Technological advancements such as location tracking and DNA testing over the past 20 years have contributed to law enforcement’s ability to close a criminal investigation. But their use of facial recognition software in recent years has resulted in the wrongful arrests of seven Black people — foreshadowing another potential form of racial discrimination in the […]
Criminal Justice
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
The Jacksonville Tragedy at Dollar General Highlights a Big Problem with Dollar Stores
Before killing three Black people at a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, a white gunman first stopped at a Family Dollar down the road, according to authorities. He left minutes after a security vehicle pulled up and parked in front of the store. That and other information has led Florida authorities to believe […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
‘We Can’t Live Our Lives in Fear’
JACKSONVILLE — Darlene Neal was at a Saturday luncheon to mark the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington when she heard the police sirens and saw rescue teams swirling past. Then, her phone started buzzing, again and again. “Ms. Darlene,” one of her messages said, “it’s near you.” Three Black people were killed after a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Victims Identified in Racist Shooting at Jacksonville Dollar General
Three Black people were killed in a racist attack at a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday afternoon, authorities said, shortly after security officers turned away the gunman at a nearby HBCU campus, where he was seen putting on an armored vest. Authorities identified the victims as Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Anolt Joseph “AJ” […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
The Racist Attack That Roiled Black Jacksonville Decades Before the Dollar General Shooting
The city of Jacksonville, Florida, is reeling from the racist killing of three Black people at a Dollar General on Saturday, after a white gunman targeted a historically Black neighborhood with weapons emblazoned with swastikas, authorities said. This weekend was already a notorious one for Black Jacksonville, falling on the 63rd anniversary of one of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
After 17 Deadly Police Bullets and No Charges, a Grieving N.C. Family Won’t Give Up
Rick Iwanski was disappointed, but not surprised, when prosecutors announced that no charges would be filed against a Fayetteville, North Carolina, police officer who fatally shot his 22-year-old granddaughter, Jada Elizabeth Johnson, with 17 bullets to the back. Johnson was experiencing an undiagnosed mental health crisis when police were called to her grandfather’s home on […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
What Happened to Jaylin McKenzie? His Mom Demands Police Transparency
A week before Christmas last year, Jaylin McKenzie was visiting family in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was shot and killed by a police officer following a traffic stop. For nearly nine months, his mother, Ashley McKenzie-Smith, says she has been trying every avenue possible to get the truth about what happened to her only son […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
End to Solitary Confinement Act Is a Step Toward Rehabilitation, Survivors Say
For 20 years, Monica Cosby had been placed in and out of solitary confinement for up to eight months at a time in an Illinois prison. She didn’t realize how much those long stints really affected her until one day when she was in the prison’s yard and spotted a guard walking in her direction. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Partner Content
Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ celebrates Black queer joy. O’Shae Sibley’s killer tried to strip that away.
Originally published by The 19th, your trusted source for contextualizing LGBTQ+ news. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Since its release last year, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” has been celebrated as a love letter to Black queer dance culture.For an hour and two minutes, the album offers listeners a chance at freedom of expression, a brief respite […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge in Trump’s Jan. 6 Trial Is No Stranger to Tackling Tough Cases
The judge presiding over the case in which former President Donald Trump has been criminally charged in his alleged efforts to block the results of the 2020 presidential election doesn’t shy away from challenges. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan is no stranger when it comes to handing down tough sentences related to the violent […]