End Mass Criminalization of Black and Brown Youth (89)
ACLU Blueprints Offer Vision to Cut US Incarceration Rate in Half by Prioritizing 'People Over Prisons'
Written by Jessica Corbett | Common Dreams
ACLU Blueprints Offer Vision to Cut US Incarceration Rate in Half by Prioritizing 'People Over Prisons'
Sessions issues sweeping new criminal charging policy
Written by Sari Horwitz and Matt Zapotosky | The Washington Post
Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned the sweeping criminal charging policy of former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. and directed his federal prosecutors Thursday to charge defendants with the most serious, provable crimes carrying the most severe penalties.
BREAKING: Cop Who Shot Keith Scott on Video Will Not Be Charged
Written by Matt Agorist | The Free Thought Project
Policing and Oppression Have a Long History
Written by Stephen L. Carter | Bloomberg View
In my previous column, I promised to take up the topic of the historical roots of the continuing mistrust between law enforcement and the black community. My intention in setting forth the background is not to impugn the integrity of police officers anywhere. Yet if we don't study the past we'll never understand the present, and the history of policing in America is deeply intertwined with the violence of racial oppression.
The Hurt Is Evident: In the Shoes of A Child of Color In Tulsa Right Now
Written by Abby Zimet | Common Dreams
As his family and community prepare to bury Terence Crutcher on Saturday, the students of a Tulsa middle school - including his daughter and almost 10 of his relatives - still struggle to process his death.
Seriously 'Sinister' Big Pharma: Opioid Maker Bankrolls Opposition to Pro-Pot Referendum
Written by Lauren McCauley | Common Dreams
"You have a company using profits from the sale of what has been called 'the most potent and dangerous opioid on the market' to prevent adults from using a far less harmful substance."
How Union Contracts Shield Police Departments from DOJ Reforms
Written by Adeshina Emmanuel | In These Times
Few were surprised on Dec. 7, 2015, when U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced a civil rights investigation of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The city had recently released a dash cam video of officer Jason Van Dyke killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Graphic footage showed the officer firing a hail of bullets at the black teen as he walked away.
End Mass Criminalization of Black, Brown and Red Youth
Written by Andrea Miller
The United States houses 25% of the world's inmates despite having only 5% of the world's population. This fact prompted former Senator Jim Webb of Virginia to say, "Either we have the most evil people on earth living in the U.S., or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice." The prison industrial complex has a vested interest in keeping people locked up.
Parents on a Date Were Asleep in Car When Cops Arrived and Killed Them Both
Written by Matt Agorist | The Free Thought Project
Cleveland Files $500 Claim Against Tamir Rice’s Family For “Last Dying Expense”
Written by Claudia Koerner | Buzzfeed
The 12-year-old boy died at a hospital, where he was taken by ambulance after he was shot by a police officer. The city of Cleveland wants Tamir Rice’s family to pay for his “last dying expense” — a $500 ambulance ride to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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"New Jim Crow" Author Michelle Alexander on Hillary Clinton's Embrace of Mass Incarceration
Written by Ansel Herz | The Stranger
Acclaimed "The New Jim Crow" author and Ohio State University professor Michelle Alexander, one of the first to draw the nation's attention to the mass incarceration problem, posted this to her Facebook page yesterday:
Not Your Grandfather’s Black Freedom Movement: An Interview with BYP100’s Charlene Carruthers
Written by Salim Muwakkil | In These Times
There is little doubt that the Black Lives Matter era of protests will be branded as a millennial moment. But Black women are so prominent in the movement’s leadership, the era might also be characterized as a matriarchal moment. For example, in the outrage following the release of the Laquan McDonald video depicting a 17-year old being shot by a Chicago cop 16 times, four of the most prominent groups that spoke out—Black Lives Matter, Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), We Charge Genocide and Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY)— were led by Black women.
'Badge to Kill'? Two More Police Shootings in Chicago Raise Public Ire
Written by Deidre Fulton | Common Dreams
In wake of latest deaths, protesters say to Mayor Rahm Emanuel: 'You failed us before, but now's your time to stand up, or step down.'
Racism and Mass Incarceration in the US Heartland: Historical Roots of the New Jim Crow
Written by James Kilgore | Truthout
If asked what state has the highest incarceration rate of Black people, most people would likely cite Mississippi, Alabama or perhaps Louisiana. They would be about 1,000 miles too far south.