culture
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Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Got Married in October
The grand jury’s still out on whether Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson will be indicted for the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown. However, according to the New York Times, the legal proceedings haven’t deterred Wilson, 28, from quietly wedding his girlfriend and colleague Barbara Spradling, 37, about a month ago. The Times…
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Rapper Cool C to Be Executed for Shooting Death of Cop During Bank Robbery
Rapper Cool C, on death row for the shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer, is scheduled to be executed Jan. 8 after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed his death warrant, the New York Daily News reports. Cool C, whose legal name is Christopher Roney, tried to rob a PNC Bank in 1996, when he…
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NYPD Source: Rookie Cop Used ‘Bad Tactics’ in Shooting of Unarmed Brooklyn Man
When rookie police Officer Peter Liang shot and killed 28-year-old Akai Gurley in a dark stairwell in the New York City borough of Brooklyn last Thursday, he displayed “bad tactics,” a high-ranking police source told the New York Daily News. According to the source, Liang’s Glock 9 mm pistol should have been holstered, although unsnapped and…
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The ‘Hacktivist’ Group Anonymous Targets Cleveland Police After 12-Year-Old’s Death
The “hacktivist” group Anonymous has added its voice to those outraged over the shooting death of 12-year-old Cleveland boy Tamir Rice over the weekend, the New York Daily News reports. According to the Daily News, the group has taken credit for shutting down Cleveland’s government website on Monday. It also sent out a video message…
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Marshawn Lynch: A Man of Lil Boosie and Lil Words
Marshawn Lynch still isn’t talking. Well sort of. After being fined $100,000 for refusing to do an interview, the Seattle Seahawks running back said only 55 words to answer 22 questions following Sunday’s 19-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He won’t talk about his back or dancing with the cheerleaders, but he will talk about…
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Shouldn’t Black Leaders Ask How Immigration Reform Affects Black Unemployment?
How might President Barack Obama’s pending executive order on immigration affect black unemployment? And isn’t that a question black leaders should be asking right now? Even if you’re pro-immigration reform, the answer should be a full-throated and resounding, “Yes.” Obama’s executive order will allow more than 4 million noncitizens previously here without immigration status to obtain work…
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Journalists Take Secret Meeting, Jockey to Interview Darren Wilson
While the world awaits the Ferguson, Mo., grand jury decision as to whether police Officer Darren Wilson will be charged in the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown, CNN’s Reliable Sources reports that several prominent news anchors have met in private with Wilson in hopes of securing the controversial officer’s first on-air interview. According to…
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Evidence Reviewed by Ferguson Grand Jury May Not Be Released
It looks like evidence used by the Ferguson, Mo., grand jury to decide whether to criminally charge Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown may not be made public, according to a St. Louis County Circuit Court official, Yahoo News reports. Under normal circumstances, grand jury evidence remains sealed after…
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The Root Asks: What Are You Thankful For?
Editor’s note: We asked several honorees of this year’s The Root 100 to share the things they are most thankful for this holiday season. Here’s what they had to say. Feminista Jones, Writer, Blogger, Activist I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to make connections with other people who want to make the…
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2 Innocent Men Exonerated After 40 Years in Prison
Sentenced to death based on the testimony of a single juvenile witness, two Cleveland men have maintained their innocence for 40 years. Now someone has finally listened. The two Ohio men, Ricky Jackson and Wiley Bridgeman, walked out of prison as free men last week after the state’s witness in the case admitted that he…