missouri
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Lawsuit Accuses Missouri Police of Brutalizing Black Mother and Son Falsely Accused of Theft
A 68-year-old black woman is suing the city of Des Peres, Mo., and four white police officers who she accuses of brutalizing her and her 43-year-old son at a Sam’s Club store on March 23 after the officers wrongly suspected them of stealing a TV that they had paid for. The Associated Press reports that…
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Suspect Arrested in Killing of Missouri Trans Woman Nina Pop
A man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nina Pop, a 28-year-old trans woman found stabbed to death in Missouri earlier this month. KFVS TV reports that 40-year-old Joseph Cannon was arrested Friday morning in Dexter, Mo. Sikeston DPS Chief James McMillen told reporters that police were “pleased to…
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'Set Your Price for a Slave': St. Louis Teacher Placed on Administrative Leave for 'Culturally Insensitive' Homework Assignment
On the laundry list of things I wanted to be when I grew up, being a teacher was probably dead last. In part because I knew I’d never have the patience, but primarily because I knew I’d never get away with involving slave auctions in my assignments. That was sarcasm. Sadly, KMOV 4 reports that…
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Family Demands Justice in Officer-Involved Shooting in Kansas City, Mo.
An investigation is underway as another black man has lost his life as the result of an officer-related shooting. From the Kansas City Star: The incident began Tuesday afternoon when a disturbance between two vehicles was reported near 35th Street and College Avenue. A police helicopter tracked one of the vehicles, which pulled behind a…
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Kansas City Votes to Remove Martin Luther King Jr.'s Name From Historic Boulevard
Since his assassination in 1968, more than a thousand streets have been named after Martin Luther King Jr. But after over a year of disputes and hostility, one city where you’ll no longer find a boulevard honoring the civil rights icon is in Kansas City, Mo. New York Times reports that on Tuesday, the community…
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Brianna ‘BB’ Hill Becomes the 20th Black Trans Woman Killed This Year
In what’s become far too common, another black trans woman has been killed. KCTV reports that on Monday morning, Brianna “BB” Hill was gunned down in the Vineyard neighborhood of Kansas City, Mo. When police arrived at the scene, the alleged shooter was present, according to Police Capt. Tim Hernandez. Authorities believe there are no…
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2 Senior Black Congressional Leaders Take the Safe Route and Back Biden for President
Reps. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and G.K. Butterfield (D.-N.C.), both former chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus, are throwing their political weight behind Joe Biden in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Cleaver says that while “there are others that I’m closer to”—an apparent reference to presidential hopefuls Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker…
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It’s Been a Deadly Summer for Black Children in St. Louis. State Lawmakers Are Poised to Do Absolutely Nothing
A horrific string of unsolved shootings killing children in St. Louis has local police offering up to $100,000 for help in finding suspects. But even as gun violence has claimed the lives of 13 children since April, the GOP-run statehouse has made clear it has no plan to address the outbreak in violence. As both…
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Late Charge: Judge Says Prosecutors’ Demand to Free ‘Innocent’ Man Jailed for Murder Comes 24 Years Too Late
Despite overwhelming evidence by prosecutors that a man sitting in a Missouri prison was wrongfully convicted of murder, a judge has denied a bid for a new trial saying, essentially, that the request comes 24 years too late. Twenty-four years is how long Lamar Johnson has been trapped in prison for what even prosecutors say…
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The Murder Capital for Black Folks? Hint: It’s Not Chicago
It may come as a surprise to many that the most murderous place for black folks in the U.S. isn’t the big urban centers of New York, Los Angeles, or even oft-maligned Chicago. No. This infamous honor goes to Middle America, specifically Missouri. According to the Kansas City Star, a study by the Violence Policy…