ferguson uprising
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Mike Brown’s Death Changed the World, but Local Activists Say It Hasn’t Changed Ferguson
Today marks five years since Darren Wilson gunned down 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was far from the only black man to die at the hands of the police that year; other high-profile cases—Eric Garner died in New York months earlier, Laquan McDonald would be shot and killed later that fall—sparked protests and…
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Five Years After Mike Brown's Killing, Should Policing Be Abolished?
“I know that if I call the cops, they’re not coming to protect me—even in moments when I need it.“ —David Johns, executive director, National Black Justice Coalition text Since Mike Brown was killed by now former police officer Darren Wilson five years ago, the Ferguson Police Department hired a new police chief and the…
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Five Years After Mike Brown, Police Brutality Is Still Harming Black Communities
It’s been five years since Mike Brown, an unarmed teen from Ferguson, Mo., was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Ahead of the anniversary, I brought together three experts who tackle the issues of police brutality and anti-racism in their daily work to discuss what has—and hasn’t—changed in the half a decade…
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At the Age of 31, Ferguson Activist Bassem Masri Reportedly Died of a Heart Attack. Why?
Bassem Masri, a Palestinian-American civil rights activist best known for his participation in and live-streaming of the Ferguson Uprising in 2014, died Tuesday morning after being found unresponsive on a bus, officials say. While the cause of death still hasn’t been confirmed, at least one outlet is reporting that Masri died of a heart attack.…
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Danye Jones' Death Is Being Investigated as a Suicide. But His Mother, a Ferguson Activist, Says It's a Lynching
A rally and news conference have been organized today by the family of Danye Jones, a 24-year-old man who was found dead, hanging from a tree on his family’s property, earlier this month. St. Louis County says they are investigating Jones’ death as a suicide. But his mother, Melissa McKinnies, a prominent protester who helped…
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Telling Untold Stories: Playwright and Performer Dael Orlandersmith Gets Under Our Skin
A community in the aftermath of unrest. The painful legacy of abuse, as experienced by black boys and men. The intimately insidious effects of colorism. The remembrance of a life lived and love lost, inspired by a chance encounter with a famously tragic jazz singer. Playwright and actor Dael Orlandersmith’s particular skill is to tell…