The officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop last July said the smell of “burnt marijuana” coming from the vehicle made him fear for his life. The weak justification comes from a newly released transcript of Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez’s interview with two special agents from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state agency investigating the shooting.

“I thought I was gonna die,” said Yanez when recounting the shooting the following day. “If he has the, the guts and the audacity to smoke marijuana in front of the five year old girl and risk her lungs and risk her life by giving her secondhand smoke and the front seat passenger doing the same thing then what, what care does he give about me.”

In other words, Yanez interpreted the smell of marijuana to mean that Castile had no regard for human life–a quantum leap, if I’ve ever heard one.

In the transcript, Yanez repeatedly mentions smelling marijuana in the car and claims it was on his mind at the time of the shooting. He said that because of the odor, he didn’t know if Castile had the gun “for protection” from a drug dealer or people trying to rob him. Make no mistake, Yanez’s prejudicial jump from possible pot user to criminal evading drug dealers is racially motivated, and he likely wouldn’t have come to that conclusion had Castile been white.

But more than half of American adults have admitted to trying marijuana at least once, and 22 percent of adults say they currently use marijuana. Numerous studies have shown that marijuana actually decreases aggression for many individuals. The majority of states have some kind of marijuana legislation–whether that be medical or recreational–on the books, and a growing number of states are actively advancing toward legalizing the drug recreationally.

While it is illegal to smoke marijuana without a medical license in the state of Minnesota, the drug is in fact decriminalized. Possessing 42.5 grams or less is a misdemeanor offense, carrying a no prison time and a maximum fine of $200.

Autopsy results concluded that Castile had high levels of THC in his system at the time of the stop, but it’s unclear whether he was impaired or not at the time. Still Yanez’s attorneys attempted to convince the judge that Castille was culpable in his own death because he was “stoned.”

“The status of being stoned (in an acute and chronic sense) explains why Mr. Castille: 1) did not follow the repeated directions of Officer Yanez; 2) stared straight ahead and avoided eye-contact; 3) never mentioned that he had a carry permit, but instead said he had a gun; and 4) he did not show his hands,” the lawyers wrote in a motion to dismiss the charges against Yanez.

Ultimately, Yanez was acquitted last week by a Minnesota jury on all charges in the shooting death of Castile, but the shocking conclusion still left much of the nation in a collective state of disbelief. Based on Yanez’s testimony, it appears clear that both racial prejudices and stigmas surrounding marijuana use factored into the tragic shooting.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Officer Who Shot Philando Castile Says Smell of Marijuana Made Him Fear For His Life appeared first on Law Street.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick isn’t apologizing for refusing to stand for the national anthem during last Friday’s NFL preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Following a team practice Sunday, Kaepernick defended his actions, telling reporters he’ll continue to remain seated during the song in order to bring awareness to racial injustice and police brutality.

“This country stands for freedom, liberty, justice for all–and it’s not happening for all right now,” said Kaepernick.

Watch part of Colin Kaepernick’s explanation below

He said, “there’s people being murdered unjustly and [people are] not being held accountable. Cops are getting  paid leave for killing people. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards.”

Many critics who see the flag as a symbol of the military viewed the protest as an insult to the men and women who serve in the armed forces. In his defense, Kaepernick said he has “great respect for men and women that have fought for this country.” He explained,

I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. They fight for freedom. They fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice for everyone. And that’s not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody. It’s something that’s not happening. I’ve seen videos. I’ve seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought for and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That’s not right.

When it came to the election, the 29-year-old showed disdain for both presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, saying they both represent “the issue we have in this country.” Kaepernick explained:

I mean, you have Hillary [Clinton] who’s called black teens or black kids super-predators. You have Donald Trump who’s openly racist. I mean, we have a presidential candidate who’s deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me, because if that was any other person, you’d be in prison. So what is this country really standing for?

This isn’t the first time the quarterback has remained seated during the patriotic anthem. He also sat for the “Star Spangled Banner” at two previous preseason games, although the silent protest went relatively unnoticed until recently.

It’s unclear if his continued protest will result in him getting cut from the team, but that’s a risk he’s willing to take. “If I do, I know I did what’s right and I can live with that at the end of the day,” said the QB. For now it appears that at least his teammates respect his decision.

And just by listening to his teammates, I think they respect his commitment to this, too. It’s not comfortable, but it’s real.

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) August 28, 2016

#49ers Torrey Smith: “It takes a strong individual to stand up like that. That’s a right that we have.”

— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 28, 2016

Fans, however, are a different story. One fan filmed a viral video of himself burning a Colin Kaepernick jersey while playing the national anthem in the background.

49ers fans burning Kaepernick’s jersey to the National Anthem pic.twitter.com/MILA3AxNld

— BLACK ADAM SCHEFTER (@B1ackSchefter) August 28, 2016

There’s even a petition floating around by fans asking the NFL to fire him for “continuing to cause division and encourage racial separation using his sports platform and social media.” At the time of this post, the petition currently has about 400 signatures out of its desired goal of 1,000.

The NFL released a statement Saturday that said, “Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem.”

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Colin Kaepernick Will Continue to Sit During the National Anthem appeared first on Law Street.

In less than 48 hours, two black men were killed in high profile officer-involved shootings. Just after midnight on June 5 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, several videos captured Alton Sterling as he was shot multiple times by police who were restraining him on the ground–he was selling CDs outside of a grocery store and he was unarmed. Then in Falcon Heights, Minnesota late last night, Philando Castile was shot multiple times during a traffic stop–his girlfriend live-streamed the gruesome aftermath.

The deaths of these men are hardly unique–in fact police have killed at least 1,083 Americans since Ferguson, Missouri catapulted onto the national news. However, thanks to the video footage during and after the incidents, the American public knows their names.

So rather than explain to you again the importance of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, or discuss with you how institutionalized racism is ingrained in American police forces, or even show you the statistics on police shootings of unarmed black men,  I’ve chosen to fall back. Instead I’ve chosen to provide you with a collection of tweets from the public, politicians, athletes, and celebrities expressing outrage over the shootings.

Because as a young light-skinned black woman in today’s society, it doesn’t matter how educated, critical, or eloquent I am, I will always find myself being categorized by some people under the cliche label of “angry black female.” This label allows people to ignore me, dismiss my opinions, and justify their own ignorance.

But guess what, I am angry! Police senselessly killing black men, women, and children makes me angry.

Therefore, today I will rely on the following qualified individuals–who come from different races, genders, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds–to explain why deaths like these are not acceptable and can not continue to be scapegoated in America, because #BlackLivesMatter.

Politicians and Influencers:

America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon. Black Lives Matter. #PhilandoCastile -H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 7, 2016

The violence that killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castile has become an all too common occurrence for people of color and IT. MUST. STOP.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 7, 2016

The national pattern of lynching black men by ropes or guns must end. We deserve equal protection under the law. #RIP #PhilandoCastile

— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) July 7, 2016

I’m not sure what to say anymore that I’ve not already said, that others haven’t already said. In these moments we must organize.

— deray mckesson (@deray) July 7, 2016

Celebrities:

Couldn’t even sleep last night… First, #AltonSterling and then this video of #PhilandoCastile being brutally killed. This. Must. Stop.

— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) July 7, 2016

This IS systemic. We MUST DO BETTER. My heart goes out to the families of #AltonSterling and #PhilandoCastile May they both Rest In Peace.

— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) July 7, 2016

If all lives matter… SHOW US!!! Prove it! Show us our bodies hold the same value. There is no excuse for the slaughter. None.

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) July 7, 2016

He had a right to sell CDs, and a right to due process, but he he was shot for being a black man. Don’t rationalize murder. #AltonSterling

— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) July 6, 2016

1) In the interest of time, would ye noble patriots please provide a list of infractions punishable by spontaneous public execution? Thanks!

— jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) July 6, 2016

2) Upon receipt of this list, we’ll return to our quarters and study up, eager to enjoy freedoms of white mass murders. #LIFEHACK

— jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) July 6, 2016

3) You chumps will NEVER provide this list… We see through you.

— jesseWilliams. (@iJesseWilliams) July 6, 2016

We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn’t be shot by police during routine traffic stops.

— John Legend (@johnlegend) July 7, 2016

We have fucking video proof and some of you still are all “well, uh, he shouldn’t have moved his left leg so provocatively”.

— John Legend (@johnlegend) July 7, 2016

Athletes:

This is what lynchings look like in 2016! Another murder in the streets because the color of a… https://t.co/hwdW53AeXg

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 6, 2016

Went to bed and it’s #AltonSterling. Woke up and it’s #PhilandoCastile. I just can’t put a word to how I feel…

— Skylar Diggins (@SkyDigg4) July 7, 2016

Seriously 24 hours later another black man shot and killed dead by another cop! They said the body cameras were steps in the right direction

— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) July 7, 2016

The Public:

#PhilandoCastile is shot over a broken tail light but the stanford rapist avoids prison time since it would “have a severe impact on him.”

— Lyla (@LylaRevilla) July 7, 2016

This woman reposted an emotional response to the Philando Castile from the perspective of a black female police officer:

Black female police officer speaks out about the Alton Sterling shooting. She spoke with so much passion!https://t.co/0p6XMvOs5b

— Bronwyn (@BronwynJanse) July 7, 2016

This man translated his feelings into song:

I write my own songs, but never actually do poetry, but I’m fed up !!
#blacKKKLottery #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/uuyAvWQhbN

— Isaiah Jaay (@simpingNpimping) July 7, 2016

One user even had a suggestion for his fellow black males–wear your personal documents taped to your body:

How we’re going to have to start waking around #PhilandoCastile pic.twitter.com/XuE5ocXbAN

— Kayla Baker ✍ (@kayla_bake) July 7, 2016

…

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Twitter Reacts to Philando Castile and Alton Sterling Shootings appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Bernie is Having a Hard Time Reconnecting on the Hill

Senator Bernie Sanders went to a meeting with House Democrats on the Hill, and it apparently didn’t go so well. According to reports, Sanders was booed by several lawmakers after he said “the goal isn’t to win elections, the goal is to transform America.” Lawmakers in the meeting are claiming the exchange was more pleasant than that, and just featured some “expressions of disagreement.” But given that the rift between Sanders and Clinton threatens to split the party come November, should we really be surprised that not everyone is “feeling the Bern?”

via GIPHY

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: July 7, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, the 16th annual BET Awards aired live Sunday night, and it was full of yaaas-worthy performances and epic Prince tributes. Yet, despite the show opening with Beyonce-induced pandemonium and a semi-awkward “Hamilton” spoof courtesy of hosts Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson, all anyone can talk about Monday is Jesse Williams and his show-stealing acceptance speech.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star, who has long been an outspoken human rights advocate and recently was the executive producer of the documentary “Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement,” took the mic to accept this year’s Humanitarian Award. Shortly after uttering a few gracious name mentions, he capitalized on the opportunity to deliver a powerfully moving speech on racism, police brutality, and cultural appropriation.

At one point, Williams poignantly referenced the deaths of Tamir Rice, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, and Dorian Hunt–all black people who died during confrontations with the police–saying,

Yesterday would have been young Tamir Rice’s 14th birthday so I don’t want to hear anymore about how far we’ve come when paid public servants can pull a drive-by on 12 year old playing alone in the park in broad daylight, killing him on television and then going home to make a sandwich. Tell Rekia Boyd how it’s so much better than it is to live in 2012 than it is to live in 1612 or 1712. Tell that to Eric Garner. Tell that to Sandra Bland. Tell that to Dorian Hunt.

Williams concluded his speech with thoughts on racial oppression and cultural appropriation, including  a reference to  Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”–a haunting musical metaphor for lynchings.

We’ve been floating this country on credit for centuries, yo, and we’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil – black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. The thing is though… the thing is that just because we’re magic doesn’t mean we’re not real.

Afterwards, Williams’ words were met with a standing ovation from the audience of distinguished guests and praised by thousands of viewers on Twitter.

Click here for the full transcript of Williams’ speech, courtesy of Time.

Watch Jesse William’s full speech below.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Jesse Williams Delivers Powerful Speech on Race at BET Awards appeared first on Law Street.

A Baltimore judge acquitted Officer Edward Nero of all charges for his role in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who died a week after sustaining a severe spinal injury while in police custody on April 12, 2015.

Nero waived his right to a  jury trial, opting to argue his case before a circuit judge. After six days of hearings, Judge Barry Williams found him not guilty of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and two counts of misconduct in office.

Nero is the first of the six officers charged to receive a verdict for his involvement in Gray’s death. However, he’s not the first officer to go to trial. In December, Officer William G. Porter was awarded a mistrial after a hung jury failed to deliver a unanimous verdict–they claimed they were deadlocked on every charge.

Following the verdict, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement,

This is our American system of justice and police officers must be afforded the same justice system as every other citizen in this city, state, and country. Now that the criminal case has come to an end, Officer Nero will face an administrative review by the Police Department. We once again ask the citizens to be patient and to allow the entire process to come to a conclusion.

But it’s hard for the citizens of Baltimore to remain patient, when so many of the details surrounding Gray’s death still remain unclear.

What we do know is that Gray took off running after making eye contact with police. After being chased on foot, Gray was caught and found with an illegal switchblade in his possession. Gray was then arrested and placed in the back of a police van without a seatbelt and with his legs shackled. At some point during the half-hour drive to the jail Gray suffered a spinal injury, which many attribute as the result of a “rough ride,” a form of police brutality. Gray died in a hospital a week later.

Gray’s death helped reignite the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and sparked legendary riots in the city of Baltimore that quickly escalated into violence.

After news of Nero’s acquittal went public, the hashtag #FreddieGray shot to the top of Twitter’s trending topics. And just like the Baltimore riots, frustration over Gray’s death began to bring out the worst in people on social media. Some people spoke of rioting and hurting cops, while others dolled out celebratory racial slurs and mocked Gray’s death.

But for the vast majority of hashtag users, it wasn’t violence or jubilation they wished to convey–it was outrage.

Video shared by @LarryCFOX45 shows protesters reacting to not guilty verdict in Edward Nero trial #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/x6ABnVRmmk

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) May 23, 2016

I remember you today, #FreddieGray. I’m praying for your family. The pursuit of justice and peace continues. pic.twitter.com/3Uj653ibqx

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 23, 2016

1 Police kill someone 2 Police lie to the media 3 We talk about it 4 The media talk about it 5 System stays the same 6 Repeat #FreddieGray

— Lex Looper (@lex_looper) May 23, 2016

Still trying to figure out how #FreddieGray died a violent death while shackled and in police custody, and nobody is held accountable.

— JustCallMeHerb (@JusCallMeHerb) May 23, 2016

1 hung jury & 1 not guilty verdict but #FreddieGray dead from a severed spine after contact with said cops. #BlackLivesMatter? Clearly not.

— VanityByNature (@VanityByNature) May 23, 2016

#FreddieGray had his Constitutional rights completely & utterly violated. The use of lethal force by American police officers needs reform.

— سامر / סאמר (@MashriqLands) May 23, 2016

Twitter is an especially racist and ugly place today. All we want is justice. #FreddieGray #Baltimore #BlackLivesMatter

— kamau Waset (@KamauWaset) May 23, 2016

The four remaining officers still await individual trial in connection with Gray’s death, and Officer Porter also awaits a retrial. If these past trials are any indication of what is to come, it’s beginning to look doubtful that any of the officers will be found guilty.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Twitter Reacts: Baltimore Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Death appeared first on Law Street.

On Monday, the city of Cleveland agreed to pay a $6 million settlement to the family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old black boy who was shot by a white police office in November 2014. Sadly, the case’s conclusion was overshadowed by an open letter from the Cleveland police union suggesting that the Rice family use the money to educate kids on gun safety.

Stephen Loomis, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, released the following letter to the media Monday in response to the settlement.

Cleveland’s police union president hopes #TamirRice‘s family uses part of the settlement to educate kids about guns pic.twitter.com/9sfYIOdSH2

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) April 25, 2016

The letter in full reads:

We have maintained from the onset this has been an absolute tragedy for the Rice family as well as our involved Officers and their families. Our hearts continue to be with them.

We can only hope the Rice family and their attorneys will use a portion of this settlement to help educate the youth of Cleveland in the dangers associated with the mishandling of both real and facsimile firearms. Something positive must come from this tragic loss. That would be educating youth of the dangers of possessing a real or replica firearm.

We look forward to the possibility of working with the Rice family to achieve this common goal.

The letter is clearly referencing the fact that the officers involved in Tamir’s death, Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, had mistook the “realistic looking” toy pellet gun he was holding for a real firearm.

Loehmann and Garmback had responded to the Cudell Recreation Center on November 22, 2014 after receiving a 911 call stating that a “black male was sitting on a swing pointing a gun at people.” The caller told the dispatcher that the gun was “probably fake” and the male was “probably a juvenille,” but that information was never relayed.

It resulted in Loehmann shooting Tamir within two seconds of exiting his squad car. A grand jury decided not to indict Loehmann on criminal charges, but the family’s wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the city was negligent in Tamir’s death.

Following the shooting, Loomis had made several controversial comments effectively blaming Tamir for his own death, with an emphasis on the perceived threat that toy guns pose to officers.

Cleveland.com received an email statement from Subodh Chandra, an attorney representing the Rice family, blasting Loomis’ “victim blaming” themed release. Chandra said Loomis’ comment, “reflect all that is wrong with Cleveland’s police division — he managed to (1) blame the victim, (2) equate the loss of the life of a 12-year-old child with the officers facing scrutiny, and (3) demand money from the victim’s family and counsel.”

He went on to add,

Loomis’s continued posturing shows he and the union still don’t comprehend that the police division needs a cultural change — not hiring incompetents, better training, and greater accountability.

Despite Loomis’s comments, the settlement was a small victory for the family who will never receive proper compensation for death of Tamir. As far as the settlement specifics go, the city will have to pay $3 million of the settlement this year, and another $3 million next year. Of that $6 million settlement, $5.5 million of it will actually be awarded to the estate to be divided among family members.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Union Hopes Rice Family Uses $6M Settlement for Gun Education appeared first on Law Street.

The American police have taken on a new level of stereotypical behavior–the kind that they have been notoriously alleged to partake in, yet vehemently refuse to admit. However, they do not have to admit it this time–their words, followed by their request for action will provide ample evidence to show that they are working hard to further discriminate against the black population. Their new adversary? Beyonce. Yes, Queen B is being targeted by a number of police unions as an individual unworthy of protection due to her blanketed and generalizing depiction of law enforcement and her advocacy for the #BlackLivesMatter social movement. Sounding ironic? It should be.

Before addressing Beyonce’s advocacy and creative interpretation, I would like to make the following observations: John Lennon worked tirelessly to develop a peaceful revolution through song, performance, and lyric. Paul McCartney continued that very public and non-discreet political picture. U2 and Bono have been devoted, active, and outspoken pioneers for Africa in the fight against HIV-AIDS and promoting education, often times criticizing the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous and taking a stark political stance. Bruce Springsteen has had a longstanding devotion to his outspoken political views, dedicating songs to his beliefs and publicly providing support for various political candidates. And who could forget the Dixie Chicks’ controversial stance against the War in Iraq?

These megastars represent a short list of artists and performers who have taken a political stance, used performance and creativity to depict political ideologies, or issued a statement based on a personal view or belief. However, none of those artists have suffered the same level of scrutiny and extreme backlash like the Queen B.

On Saturday, February 6, the diva released a video for her first new song since 2014, entitled “Formation.” The video instigated rapid fire responses about Beyonce’s exploitation of a marginalized and traumatized black New Orleans’ community, particularly post Hurricane Katrina, her open representation of southern blackness, more specifically that of a southern black woman, and resistance practices exercised by black individuals and communities.

The next day, she followed up the release of her video with a live Halftime Show performance of the song during Super Bowl 50.

Beyonce’s 2-day delivery was calculated and intense. Her message was important–that formation and organization are necessary to combat racial-based violence and embark on a path of social movement. Yet, her delivery was controversial–utilizing the black tragedy within New Orleans and exploiting the voiceless and marginalized community as her backdrop without ever giving the appropriate credit to those, like Messy Mya–a “household NOLA name” who was shot and killed at the age of 22, that provided Beyonce with the tools to tell a story that she portrayed as her own and solely for the “paper” that she sings so freely about. Whether one agrees with Queen B’s message or her in-your-face delivery, it is quite blatantly open for discussion and debate.

However, what is not readily open for discussion is the number of various police unions that are calling for an outright boycott of law enforcement for Beyonce’s upcoming world tour. While the police state that they would respond should Beyonce need help at any time, they are calling for a boycott that “would involve officers refusing to work paid off-duty security for the event, not refusing to perform regular law enforcement duties.” So why are privately-hired individuals who have the right to turn down a job boycotting under the entity of a police union that is, by law, required to defend and serve? Do they not realize that by boycotting the performance they are also refusing to protect all of the thousands of individuals in attendance? Is this a public entity’s agenda presented within the vehicle of a private sector approach? Is a police union an appropriate outlet for boycott under the circumstances? And more so, what kind of message are the police sending?

Arguably, one could inquire about Beyonce’s message and what she is trying to convey to the American people. Like Rudy Giuliani, we could be critical of her approach and view it as a vicious and very public attack on law enforcement. However, that would be blatantly ignoring the fact that Beyonce is an entertainer protected by the ideologies and legal complexities of free speech who does not possess any kind of duty to the public. She is free to say, create, depict, and perform as she pleases so long as she stays within the confines of legality–which she did.

The police, however, live by a different standard than the pop star. Furthermore, as private individuals hired for a private event to serve as security detail, they can absolutely boycott and not take the job. But is it fair to accuse Beyonce of being a cop-hater and spreading anti-police rhetoric? Does advocacy of the #BlackLivesMatter movement automatically associate one with an anti-law enforcement campaign? Are the two mutually exclusive or can we support the #BlackLivesMatter movement while also appreciating the danger and difficulty with which officers do their jobs?

The Miami Fraternal Order of the Police, the Sergeants Benevolent Association in New York City, as well as the Tamp and Nashville police unions seem to find the two mutually exclusive and have urged their respective associations and organizations to boycott the tour. Other police organizations, such as the Raleigh police, are choosing not to boycott the concert held by Beyonce in their respective state.

Like Giuliani stated, we have “to respect the uniform, not to make it appear as if they are the enemy.” Well, I think that applies to all people, not just “the uniform.” Even celebrities have a right to speak out against issues such as police brutality, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with the delivery of their messages.

Ajla Glavasevic

Ajla Glavasevic is a first-generation Bosnian full of spunk, sass, and humor. She graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and received her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Ajla is currently a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania and when she isn’t lawyering and writing, the former Team USA Women’s Bobsled athlete (2014-2015 National Team) likes to stay active and travel. Contact Ajla at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Officers Boycotting Beyonce: Isn’t this a Little Ironic? appeared first on Law Street.

The attacks in New York City on 9/11 brought together a nation that every year since has unified on social media and internet outlets under “#9/11” and “#NeverForget.” When a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut claimed the lives of 20 children, as well as six adults on December 14, 2012, we prayed and posted: “#PrayForSandyHook” and “SandyHook.” The terrorism in Paris on November 13, 2015 bonded the world through posts and photographs captioning “#PrayForParis.”

“Pray for Paris” courtesy of [Bensun Ho via Flickr]

Following the police shootings and misconduct of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, and so many more, a movement ensued highlighting “#BlackLivesMatter,” which morphed into the debated “#AllLivesMatter” movement. We picketed. We rioted. We protested and stood divided across the nation. We demanded societal change. When a mass shooting claimed the lives of nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopalian Church, we worked to mend the broken community and sent virtual support with “#PrayforCharleston” demanding more stringent gun control laws and mental health screening.

We have been victims and survivors. We have been divided, yet banded together. We have fought and we have been loud. So where is our unifying and our fighting fervor now? Where is our voice recognizing the 380,000 Nigerian brothers and sisters living within the United States whose families and friends in Nigeria are experiencing sheer terror at the hands of Boko Haram?

Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group whose name loosely translates into “Western education is a sin,” has been waging a murderous war in the poorest part of Nigeria in an effort to overthrow the Nigerian government. While the group has been slowly establishing itself between 2005-2009, it gained worldwide recognition in 2014 when it kidnapped 276 schoolgirls, most of whom have not returned to their families to date.

Mohammed Yusuf, has, over the years, rallied a following to the group through the widespread distribution of his speeches on tapes. So far, his followers have treated human beings like animals–slitting throats without reprieve. In 2009, Yusuf was killed in a security bust, which left the elusive and merciless Abubakar Shekau in charge of Boko Haram. His unforgiving and relentless tactics to make Northern Nigeria an Islamic state have left almost 20,000 people dead–slaughtered. There have been approximately 2.5 million people displaced from their homes and villages, children parentless, mothers widowed, and mass graves full of innocent bodies.

Image courtesy of [EU/ECHO/Isabel Coello via Flickr]

The scariest part? Boko Haram has made good on essentially every threat and every hellish promise made. Most recently, Boko Haram took to bombing the village of Dalori, in the northeastern part of Nigeria, where 86 people were shot, burned, or killed by suicide bombs. A man hiding in a tree heard the shrieks and screams of the children trapped in burning huts as Boko Haram soldiers and supporters destroyed the city. Government troops were unsuccessful in overpowering the militant group.

Boko Haram has pledged its allegiance to ISIS/ISIL and its members have set out to spread terror upon all those who are not willing to join them in their absolutely extremist path to form an Islamic state.

So where is the coverage? Why has the U.S. mainstream media failed to highlight this horrific situation in any detailed capacity? Where are the Twitter feeds and Facebook posts flooding with “#PrayforNigeria” statuses? And where is the action? There has been no lack of military action against ISIS and its ideologies, so where is the same level of response to a terrorist organization that has pledged allegiance to ISIS and has killed thousands? Forget the basic human need and the widespread teachings of terror–are we just willing to help if we have some personal or political interest in mind?

As media dictates the important issues that today’s society will focus on, particularly during election year, has our censorship failed the people of Nigeria?

Ajla Glavasevic

Ajla Glavasevic is a first-generation Bosnian full of spunk, sass, and humor. She graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and received her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Ajla is currently a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania and when she isn’t lawyering and writing, the former Team USA Women’s Bobsled athlete (2014-2015 National Team) likes to stay active and travel. Contact Ajla at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Boko Haram and Widespread Terror in Nigeria: Where is the Outrage? appeared first on Law Street.

Until now, I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to dislike Beyoncé. Yet somehow the internet proved me wrong this week when someone created the hashtag #BoycottBeyonce to bash Bey for performing her pro-black anthem “Formation” during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show.

In order to explain this bizarre and apocalyptic turn of events, lets start at the beginning.

On Saturday, in true Queen Bee fashion, Beyoncé quietly released her newest single “Formation” and its accompanying music video without any warning, and she literally broke the internet (during Black History Month no less.) In the song’s music video Beyoncé is unapologetically black, celebrating her culture and daughter’s natural hair, while also reminding us of Hurricane Katrina, #BlackLivesMatter, and black people’s growing distrust for police.

Then on Sunday, Beyoncé performed the new song live for millions of fans in a Black Panther themed Super Bowl halftime performance, before announcing an upcoming “Formation” world tour.

Watch Beyoncé’s Halftime Performance Below.

The performance left little room for misinterpretation, which angered some who apparently had hoped for “less political” musical entertainment. People (primarily haters) began using the hashtag #BoycottBeyonce to voice their disapproval for the “less than wholesome entertainment” and Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani attacked her performance saying, 

This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us and keep us alive

The Bee Hive was quick to come to their queen’s defense, calling out critics on social media.

#BoycottBeyonce = I wish black people would just entertain me instead of standing up for #BlackLivesMatter + being proud of their culture. — jen miller (@jenerallyspeaks) February 9, 2016

Beyoncé tried to break racial barriers and speak out about crime on her culture. And instead you come up with #BoycottBeyoncé

— KOOL KID (@OshaneBlackwin) February 9, 2016

When she sang about Single Ladies, you were all hailing her as a queen, but now that she’s singing about being black it’s #BoycottBeyonce?

— no one (@Fenetta) February 9, 2016

But was Beyonce really wrong for using the Super Bowl platform to spread her message? Tell us what you think and cast your vote below!

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Beyoncé’s Super Bowl Performance Causes Political Backlash appeared first on Law Street.

After more than a year of investigating, a grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, declined Wednesday to charge two officers who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice on November 22, 2014.

Rice was killed outside of a recreational center after officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback mistook his toy pellet gun for a real weapon.

In an afternoon press conference announcing the verdict, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty called the shooting a “perfect storm of human error.” McGinty credited a recent enhancement of the surveillance video of the shooting with the jury’s decision, claiming the close up was “indisputable evidence” that Tamir was drawing the toy gun from his waistband as officer Loman exited the police car.

The initial surveillance footage showing officer Loman shooting Rice just seconds after arriving on scene became a major rallying point for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Further investigation into the 911 call also revealed that the caller told the dispatcher that the gun was “probably fake” and held by a “juvenile.”

Both the verdict and McGiny’s explantation of the ruling offended many users on social media who were seeking justice for the slain child. Under the trending hashtag #TamirRice thousands of people began publicly voicing their disapproval.

We’re told the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. So who stops a bad cop with a gun? #TamirRice

— seasonal spice (@goldengateblond) December 28, 2015

“land of the free” if you’re a straight white non Muslim male. That’s in the small print guys. what kind of system murders kids. #TamirRice — Moneer Elmasseek (@Pharaohofhearts) December 28, 2015

McGinty asked the community to “respect the process” – a process which does not, and has never, respected them. #TamirRice

— laura louise (@LauraLBishop) December 28, 2015

This #TamirRice case needs 2 go 2 the #SupremeCourt. Ohio is an OPEN CARRY state. White ppl walking around with guns & they don’t get killed — Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) December 28, 2015

I’m exhausted… #TamirRice

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) December 28, 2015

It’s easy to see where their outrage comes from, when an institutional bias toward black men makes them statistically more likely to be killed by police.

Research has shown that police shootings are disproportionately skewed towards young black males. Movements like #BlackLivesMatter have helped to educate the public on this disgustingly inhumane trend, but still each month more black men are killed by those sworn to serve and protect them.

Accidents do happen, but making these officers accountable for their actions is a necessary step in fixing the problem.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Grand Jury Declines Criminal Charges for Officers in Tamir Rice Shooting appeared first on Law Street.

Chicago erupted into protests Tuesday night following the release of video footage showing the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer. Hundreds marched through the streets of Chicago’s loop, clogging intersections and chanting “16 shots” in reference to the total number of shots fired into 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van-Dyke.

The protests were relatively peaceful in comparison to the violent unrest that unfolded in Ferguson and Baltimore, however, there were five arrests related to incidents of resisting arrest and assaulting police officers. According to CNN, the city had been preparing for protests after a judge ruled the video must be released no later than Wednesday. Freelance journalist Brandon Smith filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department over the summer to make the footage public.

The dashboard cam footage captured police as they responded to a call of a man wielding a knife on October 20, 2014. In the video, when the police car filming the incident arrives on scene, McDonald is seen walking away from police in the middle of a street with the apparent knife in hand. Then seconds later you see him spin around and fall to the ground after being shot, despite never seeming to threaten officers. Van-Dyke, who was reportedly the only officer to fire shots at him, then continued to fire shots at the teen while he was lying on the ground. According to the coroner’s autopsy report, only two out of the 16 shots could be linked to when McDonald was standing.

@HildebrandtSam: Autopsy diagram for Laquan McDonald released by Cook County Med Examiners Office #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/05p4GY5pS3

— Sam Hildebrandt (@HildebrandtSam) November 24, 2015

You can watch a portion of the video footage below.

Warning: Contains Graphic Material

Officer Van-Dyke, 37, turned himself into the authorities early Tuesday and was charged with first-degree murder in the death of McDonald. According to Vox, civilians have filed a total of 18 complaints against him since 2001, but he was never disciplined. He is currently being held without bond, and claims he fired his gun “in fear of his own life.” But news of the officer’s arrest didn’t stop hundreds of people from flooding Chicago’s streets in protest.

Here are some photos of last night’s protests shared on Twitter.

#LaquanMcDonald Eisenhower Expressway blockage pic.twitter.com/hpYDUHFMm1 — Sam Charles (@samjcharles) November 25, 2015

I wonder if he ever dreamed he’d see his name in lights. Certainly not like this. Rest in power, #LaquanMcDonald. pic.twitter.com/RuALBuahZE — Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 25, 2015

Activists march thru Loop after release of #LaquanMcDonald shooting video. Brief scuffles, mainly peaceful. pic.twitter.com/tuIvL3ubXT — The Chicago Reporter (@ChicagoReporter) November 25, 2015

Aerial view of Chicago protesters blocking traffic on I-290 via @ABC #LaquanMcDonald. Live: https://t.co/e7ex0g3Qip pic.twitter.com/Ddp5nfoRsf — Brittany Levine (@brittanylevine) November 25, 2015

Prominent Chicago activist and protest organizer Malcolm London, 22, was one of the five people arrested during the protests. He is being charged with one count of felony assault, after police say he hit an officer in the 100 block of East Balbo Avenue near Grant Park. As a result #FreeMalcolmLondon was trending nationally on Wednesday as people called for his release.

.@MalcolmLondon calls for the firing of police superintendent Garry McCarthy. #LaquanMcDonald pic.twitter.com/42MDpQ0lp2 — Kelly Hayes (@MsKellyMHayes) November 25, 2015

The city is currently bracing for more protests as backlash over the footage ramps up. As for the McDonald family, the Chicago city council awarded them a $5 million settlement in April over his death. Now they are urging Chicagoans to react peacefully instead of resorting to violence.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Chicago Erupts in Protests After Video of Laquan McDonald Shot by Police Released appeared first on Law Street.

On October 24, the RiseUpOctober group held a three-day rally in New York to protest police brutality. The biggest story of the rally was Quentin Tarantino’s attendance and the director’s fiery remarks. He has since received incredible backlash for his comments, from pundits as well as some police unions. But the twisting of his words and generally poor coverage of the rally highlights the media’s chronic inability to cover groups and events that try to bring attention to the issue of police brutality.

In a three-day rally against police brutality, the media decided to only focus on Tarantino’s comments, as opposed to the families of unarmed individuals killed by police officers. When given a chance to speak, Tarantino addressed the crowd by saying “I am a human being with a conscience, and when I see murder I cannot stand by, and I have to call the murdered the murdered, and the murderers the murderers.” A number of people expressed disapproval with Tarantino’s remarks and criticized him. Pundits, as well as his own father, went as far as to call his comments “dead wrong.” They criticized him for denigrating police officers and many people misquoted him as calling all police officers murderers, even though he was referring to the specific instances of killings of unarmed citizens that the rally was focused on.

Recently Jim Pasco, the director of the national Fraternal Order of Police, warned that the union has a “surprise” in store for Tarantino, a veiled threat that follows the Pasco’s plea for police officers to boycott Tarantino’s next film. While he does not represent the viewpoint of all police officers, it is unfortunate that someone so influential has decided to escalate this issue, instead of taking the value of the entire rally to heart. Granted, Tarantino’s comments were certainly inflammatory and it is totally fair for people, especially police officers and their relatives, to be unhappy. Still, this does not make what Tarantino said any less valid. It is important that we as a nation remain open to critically analyzing all of our social institutions to ensure that they are operating as best as they can. By making it taboo to criticize law enforcement, we keep one of the most important foundations of our society from being the best it can be.

The rhetoric surrounding Tarantino’s comments is not new; rather, the false dichotomy between protesting police brutality and respecting police officers is constantly present in the media. Critics of the BlackLivesMatter movement, and other attempts to address police brutality often equate criticizing excessive police force with hating police officers. Some blame these protests for the recent spike in crime in some major cities–often called the “Ferguson Effect.” Proponents argue that this increase in crime can be traced to changes in police tactics due to a fear of excessive force. Even if this were true, this logic is faulty. Firstly, these movements are not directly responsible for the changes that have occurred in police tactics. Secondly, even if there appears to be an overcompensating response, this does not invalidate these movements. It is important that police brutality be addressed and prior to the activities of such groups, this issue was largely ignored.

Finally, one of the biggest issues with the coverage of the BlackLivesMatter movement is the assumption that it is a single-minded movement. The actions of anyone who associates with the group are taken as a representation of all the members. In reality, like any social movement in history, individuals have different ideas, tactics, and goals, even if they associate with the same movement. Unfortunately, pundits will change the subject to black-on-black violence, and accuse the movement of promoting violence instead of dealing with the actual issue of police brutality. Like so many issues nowadays, police brutality is poorly handled by the media, which leads to a polarized and sometimes uninformed public and prevents the issue from being addressed. This failure in media is disheartening and it is the same reason why Quentin Tarantino has received undeserved backlash for his comments.

Maurin Mwombela

Maurin Mwombela is a member of the University of Pennsylvania class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer 2015. He now blogs for Law Street, focusing on politics. Contact Maurin at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Quentin Tarantino Takes on Police Brutality appeared first on Law Street.

Zachary Hammond, 19, was on a date on July 26 when he was fatally shot twice by a police officer during a drug bust in South Carolina.

Hammond was driving his car when police attempted to make a stop. The undercover officers staged a drug bust with Hammond’s 23-year-old date, Tori Morton, who had ten grams of weed on her person ready to sell. During the encounter, Morton was arrested and charged with possession, and Hammond was shot twice, in the shoulder and in the torso. The police officer who shot him claimed it was in self defense. He claimed Hammond was driving toward him with his vehicle when he fired the two shots.

However, the autopsy report seems to clearly disprove the police officer’s claim of self defense. The family’s attorney, Eric Bland, stated,

The shots were so close in proximity to each other that it would be physically impossible unless the car was stopped and the officer came up very close to an open window.

Hammond’s death has prompted numerous questions, few answers, and, surprisingly, no national outrage. Hammond’s family wants to know why there hasn’t been much coverage, and looked to the so-called #AllLivesMatter advocates for answers. Bland told The Washington Post this week:

It’s sad, but I think the reason is, unfortunately, the media and our government officials have treated the death of an unarmed white teenager differently than they would have if this were a death of an unarmed black teen. The hypocrisy that has been shown toward this is really disconcerting…The issue should never be what is the color of the victim. The issue should be: Why was an unarmed teen gunned down in a situation where deadly force was not even justified?”

While it is extremely unfortunate what happened to Zachary Hammond, the reason there are no advocates responding in outrage to Hammond’s death is because the #AllLivesMatter movement does not really exist. Instead, the #AllLivesMatter movement serves as a detraction from the acknowledgement of black lives being targeted by the police. That is not to say those who advocate for “all lives matter” do not care about Hammond’s death, but there is no reaction because the movement does not really exist. As a result, the response from the #BlackLivesMatter movement has been in many ways focused on pointing out the lack of attention from #AllLivesMatter.

Hammond’s death however, does raise continued questions about the way police officers respond to what they classify as “dangerous situations.” What does this say about the way police officers have been trained? In the situations where their responses have resulted in the loss of black lives, it was very easy to assume their motives–usually proven through series of incidents with police officers who have histories of racist behavior, recordings that show intentions, and many deaths that often seemed staged or unclear. But in this specific case, the motive for killing Hammond is not clear at all. Police officers are now being faced with even more questions in regard to how they effectively execute their jobs. Now that these white parents are asking the questions, maybe everyone will get the answers they deserve.

Angel Idowu

Angel Idowu is a member of the Beloit College Class of 2016 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Angel at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Unarmed White Teen Fatally Shot by Police Officer: Do #AllLivesMatter? appeared first on Law Street.

Police have the duty of serving and protecting our communities. They are supposed to stop crime and make us feel a little safer knowing that we have people to help us during our times of need. Unfortunately this perception of the police has completely changed due to the enormous amount of unnecessary police brutality and senselessness that has affected the lives of many. A white Alabama police officer who was once awarded for his great work has been exposed to be another officer that may not be very heroic after all.

Alabama officer kept job after proposal to murder black man and hide evidence http://t.co/CT3Sw69SpF pic.twitter.com/9sr9YP1sfA

— The Guardian (@guardian) August 4, 2015

Officer Troy Middlebrooks, 33, was caught a few years ago on a secret recording device discussing how to kill Vincent Bias (an African American man) and get away with it. However, the tape was just revealed on Tuesday, sparking controversy.

In 2013 Bias was at his brother-in-law’s house when Middlebrooks showed up because of an unleashed dog. Bias was cited for the dog being unleashed even though it belonged to his brother-in-law. Bias alleged that at the time he was being repeatedly harassed by city officers, including Middlebrooks. He claimed he was singled out because he was a black man and because he was in a relationship with a white woman. Middlebrooks had previously arrested Bias on drug charges earlier in the year, but he had been released on bail after paying a bond. Reportedly frustrated that Bias had been released, the officer pulled aside his brother-in-law, who is white, and told him he did not trust Bias. The brother-in-law then secretly began to record Middlebrooks’ statements. On the recording, Middlebrooks is heard saying if he were in the same position he would, “f-cking kill that motherf-cker with whatever I had in that f-cking house”. He continued to say, “And before the police got here, I’d f-cking put marks all over my shit and make it look like he was trying to f-cking kill me. I god damn guarantee you. What would it look like? Self f-cking defense. F-ck that piece of sh-t. I’m a lot different from a lot of these other folks. I’ll f-cking tell you what’s on my f-cking mind.”

He also began to mock Bias’ brother stating, “That motherf-cker right there needs a god d-mn bullet. And you f-cking know exactly what I’m talking about. The way he f-cking talks to you? Like you’re a f-cking child? Like he’s your … Are you his b-tch or something? He talks to you like that.”

After receiving the tape, Bias hired lawyers and played the recording for police chiefs and the mayor and told the city that he planned to sue for $600,000. The situation ended up being handled quietly outside of court, and Bias was given a much smaller amount of $35,000 by Alexander City authorities so they could avoid being publicly sued. He told NBC News that he took the money in hopes of moving away from Alexander City, so that he would no longer be targeted unfairly by the police. But members of the Alexander City Council said they had not been told about the case or the payment to Bias. One city council member, Tony Goss, said he was “absolutely flabbergasted” to learn of the details. Goss also said,

 This is absolutely unbelievable. Thirty-five thousand dollars is a lot of money and our city council is being left out of deliberation.

While referring to the recording he stated:

If an officer is recorded saying something like that, there are potential grounds for termination.

Middlebrooks shockingly kept his job and could not be reached for comment. Police Chief Willie Robinson stated that Middlebrooks was disciplined, but would not give out any details. Robinson also tried to cover for Middlebrooks and said that he was suggesting for the brother-in-law to carry out the killing. “He wasn’t saying that he was going to do that,” said the police chief. “He was talking about the man doing it himself.” Middlebrooks was repeatedly investigated and cleared by the State Bureau of Investigation.

However, it is downright frightening that a policeman that may have tried to tell someone how to kill a person is still on the workforce. In an environment where distrust of police appears to be at an all time high, and many questions are being raised about the ethics of our police forces, the fact that this was covered up is simply unacceptable. 

Taelor Bentley

Taelor is a member of the Hampton University Class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Taelor at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Alabama Police Officer Caught on Tape Explaining How to Get Away With Murder appeared first on Law Street.

Sandra Bland was found dead in a Texas jail cell from what authorities believe was suicide. But friends and family of the victim are outraged, and claim that she had no reason to take her own life. The entire story of her arrest and subsequent death raise a lot of questions about her treatment in the justice system.

“I do suspect foul play,” a friend, Cheryl Nanton, told ABC 7. “I believe that we are all 100 percent in belief that she did not do harm to herself.” Bland, 28, had just landed her dream job, when she was arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer, police said.

On June 29, Bland drove down to Texas from Illinois to begin a new job with her alma mater, Prairie View A&M. On July 10, police stopped Bland just outside of the school’s campus for failing to signal while changing lanes. Police officers claim that during this stop, Bland became combative, and was thrown to the ground, arrested, and charged with “assault on a public servant.”

But, the recently released video from the policeman’s dashboard camera show that the stop that led to her arrest was anything but routine.

While Bland is being combative in the above video, she had plenty of reason to be. The situation escalated rapidly–but her questioning of the police officer was valid. In these situations, people sometimes say the best thing to do is be polite and respectful to police officers so they have no reason to accuse you of anything, but that shouldn’t preclude someone who is pulled over from asking questions about the reason why. This was not a routine traffic stop, and that is very clear. He was extremely forceful with Bland, to the point where you can hear her wincing at the pain he is causing her. The video below captures their interaction after he removed her from the car and it doesn’t seem to get better.

“After he pulled her out of the car, forced her and tossed her to the ground, knee to the neck, and arrested her,” says her friend Malcom Jackson.

In the second video, Bland is heard saying, “You just slammed my head into the ground. Do you not even care about that? I can’t even hear!” Then, as she is taken into custody, she repeats, “You slammed me into the ground and everything.”

Reports claim that jailers saw Bland at 7 AM Monday when they gave her breakfast, and again at 8 AM when they spoke to her over the jail’s intercom about making a phone call. She was found in her cell one hour later. Waller County Sheriff’s Office Captain of Patrol Brian Cantrell claimed that Bland strangled herself with a jail cell trash bag. CPR was reportedly done immediately, but she was pronounced dead shortly after.

Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith, who made the first public announcement about Bland’s death, was suspended for documented cases of racism when he was chief of police in Hempstead, Texas in 2007. After serving his suspension, more complaints of racism came in, and he was fired from this position shortly after. Smith made his way to Waller County, where he was then elected as sheriff of Waller county. While this connection to her death is not certain, there are questions about the role that her race could have played in the incident. 

Bland’s family held a news conference last Thursday afternoon in the Chicago Loop, but no details have been released. They are firm in their belief that foul play is suspected, and looking for answers. “She was planning for the future, and she came here to start for that future, so to say that she killed herself is totally absurd,” said her friend Lavaghn Mosley. 

But her friends and family are not the only ones who suspect something is amiss. With the popular hashtag #WhatHappenedtoSandraBland trending on Twitter, there are several people wondering what happened to Sandra Bland in that jail cell.

Reporters are working around the clock tonight to find out if Sandra Bland's babysitter's boyfriend's cousin ever broke a law. #SandraBland

— JRehling (@JRehling) July 16, 2015

Dear white people, any of you EVER been pulled over for a lane change? Did you end up dead? #SandraBland #WhatHappenedToSandraBland

— Jessica Fish (@Fishica) July 16, 2015

Don't tell me that #SandraBland could be my sister, friend, mother. It is enough that she was a human being! #WhatHappenedToSandraBland

— Ntombizikhona (@valavoosh) July 16, 2015

You stay. You run. You submit. You resist. It doesn't matter. They will kill you anyway. Your skin is black. #SandraBland #BlackLivesMatter

— Amarlie (@marabout40) July 16, 2015

These questions make a lot of sense, and Bland’s story does fit into the continued narrative of #BlackLivesMatter, because it highlights the way that our society continues to treat Black lives as lesser than others. What needs to happen to ensure that all of our citizens are safe when in the hands of the justice system? After all, it didn’t matter how loud Bland screamed, because she still wasn’t being heard.

Angel Idowu

Angel Idowu is a member of the Beloit College Class of 2016 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Angel at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Death of Sandra Bland: More Questions Than Answers appeared first on Law Street.

A prosecutor is “an administrator of justice” whose duties are “to seek justice, not merely to convict.” According to the American Bar Association,

It is an important function of the prosecutor to seek to reform and improve the administration of criminal justice. When inadequacies or injustices in the substantive or procedural law come to the prosecutor’s attention, he or she should stimulate efforts for remedial action.

Chances to combat these injustices often occur in the strong role of prosecutorial discretion in determining someone’s prison sentence. Many argue that prosecutorial discretion is such an enormous responsibility that prosecutors have the power to be strong social justice advocates. Many others, however, suggest that prosecutorial discretion leads to tremendous racial disparities in sentencing. So the question is: Is it possible for prosecutors to be social justice advocates? Or is the criminal justice system overall too big for prosecutors to make any social justice-oriented, system-wide changes from within?

In Defense of Prosecution?

In her Brennan Center post entitled “Prosecutors Can Play a Role in Ending Mass Incarceration”–which argues exactly that–Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center’s Justice Program reminds us of the various roles of prosecutors:

The reality is that prosecutors play a unique and immensely powerful role in the criminal justice system. They decide who gets charged, and most importantly, with what crime, and what plea bargains to accept and reject. Sentencing recommendations from prosecutors carry immense weight with judges.

Largely due to this prosecutorial discretion, federal courts impose 20 percent longer sentences on Black men than they do on white men who are convicted of committing similar crimes. Courts similarly impose longer sentences on Latino men than they do for white men convicted for similar crimes.

Many interpret these roles as evidence of prosecutorial racism, because prosecutors determine the course of such huge pieces of defendant’s cases. The immense racial disparities in charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing are all directly traceable to prosecutors’ structurally informed choices. However, Eisen uses this information to argue that the point at which a prosecutor encounters a defendant’s case is already beyond the point at which interference is needed. Eisen asserts that prosecutors can and should play a role in preventing crimes and recidivism.

This is consistent with both the Brennan Center’s recommendations that it should be the priority of federal prosecutors to reduce incarceration, recidivism, and violence, and with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s shifting priorities for law enforcement. Calling for a “Smart on Crime” approach, Holder has stated:

Of course, as we refine our approach and reject the ineffective practice of calling for stringent sentences against those convicted of low-level, nonviolent crimes, we also need to refine the metrics we use to measure success; to evaluate the steps we’re taking; and to assess the effectiveness of new criminal justice priorities.  In the Smart on Crime era, it’s no longer adequate – or appropriate – to rely on outdated models that prize only enforcement, as quantified by numbers of prosecutions, convictions, and lengthy sentences, rather than taking a holistic view.

Prosecutors wishing to pursue such a holistic approach may learn about doing so by exploring resources such as those provided by the Vera Institute of Justice’s Prosecution and Racial Justice Program.

Prosecutors and Restorative Justice

When writing of the extremely large roles prosecutors play in determining the course of the lives of people accused of crimes, activist and scholar Angela Davis argues that:

Whether or not prosecutors intentionally or unconsciously discriminate against defendants of color in the charging and plea-bargaining processes, their decisions–even the race-neutral ones–may cause or exacerbate racial disparities. Their tremendous power and discretion is often exercised in ways that produce unintended and undesirable consequences. However, that same power and discretion can be used to remedy the problem.

Some of these remedies may include ensuring that alternatives to incarceration are widely available across the country. One way that prosecutors can provide alternatives to incarceration for people convicted of committing crimes is through restorative justice processes. Restorative justice is defined by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency as:

Restorative justice offers alternatives to our traditional juvenile and criminal justice systems and harsh school discipline processes. Rather than focusing on punishment, restorative justice seeks to repair the harm done. At its best, through face-to-face dialogue, restorative justice results in consensus-based plans that meet victim-identified needs in the wake of a crime. This can take many forms, most notably conferencing models, victim-offender dialogue, and circle processes. In applications with youth, it can prevent both contact with the juvenile justice system and school expulsions and suspensions. Restorative justice also holds the potential for victims and their families to have a direct voice in determining just outcomes, and reestablishes the role of the community in supporting all parties affected by crime. Several restorative models have been shown to reduce recidivism and, when embraced as a larger-scale solution to wrongdoing, can minimize the social and fiscal costs of crime.

By utilizing prosecutorial discretion to refer people convicted of crimes to restorative processes instead of being incarcerated, prosecutors can avoid contributing to mass incarceration and can avoid inflicting the devastating collateral consequences of incarceration. Restorative justice alternatives are currently being used successfully in piecemeal initiatives across the country in schools to avoid suspensions and expulsions that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. However, many criticize practitioners and advocates of  restorative justice for staying within the overall criminal justice system because restorative justice works within the system and assumes that there are equal conditions to “restore,” it arguably ignores the fundamental injustices that shape mass incarceration to begin with. Therefore, prosecutors who attempt to advance social justice ends with restorative justice alternatives to incarceration may make positive differences in individual people’s cases, but have an arguably limited impact on mass incarceration as a whole.

#PlotTwist: Changing Who Gets Prosecuted

Along these same lines, some prosecutors may also attempt to advance social justice goals through the prosecution of corporations that are exploiting human labor, perpetuating abuses, and damaging the environment. Critics of these approaches argue that this kind of prosecution is not holistic: it addresses individuals and individual corporations, not the systems that facilitate the abuses in the first place.

Similarly, it is possible for prosecutors to specialize in criminal and civil cases against cops who discriminate and violently abuse their power. Certainly, many social justice advocates actively demand more prosecution of cops. Much of the recent #BlackLivesMatter uprisings recently have been focusing on the fact that prosecutors don’t tend to charge cops who beat and/or murder people of color.

However, many criticize these attempts, too, because they exist only within an already racialized system, thereby reinforcing the power of the criminal justice system that created mass incarceration to begin with. When social justice advocates–or prosecutors–try to use the criminal justice system for social justice aims, they are implying that the criminal justice system does, in fact, deliver justice, when many believe that it does not.

As the prison abolitionist blog Prison Culture published in a post in the wake of George Zimmerman murdering Trayvon Martin in 2012, prosecuting cops or vigilantes who target people of color in the name of “justice” serves to reinforce people’s beliefs that they should turn to the criminal justice system for solutions:

I think that making the main focus of our activism with respect to Trayvon’s killing the prosecution of George Zimmerman is short-sighted. Additionally, it does nothing to address the root causes of racism and oppression which were surely the fuel for this murder. For black people, our history on issues of crime, law, order, and punishment is complex and usually conflicting. In this moment, I question why we as black people who know that there is no “justice” in the legal system are expending the majority of our energy demanding “justice” from said system. How are we going to find “justice” in the prosecution of Zimmerman? The answer is quite simply that we will not.

Attorney and author Paul Butler generalizes this frustration to the role of prosecutors in general. In a forum at NYU in 2009 (see video above), Butler disagreed with moderator Anthony Barkow about the potential role of prosecutors in serving social justice ends:

Butler contended that with racial profiling by police and mandatory sentences for many drug crimes, prosecutors have little power to fight these problems from the inside. To answer the question at the center of the debate, the efforts of good people would be wasted as prosecutors, in Butler’s view. Barkow, however, said that attorneys, even when they are not the lead prosecutor, can and do make discretionary decisions that allow them to work within the law to have influential voices in cases. ‘Supervisors will often defer, extensively in my experience, to the line prosecutors,’ Barkow said. ‘So the line prosecutors making all these discretionary decisions are really kind of driving the bus most of the time…Butler’s overarching position on how good people can and should behave in regards to our system of justice was quite clear, provocative, and sobering.’ He maintained that the way to fight social and racial injustice was not to be a part of the institutions that help to further it. ‘The determination of who goes to criminal court in chains…should not depend so much on race and class,’ Butler said in conclusion. ‘As long as it does, we need people who believe in social justice and racial justice to stand up, to be strong, and to refuse to be complicit.’

So, Can Prosecutors be Social Justice Advocates?

While injustices in the overall criminal justice system make it hard or even impossible for prosecutors to be social justice advocates from within the system, there may be piecemeal, individual roles for prosecutors to play toward incrementally achieving some social justice goals amid broader injustices in the criminal justice system.

Resources

American Bar Association: Prosecution Function

Open Society Foundation: Racial Disparity in Sentencing

Leadership Conference: Race and Prosecutorial Discretion

Brennan Center for Justice: Federal Prosecution for the 21st Century

American Civil Liberties Union: Words From Prison: The Collateral Consequences of Incarceration

Race, Racism, and the Law: Prosecutors as the Most Powerful Actor in the Criminal Justice System

Brennan Center for Justice: Prosecutors Can Play Role in Ending Mass Incarceration

School Book: Alternatives to Suspension: Inside a ‘Restorative Justice’ High School

Partnership for Safety and Justice: Restorative and Transformative Justice: A Comparison

Nation: Why It’s Impossible to Indict a Cop

Prison Culture: Trayvon Martin and Black People for the Carceral State

Crunk Feminist Collective: Trayvon Martin and Prison Abolition

New York University Law: Butler and Barkow Discuss the Role of Prosecutors in Social and Racial Justice

Jennifer Polish

Jennifer Polish is an English PhD student at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC, where she studies non/human animals and the racialization of dis/ability in young adult literature. When she’s not yelling at the computer because Netflix is loading too slowly, she is editing her novel, doing activist-y things, running, or giving the computer a break and yelling at books instead. Contact Jennifer at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Within the past few years there has been an enormous amount of shocking incidents involving police brutality. Even with protests nationwide it seems that nothing has been done to stop this issue. Now, people are angry yet again over another incident involving the ridiculous actions of a police officer. The video aftermath of a pool party in McKinney, Texas has gone viral, and infuriated many who have seen it.

On Friday, June 5, a group of Texas teens gathered together at Craig Ranch North Community Pool. Craig Ranch’s strict homeowners’ association rules prohibit bringing more than two guests to the pool. But the invite to the pool party spread around Twitter, leading to many other guests. According to bystanders, when a crowd of teenagers showed up, stood by the gate, and yelled to be let in, things got out of control. Kids began to jump over the fence as a security guard tried to get them to leave. The security guard was outnumbered, and called the police. The authorities were told there was a “a disturbance involving multiple juveniles at the location, who do not live in the area or have permission to be there, refusing to leave.” There were also numerous calls to the police reporting fights as well.

But Tatiana Rhodes, the 19-year-old girl who hosted the pool party, shared a different side of the story. Tatiana said that she and some friends had organized the party and were enjoying it when a conflict with a white neighbor broke out. Rhodes told E. Johnson IV, a photographer who recorded the conversation and uploaded it online:

This lady was saying racial slurs to some friends that came to the cookout. She was saying such things as ‘black effer’ and ‘that’s why you live in Section 8 homes.’

According to Rhodes, who is black, a white neighbor approached her and smacked her in the face.“That’s when both of the women attacked me,” the teen said.

However, what really sparked national outrage was a video taken by Brandon Brooks and posted on Twitter. In an email to NBC News Brooks stated:

When I started the video was right after all the kids who got put on the ground had gotten up and ran away. The cop was chasing after all those kids just putting every black person he saw on the ground.

Here’s the video, but keep in mind, it is NSFW due to language and violence:

The video went viral, leaving people truly disgusted at the actions of the police. One of the officers, later identified as Eric Casebolt, was recorded forcefully pinning an unarmed 14 year-old-girl in a bikini to the ground and handcuffing her. In the video Casebolt can even be seen pulling the girl’s hair and pushing her face toward the ground. The officer also drew his gun and pointed it at several unarmed teens in the area as well. Casebolt, a Navy veteran with 10 years on the McKinney force, has been place on administrative leave after the video surfaced. Police Chief Greg Conley stated:

Our initial reaction was to place the officer on administrative leave until we can conduct a complete and thorough investigation of the incident….The McKinney Police Department is committed to treating all persons fairly under the law. We are committed to preserving the peace and safety of our community for all of our citizens.

The girl who was tackled by Casebolt was detained and released. “Ultimately, everyone was freed. Other than the person who was arrested, everyone was released to a parent or guardian or to a responsible adult,” Conley said. McKinney police had to call in extra dispatchers to handle incoming phone calls, many asking for Casebolt to be fired. Mayor of McKinney, Texas, Brian Loughmiller, described feeling “disturbed and concerned” over this incident. Overall, the incident left many people with one question: how threatened could an experienced police officer feel by an unarmed 14 year-old-girl?

Spoke with my family about #McKinney. My dad’s response: “If you are that afraid of a bunch of teens in bikinis, you shouldn’t be a cop.”

— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) June 8, 2015

Who can we call when the police are the ones threatening our safety? Police once made citizens feel safe and secure but many now feel even more threatened when the police are present. This video leaves parents angered and frightened for their children’s safety, as well as teens who could become an officer’s next target. With situations like these becoming more and more common, one can only hope that justice will begin to be served.

Taelor Bentley

Taelor is a member of the Hampton University Class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Taelor at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Brutality in McKinney, Texas? Video of Officer Goes Viral appeared first on Law Street.

A place once called the “City of Angels” is now known as the gang capital of the nation. Los Angeles, California has become one of the most gang prevalent cities in the United States. Over the past three years there have been a total of 16,398 verified gang crimes in LA including homicides, rapes, robberies and felony assaults. These gangs have affected many families and communities by taking the lives of innocent people. One of the families recently affected by this violence was the family of Tavin Price. Price, a developmentally disabled 19-year-old, was shot and killed in front of his mother on Friday in Southern Los Angeles, in an incident that many believe was gang related.

Price and his mother, Jennifer Rivers, were on their way to the beach when they stopped at a car wash near the corner of Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. According to Detective Eric Crosson of the Los Angeles Police Department, while Tavin’s mother was at the carwash he went to a nearby market to purchase cigarettes. There he was approached by a suspect described as a black man in his late teens or early 20s and was questioned about his red shoes. Crosson stated, 

He was confronted by someone who inquired about his possible gang affiliation because of some red clothing he was wearing. He denied being a gang member and went back to where his mother was.

Price, who was no taller than 5 feet and less than 100 pounds, quickly returned to his mother as she said “let’s go” while the man followed him. Before they could leave, Tavin was shot four times in the back and chest. After hearing gunshots, Rivers turned around and chased the gunman until she lost sight of him. Price was then rushed to the hospital where he passed away during surgery. Rivers stated,

Every time I close my eyes, I see my son’s eyes rolling around as he cried, ‘Mommy I don’t want to die.’ That’s my final memory of him. But I can’t let that be my strongest memory.

Price would have turned twenty on Monday, and had just accepted a warehouse job. Police and family members believe that Price had no affiliation to any gang. Detective Crosson said that he was victimized because he wore “the wrong color in the wrong neighborhood.” The color red is associated with a dangerous network of street gangs founded in Los Angeles called the Bloods. Melvin Farmer, a gang interventionist who was formerly associated with the Crips–the rivals of the Bloods and affiliated with the color blue–said the car wash stands on a dividing line between the rival gang territories. Detective Eric Crosson describes this area as “exceptionally violent” and has noted at least five other killings nearby. About three blocks away a 40-year-old man was killed two days before Price. A few blocks farther, a 28-year old woman was killed two weeks earlier. It does not appear that these murders have any connection, but are representative of the prevalence of violence in the gangs’ territories. Tavin’s mother stated:

I wish he would have just shot me instead of my child because that’s cold for a mother to watch somebody just gun her child down in front of her face. That’s a hard, hard thing to deal with, believe me, I can’t even sleep at night since my son died.

Price’s family held a vigil at the car wash where he was described as a man “who loved his family more than anything.” Antheyst Jarrett, a 27-year old black woman, was arrested after the shooting and has been charged with witness intimidation and conspiracy to commit murder. Authorities say she was present during the confrontation. Police are still working hard to find the suspect and bring peace and justice to Price’s family.

R.I.P. #TavinPrice, a young man who was murdered near Florence & Crenshaw ’cause his shoes were the wrong color. #BlackLivesMatter

— The Eclectic Beings (@EclecticBeings) June 2, 2015

Gang violence has declined in Los Angeles, but there is still significantly more work to do. In the LA area alone, there have already been over 200 homicide deaths in 2015. According to the Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles, LA has more than 400 gangs, with over 39,000 members. Communities, families, and policemen have to continue to work hard to put a stop to this violence and to save the lives of innocent people like Tavin Price.

Taelor Bentley

Taelor is a member of the Hampton University Class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Taelor at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Los Angeles Teen Killed: Was His Shoe Color to Blame? appeared first on Law Street.

Jay Z’s “Decoded” ghostwriter may need to work on her discretion after spilling some of the Carters’ philanthropic secrets publicly via Twitter. The ghostwriter, dream hampton, is a writer, award-winning filmmaker, and social justice organizer active in the Black Lives Matter movement. According to hampton, Jay Z and Beyoncé shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to bail out jailed protesters in Baltimore and Ferguson, but had requested their charitable actions be kept under wraps.

In a string of tweets posted Sunday that have now been deleted (but were screenshot by Complex) hampton wrote,

I’m going to tweet this and I don’t care if Jay gets mad

When we needed money for bail for Baltimore protestors, I asked hit Jay up, as I had for Ferguson , wired tens of thousands in mins.

When BLM needed infrastructure money for the many chapters that we’re growing like beautiful dandelions, Carters wrote a huge check.

…and more stuff, too much to list actually, that they always insist folk keep quiet.

Later that night, hampton went on to clarify her tweets which she later called “error ridden,” writing:

Jay & B for stacks. It’s true they gave, which is why I tweeted it. but I erased it within minutes, because ppl believe what they want to.

— dream hampton (@dreamhampton) May 18, 2015

ok, let me give password back to my assistant. Just came on here to say I was not in some foxhole texting Jay & B for bail money.

— dream hampton (@dreamhampton) May 18, 2015

They gave cuz that’s what they do. & should I ever get major bread, I’m gonna be Howard Hughes, wiring out money anonymously too

— dream hampton (@dreamhampton) May 18, 2015

Hampton’s honesty may have been motivated by critics consistently condemning the Carters for not speaking out publicly after the deaths of Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, which resulted in protests from thousands in Ferguson and Baltimore. In actuality the notoriously private couple, whose combined net worth is estimated at over $1 billion, had quietly been active with their contributions, which in many ways says a lot about their generosity.

Bankrolling bail money isn’t the only contribution the Carters have made to the Black Lives Matter movement. According to Billboard, Jay Z also reportedly helped smuggle in “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts to players at a December Brooklyn Nets game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and that same month met with New York governor Andrew Cuomo to discuss possible reforms for the justice system.

Jay Z and Beyoncé’s reps have neither confirmed nor denied these rumored contributions, but they may not be too happy with their loose lipped associate. She may also be in a bit of trouble, as she’s now notifying everyone with her Twitter bio that she is on hiatus.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Jay Z and Beyonce: Secret Activists? appeared first on Law Street.

The United States found itself facing criticism from the international community in regards to concerns about its human rights record this week. The criticisms were levied during the U.S.’s second universal periodic review in front of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Listed among the concerns that other nations presented about the U.S.’s human rights record included the American failure to shut down the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay and the prevalence of sexual violence against Native American women. But one of the biggest focal points of the criticism was the culture of police violence and militarization, particularly against young black men, in the United States.

This is no surprise–during the recent flurry of media activity over the protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of the Baltimore police, I came across a Washington Post article that posited “How Western media would cover Baltimore if it happened somewhere else.” While the writer of that piece, Karen Attiah, certainly wasn’t the only one I saw pose that question, I found her take particularly compelling, as she wrote it from the point of view of another nation’s media outlet. Take this passage for example:

Black Americans, a minority ethnic group, are killed by state security forces at a rate higher than the white majority population. Young, black American males are 21 times more likely to be shot by police than white American males.

Sounds pretty bad when it’s phrased like that, doesn’t it?

The point is that if we, as Americans, saw coverage of the racial discrimination and police conduct in this country the way that we see coverage of human rights abuses in other nations, we would be appalled and outraged. Therefore, it was no surprise to me that we received some criticism at the United Nations review.

At the same time, it also didn’t surprise me that the response that many Americans had to the criticism has been less than graceful. The main complaints appear to be twofold–some are upset that we even allowed ourselves to be reviewed by the UNHRC, calling it “farcical.” In a very similar vein, there are complaints that during the United States’ presentation in front of the council, the Obama administration even admitted to having to work on some of the aforementioned issues. There was also anger over which nations criticized us, countries including Iran, Cuba, Pakistan, and Russia. Critics of the review have been very quick to point out that those nations have very long histories of horrible human rights abuses themselves.

That’s completely true. Human rights abuses in Iran, Cuba, Pakistan, and Russia, among many other nations, are apparent, horrendous, and deserve high levels of criticism and attention. But I don’t quite get how that fact invalidates concerns about human rights abuses in the United States. Two wrongs don’t make a right–just because another nation is committing a wrong, our wrong isn’t suddenly rendered right.

Moreover, what happened to being a good example? How can we demand that other nations be accountable for their human rights abuses when we can’t even talk about ours in an open forum with humility and respect? It’s not easy to admit that there’s a problem in this country when it comes to racism and police violence. But criticizing other countries for pointing it out certainly won’t do anything to fix it. Instead, we need to work together as a nation to combat these systemic problems, and become the very role model we purport to be.

—

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post United Nations Criticizes U.S. Over These Human Rights Issues appeared first on Law Street.

Beginning as a social media hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter developed into a movement and became a leading force in the fight against police brutality and racism across the nation. People from all walks of life are uniting for justice, are inspired to speak up, and most importantly are ready to take action. But how did #BlackLivesMatter reach the masses? How has it developed into such a profound transformational force? Read on to learn more about #BlackLivesMatter, its inception, and the movement to end police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.

What is #BlackLivesMatter?

#BlackLivesMatter (BLM) is a movement that focuses on anti-African-American racism in the United States. It was founded by three Black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. Although it began as a social media hashtag, they created the infrastructure for the overall campaign, framing it as “not a moment, a movement.”

According to #BlackLivesMatter, racism is still prevalent in American society through the marginalization of Black communities, which are intentionally left powerless and voiceless. In this regard, the movement asserts the right of all Black people to liberation.

BLM has opened up a broader conversation about long-standing racism and violence against Black communities in the United States. It aims to affirm the lives of all Black people who suffer from racial oppression in American society, including Black trans people, Black queer people, Black immigrants, Black incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, Black millennials, Black women, low-income Black people, and Black people with disabilities. 

The Inception and Evolution of #BlackLivesMatter

#BlackLivesMatter was created after Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American boy from Florida, was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, on February 26, 2012. In July 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges.

The outcome of the trial led to resentment from Black communities, and America as a whole, as Martin was unarmed when Zimmerman shot him. The day after the acquittal, people took to the streets in major cities including Miami, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Newark, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and Charlotte. More than 100 U.S. cities held demonstrations in support for Trayvon Martin.

Garza, one of BLM’s co-founders, used Facebook to express her outrage over the fact that nobody was held accountable for the death of an unarmed Black teenager. She finished her sentence with the phrase “we got us and our lives matter.” Cullors went further and added the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter when re-posting her friend’s message. People started to use this hashtag when talking about racism and extrajudicial killings of Black men in police custody. As a result, #BlackLivesMatter was born as a national organizing project. Watch the video below to learn more about #BlackLivesMatter from Garza.

Nearly a year later on July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died in Staten Island, New York, after a police officer allegedly put him in chokehold for 15 seconds while trying to take him into custody. That’s when #BlackLivesMatter started to solidify as a movement. According to Elephrame, a social media tracking website, two days after Garner’s death, more than 300 people marched in Staten Island, including Garner’s family.

Less than a month after that, on August 9, 2014, 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown, was shot to death by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Demonstrations became pervasive in cities both large and small. Thousands of people travelled to Ferguson to participate in marches, demanding justice for Brown and other victims of police violence. The #BlackLivesMatter hashtag became omnipresent on Twitter in relation to Ferguson protests and racism in general. More than 119 cities participated in a National Moment of Silence honoring the many Black citizens who have died as a result of police violence. Watch Oakland residents speaking on Ferguson and #BlackLivesMatter protests in the video below.

During the ensuing months, divided demonstrations continued to transform into a collective force. At the end of November 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio. As the Staten Island grand jury declined to indict the New York police officer who used the chokehold to take Garner into custody on December 3, 2014, people began to demand justice even more fiercely. More demonstrations were held, reaching as far as Paris, London, and Melbourne. By the end of 2014, #BlackLivesMatter was already a strong platform for many protesters, with a broader mission, and a list of demands. 

The movement carried into 2015. BLM continued to incite discussions in academia, art communities, religious establishments, and high schools and universities. A #BlackLivesMatter exhibit was featured in an art gallery in Seattle, providing viewers with different perspectives on the movement. Cornell University Africana Studies and Research Center held a community talk about #BlackLivesMatter and the current state of activist movements, taking a social history perspective. These are only few examples of the movement’s proliferation and effects.

On March 4, 2015, a St. Louis County grand jury acquitted Wilson of all charges in the death of Michael Brown. The actions of protesters became even more pronounced, disrupting public transportation and shutting down highways and bridges while marching for Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and many others.

On April 19, 2015 another Black man, Freddie Gray, died in the hospital after he was taken into custody by the Baltimore police. The events that followed shook the whole country as protests turned violent in some areas. Some police officers were injured, a state of emergency was declared, the National Guard was activated, and a 10 p.m. curfew was established in Baltimore. However, all officers involved in Gray’s death were charged with a range of crimes, including murder and manslaughter. During these latest events, many local chapters of #BlackLivesMatter marched in solidarity with Baltimore, including those in Chicago, Ferguson, and New York.

In the last 289 days, there were 431 general demonstrations and 430 for individual victims of police brutality, totaling at least 861 #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations.

An International Voice 

#BlackLivesMatter has a visible connection to other movements across the nation and abroad. Nationally, Palestinian solidarity activists, the low-wage workers movement, and Black Youth Project 100 (BYP 100) among others, all marched in support of BLM. In addition, medical students at 70 colleges, the so-called “White Coats for Black Lives,” held demonstrations in #BlackLivesMatter support. Internationally, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy marches and London’s Campaign Against Police and State Violence, among others, also stood in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and its cause.

#BlackLivesMatter Tactics

The main tactic of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is to disrupt business as usual, including work, commuter travel, commerce, and other daily activities of U.S. residents. The rationale behind this tactic is based on the premise that people across the country need to wake up and recognize that anti-Black racism is a pervasive part of American society. BLM protesters disrupted traffic on Interstate 93 in Boston, shut down the BART station in West Oakland, California, partly shut down the Mall of America, and disrupted business as usual in many other places, all in the hope of drawing attention to its cause. 

What does #BlackLivesMatter aim to do?

#BlackLivesMatter put forward national demands and a vision for a new America. It seeks legal redress in the Michael Brown case, and asks the government to release the names of all officers involved in killing Black people for the last five years. It also calls for the creation of an advocate’s network that can institute changes across police departments, and demands that the federal government discontinue its supply of military weapons to police departments across the country. #BlackLivesMatter also demands more re-investment programs, specifically, re-directing law enforcement funds to federal departments charged with providing employment, housing, and educational services.

According to #BlackLivesMatter, its vision for a new America is as follows:

We Want an End to all Forms of Discrimination and the Full Recognition of our Human Rights. The United States Government must acknowledge and address the structural violence and institutional discrimination that continues to imprison our communities either in a life of poverty and/or one behind bars. We want the United States Government to recognize the full spectrum of our human rights and its obligations under international law.

In its vision, the movement includes not only the end of racially charged police violence and structural changes in police departments across the states, but also demands decent housing, quality education, and the end of the prison industrial complex and the school-to-prison pipeline.

#BlackLivesMatter developed rather specific proposals with regard to the de-militarization of local law enforcement departments across the country, including requesting a comprehensive review by the Department of Justice into systematic abuses by police departments, and the repurposing of law enforcement funds to support community-based alternatives to incarceration. While not all demands are specific and policy oriented, BLM is working in conjunction with think tanks and non-profits such as the National Organization for Women and Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation, to continue conceptualizing policy aims. 

Criticism of #BlackLivesMatter

Even though many Americans support #BlackLivesMatter, there are those who simply don’t believe that racism in the justice system exists. In this view, African Americans encounter law enforcement frequently because they commit more crimes, thus more of them end up in the prison system. Police officers are viewed as protectors of public order, while African Americans are seen as solely responsible for the current state of their community. Watch the video below to learn more about this point of view.

In addition, an #AllLivesMatter hashtag was created to counteract the #BlackLivesMatter movement. In this view, law enforcement should treat all people with respect and dignity. The rationale is as following: if #AllLivesMatter, then #BlackLivesMatter too. Essentially, #AllLivesMatter protesters are making a point of including all races in the conversation about police brutality; however, supporters of #BlackLivesMatter as well as its founders consider such phrasing an act of colorblindness that completely excludes race from the equation, devaluing the whole point of the movement.

Conclusion

#BlackLivesMatter has already established itself as a movement for social change, transforming isolated incidents of police brutality into a larger agenda of eliminating racial inequality in American society. It’s impossible to predict if the movement will be able to sustain itself until it reaches its goal and the government meets BLM’s demands; however one thing is sure, #BlackLivesMatter is already changing peoples’ perceptions of racial inequality in America, creating dialogue, and clearing out the path for future leaders who will take on the issue of anti-Black racism. 

Resources

Primary

#BlackLivesMatter: National Demands

#BlackLivesMatter: A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement

Additional 

Elephrame: Track Black Lives Matter Demonstrations

Occupy: Black Lives Matter: The Evolution of a Movement

Political Research Associates: Five Right-Wing Media Narratives Attacking the ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement

Front Page Mag: Which Black Lives Matter?

Huffington Post: Stop Slandering Black Lives Matter

National Review Online: Black Lives Matter

Huffington Post: Reactions on the Streets After the George Zimmerman Verdict

Gothamist: Black Lives Matter Protesters Stock Forever 21 With ‘Never 21’ T-Shirts

Thee New York Times: Baltimore Enlists National Guard and a Curfew to Fight Riots and Looting

KARE11: Black Lives Matter March in Support of Baltimore

Michigan Live: EMU Student Wears ‘Black Lives Matter’ T-Shirt Over Gown at Graduation

Huffington Post: What People Are Really Saying When They Complain About ‘Black Lives Matter’ Protests

King 5: Art Gallery Features ‘Black Lives Matter’ Exhibit

Star Tribune: Twin Cities Students Walk Out of Schools to Join Black Lives Matter Protest

The New York Times: Beyond ‘Black Lives Matter’ 

Alternet: Eight Developments of the Black Lives Matter Movement Most People Don’t Know About 

Dick Gregory: ‘Black Lives Matter’ Heard Around the World

NPR: ‘Black Lives Matter’ Slogan Becomes a Bigger Movement 

Cornell University: Scholar Leads Talk on ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement 

Washington Post: From Trayvon Martin to ‘Black Lives Matter’

International Socialist Review: Black Lives Matter: A New Movement Takes Shape

The New York Times: Six Baltimore Police Officers Charged in Freddie Gray Death

California Sunday Magazine: How Three Friends Turned a Spontaneous Facebook Post Into a Global Phenomenon

Boston Globe: Protesters Snarl Morning Commute on I-93 Near Boston

Sfist: Protesters Chain Themselves to BART Trains at West Oakland, Temporarily Halt Transbay Train Service

Huffington Post: #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Shut Down Part of Mall of America

Valeriya Metla

Valeriya Metla is a young professional, passionate about international relations, immigration issues, and social and criminal justice. She holds two Bachelor Degrees in regional studies and international criminal justice. Contact Valeriya at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post #BlackLivesMatter: How a Hashtag Sparked a Powerful Movement appeared first on Law Street.

We know their names by heart because they’ve become the public faces of a national epidemic. Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice–five names that represent the unjust murder of unarmed black males. But there are many more names on that list, including 53-year-old father of four Walter L. Scott. Scott was shot and killed Saturday by an white South Carolinian police officer while attempting to run away. A graphic of the video of the shooting has surfaced, leading to public outrage and resulting in the officer who shot him being charged with murder.

Be advised that the video below contains both graphic images and language.

According to the New York Times, the officer, Michael T. Slager, 33, attempted to justify the shooting, saying he feared for his life because Scott had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after Slager had stopped him in a Mercedes-Benz for a broken taillight. In the video, however, Scott is seen running away when Slager fires seemingly eight times at his back before finally collapsing.

At a news conference Tuesday, authorities announced that after viewing the video footage, they had decided to charge the officer with murder. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said during the news conference.

When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. And if you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision.

Police reports indicate that Officer Slager reported on his radio, “shots fired and the subject is down; He took my Taser” moments after the shooting. But the taser defense story could potentially be a sham. During the initial scuffle at the beginning of the video something looks to have been either tossed or knocked to the ground behind the two men. After the shooting, the officer then runs back toward where the initial scuffle occurred and picks something up off the ground and then appears to drop an object near Scott’s body moments later. Unfortunately it’s tough to determine the full story because the images are shaky and unclear. Many are now speculating that this object was the officer’s taser, which he was potentially planting in order to corroborate his story, but that has yet to be proven by investigators.

The bystander who filmed the video has not yet been identified, but is being hailed as a hero by Scott’s family for providing the footage to them, which they then turned over to the New York Times. In the video below, Walter Scott’s brother and family attorney Chris Stewart react to the shooting, with Stewart making the bold statement “running from an officer doesn’t result in the death penalty.”

Stewart has a vital point that running away should not be a death sentence, but Supreme Court case law may beg to differ. In Tennessee v. Garner the court declared that officers may use deadly force against a fleeing suspect if there’s probable cause that the suspect “poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.” Officer Slager may try to use this precedent in his criminal defense or in the civil suit against him that Scott’s family has declared that they intend to file.

This avoidable incident has only helped fuel public distrust for law enforcement as well as raise questions that there may be serious discriminatory problems ingrained in our police forces, as proved evident in Ferguson. One thing however is certain–Walter Scott’s story, while unfortunately not unique, does matter.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post South Carolina Cop Charged With the Murder of Walter Scott appeared first on Law Street.

From the time we are in elementary school, we are told that copying from someone else’s paper is wrong. As we get a little older, we are given other names for this copying: plagiarism and intellectual property theft. Often, even those who believe that intellectual property laws are a threat to creativity and equitable access to knowledge recognize that even if something is not illegal, it is better form to give credit where credit is due. But a new question has popped up recently: does this logic apply to culture, as well? Some say yes and call it cultural appropriation. But what exactly is cultural appropriation, and when do we cross the line between appropriation and appreciation?

 What is cultural appropriation?

Cultural appropriation is often defined as being similar to intellectual property theft, but with more overt and culturally offensive aspects.

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or theft of icons, rituals, aesthetic standards, and behavior from one culture or subculture by another. It generally is applied when the subject culture is a minority culture or some how subordinate in social, political, economic, or military status to the appropriating culture. This ‘appropriation’ often occurs without any real understanding of why the original culture took part in these activities or the meanings behind these activities, often converting culturally significant artifacts,practices, and beliefs into ‘meaningless’ pop-culture or giving them a significance that is completely different/less nuanced than they would originally have had.

Viewed as a direct continuation of imperialist violence–which assumes that the land, labor, and bodies of people of color are available for white consumption–cultural appropriation “treats all aspects of marginalized cultures… as free for the taking.”

Conversations about the controversy also often come up when discussing music, such as this interview with Azealia Banks over white artists’ cultural appropriation.

But can you really steal a culture?

On the flip side of things, some people believe that accusations of cultural appropriation need to be wielded much more carefully. Arguing that “you can’t ‘steal’ a culture,” American political commentator and linguist John McWhorter asserts that, “with gay white men and black women, for example, it’s not as if the black women are being left without their culture after the ‘theft’ or as if gay white men are somehow out there ‘out-blacking’ the women they ‘stole’ from.” (This refers to white gay men who affect speaking patterns and mannerisms that are often more readily culturally associated with black women.) McWhorter warns that people accusing others of “stealing” culture through appropriation are using the very specific term too loosely. He argues that the loosening of our language allows flippant accusations to be made when more serious issues can be dealt with.

Additionally, accusations of cultural appropriation often generate assumptions about the race, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality of the people involved. This is alluded to by Howell in the video above, which he starts by cautioning viewers not to pre-judge what he says by the color of his skin. He goes on to argue that it is a compliment to people of color (specifically, he is talking about black people) when white people want to engage in aspects of black culture that they find attractive and fun. Reminding his viewers that it is not “wrong” or “low-class” to be black or to perform blackness through dress or actions, Howell argues that cultural appropriation is not actually appropriation at all, but rather a form of a compliment that has the potential to dismantle racist and/or classist assumptions about black people.

In a similar vein, it is often argued that accusing someone of appropriating another culture can force unwanted assumptions onto people. These incorrect assumptions happened to a bride named Krista, who was accused online of cultural appropriation for pictures of her wedding that were posted online. The wedding integrated aspects of Lenape culture, a Mid-Atlantic Native American tribe. Krista, however, reminded online discussants that she has a Lenape background, even though people assumed she was white based on her features and the color of her skin.

Appreciation or Appropriation?

Here are some examples of widely-talked about accusations of cultural appropriation in recent pop culture.

Case Study: Miley Cyrus

Accused by many as putting on a tremendously racist “minstrel show” in her “We Can’t Stop” video and its performance at the 2013 VMAs, Miley Cyrus has been resoundingly condemned by Anne Theriault for having “used black women as props — like, literal props... Miley was, at one point, slapping a faceless black woman on the ass as if she was nothing more than a thing for Miley to dominate and humiliate.” Critics also noted the historical significance of Cyrus’ performance; like so many other white performers before her, Cyrus used black culture and black bodies to re-brand her own image. Her unapologetic use of black women’s bodies to make herself look “cooler” was described by Jody Rosen of Vulture: “Cyrus is annexing working-class black “ratchet” culture, the potent sexual symbolism of black female bodies, to the cause of her reinvention: her transformation from squeaky-clean Disney-pop poster girl to grown-up hipster-provocateur.”

Following Cyrus’ performance there were powerful calls for black female performers to “just say no” to requests to be in her videos or shows in the future. Musician Big Freedia made sure Cyrus knew she wasn’t even succeeding at her attempts to twerk, sardonically offering, “just get me and Miley together so I could give her ass some lessons.”

In the midst of these accusations of Cyrus’ cultural appropriation, however, there were calls to “go easy” on the performer. In the rush to defend Cyrus, Washington Post columnist Clinton Yates asserted that, “it is inherently racist to imply that there is anything wrong with anyone other than black women twerking.” Arguing that the term “hood” connotes affection when said by white people today, McWhorter had a series of questions for those calling Cyrus out on racism. He wanted to know, “How do we know Cyrus isn’t sincere when she says she loves “hood” culture? Because she’s white? I’m afraid that’s a little 1955.”

Entering the realm of accusations of “reverse racism,” these writers argued that cultures are inherently going to borrow from each other whenever they coexist in society. Restraining white people from borrowing from people of color is unfair if the expectation is that it is not culturally appropriate for people of color to adapt aspects of white culture.

Case Study: #BlackLivesMatter

In the wake of the highly publicized and protested murders of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, the slogans “I am Trayvon Martin” and “I Can’t Breathe” rose to the fore of social justice forums. White people were frequently seen in hoodies claiming to “be” Trayvon Martin, and–as seen above–white people were frequently seen claiming to not be able to breathe. Here, the violent potential of cultural appropriation became explicitly clear to some. White users of the hashtag #AllLivesMatter, or asserting that “I am Trayvon Martin” or “We Can’t Breathe” were accused of cultural appropriation because they were attempting to take the experiences of black people as their own. In doing so, they erased the racist dimensions of police violence by “deracializing” the issue, making it about “All Lives” instead of “Black [and Brown] Lives.”

According to critics, by claiming false solidarity–and thus appropriating the cultural experiences of black people–with the deaths of these and other black people at the hands of police, white people were shifting the focus from #BlackLivesMatter to #AllLivesMatter. These hashtags have been used to refer to two related social movements. #BlackLivesMatter refers to activism attempting to call attention to police violence against black people. #AllLivesMatter refers to activism that states that while police violence against people of color is a problem, it is damaging to focus on race in discussions of police violence. In doing so, people using the hashtag #AllLivesMatter claimed that we live in a colorblind society, which threatens to erase the fundamental violence of racism.

However, the #AllLivesMatter hashtag and protests were largely framed as a response to the shooting of two police officers in New York City. These activists pointed out that in addition to black lives mattering, as Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown stated, “I must say that blue lives do matter. But as I close, I must say that we as a community must begin to recognize that all lives matter.” Basing their rhetoric off of an impulse to ensure that people didn’t feel threatened by, but rather welcomed to join in solidarity with protests surrounding the violent deaths of young people, #AllLivesMatter advocates have decided that it is more important to embrace a less specifically racial call in favor of avoiding any accusations of divisiveness.

ALL LIVES MATTER! United We Stand! Divided We Fall.. Let's Get it together! #AllLivesMatter… http://t.co/uJmI7h8bG0

— Destined (@theatreprince) December 14, 2014

So, is cultural appropriation ever appropriate?

In a scathing critique of Cyrus’ performances as cultural appropriation, Dodai Stewart cautioned readers, “Let’s not get it twisted: The exchange and flow of ideas between cultures can be a beautiful thing. I believe in cross-pollination and being inspired by those whose experience is not like your own.” There’s obviously no clear line here. Perhaps the key is constantly checking in on the impacts of actions, all the while drawing and abiding by distinctions between admiration and exotification, inspiration, and appropriation.

Resources

Zine Library: Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation?

Hot97: Azaelia Banks on Iggy Azalea

Daily Beast: You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation

OffBeatEmpire: Think Twice Before Appointing Yourself Cultural Appropriation Police

Colorlines: On Saying No to Miley Cyrus, the Habitual Cross-Twerker

Huffington Post: What Miley Cyrus did was Disgusting — But Not for the Reasons You Think

Washington Post: Miley Cyrus and the Issues of Slut-Shaming and Racial Condescension

New Republic: Miley’s Twerking wasn’t Racist

Jezebel: Yes, All Lives Matter. Now Shut Up About It

Georgia Political Review: ‘I Am Not Trayvon Martin’: Dismantling White Privilege in Activism

CBS Los Angeles: Things Heat Up as Pro-Police Demonstrators Hold ‘All Lives Matter’ Rally

WRAL: Raleigh Police Chief: Black, Blue, All Lives Matter

Jennifer Polish

Jennifer Polish is an English PhD student at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC, where she studies non/human animals and the racialization of dis/ability in young adult literature. When she’s not yelling at the computer because Netflix is loading too slowly, she is editing her novel, doing activist-y things, running, or giving the computer a break and yelling at books instead. Contact Jennifer at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Cultural Appropriation: What’s Appropriate? appeared first on Law Street.

Last week Florida’s North Miami Beach Police made national news when their city council banned the force from using pictures of black men for target practice. This was in response to a National Guard member finding a mugshot of her brother, as well as several other black males, in a gun range’s trash can last month laced with bullet holes.

Florida City Police target practice is under extreme scrutiny for using black men as aims: http://t.co/C8phv6wCSZpic.twitter.com/vw9qCkdFSb

— BET (@BET) January 22, 2015

Dozens of angry citizens called for the police chief’s resignation at the council meeting reviewing the practice. The council voted to permanently prohibit the use of mug shots for target practice and to review police policies. North Miami Beach Mayor George Vallejo referred to the ban saying:

We need to make a statement at this level, as the elected representatives of this city, that that practice is unacceptable.

The photo found was not a new one. The mugshot of Woody Deant, the brother of the Guard member who found the photo, was from 15 years ago. According to the Miami Herald, the police chief stated this is hardly a new occurrence:

This was a training program that had been going on long before I was here and when I found out about it, I ceased it.

In true social media activism fashion, some members of the clergy have taken to Twitter to protest the police practice using #usemeinstead. According to the The Washington Post, the idea originated on a closed Facebook group for Lutheran clergy, where pastors were discussing the controversy surrounding the North Miami Beach’s police department. These heartstring-tugging tweets attempt to make it harder for police to pull the trigger.

Police officers, as a white man, I’ve been taught that I have nothing to fear from you. #UseMeInstead. Please. pic.twitter.com/KW1XNXMOyL

— Jason Chesnut (@crazypastor) January 18, 2015

.@myNMBPolice You have a difficult job. Just like clergy, you are not above reproach. #usemeinstead pic.twitter.com/nooqRvdm08

— Sean (@FrSeanFerrell) January 18, 2015

My brothers and sisters at @myNMBPolice, feel free to #usemeinstead. Don’t aim for the baby though. God bless you. pic.twitter.com/gVapwHMELZ

— Christopher Arnold ن (@fr_christopher) January 18, 2015

The hashtag, which has frequently been used in conjunction with #BlackLivesMatter, has acted as a call to arms for people from all walks of life. Rev. Kris Totzke of Texas told the Post.

We initially started thinking, if a whole lot of us, in our clergy collar and worship attire, sent our photos to them, it would make a really powerful statement. Then it really snowballed, and we got people all over the country and of all different faiths.

Rev. Joy M. Gonnerman, another pastor who helped organize the hashtag, also told the Post she has a stack of photos (of mostly white pastors) who are helping to serve as allies in the protest of this practice. According to Gonnerman, she plans to mail these photos to the North Miami Beach Police Department over the weekend.

This controversy couldn’t have come at worse time, after the recent protested police shootings of black males such as Michael Brown and Tamir Rice. Using any person’s picture for shooting practice, regardless of race, is already horrible. The fact that it was black male images being used only continues to strain race relations as people’s confidence with law enforcement dwindles.

—

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Clergy to North Miami Beach Police: #UseMeInstead for Target Practice appeared first on Law Street.