news
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Wrongly Convicted Man Sues New York City
A Brooklyn, N.Y., man who was wrongly convicted in a 1989 murder is taking the final steps toward justice, suing New York City and a number of police officers for civil rights violations in a federal lawsuit, the New York Post reports. Derrick Deacon, now 58, is adding the lawsuit against the city to his…
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Fla. Officer Fired After Video Footage Shows He Lied About Beating
In March 2014 Orlando, Fla., Police Officer William Escobar claimed that he used force only because Refus Holloway, who was trying to break up a fight, had resisted arrest. Escobar would take that story to the witness stand, according to WFTV, testifying that he didn’t hit Holloway, who is a former military police officer, after…
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‘We Know Where You Live’: Letter Found in Conn. Officers’ Mailboxes Threatens Black Cop
On Wednesday an ominous letter threatening the life of a black police officer and ending with the words “white power” was placed in Bridgeport, Conn., police officers’ mailboxes. Police are investigating the unsigned missive, which was written on Bridgeport Police Department letterhead and reportedly singled out a black officer, Clive Higgins, “who was acquitted last…
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Coming to Grips With the Socioeconomic Conditions That Fuel Terrorism
Let’s go out on a limb, sit down and think for a moment, and assume that State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf is right: that if we spent more time figuring out ways to eliminate youth unemployment and global poverty, we’d be spending less energy (and money) worried about decapitation-happy barbarians at the gates. “We cannot…
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LBJ’s Condolence Letter to Coretta Scott King to Be Auctioned
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s April 5, 1968, letter of condolence to the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., dated the day after King was assassinated, has been a highly controversial document at the center of a legal battle, and now it is up for auction, the Washington Post reports. In the historic letter, Johnson expresses…
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Russian Band Pussy Riot Releases Eric Garner-Inspired Song
Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist punk rock band that constantly pushes back against its government, has released a new single in English titled “I Can’t Breathe,” inspired by Eric Garner, The Guardian reports. According to the report, the song is the first one from the group performed in English. Its members, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alyokhina,…
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Detroit Walking Man Who Got $350,000 in Online Donations Forced to Move After Threats
The James Robertson story was supposed to have a happy ending. The story of the 56-year-old Detroit factory worker who walks 21 miles to and from work each day warmed the hearts of the nation after his tale of perseverance went viral. Some $350,000 was raised for Robertson—not to mention, a local Ford dealership gave him a brand-new…
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ASU Officer Caught Taking Down Professor for Jaywalking Resigns
An Arizona State University police officer, who was caught on video slamming a professor to the ground merely for jaywalking, has resigned in the fallout, the New York Daily News reports. The 25-year-old cop, Stewart Ferrin, handed in his resignation at the beginning of the week after an internal investigation concluded that he used excessive…
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Watch: White Soccer Fans Push Black Man Off Subway Train
White fans of England’s Chelsea soccer team on their way to see the team play Tuesday stopped a black man from riding with them on a subway train in Paris, including pushing the man from the train several times while reportedly chanting, “We’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it.” The incident,…
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‘White Power’ Signs Held Up at Texas High School Basketball Game
It was an interesting basketball game—one that went into three overtimes—between Flower Mound High School and Plano East High School in Texas Friday, but what got the most attention was a picture tweeted out showing attendees holding up two signs that jointly read “White Power,” WFAA-TV reports. The signs, held up in Flower Mound’s student section,…