Some of the challenges Indigenous Peoples face — like derogatory sports mascots and natural resource exploitation — have made the headlines lately, but many remain underreported. These problems are connected to a host of other crises that challenge Native communities, many due to ongoing racism and a desire to erase…
Tag: Violence
Indigenous Woman’s Abuse in Quebec Hospital Highlights Ongoing Systemic Violence Against Native Women
On Sept. 28, 2020, Joyce Echaquan, a member of the Manawan First Nation in Canada, livestreamed the last moments of her life as she writhed and shouted in pain from her hospital bed. The video shows nurses at the Centre Hospitalier de Lanaudiere in Quebec mocking her, using sexist and…
Attorney General William Barr Warns Communities That Protest Law Enforcement Could Lose Police Services
In a speech at a Justice Department ceremony, Attorney General William Barr said that communities that don’t “respect” law enforcement could lose access to police services. The ceremony was to give honors to police officers for the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing. “Today, the American people have to…
‘Karaoke with a Cop’ in Philadelphia Aims to Change Perceptions of Police
In Philadelphia, two police officers have started a weekly “Karaoke with a Cop” initiative in an attempt to change negative perceptions of law enforcement. Officer Shamssadeen Nur Ali Baukman and Officer Justin Harris, who both grew up in West Philadelphia and are patrol officers with the city’s 18th Precinct, came…
Georgia Legislative Black Caucus Pushes for Hate Crime Bill in the State After Teen’s Alleged Plan to Attack Black Churchgoers
The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus is pushing for a hate crime bill in the state after a white female teenager was arrested last week for planning to kill Black churchgoers with knives and other sharp objects. The caucus, made up of 65 state representatives and Senate members, released a statement…
Teen Quadruple Amputee Held Down by Pima County Sheriff’s Deputy
A cellphone video caught a 15-year-old quadruple amputee being held down by a sheriff’s deputy at least twice his size in Pima County, Ariz., at a group home. The video shows the boy, identified as Immanuel, screaming as he is held down by the officer’s body weight. The video was…
Court Rules Family Gets No Justice for Police Blowing Up Their House
A panel of three judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled unanimously on Tuesday that the City of Greenwood Village in Colorado does not owe the Lech family, whose house was destroyed by police, any more money than the $5,000 they received in temporary rental assistance back in 2015….
Two NJ Teens Arrested for Using Slurs, Urinating On A Group of Black Middle School Girls at Lawrence High School Football Game
Two New Jersey 17-year-old boys have been arrested after reportedly calling a group of Black middle school girls the N-word and urinating on them at a Lawrence High School football game Oct. 18. Police say the bias incident — the way hate crimes are referred to in New Jersey law…
Some Police Officers Get Grace Periods Before Talking About Fatal Shootings
In some states, police officers are allowed to have grace periods before being interviewed about a fatal shooting while on duty. This can be days or weeks — and activists and criminal justice reformers believe that it gives an officer and a department time to come up with a story…
Teenage Girl Charged with Felony for Pointing A Finger Gun
A 13-year-old girl at Westridge Middle School in Overland Park, Kan., imitated a gun with her fingers and pointed it at four students last month—now, she’s being charged with a felony. The girls’ classmate asked her which classmates she would kill if she could, and that’s when she made the…