On Sunday, June 7, the Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle the city’s police department. The council members pledged to replace the department with a community built public safety system, citing an inability to reform the force – which has long been accused of racism. A total of nine council members voted in favor of […]
Immigrants Arrested on Mistaken Charges at Phoenix Protests Face Deportation
Four undocumented people were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being arrested at protests condemning the murder of George Floyd in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix Police Department arrested all four immigrants the night of Saturday, May 30. They were held overnight in a Maricopa County jail before being transferred to ICE custody. One […]
Wisconsin Teachers Union Demands Police Be Removed from Public Schools
The Madison, Wisconsin teacher’s union, Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI), has changed its stance on school-based police officers and is now advocating for police to be taken out of the city’s main high schools and replaced with thirty-three additional support staff. This is the first time that Madison Teachers Inc. has demanded the removal of police […]
Chicago Protests Amplify Demands that Police Be Removed from Schools
Outrage over the murder of George Floyd by police has sparked activists in Chicago to demand that police officers be removed from Chicago Public Schools. Young people are urging the district to nullify the $33 million contract it entered into with the Chicago Police Department in August to station officers in CPS buildings. Approximately a […]
Civil Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration for Violence Against Protesters
Civil right groups are representing Black Lives Matter D.C. and individual protesters in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for violently dispelling peaceful protesters for President Donald Trump’s photo op on Monday. The lawyers, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, say the violence against protesters […]
Homeland Security Agencies Join Law Enforcement in Response to Protests
Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have committed to aiding law enforcement responding to protests across the country. The demonstrators are protesting against the long-standing history of anti-Black racism and police brutality in the US, catalyzed by the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahumaud Arbery, Sean Reed, and […]
Family of Breonna Taylor Sues Police Department for Wrongful Death
On March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky, police entered the home of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, after midnight and opened fire, killing her. Taylor’s family is now filing a lawsuit against the officers for wrongful death, excessive force, and gross negligence. The police had a warrant to search Taylor’s apartment but were searching for […]
Georgia AG Asks DOJ to Lead Investigation into Handling of Ahmaud Arbery Murder
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has formally requested that the Department of Justice helm the investigation into the handling of the Ahmaud Arbery case. Arbery is an African American man who was murdered by a white father and son while out jogging on February 23 near Brunswick, GA. “We are committed to a complete and […]
Dozens of People Blinded by Chilean Authorities in Violent Response to Protests
More than 140 people have suffered severe eye injuries since protests in Chile began on October 18th. At least 26 people have completely lost vision in one eye, according to the Salvador Hospital ophthalmology unit in Santiago, the nation’s capital, and many others are still being treated. “Last Monday, we got 10 people with these […]
Fort Worth Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Atatiana Jefferson in Her Own Home Charged with Murder
The Fort Worth police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black woman in her own home has been charged with murder. Early Saturday morning Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, 28, was shot and killed by a police officer inside her own home after a neighbor called a non-emergency police number for a wellness check on her. […]
New York City Police Commissioner Fires Officer Who Put Eric Garner in Chokehold
The New York City Police Department announced Monday that it will be firing Daniel Pantaleo, the officer responsible for the chokehold that led to the 2014 death of Eric Garner which prompted protests against police brutality across the country. Pantaleo was fired two weeks after a disciplinary trial in which the presiding judge made a […]
Philadelphia Mayor Makes Public Plea for Gun Control in Aftermath of Police Shooting
Mayor Jim Kenney (D) held a press conference last night in which he called on legislators to strengthen gun control laws after an eight hour standoff between police and an active shooter in North Philadelphia. The mayor expressed frustration and outrage at the excessive amount of weapons and ammunition the gunman seemed to possess. “Our […]
Cyntoia Brown, Victim of Sex Trafficking, Released from Prison after 15 Years
Wednesday morning, Cyntoia Brown was released from jail after being sentenced to life in prison for killing a man responsible for sex trafficking her when she was only 16. She was granted clemency in January by then Tennessee Governor Haslam. Her clemency came after high-profile advocates and popular celebrities highlighted the injustice she had faced. […]
Justice Denied Once Again as Eric Garner’s Murderer Goes Free
Five years after the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man whose last words “I can’t breathe” started a rallying cry, the Justice Department has decided that they will not bring federal charges against the New York City police officer allegedly responsible for strangling him to death. The announcement came exactly when the deadline […]
Elizabeth Lederer Resigns from Columbia Law Following Release of “When They See Us”
On Wednesday evening Elizabeth Lederer, a Columbia law professor known for her involvement as a prosecutor in the Central Park Five case, resigned from her position on Columbia’s faculty, citing the resurgence of publicity surrounding the case due to the Netflix limited series “When They See Us,” which portrayed Lederer as an aggressive prosecutor who […]
Police Reform for Baltimore Despite Sessions’ Attempts to Block
Last week a federal judge in Baltimore finalized a reform agreement, known as a consent decree, between the local police department and the Department of Justice (DOJ) despite condemnation and disapproval by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Justice Department Announces New Database for Tracking Fatalities in Police Custody
The Justice Department announced Thursday that it would start tracking nationwide data on fatal police shootings and other violent encounters between law enforcement and civilians, including natural deaths or suicides that occur while someone is in police custody.
Canadian Police Head Apologizes to Female Officers for Years of Harassment
Yesterday the head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Bob Paulsen, issued a public apology to hundreds of women who had faced sexual harassment and discrimination while on the force.
North Carolina Will Restrict Body Camera Videos Beginning October 1
A North Carolina law that limits public access to footage from police body cameras goes into effect on October 1st.
Baltimore Police Completely Neglected Rape Victims According to Department of Justice Report
The scathing report on the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) issued by the Department of Justice last week highlights victims of police misconduct not typically discussed: sexual assault survivors.
