Black Lives Matter : The birth of a movement

Shooting Deathsource: The Guardian
published: 17 January 2017

The killing of Michael Brown created a new generation of black activists, with thousands taking to the streets, and a hashtag used more than 27m times. But will the movement survive the Trump era?  by Wesley Lowery

“OK, let’s take him.” Within seconds two officers grabbed me, each seizing an arm, and shoved me against the drinks machine that rested along the front wall of the McDonald’s where I had been eating and working on my report. As I released my clenched hands, my mobile phone and notebook fell to the tiled floor.

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The continuing collapse of the death penalty (Florida Supreme Court)

kill the death penaltysource: NY Times
published: 26 December 2016

Piece by piece, the death penalty continues to fall apart. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court invalidated between 150 and 200 death sentences — nearly half of all those in the state — because they were imposed under a law the United States Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional in January.

The law, which required judges and not juries to make the factual findings necessary to sentence someone to die, violated the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a jury trial. “A jury’s mere recommendation is not enough,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for an 8-to-1 majority.

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Court hears how cop lied over Sean Rigg’s death

Justice for Sean Rigg
Family and supporters at London demo

source: Socialist Worker
published: 1 November 2016

A police officer lied in July 2012 when he gave evidence to the inquest into the death of Sean Rigg, a court heard this week.

Sean died in Brixton police station on 21 August 2008. Paul White was the custody sergeant in the police station on that day.

CCTV has shown that, when Sean was brought to the police station, he was held in a van in the yard.

After ten minutes he was moved to a caged area in the police station.

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