To win a murder conviction, police and prosecutors made up evidence and secretly paid a witness, St. Louis DA finds | The Washington Post

The state’s theory stretched the physical limits of the human body. Somehow on the night of Oct. 30, 1994, Lamar Johnson left his friend’s apartment, traveled three miles to Marcus Boyd’s front porch with one other man, killed Boyd, fled on foot and arrived back at the apartment to continue socializing with friends — all […]

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‘I Beat That N***r Like He Owed Me Money’: New Jersey Cop Faces Up to 40 Years for Federal Charges Including Using Excessive Force | Atlanta Black Star

Kiersten Willis, Atlanta Black Star © Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com Former Paterson Police Officer, Frank Toledo, leaves the Federal Courthouse in Newark on July 16, 2019 after being charged in court. Featured Image [dropcap]An[/dropcap] FBI investigation into several police officers in Paterson, New Jersey, has led to a seventh one being charged. On Tuesday, Frank Toledo pled […]

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In latest book, former St. Louis cop writes how problems with cops starts with the stories they tell | The St. Louis American

The St. Louis American Staff, The St. Louis American [dropcap]Terrell[/dropcap] Carter’s latest book “Police on a Pedestal: Responsible Policing in a Culture of Worship” begins with the African proverb, “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” From there, his book outlines the idea that storytelling is the foundation for […]

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Before the Central Park Five, There Was the Trenton Six | Black Perspectives

Denise Lynn, Black Perspectives Trenton Six, 1949, (Charles White via Museum of Modern Art). Featured Image [dropcap]The[/dropcap] four-part docuseries When They See Us, directed by Ava DuVernay, has brought attention to the notorious case of the Central Park Five, a legal case that for many of us unfolded in living memory. The attention the docuseries […]

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At home behind bars: After 66 years in prison, he has lost the desire to leave | The News & Observer

Joseph Neff, The News & Observer [dropcap]John[/dropcap] Phillips has been behind bars since April 8, 1952, when he was arrested on sexual-assault charges. He was 18 years old and only in the ninth grade, and he was sent to be evaluated at the state mental hospital for black people. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] The report classified Phillips […]

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“When They See Us” Shows How Black Slang Was Criminalized For The Central Park 5 & It Still Is Today | Bustle

Nylah Burton, Bustle Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix. Featured Image [dropcap]Ava[/dropcap] DuVernay’s new Netflix docuseries When They See Us depicts the heartbreaking story of the 1990 Central Park Five case in which a group of young Black and Latinx boys were convicted of a crime that they did not commit. Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, […]

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Report: Wrongful convictions have stolen at least 20,000 years from innocent defendants | The Washington Post

The National Registry of Exonerations (NRE) will soon publish the second part of a study it commissioned of its database of all known false convictions in the United States since 1989. The NRE was kind enough to send me an advance copy. Among the highlights: * The 2,265 exonerees in the NRE database served a […]

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