news
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Is 48 Hours Too Long to Wait for a Police Officer to Give a Statement After a Fatal Shooting?
Police officers in Portland, Ore., who were involved in a shooting that resulted in death or serious physical injury were previously given 48 hours during which they could consult with an attorney before having to make a statement about the shooting. It was a rule that was objected to by advocates for police accountability. In…
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Chicago, Cook County Judges Will Be Required to Set Affordable Bonds for Nondangerous Defendants
Timothy C. Evans, chief judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., announced Monday that Cook County judges will be required to set affordable monetary bonds for defendants who do not pose a danger to the public. As of Sept. 18, judges will be prohibited from setting bond higher than what felony defendants can…
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NYC Commemorates the 3rd Anniversary of Eric Garner’s Death While Activists Still Call for Justice
Today, July 17, marks the third anniversary of the death of Eric Garner, the Staten Island, N.Y., husband and father who was killed by New York City police—his last words the refrain, “I can’t breathe,” invigorating a nascent Black Lives Matter movement and driving thousands into the streets to protest. Many took to social media…
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How Do You Get a Pay Cut on Your Day Off? St. Louis Politicians Fail Again on Minimum Wage
While just about everything else in life gets more expensive every year, the federal minimum wage has stubbornly stayed at $7.25 an hour since 2009. That was President Barack Obama’s first year in office, Borders Books was still a thing, movies cost only $7.50 and Rihanna was still dating Chris Brown. In other words, a…
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Minneapolis Police Officer Who Reportedly Shot and Killed Australian Native Identified
Updated Monday, July 17, 2017, 2:20 p.m. EDT: Well, that didn’t take long at all. The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed a 40-year-old Australian native in an alley behind her home Saturday night after she called 911 to report a disturbance has been identified—with pictures and everything. According to the Star Tribune, a…
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Fla. Babysitter Allegedly Broke 3-Year-Old’s Arm Because He Peed in His Pants
Daytona Beach, Fla., babysitter Haillee Howell has been accused of breaking a 3-year-old’s arm with a large kitchen utensil, all because the child wet his pants. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Howell, 21, has been charged with aggravated child abuse and is being held at Florida’s Volusia County Jail without bail. Howell allegedly grabbed…
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NYC Will Pay $380,000 to Family of Rikers Island Inmate Who Hanged Himself Days After Being Taken Off Suicide Watch
In more terrible news for the embattled Rikers Island jail, New York City (really, taxpayers who live or work in New York) has agreed to pay out $380,000 to the family of a 24-year-old housed at the jail who hanged himself shortly after being taken off of suicide watch. The New York Daily News reports…
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Wait, NBC Sports Announcer Mike Tirico Isn’t Black?
Wait … hol’ up. Normally when we wade into these blackness waters, it’s because some fair-skinned pop star is refusing to accept that the back of her hair—you know, the area above the neck; the area that old folks call the “kitchen”; the area that used to make my sisters cry when my mom really…
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Cops Release Bodycam Footage of White Privilege Gone Wild After Woman Claims Sexual Assault
I know one of the things white people get tired of hearing is the line, “If he were white, that never would have happened.” They heard it about Trayvon Martin. They heard it about Mike Brown. Most recently, after police partially justified the killing of Philando Castile by saying the officer smelled marijuana in his…
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Jury Awards More Than $15,000,000 to Family of Unarmed Black Man Killed by SWAT Sniper in Wash. State
A federal jury unanimously decided that police violated the rights of a 30-year-old black man when a family argument escalated into an attack during which the man was shot by a SWAT sniper in front of his young son. According to the Seattle Times, on Friday the jury decided to award the family of Leonard…