police accountability
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Aurora Police Officers Fired For Selfies Mocking Elijah McClain's Death
Four Aurora Police Department officers are now out of a job following an investigation into photos they took of themselves at the site where 23-year-old Elijah McClain was put in a chokehold by police before dying last summer. The photos show Kyle Dittrich, Jared Jones, and Erica Marrero smiling and pretending to recreate a carotid…
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Appeals Court Finds That Judge Wrongfully Overturned Verdict That Awarded $38 Million to Family of Korryn Gaines
In 2016, Korryn Gaines was fatally shot by Baltimore police after they attempted to enter her home. Her family sued, and after two years in court, a jury eventually rewarded them over $37 million in damages. A judge overturned that verdict last year, arguing that the officer was protected under “qualified immunity.” Now, the Baltimore…
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Miami Officer ‘Relieved of Duty’ and Under Investigation After Video Catches Him Hitting Black Woman in Airport
You really can’t blame Black people for believing that excessive force is just the police go-to for dealing with Black people when they get into heated exchanges with them. If our lived experiences weren’t enough to convince us of this, the fact that we can’t seem to go more than a week without seeing a…
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Trial for George Floyd's Killers Set for March 2021, but Judge Warns It Could Be Moved From Minneapolis
The judge presiding over the trial of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd has threatened to have the case tried outside of the city if the lawyers involved continue to make “inappropriate” public statements. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill gave the warning at a pretrial hearing for Derek Chauvin,…
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8 Louisiana Cops Indicted for Allegedly Beating 2 Men Over a Seatbelt Violation
At this point, it’s pretty clear that cops are by and large, pretty trash. Eight cops in Louisiana have only reinforced that assertion after allegedly beating two men over a seatbelt violation. NBC News reports that the eight cops from the Shreveport Police Department involved in the incident have been indicted on charges of excessive…
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3 Federal Agencies Confirm an Ongoing Investigation Into Elijah McClain’s Death for Potential Civil Rights Violations
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Denver Division of the FBI released a joint statement Tuesday confirming that they have been reviewing the facts in the case of Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Black man who died last August after an altercation with…
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‘Oh My God, You Broke My Wrist’: Georgia Police Sued Over Violent Takedown of the Wrong Man
On Feb. 8 in Valdosta, Ga., white police officers walked up behind a Black man who was already being questioned by another police officer, who was also Black. One of the white officers, without even announcing his presence, grabbed the Black man from behind, commanded him to put his hands behind his back then, within…
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4 San Jose Officers Put on Leave After, You Guessed It, Racist Facebook Posts
I don’t know how many cops have to lose their jobs before they realize that maybe they shouldn’t be racist. Let alone be racist on Facebook. Apparently, four cops in San Jose, Calif. felt like learning that lesson the hard way. CNN reports that four officers in the San Jose Police Department have been put…
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Aurora, Colo., Officers Under Investigation for Allegedly Appearing in Photos Mocking Elijah McClain’s Death at His Memorial
Several Aurora, Colo., police officers have been put on administrative leave and are being investigated after showing up in disturbing photos at a memorial for Elijah McClain, who died after an altercation with police in 2019. The memorial was held near the site of McClain’s detainment by police officers, which led to his death. According…
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In the Past Decade, at Least 70 People Have Died in Police Custody After Saying ‘I Can’t Breathe’: Report
The deaths of Eric Garner and George Floyd have turned the words “I can’t breathe” into an infamous phrase inextricably linked to the issue of excessive force used by police on Black citizens. Both Garner’s and Floyd’s altercations with police were recorded and posted on social media for the world to view, but one question…