police accountability
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#StephonClark: One Year Later, There Is Still No Justice and No Peace
One year ago today, 22-year-old Stephon Clark was shot and killed by two police officers as he stood in the backyard of his grandparents’ home in the Meadowview neighborhood of Sacramento, Calif. Officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet said they feared for their lives—a common refrain that often leads to law enforcement officers being exonerated…
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Don’t Try This If You’re Black: Court Rules Woman Who Gave Cop the Middle Finger Is Protected by Constitution
Offering a peek into an entirely different justice system and police procedures that black people had no idea existed, a federal court ruled that a law enforcement officer violated a citizen’s constitutional rights by issuing a speeding ticket to a woman because she gave him the middle finger. After hearing the case of Debra Lee…
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No Surprise Here: Police Regularly Deny Access to Officer Video Footage
When 22-year-old Stephon Clark was shot and killed by two police officers in the backyard of his grandparents’ house in March 2018, the Sacramento Police Department released officer body camera footage as well as footage captured by a Sacramento sheriff’s helicopter within days of the shooting. The city has its own transparency policy that requires…
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Columbus Police Officer Kidnapped Women Under 'Guise' of Arrest, Forced Sexual Favors in Exchange for Their Release: Report
55-year-old Andrew Mitchell, a 30-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department in Ohio, was arrested by federal authorities on Monday. According to the Department of Justice, Mitchell kidnapped several women “under the guise of making an arrest,” before forcing them to have sex with him in exchange for their release. Mitchell, who was placed on…
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Jury Finds Florida Cop Nouman Raja Guilty in Killing of Corey Jones
A Florida police officer is facing life in prison after a jury found him guilty of shooting and killing a black man, marking the first time in 30 years a Florida police officer has been convicted for a civilian’s death. At 9:14 a.m. on Thursday morning, a West Palm Beach, Fla., jury convicted former Palm…
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Chicago Cop Says Department Punished Him For Refusing to Cover Up Shooting of Unarmed Teen
A Chicago police officer charged with investigating the police shooting of a mentally disabled, unarmed teen has filed a federal lawsuit saying his superiors retaliated against him after he refused to falsify records and lie about the shooting. In a federal lawsuit file Monday, Sgt. Isaac Lambert, who has been with the Chicago Police Department…
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Cleveland Police Union Seeks to Overturn Firing of Tamir Rice's Killer
In a late albeit unsurprising display of indecency, the Cleveland police union has filed an appeal in court to overturn the firing of Timothy Loehmann, the officer who murdered 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November 2014. Loehmann was fired by the city over the contents of his job application and not for the murder of Rice,…
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Florida Cops Charged After Slapping Handcuffed Teen, Trying to Destroy Video of the Incident
Officials in Florida charged two Miami-Dade officers after they discovered an alleged assault and cover-up involving the tag team rogue cops. Even though the incident happened nearly a year ago, and no one knows how many other people these cops may have assaulted or how much evidence they may have destroyed, people must understand that…
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Texts Between Portland Police and Far-Right Extremists Prove Collusion… Cue Shock and Awe
In my 38 years of traversing God’s green Earth as a black ass black man, common sense has informed me that the interests of the police and the interests of individuals who look like me don’t always coincide. So news that the commanding officer for the Portland Police Bureau’s rapid response team is exchanging emojis…
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California Attorney General Sued Over His Refusal to Release Police Records Under New Law
The legal fights over a new California law related to the release of police disciplinary records continues, and this time the state’s own attorney general is a target. The First Amendment Coalition—a nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to advancing free speech and a more open and accountable government—filed a lawsuit against California Attorney General Xavier…