lee merritt
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Tennessee Detective Caught Beating a Handcuffed Black Man Still Collecting Checks on Desk Duty
A white Hamilton County, Tennessee, detective caught on camera punching and kicking a black man in handcuffs is now on desk duty as police launch an investigation into the case. Video of the Dec. 3 incident captured by a neighbor shows Detective Blake Kilpatrick beating 24-year-old Charles Toney, punching him in the ribs and face…
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They Tried It: Attorney Representing Botham Jean's Family Acquitted on 16 Counts of Criminal Contempt
When you make it your personal mission to fight for the rights and liberties of marginalized communities, the powers that be will make it theirs to put you out of business. Which is exactly what happened to civil rights attorney Lee Merritt—who just so happens to be holding police officer Amber Guyger accountable for murdering…
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Jemel Roberson, the Guard Shot and Killed by Police, Was Working Extra Shifts to Pay for Son’s Christmas
Jemel Roberson, like many first-time parents, was concerned about making his family’s first Christmas special. With a 9-month-old son and another child on the way, Roberson was picking up extra shifts ahead of the holidays, Roberson’s family attorney Lee Merritt said last week. CNN reported Merritt’s comments. He and Roberson’s girlfriend, Avontae Boose, have been…
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Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Proves White Male Privilege Is Invincible
His confirmation might come as a shock to some, but for many of us, it was a foregone conclusion.
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Botham Jean’s Family Will Sue Amber Guyger, City of Dallas
The family of Botham Jean, an unarmed black man who was shot and killed by an off-duty Dallas police officer after she intruded into his home, plans to sue the officer and the city of Dallas for his death. According to the Dallas Morning news, family attorney Lee Merritt said Allison and Bertrum Jean plan…
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Amber Guyger Charged with Manslaughter; Officials Dispute Story Over Potential Murder Charge
Amber Guyger, the Dallas police officer who reportedly shot and killed 26-year-old Botham Jean in his own apartment on Thursday night, turned herself in to Dallas Police on Sunday evening. According to the Washington Post, Guyger turned herself in at Kaufman County Jail, where she was arrested and taken into custody on a manslaughter charge…
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Dallas Cop Who Killed Botham Shem Jean After Intruding into His Home Identified [Updated]
Dallas Police identified the off-duty, uniformed police officer who shot and killed a black man in his own apartment as Amber Guyger, a four-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. Guyger claims that she mistook Botham Jean’s South Side Flats unit for her own. On Saturday, prominent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Dallas-based Lee…
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Another Day, Another Video Showing Black People Being Harassed by Law Enforcement
A video that captured an encounter between a Houston-area college student and a constable has now gone viral and has resulted in an internal-affairs complaint being filed against the deputy, alleging harassment, constitutional violations, excessive force and abuse of power. Lee Merritt, the Philadelphia-based attorney representing 20-year-old Marlin Gipson; his 22-year-old brother, Marcus Gipson; and…