Politics
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Open Letter to White People Who Are Obsessed With Black-on-Black Crime
Dear Caucasian Brethren, I decided to sit down and write this letter to you because every time I try to have a nuanced conversation with you, I am interrupted by the same shrill refrain. Here is an excerpt from every conversation when I ask you to help me find a solution to a problem: Us:…
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Korryn Gaines Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect for Black Men to #SayHerName
On Monday, Baltimore County police shot and killed 23-year-old mother Korryn Gaines while she was holding her 5-year-old son, making her the ninth black woman to be killed by police this year. I feared that two common trends would find their way to the forefront after hearing the Baltimore County Police Department’s version of events. I…
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Website Allows White People to Offer 'Reparations' to People of Color
There is a new website called Reparations that, as its name implies, allows white people to offer what they can to people of color, who can also request help for specific items or needs, the Washington Post reports. “I invite People of Color to ask for what we need to feel better, be happier, be…
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Baltimore County Police Fatally Shoot 23-Year-Old Black Woman After Hourslong Standoff
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 2, 10:23 a.m. EDT: On Tuesday morning, BallerAlert posted a tweet, which the site reported showed two videos that Gaines took of the incident before she was killed. In one video, an officer in full SWAT gear appears to be seen standing in the corner looking at Gaines. In another, Gaines appears to…
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#M4BL: New Policy Agenda Centers Black Demands as Presidential Campaign Hits Full Stride
August will mark the two-year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown and the uprising of black youths in Ferguson, Mo. Many of us are asking ourselves, “What has changed?” Black people and our allies have since taken to the streets by the thousands, and a massive online movement proclaimed that “Black lives matter.” But two…
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La. 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill Goes Into Effect
Louisiana’s “Blue Lives Matter” bill went into effect Monday, making it a hate crime to intentionally harm a police officer or first responder because of his or her uniform, KSLA reports. As the station notes, the bill, formally called Act 184, is the first of its kind and was officially signed into law by Gov. John…
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Black Lives Matter Movement Recruits Other People of Color: Report
From the beginning, Black Lives Matter supporters have included protesters and activists of all races. In a recent campaign, people of color are turning to their own communities and recruiting them to the BLM fight as well, the Associated Press reports. Like the rest of the country, the especially explicit deaths of Philando Castile and Alton…
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St. Louis Reporter Loses Job After Sick Michael Brown Joke
In more news of just how sick American racism is and, further, how it permeates every single aspect of American life, a St. Louis TV reporter got the boot after he posted a crass “lead diet” joke on Facebook around the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. According to reports, after it was announced that…
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Texas Cop Says He Had Evidence of Wrongdoing in Sandra Bland’s Case but Was Threatened Into Silence
There are still several questions that remain in connection with the 2015 death of Sandra Bland while she was in custody at a Waller County, Texas, jail. Now an officer of the small Texas town where Bland was pulled over says that he has evidence of wrongdoing in Bland’s case but was threatened into silence by the…
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Freddie Gray Didn't Kill Himself, but Cop Obstruction Made It Hard to Prove: Prosecutor
In a controversial move, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby dropped charges against Police Officer Garrett Miller, Police Sgt. Alicia White and Police Officer William Porter, the three remaining Baltimore officers accused in the arrest and death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. The timing of the dismissals was surprising to medical professionals, lawyers and laymen alike who had theorized that Miller,…