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Arizona prisons ban book on Black men in the justice system
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona has banned prisoners from reading a book that discusses the impact of the criminal justice system on Black men, drawing outcry from First Amendment advocates who say the move is censorship. The American Civil Liberties Union called on the Arizona Department of Corrections this week to rescind the ban on “Chokehold: Policing Black Men.” The book by Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, examines law enforcement and mass incarceration through its treat
New York to shutdown 2 prisons, including Lincoln Correctional Facility that overlooks Central Park
Two New York prisons — including one at the northern edge of Central Park that commands sweeping views of the famous green space — are going to be closed down for good in the next 90 days, the Daily News has learned. Lincoln Correctional Facility, which has been a minimum-security men’s prison at 31–33 West 110th St. since 1976, will cease operations at the end of the summer, according to a statement Friday from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which r
Billionaire Robert F. Smith surprises Morehouse College class of 2019
Billionaire technology investor Robert F. Smith pledged Sunday to eliminate the student debt for the entire graduating 2019 class at Morehouse College. Smith, the founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners and Morehouse's commencement speaker on Sunday, announced that his family was setting up a grant to eliminate all student loans for the graduates. "On behalf of the eight generations of my family that have been in this country, we're gonna put a little fuel in your bus. This
Alabama Senate passes near-total abortion ban bill
(CNN) Alabama sent the most restrictive abortion bill in the country to date to the governor's desk Tuesday night, with the state's Senate passing legislation that could punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison. After more than four hours of debate, the Republican-led Senate voted 25-6 to pass HB 314, which would slap doctors with up to 99 years in prison for performing an abortion. The Alabama House passed the bill earlier this month. The state's Republican b
Christopher Darden Steps Down As Lawyer For Nipsey Hussle’s Accused Killer
The issue of race has followed Chris Darden through two of the most high-profile cases of his career. In 1995, some called the black lawyer a traitor for prosecuting the murder case against O.J. Simpson. Now, he said, his brief stint defending a black man accused of gunning down the beloved rapper and community activist Nipsey Hussle has brought threats to him and his family. He cited those threats Friday when he announced his decision to step down from the case. “After centu
Civil Rights Groups Will Help Crystal Mason Appeal 5-Year Prison Sentence For Voting
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Texas Civil Rights Project announced Friday they will help represent Crystal Mason, a Texas woman sentenced to five years in prison for illegally voting, as she seeks a new trial. The assistance from the two groups means Mason will be represented by some of the top voting rights attorneys in the country, including Dale Ho, the ACLU’s top voting rights lawyer. Attorneys from both groups will assist Alison Grinter and Kim Cole, Mason’s
State of Illinois Issues First Report on Electronic Monitoring
For more than two decades, the Illinois Department of Corrections has been using electronic monitoring on people who have finished their state prison sentences. Throughout that time they have remained totally unaccountable for the impact of this technology. They have not conducted research, issued reports, completed evaluations of this program-until late April of this year. That is when the state Sentencing Policy Advisory Council issued a report which admitted that monitors
Pregnant woman asked jail staff for help. Hours later, she was holding her newborn
(CNN) A mentally ill woman had to give birth alone in a Broward County, Florida, jail cell, almost seven hours after asking for medical assistance, her lawyers said in a letter to the sheriff. Calling their client's treatment "outrageous and inhumane," public defenders Howard Finkelstein and Gordon Weekes Jr. said jail and medical personnel knew Tammy Jackson was full term when she complained early April 10 that she has having contractions and requested help. The staff did no
Two Brothers Wrongly Convicted of Murder released in Maryland
A judge set free two brothers from East Baltimore on Friday after finding they had been wrongly convicted of a murder conspiracy 24 years ago. Kenneth “JR” McPherson, 45, and Eric Simmons, 48, were convicted in May 1995 and sentenced to life in prison. They were exonerated during a hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court, then stepped outside to a crowd of tearful family members. “I was in a pool, a swimming pool, and I was drowning,” McPherson said. He pointed to Lauren Lipscomb,
Facebook and Instagram Minister Louis Farrakhan and Others From Its Services
SAN FRANCISCO — After years of wavering about how to handle the extreme voices populating its platform, Facebook on Thursday evicted seven of its most controversial users — many of whom are conservatives — immediately inflaming the debate about the power and accountability of large technology companies. The social network said it had barred Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and founder of Infowars, from its platform, along with a handful of other extremists. Louis Farrakhan
Tech Company Asked For ‘Preferably Caucasian’ Candidate On LinkedIn Job Posting
IT staffing and recruiting company Cynet Systems has finally apologized for its racist job listing that Twitter users spotted last week. The otherwise fairly standard posting appeared on various sites, including LinkedIn, and began by stipulating that the job candidate be “Preferably Caucasian.” It should be obvious, but employment discrimination on the basis of race or color is illegal. And it’s only legal to prefer candidates of a specific age, sex, religion or national ori
How Nipsey Hussle's death led DeSean Jackson to Boys' Latin visit in Philly
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was about halfway through his Q&A session with the students at Boys' Latin Charter School in West Philly on Wednesday, and to that point he had fielded only football-related questions. Knowing there were bigger issues at hand, he took it upon himself to change the direction of the conversation. "Let's try to switch it a little bit," Jackson finally said to a group of about 150 high schoolers, who sat at rapt att
Black Ex-Cop Found Guilty Of Murder For Doing Same Thing White Cops Get Acquitted For
A verdict has finally been reached for the former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor who killed an unarmed Australian woman named Justine Damond in July of 2017. The officer was found guilty of third degree murder and second degree manslaughter. It is extremely rare for an officer to be found guilty of third degree murder, which means he had a “depraved mind.”Noor has reportedly been taken into custody and sentencing will be June 7. He is the first police officer in Minn
THEO SHAW, ONE OF THE JENA 6 DEFENDANTS, SWORN IN AS A LAWYER
You may remember Theo Shaw as one of the six Black teenage boys whose lives were thrown into the spotlight in 2006 when their court case, known as the “Jena 6,” made media headlines. Inspired by that experience to help fix the criminal justice system, Shaw later went on to study law at the University of Washington on a full scholarship. After completing a clerkship with Louisiana Chief Justice Bernette Johnson, Shaw was recently sworn in to the bar of the District of Columbia
Flint Receives Remaining $77.7M in Federal Funding for Water System Repair
The state of Michigan has released the remaining $77.7 million in federal funding for water infrastructure improvements in Flint as the city works to recover from a crippling water contamination crisis. As reported by MLive, the funds are part of a $120 million federal and state loan given to Flint in March 2017 under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016 and helps support several water infrastructure projects across the city. Rob Bincsik, Flint’s d
