police shootings of unarmed black men
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Report Suggests Police Use of Deadly Force Is on the Decline in California
According to a new report, police incidents involving the use of deadly force are on the decline in California. The Associated Press reports that in 2018, 146 civilians died during encounters with law enforcement. This tally includes unarmed shooting victim Stephon Clark and denotes a significant decline in comparison to 172 civilians in 2017 and…
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Ex-Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger's Frantic 911 Call Released: 'I'm Going to Lose My Job'
We’ve wondered for months what Amber Guyger—the former Dallas police officer who shot and killed 26-year-old Botham Jean in his own apartment—was thinking in the immediate aftermath of Jean’s murder and now we finally have an answer. WFAA-TV has obtained a copy of Guyger’s five-minute 911 call to dispatchers and it’s just as unsettling as…
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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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There’s No Such Thing as ‘Good Police’
In the reality-adjacent, Baltimore-centered ecosystem of The Wire, “good police” stood as the single highest honor a character could receive. It was reserved for those who possessed the inherent qualities making someone a naturally gifted police officer and who also performed those duties with integrity and verve. You had to be born “good police,” but…
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Judge to Officer Who Killed Terence Crutcher: Please STFU
After allegedly criminally shooting Terence Crutcher (because despite two separate videos showing her shooting an unarmed man walking away from her with his hands in the air, we still must legally preface any accusation with “allegedly”), Tulsa, Okla., Police Officer Betty Jo “Bad Dude” Shelby has been reprimanded by a District Court judge for her…
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#WalterScott: Former Police Officer Michael Slager Cries Broke, Asks for Public Funding for His 2nd Murder Trial
Former North Charleston, S.C., Police Officer Michael Slager, who is charged with the murder of unarmed black motorist Walter Scott after a routine traffic stop in April 2015, is asking for public funding to pay for his second trial. The Charleston Post and Courier reports that Slager appeared to qualify for a court-appointed lawyer earlier…
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LAPD Officers Who Shot and Killed Ezell Ford Will Not Face Charges
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that it will not be filing charges against the two police officers involved in the 2014 shooting death of Ezell Ford. In a 28-page report (pdf) with most of the officers’ statements redacted, the Justice System Integrity Division of the district attorney’s office determined that Officers…