news
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#WalterScott: Federal Civil Rights Trial for Michael Slager Expected This Spring
Just a week after his state murder trial in the death of Walter Scott ended with a hung jury, a source close to the case said Tuesday that federal prosecutors expect to try former North Charleston, S.C., Police Officer Michael Slager sometime this spring. As previously reported on The Root, state prosecutor Scarlett A. Wilson…
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Family of 73-Year-Old Man Shot by Calif. Police Demands Federal Investigation
The family of the unarmed 73-year-old man who was shot and killed by a police officer in Bakersfield, Calif., is demanding state and federal investigations into the shooting. Francisco Serna was in the early stages of dementia, and his shooting death Monday not only sparked anger and grief but also raised questions about how the…
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Ark. School Board Member’s Blackface Photo Leads to Calls for Resignation
Ted Bonner, an eastern-Arkansas school board member, is being called on to resign by the Arkansas NAACP and several residents after photos surfaced of him wearing blackface as a costume for a Halloween party while also holding a sign referring to the Black Lives Matter movement, the Associated Press reports. On Monday, during a Blevins…
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Independent Monitor Ordered After 3 NYC Children’s Services Employees Fired in Zymere Perkins Case
On Tuesday, three employees of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services were fired after the poor handling of the case of 6-year-old Zymere Perkins. The city also accepted a state order for an independent monitor, according to CBS New York. A report was released by the state Office of Children and Family Services regarding…
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DC-Area Marching Bands Did Not Apply to March at Trump’s Inaugural Parade
Washington, D.C., public schools have declined to apply for a chance to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural parade this year, NBC Washington reports. As the news station notes, at least one District public school marching band has performed in the past five parades, but none seem eager to follow up for the upcoming one.…
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NJ State Trooper Suspended for Pulling Over Women to Ask Them Out, Covering It Up
A New Jersey state trooper was suspended without pay after an internal investigation revealed that he was pulling over women to ask them out on dates and then tampering with police records to cover it up, NJ.com reports. The state trooper, identified as 37-year-old Marquice Prather, was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree tampering with…
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Woman Dragged Off Delta Flight After Boarding Incident in Detroit
Police officers at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport can be seen in video dragging a female passenger off a Delta Air Lines flight Monday after Delta and airport officials say the woman did not follow the rules for boarding the plane, according to the Washington Post. The passenger, who remains unidentified, got on board the San…
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Prosecutors Seek to Allow Bill Cosby Accusers to Testify at Sexual Assault Trial
Prosecutors argued in a Pennsylvania court Tuesday that a judge should allow 13 of Bill Cosby’s accusers to testify at his upcoming trial for sexual assault of Andrea Constand. Prosecutors made the argument that Cosby used his fame to gain the trust of women before knocking them out with pills and drinks so that he…