Politics
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Va. Officer Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter in Shooting Death of 18-Year-Old William Chapman
A Virginia jury found a white former police officer guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the April 2015 shooting death of an unarmed black teen who was accused of shoplifting, ABC News reports. Former Portsmouth, Va., Police Officer Stephen Rankin, who was fired from the police force as he awaited trial, fatally shot 18-year-old William Chapman…
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Activist DeRay Mckesson Sues City of Baton Rouge, La., Over Arrest
Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson filed a lawsuit against the city of Baton Rouge, La., Thursday over his arrest last month at a protest for Alton Sterling during which more than 200 people were detained, the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Mckesson and two others arrested accuses the city and…
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Family of Korryn Gaines Questions Police Use of Deadly Force
The family of Korryn Gaines is speaking out on behalf of the 23-year-old mother of two who was shot to death by Baltimore County police Monday after an hourslong standoff, WBAL-TV reports. One of the family’s biggest questions is why deadly force had to be used in the first place. “We see hundreds of videos…
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Open Letter to White People Who Are Obsessed With Black-on-Black Crime
Dear Caucasian Brethren, I decided to sit down and write this letter to you because every time I try to have a nuanced conversation with you, I am interrupted by the same shrill refrain. Here is an excerpt from every conversation when I ask you to help me find a solution to a problem: Us:…
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Korryn Gaines Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect for Black Men to #SayHerName
On Monday, Baltimore County police shot and killed 23-year-old mother Korryn Gaines while she was holding her 5-year-old son, making her the ninth black woman to be killed by police this year. I feared that two common trends would find their way to the forefront after hearing the Baltimore County Police Department’s version of events. I…
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Website Allows White People to Offer 'Reparations' to People of Color
There is a new website called Reparations that, as its name implies, allows white people to offer what they can to people of color, who can also request help for specific items or needs, the Washington Post reports. “I invite People of Color to ask for what we need to feel better, be happier, be…
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Baltimore County Police Fatally Shoot 23-Year-Old Black Woman After Hourslong Standoff
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 2, 10:23 a.m. EDT: On Tuesday morning, BallerAlert posted a tweet, which the site reported showed two videos that Gaines took of the incident before she was killed. In one video, an officer in full SWAT gear appears to be seen standing in the corner looking at Gaines. In another, Gaines appears to…
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#M4BL: New Policy Agenda Centers Black Demands as Presidential Campaign Hits Full Stride
August will mark the two-year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown and the uprising of black youths in Ferguson, Mo. Many of us are asking ourselves, “What has changed?” Black people and our allies have since taken to the streets by the thousands, and a massive online movement proclaimed that “Black lives matter.” But two…
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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…