state violence
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Protests, Chaos in Kenosha Following Police Shooting of Jacob Blake; Father Says Blake Is Paralyzed From Waist Down
As 29-year-old Jacob Blake lay in an intensive-care unit Monday night, protesters took to the streets around the country with his name on their lips, a new addition to a seemingly endless list of victims of police brutality. In Kenosha, Wis., where Blake was shot by local police on Sunday, the rage became explosive, with buildings…
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Spurred by the 2019 Death of Layleen Polanco, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Moves to End Solitary Confinement in City Jails
A year after trans Afro-Latina Layleen Xtravaganza Polanco died while imprisoned in solitary confinement at Rikers Island, New York City Bill de Blasio has vowed to end the practice “once and for all.” The mayor made the announcement during his Monday briefing, invoking Polanco’s name as well as that of Kalief Browder, the young Black…
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Colorado Governor Pledges to Look Into Elijah McClain’s 2019 In-Custody Death After Nationwide Outcry
When 23-year-old Elijah McClain died after police put him in a chokehold last year, the news of his killing—and the subsequent decision to not press criminal charges against the Aurora, Colo., officers who apprehended him—didn’t reach far beyond the state. But, in the wake of the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month,…
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In a Divided Nation, a Call to Finally Protect Black Lives Reaches a Fever Pitch
Across America on Thursday night, thousands of people marched to their state capitols, their public squares, their police precincts. Across America, they shouted “I can’t breathe”—a dying plea turned rallying cry. Police took arms against demonstrators—dressing in riot gear, shooting at the citizens who employ them with rubber bullets, or spraying tear gas to “disperse”…
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How to Look at Atatiana Jefferson
Every Sunday for the last six years, artist Nikkolas Smith has taken out his iPad in his Los Angeles home, blocking out a few hours to paint whatever comes to mind. Sometimes his subjects are topical—famous figures or events that made the news. Other times, he’ll experiment with landscapes and techniques. Last month, as he…
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Officer-Involved Killings Now a Leading Cause of Death for Young Men in America
It’s a data point as American as it is macabre, but a new study has identified police killings as a leading cause of death among young American men. The research, recently published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences, finds officer-involved deaths (shootings, chokeholds, and other uses of force) to be the…
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Power: For Those Who Survive Police Violence, Their Black Lives Matter, Too [Watch]
Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Marie Cullors wears many hats: activist, author, abolitionist, white supremacy slayer. But one role many may not know of Cullors is that of “artist.” Cullors, currently a 2019 MFA candidate at the University of Southern California, has been flexing her creative muscles since before she came to international prominence as…