police brutality
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Akai Gurley’s Aunt Remembers Him as a Peacemaker
“I’ve never trusted the police,” Hertencia Petersen said as she shifted her weight in her seat. “I think cops work on modern-day lynching mode.” Our cameras were rolling as she candidly shared her disdain for law enforcement. “I can’t say that, can I?” Petersen asked solemnly. Petersen was sitting in the hot seat because on…
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Racists Prove That They Care More About Gorillas Than Black Children
Debates about Harambe—a 450-pound, 17-year-old western lowland, silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo that zoo officials were forced to shoot to death May 28 after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure—have reached fever pitch as the hashtag #JusticeForHarambe continues to circulate online. Harambe—whose name is derived from harambee, which is Swahili for “all pull together”—has…
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If NYC Top Cop Bill Bratton Wants to Discuss ‘Thugs,’ He Should Start With the NYPD
New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, one of the architects of New York’s racist stop-and-frisk policy, has weighed in on the fatal shooting that took place at a hip-hop concert at Manhattan’s Irving Plaza Wednesday night, and his statement was as prejudiced and hypocritical as one would expect from New York City’s top cop.…
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Tamir Rice Was 12 Years Old
I was in the lobby of the Ace — a boutique hotel that opened its doors this month in East Liberty (the Pittsburgh neighborhood I grew up in) — meeting with activist and educator Liana Maneese. We were meeting to discuss her new project — Adopting Identity, which is described on its website as “a movement that…
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Laquan McDonald And The Slow Death Of Black Joy
This is how it happens. This is how it fucks you up. It’s Tuesday. It’s a little after 7pm EST. On most Tuesdays, at this time, I’m either walking my dog or feeding my dog before walking him. After walking the dog, I usually go to the gym. And then, after the gym, I pick…
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Crooked Cop Kills Himself; Death Blamed On #BlackLivesMatter (Wait…What???)
There aren’t many stories that articulate how absurd and ridiculous America’s relationship with race is better than this one. It is layers on layers on layers on layers on layers of ridiculous, dry rubbed with “What the fuck?” marinated in “This is some bullshit” and served with a generous helping of “You need more people” on…
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It's Great And All That Deputy Ben Fields Got Fired. But Fuck, That's No Consolation
After watching the video of Deputy Ben Fields assaulting a teen girl in her classroom, and following the national coverage of the fallout from this incident, I had no doubt Fields would eventually be publicly reprimanded, suspended, and eventually fired. Which he was, today. His superiors had no choice but to do so; the footage was…
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The Assault At Spring Valley High Would Not Have Happened If The Girl Was White
I do not know what happened in that classroom at Spring Valley High School before Deputy Ben Fields violently assaulted a teen girl who was, apparently, “resisting arrest.” I’m quite sure, however, that information will find its way into the public sphere very soon. We will also know more about Deputy Fields — his work history, his…
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White Guy Kicks Black Guy's Ass. Cops Come. Black Guy Gets Cuffed. White Guy Gets…A Conversation
Whoever you are and whatever you happen to be doing today, if you’re alive and free and reading this, your day is better than the day the Black guy in this video had. Because I’m certain you did not… 1. Lose a fight 2. Lose a fight, run away from the person you lost the…