Politics
-
Is Orange the New Black Lives Matter? 6 Moments When OITNB Kept It Too Real on Race
“Can’t we have a race war? It’ll be fun!” Cindy—everyone’s favorite Afro-puff enthusiast—exclaims in the premiere of season 4 of Orange Is the New Black. Be careful what you wish for; this entire season is a study in what happens when microaggressions go macro. Frankly, I wasn’t ready. If you’ve yet to watch the new…
-
Democrats Stage Sit-in on House Floor, Demanding Vote on ‘No Fly, No Buy’ Gun Control Bill
About 30 Democrats from the United States House of Representatives are staging a sit-in as they demand the chance to vote on a gun control bill, NPR reports. According to the report, the House has not yet been gaveled into session, so it is not sure when such a vote would happen. “Lawmakers are grouped in…
-
Mississippi Burning Case Closed After 52 Years
Mississippi officials have decided to close the investigation into the killings of three young civil rights organizers by the Ku Klux Klan, more than five decades after the young men disappeared, NPR reports. According to the report, the case had been closed for decades but was later reopened after public outcry. Now officials have decided that…
-
Black Lives Matter Activist Jasmine Richards, Convicted of ‘Felony Lynching,’ Is Free
Jasmine Richards, who also goes by “Jasmine Abdullah,” the Black Lives Matter activist who was convicted of “felony lynching” is now free on bail. The Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles Twitter page made the announcement Saturday. Richards’ story had been a cause of outrage—one, because the charge of “lynching” had been leveled against a black person,…
-
Man Who Threatened Black Mizzou Students Sentenced to Probation
A white Missouri man who threatened black Mizzou students on social media after the University of Missouri’s president, Tim Wolfe, resigned amid protests over his mishandling of racial abuse has been sentenced to probation, Reuters reports. Boone County Circuit Judge Kevin Crane sentenced 20-year-old Hunter Park to five years’ probation for the threats he made in…
-
Baltimore Officer Testifies That Freddie Gray Asked for Help During Fatal Van Ride
One of the Baltimore police officers facing charges in the death of Freddie Gray testified Monday that Gray had asked for help while being transported in a police van where he suffered a fatal neck injury, Reuters reports. Police Officer William Porter spoke at the trial of Police Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., who, as the van’s…
-
Helen Chavez, Widow of Civil Rights Icon Cesar Chavez, Dies at 88
Helen Chavez, the widow of civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, died Monday at a hospital in Bakersfield, Calif., at the age of 88, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to a statement from the Cesar Chavez Foundation, Helen Chavez died of natural causes, surrounded by family. Chavez was known for helping her husband with the…
-
St. Louis Police Department Has Paid Out $4,700,000 to Settle 44 Cases Since 2010: Report
The St. Louis Police Department has doled out $4.7 million since 2010 to settle some 44 cases, some of which include allegations of injuries or wrongful imprisonment or death, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Post-Dispatch reviewed some payouts had not previously been publicized. One of the cases, the 2011 fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar…
-
Baltimore Cop Caesar Goodson Jr., Driver of Van in Which Freddie Gray Was Fatally Injured, Chooses Bench Trial
The Baltimore police officer facing the most serious charges in the Freddie Gray case has elected to have a bench trial, opting to place his fate in the hands of a judge, the Baltimore Sun reports. The trial of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. The 46-year-old is the only…