Obama’s policing town hall remarks [yawn] and why #defundthepolice is not a bad word and an arguably good idea

We have to think about — what does it look like to have a future without police? Phillipe Cunningham; Minneapolis, Minnesota Council Member I get that former President Barack Obama had the marquee name in yesterday’s virtual “Reimagining policing in the Wake of Continued Police Violence” town hall — it’s been almost eight years since […]

Dallas police officer Amber Guyger — killer of Botham Shem Jean — may still retain God status after her arrest

Off-duty Dallas, Texas police officer Amber Guyger walks into civilian Botham Shem Jean‘s apartment last Thursday night — because she thought it was her residence — and then shoots Jean to death because she thought he was an intruder. The incident is another example of how cops are treated as God. Infallible. Uncorrupted. Not capable […]

Unstable mixtures and missing chapters — Chekesia Clemons’ beef about plastic forks at Waffle House ends with being stripped and arrested by Alabama police

Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson’s arrests at the Philadelphia Starbucks and the story I just read about the Black woman who was choked, stripped and arrested by Alabama police officers — more on that in a moment — reminds me of a late-night encounter I saw in a downtown New York City diner from the […]

Something to think about when the sight of two Black guys sitting in Starbucks makes you call the police

Unless you really dislike Black people, the video shared by author Melissa DePino of two African descendants being arrested by Philadelphia police officers for simply sitting in a Starbucks in advance of a business meeting should be uncomfortable to watch. @Starbucks The police were called because these men hadn’t ordered anything. They were waiting for […]

Stephon Clark — Killed for Daring to Be Human

“I feared for my safety and the well-being of my fellow officers.” “I feared for my life.” And in the shooting of Stephon “Zoe” Clark, the officers who shot the unarmed man were “fearing for their safety.” I’ve repeatedly written about how the killings of unarmed people of color by law enforcement personnel are almost […]

Colin Kaepernick Kneels Because You Kneeled First

One Saturday morning about 47 years ago, soldiers entered a tropical hamlet in search of enemy fighters and killed more than 500 unarmed civilians, many at point-blank range. One of the execution methods also included throwing a villager down a well, and then chasing the lethal cocktail with a detonated hand grenade. several of the […]

DEVELOPING: 3 COPS DEAD IN BATON ROUGE, LA

Update (23:15): Ideological Ho, Anyone? The scramble to piece together Gavin Long’s beliefs are important in the way they can form a picture of motivation, intent and networks. While not confirmed, I’m now hearing that Gavin Long claimed to be down with the Nation of Islam in the past. I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of […]

WHY A HENDERSON, NEVADA POLICE DOG ATTACKED A 17-MONTH OLD BABY

It’s been almost a year since Henderson, Nevada police Sergeant James Mitchell dispatched his service dog, a Belgian Malinois named Doerak, into a vehicle where 17-month old Ayleen Alvarez sat in the back seat. Doerak attacked little Alvarez, leaving her with puncture wounds. The police department recently released dashcam videos of the incident. On January […]

CITY OF FERGUSON DESERVES MAFIA TREATMENT

Over 90 years ago in young America, gangs began to squeeze money out of communities using a mixture of business savvy, intimidation and terrifying brute force. You likely know most of these gangs by another name—the Mafia. There seemed to be no end to the Mafia’s momentum of reign in America, if not for two […]

AFTER FERGUSON: WHY THERE WILL BE MORE BLOOD

On the Ferguson Grand Jury decision to not indict Michael Brown’s killer, Officer Darren Wilson… My pen has been silent up to now. I’ve been sharing my thoughts online since Brown’s death, so I’m not sure what’s new to add here. I’m hurt by the lack of an indictment, but I’m not surprised. Not one bit. While […]