 penalties given to the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty…