culture
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DC Political Candidate Dead at the Age of 34
A local Washington, D.C., political candidate has died at the age of 34. A.J. Cooper was running for the City Council seat previously held by Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser. According to the Facebook group for his election campaign, Cooper died after complaining of chest pains and dizziness. “He was a hell of a kid who was…
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Grand Jury Will Not Charge Officer in Eric Garner Choke Hold Death: Report
A Staten Island, N.Y., grand jury has decided not to charge New York police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who administered the fatal choke hold that resulted in the death of Eric Garner, the New York Daily News reports. The news comes only a week after then-Officer Darren Wilson was not indicted for killing unarmed teen Michael…
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Michael Brown’s Stepfather Shouldn’t Have Had to Apologize for His Anger
Moments after the Nov. 24 prime-time press conference held by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch to announce what was, effectively, the indictment of black Twitter, Michael Brown, the media and anyone else not named Darren Wilson, CNN ran, on continuous loop, a raw, emotional reaction from Louis Head, Brown’s stepfather, in which he…
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Van Jones: Charles Barkley’s Comments Were ‘Inflammatory,’ ‘Irresponsible’ and ‘Dangerous’
Civil rights activist Van Jones blasted former NBA star Charles Barkley on CNN Tuesday night for comments he made regarding the Ferguson, Mo., grand jury decision, including the statement that black communities would be the “wild, Wild West” without cops. “The true story came out from the grand jury testimony,” Barkley said. “We have to be…
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Man Arrested for Making Death Threats on Facebook Against Darren Wilson
A Washington state man is facing charges after allegedly threatening to kill “Police Officer D.W.” in a Facebook post, Talking Points Memo reports. Jaleel Tariq Abdul-Jabbaar used only initials when expressing the alleged threat, but the criminal complaint filed against him claims that the threats “relate to the widely publicized events of Aug. 9, 2014,…
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Michael Brown’s Stepfather Apologizes for Impassioned Outcry After Grand Jury Decision
Louis Head, the stepfather of Michael Brown, has issued a formal apology for his reaction immediately following the St. Louis County grand jury decision not to indict former cop Darren Wilson for the unarmed teen’s death. Head’s statement to CNN’s Don Lemon comes on the heels of a police investigation into whether Head intended to…
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Grand Jury in Eric Garner Choke Hold Case Could Decide Charges This Week
Updated Wed., Dec. 3, 2:32 p.m. EST: A grand jury has decided not to indict the police officer involved in the Eric Garner choke hold case. More to come. Earlier: A Staten Island, N.Y., grand jury could render a decision as early as Wednesday on whether charges will be brought against officers in the case…
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Chicago’s Minimum Wage to Increase From $8.25 to $13 by 2019
By 2019, people earning minimum wage in Chicago will be making $13 an hour, up from the current $8.25 an hour, thanks to a recent vote by the Chicago City Council to approve a proposal by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Al-Jazeera reports. “We want to make sure people can afford to live here,” Emanuel said…
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UN Pleads With Texas to Delay Execution of Mentally Ill Man
The United Nations is making a last-minute plea to Texas officials to delay the execution of Scott Panetti, a prisoner who is said to have mental disabilities that should have made him ineligible for the death penalty, Al-Jazeera reports. “There is no doubt that it is inherently cruel and unworthy of civilized societies to execute persons…