Why Fatal Police Interactions Are Avoidable
Police too often claim that confusion during an encounter caused them to fire fatal shots, as in the case of Patrick Lyoya. But there are solutions.
Police Brutality
The U.S. Constitution Was Meant to Be a Work in Progress
Author and legal scholar Elie Mystal’s first book argues that the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are deeply flawed, but that it’s still possible to use them to protect the rights of women and people of color.
An Afro-Indigenous Perspective on Policing
In his new book, Kyle T. Mays argues that the violence of policing has always been intimately tied to U.S. democracy.
How U.S. Wars Abroad Are Intimately Tied to Police Brutality at Home
The demands to defund the police are linked to the call for ending militarism. There is a strong case to be made for these movements to join forces against both forms of violence.
Reimagining a Better World After George Floyd’s Death
This special audio report from YES! and Public News Service explores the ways communities affected by police violence are organizing to keep each other safe, in Minneapolis and beyond.
Opinion | George Flyod | Gun Violence | #BlackLivesMatter | Black Lives Matter | Racism | Minneapolis | Minneapolis Police Department | Racial Justice | Racial Equity | Daunte Wright
How Many More Times Must We Say the Same Thing?
No more reforms. It’s time for true transformation.
The Capitol Insurrection and White Supremacist Infiltration of US Police
There is a long history of racism in U.S. policing. For all Americans to be truly safe, it is important to weed out White supremacy, especially in the institution sworn to protect us all.
Native Americans on Police Response to Capitol Insurrection
“No way would Black or Brown people be treated that way had they attacked a symbol of our democracy.”
What Comes Next for Portland’s Protests?
After more than 100 days of continual demonstrations, protesters in Portland are looking to the future—and each other—for ways to sustain their movement for Black lives.
How Portland Protesters Keep Each Other Safe
“Protesting ultimately isn’t safe and we’re not trying to say that it is,” says one Portland street medic. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t take care of each other.”
Inside Portland’s Autonomous Protest Movement
Portland, Oregon’s five months of ongoing protests in support of Black lives are sustained by a vast, multifaceted, and ever-evolving network of activists, organizers, and mutual aid.
#EndSARS: Inside Nigeria’s Fight to End Police Brutality
Demanding an end to the escalating violence of Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad has mobilized youth across religious and ethnic divides.
Police Encounters During Mental Health Crises Don’t Have to Be Violent
In the wake of another police killing of an unarmed Black man struggling with a mental health disability, I asked what cops—and everyone—can do to help.
Rochester Police Killed an Unarmed Black Man Having a Mental Health Crisis
“I placed the phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched," says Joseph Prude.
Analysis | Kenosha | Wisconsin | Jacob Blake | Federal Agents | Ciudad Juarez | George Floyd | Mexico
History Shows Federal Agents Don’t Stop Civil Unrest
Militarized federal interventions can actually escalate conflict and often leave the underlying causes of protests or crime unresolved.
Are Police Unions Part of the U.S. Labor Movement?
Historically, police have used their legal authority to protect businesses and private property over the working class.
How the Police Killing of a Black Brazilian Teen Sparked a Movement
The police killing of João Pedro Mattos Pinto, a 14-year-old Black Brazilian in Rio de Janeiro, unmasked the scope of police brutality amid a pandemic and led to an unprecedented court decision.
What #DefundPolice Can Do For Public Safety
Cities imagine taking away resources from racist, oppressive policing and putting it toward public safety and social services.
“It’s About Terrorizing Us”: Environmental Racism Expert Draws Parallels With Police Brutality
“If this moment can be sustained through further conversations, I think there can be a breakthrough.”
Cities Reimagine Public Safety Amid Calls to #DefundPolice
Lawmakers across the country are proposing policy measures to cut or loosen ties to traditional policing.
How Militarizing Police Sets Up Protesters as “the Enemy”
The message sent to police through arming them with military equipment is that they are in fact at war.
Why Police Reform Is Not Enough
The focus on reforms like improved training doesn’t solve racially biased policing. That’s because of the nature of policing itself.
Videos of Black People’s Killings Are Sacred—So Stop Sharing Them
Cellphone videos of vigilante violence and fatal police encounters should be viewed with the solemn reserve of lynching photographs.
An Uprising Was Inevitable
George Floyd’s death—and so many before his—was avoidable. But until Black Lives Matter to elected officials, police officers, and White Americans, the uprisings will continue.
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