police accountability
-
Arbitrator Orders New Hampshire Officer Fired for Racist Texts Be Reinstated, Police Chief Refuses
One of the biggest issues facing meaningful police reform is the arbitration process. An officer could be fired for being a piece of shit but an arbitrator could say, “well, he wasn’t that shitty,” and order the officer to be re-hired. In New Hampshire, that exact situation is playing out but surprisingly, the local police…
-
Louisville Appoints First Black Woman Interim Police Chief, Who Addresses Breonna Taylor, Racism and Healing
For the first time in Kentucky’s history, a Black woman will lead the Louisville Metro Police Department, and she appears to be well aware that the death of Breonna Taylor and the subsequent protests and civil unrest that have gone on for months means she has her work cut out for her. The Courier-Journal reports…
-
New York Attorney General Letitia James Says She Will Form Grand Jury to Investigate Daniel Prude's Death
NY Attorney General Letitia James is forming a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March after Rochester police put a hood over his head, which suffocated him. The state prosecutor made the announcement on Saturday and said the grand jury will be part of an “exhaustive…
-
California Police Officer Charged With Manslaughter in Shooting Death of Black Man in San Leandro Walmart
A San Leandro, Calif. police officer was charged Wednesday in the shooting death of a Black man inside a Walmart, which took place in April. The incident was captured by the officer’s body camera. The New York Times reports that Officer Jason Fletcher of the San Leandro Police Department has been charged with felony manslaughter…
-
Family Demands Justice for Unarmed and Naked Black Man Who Died After Altercation With Rochester, NY, Police Officers [Updated]
A few things: Erratic behavior shouldn’t automatically be perceived as threatening. People on drugs are still people. A person displaying signs of mental illness needs help, not excessive force. The Black Lives Matter explosion will never subside as long as police officers continue being overly aggressive when dealing with Black people—especially when those encounters end…
-
'I Was Guilty Before Proven Innocent': San Antonio Man Speaks Out About His Wrongful Arrest and Racial Profiling
White people often don’t understand why Black people tend to respond so aggressively to police officers after being racially profiled. They watch a video of a Black man being detained for nonsensical reasons and daring to get upset about it, and they say, “If he would only stay calm and follow instructions, everything would be…
-
Louisiana Police Chief Under Fire After Leaked Surveillance Footage Shows Him Punching Handcuffed Black Man
The police chief in Hammond, La., has become the subject of community outrage after leaked surveillance footage from 2017 revealed what many consider an act of blatant police brutality perpetrated by him against a Black man who was in handcuffs. On Monday, activists and members of the community held a meeting to discuss the incident…
-
Police Union Criticizes NHL Team for Opposing Racism
Racist white people hate being called racist white people. I know this because I receive emails, tweets and DMs from white people who are insulted by the notion that all white people don’t hate Black people. Most recently, after an article about patriotism and the NBA strike (or this one about Ben Shapiro…or this one…
-
‘He Can Say It to Me, But I Can’t Say It to Him?’: White South Carolina Officer Suspended After Repeatedly Using N-Word
It’s about time we have a serious discussion about one particular wypipo proverb: “If they can say it, why can’t I?” A white South Carolina police officer has been suspended after he was recorded Saturday repeatedly using the n-word outside of a bar where he was called to enforce a state ordinance put in place…
-
Turning Pain Into Policy: Kamala Harris, Ben Crump Explain Why Police Reform Starts With Economic Justice
Whatever personal feelings one may hold about vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris’ history as a prosecutor, attorney general and senator, the vast majority of lawyers, legal scholars and criminal justice experts agree on one inarguable fact: She is not Mike Pence. Unlike Pence, Harris wears a mask. Harris doesn’t think COVID-19 will take a self-care…