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How Black women coined the 'say her name' rallying cry before Biden's State of the Union address
Read full article: How Black women coined the 'say her name' rallying cry before Biden's State of the Union addressHard-line Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wore a T-shirt to Thursday night’s State of the Union address that carried a seemingly simple message: Say Her Name.
George Floyd’s family members speak in Austin ahead of hearing about George Floyd bill
Read full article: George Floyd’s family members speak in Austin ahead of hearing about George Floyd billAUSTIN, Texas – Outside of George Floyd’s public memorial last summer in Texas, Republican Gov. Earlier this month in Congress, House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide under the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Like the legislation in Texas, the bill would ban chokeholds and address so-called qualified immunity that shields law enforcement from certain lawsuits. He quickly added that measures need to support law enforcement. Ad___Find AP’s full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
Five years later: The death of Sandra Bland continues to demand police reform from local and state officials across Texas
Read full article: Five years later: The death of Sandra Bland continues to demand police reform from local and state officials across TexasDespite criticism from those who said the bill doesnt address systemic racism, the Sandra Bland Act was monumental, Coleman said. You file the bill you want to pass, Coleman said. This time around, activism for police reform is much more sophisticated and focused on city officials, Coleman said. He argued that the process is easier on the local level compared to passing similar standards on the state level. In June, Turner also appointed a 45-member task force for policing reform in Houston.
Alicia Keys' Moving Performance of 'Perfect Way to Die' at 2020 BET Awards Has Fans in Tears
Read full article: Alicia Keys' Moving Performance of 'Perfect Way to Die' at 2020 BET Awards Has Fans in TearsThe singer delivered the first live performance of her heartbreaking new song, "Perfect Way to Die," at the 2020 BET Awards on Sunday, and it had fans feeling emotional. It speaks to our resilience, our resistance, and even in the messiest of circumstances we find melody," BET Awards host Amanda Seales began as she introduced Keys' performance. "I have been following its lead. It has led me to the song 'A Perfect Way to Die,'" she wrote on Instagram. Fans felt exactly what Keys was feeling while watching her emotional BET Awards performance. RELATED CONTENT:BET Awards 2020: Wayne Brady Pays Tribute to Little RichardBET Awards 2020: The Complete Winners List2020 BET Awards: Lil Wayne Pays Tribute to Kobe Bryant
Prairie View to paint Black Lives Matter on main thoroughfare
Read full article: Prairie View to paint Black Lives Matter on main thoroughfareHOUSTON The city of Prairie View will paint a street mural that reads Black Lives Matter on the main thoroughfare on Thursday. Mayor David Allen partnered with Prairie View A&M Universitys School of Architecture to design the mural and chose the street where Sandra Bland was arrested as the location for the permanent mural. Students and alumni, leaving and coming into (the PVAMU) campus can read it and know that, in Prairie View, were doing our part to spread the message, Allen said. The painting will be 12-feet wide and 19-feet tall, with three-feet of spacing in between. Students from the universitys eight colleges and school will pitch in to do the painting.
Floyd's death spurs question: What is a black life worth?
Read full article: Floyd's death spurs question: What is a black life worth?In this June 1, 2020, photo, people gather near the Cup Foods grocery store where George Floyd died in Minneapolis. And for George Floyd, it was an accusation he used a fake $20 bill at a grocery store. The Movement for Black Lives is behind a push for local communities to defund police departments nationwide, and reinvest in struggling black communities to address economic inequality and disparities in education and health care. That is a big piece that I think we need to focus on.Last week, Floyds family forwarded their pleas for racial justice to the United Nations. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and former president of the Minneapolis NAACP, said the demand that black lives are valued like white lives must begin at the community level.
The Latest: Australians draw parallels to inequality in U.S.
Read full article: The Latest: Australians draw parallels to inequality in U.S.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:TOP OF THE HOUR: Australians rally, draw parallels to inequality in U.S. Protesters take to New York City streets after curfew, again. Protesters in South Korea condemn what they described as U.S. police brutality toward demonstrators. ___CANBERRA, Australia -- Thousands gathered in Australias capital on Friday to remind citizens that the racial inequality underscored by George Floyds death was not unique to the United States. ___NEW YORK -- Protesters stayed on the streets of New York City after curfew for another day Thursday, spurred by the death of George Floyd. ___WASHINGTON Protests in the nations capital over George Floyds death broke up before dark Thursday as a heavy rain began to fall.
Attorney General: Divide between blacks, police must change
Read full article: Attorney General: Divide between blacks, police must changeFederal officers stand outside the Department of Justice as Attorney General William Barr speaks during a virtual press conference inside the building Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Washington. But he vowed that the Justice Department would do its part to investigate and prosecute civil rights crimes. I believe that police chiefs and law enforcement officials and leaders around the country are committed to ensuring that racism plays no part in law enforcement, and that everyone receives equal protection of the laws, Barr said. President Donald Trump has called Floyds killing a terrible, terrible thing that happened and called on the Justice Department to expedite its investigation of his death. Federal agents have made 51 riot-related arrests, Barr said, and 114 law enforcement officers have been injured in protests in Washington.
Waller County Jail recommended practices released
Read full article: Waller County Jail recommended practices releasedHOUSTON – A civilian review committee released recommendations for new jail practices for the Waller County Jail in response to the suicide of Sandra Bland, 28. Waller County has acquired land for a new jail building to replace the 30-year-old facility now in use, but Smith says no funds have been appropriated by the county for construction. - Body Cameras: Develop a written policy for the use of video recordings and purchase body cameras to document interactions to protect both the officer and the citizen accused. - New Jail: New jail facilities are necessary as the current facility does not address the safety and security required. Recommendation from Waller Co Jail Commission.
Sandra Bland supporters demand investigation into Waller County
Read full article: Sandra Bland supporters demand investigation into Waller CountyHOUSTON – A day after the DPS trooper charged with perjury during Sandra Bland's arrest turned himself in, supporters of Bland and community activists are calling for an investigation into Waller County officials. The protesters are requesting that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch intercede and investigate Waller County. "We need the Department of Justice to investigate the prosecutor in Waller County. It was a July traffic stop in Prairie View that thrust Bland and Waller County into the national spotlight. After a tense exchange, Bland eventually was arrested and placed in the Waller County Jail, where three days later she hanged herself.
Protests in Waller County, Houston after no indictments in Sandra Bland death
Read full article: Protests in Waller County, Houston after no indictments in Sandra Bland deathHOUSTON – Supporters of Sandra Bland are scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon to protest the grand jury proceedings that culminated Monday night with no indictments in Bland's death. After hearing more than eight hours of evidence in the case, a Waller County Grand Jury declined to indict any county jail employees. Muhammad is leading the protest in Waller County scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Bland was found dead in a Waller County Jail cell on July 13, three days after she was arrested during a traffic stop. Waller County prosecutors said the medical examiner found no injuries consistent with struggle.
No indictments of Waller County jail employees in Sandra Bland's death
Read full article: No indictments of Waller County jail employees in Sandra Bland's deathHOUSTON – A Waller County Grand Jury declined to indict any county jail employees in the case of Sandra Bland's death, KPRC 2 News has learned. "We are not going to allow what they have done in a limited, secret capacity to prevent us from doing what we need to do to get answers for the family," Bland family attorney Cannon Lambert said Monday night. There are other indictments the grand jury is considering, but the county would not go into detail. Bland was found dead in a Waller County Jail cell on July 13, three days after she was arrested during a traffic stop. Waller County prosecutors said the medical examiner found no injuries consistent with struggle.