portsmouth
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Felony Charges Against Virginia State Senator Dropped as the Police Chief Who Filed Them Is Fired
A long, strange saga in Virginia has come to an end as felony charges have been dropped against the state’s most senior Black legislator and the police chief responsible for filing them has been fired. According to NBC News, state Sen. Louise Lucas (D) and 18 other plaintiffs were charged in August by Portsmouth police…
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Black Virginia Vice Mayor Facing Criminal Charges for Calling for the Firing of the Police Chief
The destruction of a Confederate monument in Portsmouth, Virginia, in June has caused so much tension that prominent politicians in the state are now being charged with crimes for their alleged involvement in the act. Earlier this month, The Root reported that Sen. Louise Lucas (D), the highest-ranking elected Black female official in Virginia, was…
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First Black Woman to Lead Virginia Senate Faces Felony Charges After Brutal Attack on Inanimate Object
I knew it would happen. For too long, white America has pleaded with officials to hold someone accountable for the disproportionate violence inflicted upon the unarmed victims of state-sponsored brutality. This is the culmination of years of Caucasian protest, activism and advocacy. White people have finally put their money where their mouths are. I predicted…
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A Black Mother Gives Birth to Baby in a Bathtub After Being Turned Away From Hospital
Leo and LeeAnn Bienaime were like many first-time parents: apprehensive, unsure, and deferential to the advice of their doctors. But late last month, when the couple went to the hospital after LeeAnn reported feeling “intense” contractions, doctors told her to go home and come back later. The Bienaimes followed the hospital staff’s instructions. Hours after…
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Family of Teen Killed by Police Settles With Portsmouth, Va., for $1,000,000
The family of a black Virginia teen who was fatally shot by a white police officer last year has agreed to settle a lawsuit for $1 million, the Associated Press reports. Earl Lewis Jr., the spokesman for the family of William Chapman II, told AP that although Chapman’s mother has agreed verbally to the figure,…
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Va. Officer Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter in Shooting Death of 18-Year-Old William Chapman
A Virginia jury found a white former police officer guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the April 2015 shooting death of an unarmed black teen who was accused of shoplifting, ABC News reports. Former Portsmouth, Va., Police Officer Stephen Rankin, who was fired from the police force as he awaited trial, fatally shot 18-year-old William Chapman…