Family wants answers after 22-year-old Black man, Amir Locke, shot and killed during no-knock raid

On Wednesday, Minneapolis police executed a no-knock warrant on a downtown apartment and then in the next nine seconds, proceeded to shoot and kill 22-year-old Amir Locke, as he lay wrapped up in a …

Memphis Black Lives Matter activist sentenced to six years in shady-as-hell voter fraud case

It seems simple. You’re convicted of a felony, you lose your right to vote—for life. But, what if it wasn’t that simple? What if someone is mistakenly caught up in a permanent bureaucratic loop, where …

Ahmaud is a kid you cannot replace’: Federal judge rejects plea deal in Ahmaud Arbery case

A plea agreement that could have disposed of charges pending in a hate crimes trial for two men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery was rejected by a federal judge Monday, Jan. 31. The deal was …

Police to open criminal investigation into Lauren Smith-Fields’ death

After initially ruling the death of 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields, a Black woman, as an accident, officials announced Tuesday they had opened a criminal investigation. The case has made headlines …

Police aren't the best option for handling mental health crises. Here's what we can try instead

Though the phrasing of “defund the police” has proven to be more than a little divisive among Democrats and progressives, many of us do agree with core sentiments in the movement. Even simply …

Maya Angelou is the first of five women to be featured U.S. quarters this year

“You can kill me with your hatefulness, but just like life, I rise.” The legend lives on in not just her words but in new quarters we will see in circulation this month. The incredible Dr. Maya …

Flight attendant goes 'Karen,' demands pilot kick Black mother holding newborn from flight

American Airlines messed with the wrong Black people Sunday, leaving the company with a lawsuit, an inevitably (and rightfully) costly settlement, and some extremely nasty press. 

Allan Ali and his …

The anatomy of a fake conservative news story about vaccine mandates killing a child's dad

On occasion, for professional reasons, I must wade into the right wing-o-sphere. It is filled with the kind of rabid misinformation and fearmongering you might expect. The part that is most …

Disgraced Ferguson ex-cop 'Maserati Mike' wields sex toy outside courthouse at Rittenhouse trial

A clown and disgraced Ferguson ex-cop who goes by the name “Maserati Mke” has been one of the loudest anti-Black protestors hanging around the Kenosha County Courthouse during the trial of vigilante …

As judge puts thumb on scales of justice, Rittenhouse’s likely acquittal creates recipe for violence

We may have an answer for the right-wing “civil war” devotee who asked Charlie Kirk the other week: “When do we get to start using the guns?” Judging from the way the trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is …

From railing against CNN to referring to the bible, judge in Rittenhouse trial stuns legal experts

While the judge presiding over the case of vigilante and little buddy of white supremacists Kyle Rittenhouse should be focused on the trial, he appears to be more interested in what CNN’s Jeffery …

Right-wing vehicle ramming attacks on protesters spread, thanks to green light by authorities

American police forces, while claiming to be neutral protectors of public safety and civil rights, have been green-lighting right-wing attacks on leftist protesters for a long time now, most notably …

Kyle Rittenhouse's lawyer argues self-defense—victim could have decapitated him with a skateboard

Mark Richards, the attorney of vigilante and darling of the far-right Kyle Rittenhouse argued Tuesday that his client acted in self-defense when he chased down an unarmed Joseph Rosenbaum and shot him …

Qualified immunity remains intact, but legal activists keep trying to chip away at it

by Aria Velasquez

This story was originally published at Prism.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled again in favor of law enforcement officers invoking qualified immunity in cases of excessive use of …

‘Many saw it degrading, which I did not’: Virginia lawmaker wore blackface as part of his costume

It’s 2021. It was never okay to do blackface before—and it sure as hell isn’t okay now. Despite this, some people just never learn, do they? A Virginia city councilman is facing backlash after wearing …

Judge in Kyle Rittenhouse case gives the go-ahead for defense to put victims on trial

On August 25, 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Joseph Rosenbaum is definitely dead. Anthony Huber is definitely dead. Gaige Grosskreutz is still …

White sheriff facing criminal charges over confrontation with Black man delivering newspapers

On Tuesday, the Washington State attorney general’s office charged Sheriff Ed Troyer, who is white, with two misdemeanors after he lied about being threatened by a Black man just trying to do his job, …

Eleven years after retirement, corrupt Kansas City detective Roger Golubski faces federal scrutiny

Retired Kansas City, Kansas, cop Roger Golubski is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation after multiple reports of his exploitation and terrorizing of Black residents of Kansas City have …

Portland jury convicts Texas-based Proud Boy of coming to city and whipping up street violence

A jury in Portland, Oregon, sent a message this week to the far-right out-of-town thugs—calling themselves Proud Boys and “Patriots” and “Three Percenters”—who descend on their city with great …

Professor charged with hate crime after spitting on Black woman in front of her 7-year-old daughter

In yet another example of how difficult it is to be a Black person in America just trying to sit in your car and wait for your mother, a Chicago-based professor has been charged with a felony hate …