"In Fresno, the city allocated more than double of its Cares money to police than it did to Covid testing, contact tracing, small business grants, childcare vouchers and transitional housing combined. Oakland’s police allocation was greater than the amounts spent on a housing initiative, a small business grant program and a workforce initiative."
Sam Lavin for The Guardian: "California cities spent huge share of federal Covid relief funds on police" Tweet
The Denver program to send social workers instead of police (STAR) has responded to over 2,200 calls low-level/intox/MH calls.
— Emily Galvin-Almanza (@GalvinAlmanza) April 6, 2022
They have never called for police back-up due to a safety issue.
Never.
Think about that.
04.11.2022
mugshots could be protected in LA; covid relief was sunk into to law enforcement, they’re spending it on armoured vehicles and drones; police officer who shot Amir Locke is not charged
The Louisiana Legislature is considering a bill that would remove most mug shots from public record and prevent the photos being published by news outlets in stories about arrests. Utah and Illinois have already enacted similar laws. Louisiana Illuminator (Mar. 23, 2022)
The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, in a no-knock raid earlier this year will not face charges. A 44-page joint report, ruled that it was reasonable that the officer perceived a threat and was justified in using deadly force. WCCO (April 6, 2022)
Most large California cities used covid funds and Biden's signature stimulus package as million dollar cash injections into local law enforcement. Budgeting records make it difficult to see how the departments used the funds, and it was recently reported that other states are buying new surveillance tech with the funds. The Guardian (April. 7, 2022)
State and local officials are spending funds from Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion relief package on drones, armored vehicles and license plate readers. VICE (Mar. 29, 2022)
Prison TikTok is a new viral section of the app dominated by former and current incarcerated people detailing life inside and after prison. There are few content creators of color though, raising questions about the algorithm. The Marshall Project (April. 7, 2022)
NYC’s mayor and NYPD announced a new initiative to respond to violent crime which will include cracking down on dice games, public drinking and selling drugs. A retired officer said that it is a return to broken windows policing. “It’s never the tools that are wrong, it’s the innocent people that are abused by the officers that don’t follow the law when applying those tools.” The Davis Vanguard (April 4, 2022)
"On Thursday, South Carolina scheduled the execution of Richard Moore — convicted of murder in a 2001 convenience story robbery — for April 29. Because state officials say they can’t secure lethal injection drugs, they will give him the choice between the electric chair and the firing squad. Officials have spent $53,000, by their own estimate, to renovate part of a prison to allow a three-person firing squad to carry out executions, including adding bulletproof glass to protect witnesses." The Marshall Project (April 8, 2022)
A Texas woman was arrested and held over the weekend for murder after a ‘self-induced abortion’ worked. Texas law prevents most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The district attorney dismissed the indictment. NBC (April 10, 2022)
THREAD. There is a big scandal happening today in the Washington Post. The paper allowed the D.C. Mayor to lie, quoted the lies as fact, and then did nothing to tell readers they were being lied to. I try my best to show what happened, with data and links.
— Alec Karakatsanis (@equalityAlec) April 4, 2022
My friend Jeffrey was cajoled and emotionally manipulated into arranging a drug deal by a childhood friend-turned-FBI informant. He nearly got life.
— Morgan Godvin (@MorganGodvin) April 9, 2022
Whatever the public thinks "entrapment" is does not exist, which is profoundly unjust. @Filtermag_org https://t.co/if66M7Uvks
justice from the frontlines: June 4, 2023 officer impersonation Maryland State Police issued a warning, alerting the public that impersonators are making phone calls acting
justice from the frontlines: May 22, 2023 Tougher Sentences and Limited Early Release Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed new legislation that includes measures to streamline
MD has one of the highest rates of prisoners sentenced as kids; D.C. murder rates top decade high; Detective who shot 17-year-old in Baltimore identified
Founder of The Des and freelance criminal justice reporter based in Washington, D.C.