The new judge in Ferguson, Mo., on Monday ordered “sweeping changes” to the city’s much-criticized court system, including the withdrawal of all arrest warrants issued prior to 2015 and the reinstatement of driver’s licenses that were suspended solely for failing to appear in court or pay a fine. The announcement…
Tag: Michael Brown
California Bans Grand Juries in Police Shootings
In a historic move, California has officially banned the use of grand juries in the cases of police-related deaths. Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB227, written by Sen. Holly Mitchell, last Tuesday. Prior to the bill, the use of a grand jury in these cases was optional, which is the case…
St. Louis Police Officer Boasts Spending 'Michael Brown Bonus' on Vacation
The St. Louis County police department is investigating a Facebook post made by one of its officers over the weekend. Officer Todd J. “TJ” Bakula shared on his Facebook that he was spending his “Michael Brown bonus” on a vacation for himself and his wife, referencing the money he earned…
Ferguson Unrest Cools Down Tuesday Following Tense Few Days
The mood in Ferguson, Mo., on Tuesday, the fifth consecutive day of protests marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, was significantly different than the unrest during the previous days. More than 100 protestors had gathered along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson Tuesday evening, but…
President Obama ‘Feels Great Urgency’ Toward Race Relations
By Sheryl Estrada President Obama speaks at the annual convention of the NAACP in Philadelphia in July 2015. “There has been an awakening around the country to some problems in race relations and police-community relations that date back for decades,”President Obamasaid last week in an interview with NPR just days…
Ferguson, Mo., One Year Later: Has Much Changed
By Sheryl Estrada In May, a plaque was installed where Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo. A small, predominantly black St. Louis suburb, Ferguson, Mo., has been at the heart of national debates on race and sparked civil unrest against police brutality following the killing of unarmed…
Another Black Motorist Murdered, Officer Indicted
By Sheryl Estrada University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing stopped Samuel DuBose, an unarmed Black man, off campus just after 6 p.m. on July 19 because his front license plate was missing. The encounter ended with DuBose being shot in the head. During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon,…
Ferguson Appoints Black Interim Police Chief
Ferguson has chosen a new interim police chief just two weeks before the first anniversary of Michael Brown’s tragic death. Andre Anderson, who was serving as commander of the Glendale, Ariz., police department, was introduced on Wednesday morning in a press conference. He is Ferguson’s first Black head of police….
Eric Garner’s Daughter: ‘He Was Crying Out to Get Back Home to Us’
Eric Garner’s police-related death on July 17, 2014, in Staten Island caused nationwide outrage after a video of the deadly confrontation went viral. Garner, stopped for selling untaxed cigarettes, was put into a department-prohibited chokehold by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo and taken down to the ground, where he repeatedly said,…
8 of 10 U.S. Prosecutors are White Males, Study Shows
A study released Tuesday by the Women Donors Network‘s Reflective Democracy Campaign draws a poor conclusion when it comes to diversity among American prosecutors. According to the findings, an estimated 95 percent of local and elected state prosecutors in 2014 were white. And the results don’t fare very well for…