california
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Unofficial Ballot Drop Boxes Causing Concern in California
As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s fuckery afoot this election season. In California, concerns surrounding unofficial ballot drop boxes have grown as multiple boxes have reportedly been found throughout the state. According to the Orange County Register, there have been several reports of unofficial ballot drop boxes popping up around Fresno, Los Angeles and Orange…
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George Floyd Mural in Minneapolis Defaced for the 2nd Time
In Minneapolis, a mural dedicated to George Floyd was defaced for the second time in the past two months. ABC News reports that surveillance footage depicts a man in a ski mask approaching the mural and spraying it with red spray paint at around 4 a.m. on Sunday. In August, a similar incident occurred when…
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California District Attorney Reopens Investigation Into 2009 Police Killing of Oscar Grant
The 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant was a pivotal moment in the fight for police accountability: a graphic video showing a transit officer shooting Grant in the back was among the first of its kind, documenting a harrowing and deadly example of police brutality and setting off nationwide protests as millions bore secondhand witness to…
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Durham, Washington, D.C., Become Latest Cities to Call for Reparations for Black Residents
Despite its long history as part of abolitionist discourse, reparations for African Americans have, for many years, been considered a “fringe” idea in mainstream politics. But in 2020, more places across the country are considering what reparations would look like on the local, state and federal level, as the need to redress hundreds of years…
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Man Who Drove Truck Through Pasadena BLM March Stockpiled Weapons, Was Planning for ‘Civil Disorder’ Say Authorities
A California man who is accused of plowing his truck through a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in Pasadena earlier this year was preparing for a larger attack, according to federal officials. As the Washington Post reports, Benjamin Jong Ren Hung was charged last week with conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines, as…
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Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Appointing Reparations Task Force for Black Americans in California
I’ve had a lot of conversations with Black people who have a bit of a defeatist attitude when it comes to the subject of reparations. For them, the very idea of America paying monetary damages or some form of restitution to the descendants of slaves—people the country oppressed, tortured, forced unpaid labor on, separated from…
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Kobe Bryant Crash Prompts New California Law Aimed at First Responders
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) approved a bill that makes it illegal for first responders to take unauthorized pictures of deceased people at crime and accident scenes. The bill was prompted by the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others. Shortly after the Jan. 26 crash, reports emerged…
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California City Announces $4 Million Settlement in Case of Mentally Ill Black Man Shot by Police
On Friday, the city of Walnut Creek, Calif., announced a $4 million settlement in the federal lawsuit filed by the family of Miles Hall, a 23-year-old Black man fatally shot by the police while suffering a mental health crisis. CNN reports that on June 2 of last year, Walnut Creek Police received multiple calls regarding…
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California Announces ‘Education to End Hate’ Curriculum, Trump’s Threats to Withhold Funding Be Damned
California has decided to swipe left on y’all’s president’s threats to withhold funding from the state if it implements antiracism courses into its school curricula. On Monday, the Golden State unveiled plans to offer antiracist training to public school officials and students as well as mandatory ethnic studies courses for public schools. Newsweek reports that…
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California Is Close to Banning Karens From Weaponizing 911, But What About the State’s Police Reforms?
Earlier this week, California lawmakers passed a bill that would ban residents and visitors to the state from making racist, false 911 calls. It now awaits Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature before it becomes law. The bill was part of an array of criminal justice reforms proposed by lawmakers in the wake of George Floyd’s…