police use of force
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DC Police Now Have to Learn Black History. Will It Curb Brutality?
On Friday morning, on the steps of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced that D.C. police officers will be required to take a critical-race-theory program. “We are committed to accountability,” Bowser told reporters, “to strengthen the bonds of trust between MPD and our residents.” As…
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Texas Deputy Shoots and Kills Unarmed Man Who Had Pants Around His Ankles
A Harris County, Texas, deputy was caught on video fatally shooting an unarmed man who was walking in the middle of a street intersection with his pants around his ankles. The video, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, shows the unidentified deputy drawing his weapon on Danny Thomas on Thursday. A woman off-camera can be heard…
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Minneapolis Police Officer Who Shot and Killed Australian Native Justine Damond Charged With Murder
A Minneapolis police officer turned himself in to authorities Tuesday after being charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting death of an Australian native who was living in the city. Prosecutors charge that Mohamed Noor—whose employment with the police department also ended Tuesday, according to officials—had no justifiable reason to fatally…
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Washington State Changes 30-Year-Old Law That Only Convicted Killer Cops if They Were Evil … Wait, What?
Between 2005 and 2014, police in the state of Washington killed more than 200 of their fellow citizens. Some of the deaths were deemed “justifiable,” but many crossed the boundaries of what anyone would consider “reasonable.” There was a case where police shot a drunken man through his rear window and another where they shot…
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Vindication: Jury Awards the Family of Korryn Gaines More Than $37,000,000 in Damages
A Maryland jury has awarded the family of Korryn Gaines more than $37 million in damages in their civil lawsuit against Baltimore County for the death of Gaines, who was shot to death by a police officer in August 2016. The six-woman jury found that both Gaines and her son, Kodi—who was injured during the…
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A Community Reels After the Police Killing of 16-Year-Old Anthony ‘A.J.’ Weber in Los Angeles
There is a familiar grief ritual when a young person dies, especially from violence, especially in poor, black communities. It is communal, emotive and performative, as black people are wont to be, and much the same the world over. After news of the death spreads, people pour out of their homes to a common area—a…
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Video of Hero Cop Body-Slamming Unarmed, Handcuffed Teenage Girl Somehow Angers People
Citizens and community leaders are applauding the selfless actions of a California police officer following the cop’s heroic takedown of an unarmed, already restrained teenage girl after the girl threatened the safety and well-being of an entire school body by standing still and talking. According to a Los Angeles Times report, an instructor at Helix…
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Here’s How Many People Police Killed in 2017
Police officers killed 1,129 people in 2017. More people died from police violence in 2017 than the total number of U.S. soldiers killed in action around the globe (21). More people died at the hands of police in 2017 than the number of black people who were lynched in the worst year of Jim Crow…
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Fatal Police Shooting of Washington, DC, Motorcyclist Terrence Sterling ‘Unjustified,’ Internal Investigation Finds
An internal investigation has found that the Washington, D.C., police officer who shot and killed unarmed motorcyclist Terrence Sterling had no reason to pull his weapon, let alone fire it, since he was in no danger. According to the Washington Post, which obtained the review, Officer Brian Trainer, who fired the fatal shots, and his…
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Alabama Family Demanding Answers After 17-Year-Old Brutally Beaten by Officers
An Alabama family is demanding answers after a 17-year-old was brutally assaulted by Troy, Ala., police officers in an incident that left the boy bloody and battered, his face swollen beyond recognition. According to WDHN-TV, as reported by WKRG-TV, the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation said that it is conducting an investigation into the use…