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Criminal Justice Reform

BREAKING NEWS: Governor Grants Cyntoia Brown Clemency
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BREAKING NEWS: Governor Grants Cyntoia Brown Clemency

Associated PressJanuary 7, 2019

Cyntoia Brown NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has granted clemency to a woman serving a life sentence for murder who says she was a victim of sex trafficking.    ​​​ Haslam said Monday that he would show mercy to the now 30-year-old Cyntoia Brown by releasing her Aug. 7. She will remain on parole for 10 years. Brown said in a statement that she will do everything to justify Haslam’s faith in her and thanked her family for their support. Rihanna, and other celebrities rallied for Brown as she fought her life sentence for the 2004 murder

Rep. Waters Statement on the Passage of the First Step Act
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Rep. Waters Statement on the Passage of the First Step Act

Sentinel News WireDecember 26, 2018

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) issued a statement on the First Step Act of 2018, which passed both the House and the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and is now the law of the land.  “I applaud the overwhelmingly bipartisan support for, and passage of, the First Step Act by the U.S. Congress. As a lifelong civil rights advocate and a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform, I believe that this bill is one step in a journey of many miles to enacting the comprehensive reforms our country, communities, and citizens – particularly people of color —

Sen. Cory Booker “Cautiously” Praises Passing of Criminal Justice Reform Bill
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Sen. Cory Booker “Cautiously” Praises Passing of Criminal Justice Reform Bill

Associated PressDecember 19, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice bill Tuesday that addresses concerns that the nation’s war on drugs had led to the imprisonment of too many Americans for non-violent crimes without adequately preparing them for their return to society. Senate passage of the bill by a vote of 87-12 culminates years of negotiations and gives President Donald Trump a signature policy victory, with the outcome hailed by scores of conservative and liberal advocacy groups. The House is expected to pass the bill this week, sending it to the president’s desk for his signature. The bill gives judges more discretion

WATCH: Van Jones Praises Bi-Partisan Support of Criminal Justice Reform Bill
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WATCH: Van Jones Praises Bi-Partisan Support of Criminal Justice Reform Bill

Sentinel News WireDecember 18, 2018

The Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice bill Tuesday that addresses concerns that the nation’s war on drugs had led to the imprisonment of too many Americans for non-violent crimes without adequately preparing them for their return to society. Senate passage of the bill by a vote of 87-12 culminates years of negotiations and gives President Donald Trump a signature policy victory, with the outcome hailed by scores of conservative and liberal advocacy groups. The House is expected to pass the bill this week, sending it to the president’s desk for his signature.

Attorney Ben Crump and Family of Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. “Suspicious” of Republican AG Takeover of Investigation into Bradford’s Murder
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Attorney Ben Crump and Family of Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. “Suspicious” of Republican AG Takeover of Investigation into Bradford’s Murder

Associated Press - JAY REEVESDecember 18, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Relatives of a black man killed by police in Alabama’s largest shopping mall claimed Monday that a state takeover of the investigation is a bid by authorities to protect the officer. Holding a photo of her son Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr., April Pipkins said the move by Attorney General Steve Marshall to assume control of the probe seemed aimed at shielding the officer, who has yet to be named publicly. The family’s lawyers contend the case should have been left with newly elected Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, who is black, or given to Lynneice

Rev. Jesse Jackson Delivers the Eulogy for Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr, Young Black Man Shot in Birmingham Mall
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Rev. Jesse Jackson Delivers the Eulogy for Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr, Young Black Man Shot in Birmingham Mall

Associated PressDecember 3, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered the eulogy Saturday for an African-American man shot to death by a police officer following a shooting at a crowded Alabama shopping mall. Jackson said the Hoover police officer who shot Emantic “EJ” Fitzgerald Bradford Jr., 21, “must face justice” and urged authorities to release tapes of the shooting. “No one is above the law,” Jackson said. The officer killed Bradford on Thanksgiving night while responding to a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria Mall. Authorities initially identified Bradford as the gunman, but later retracted that allegation and searched for the real

Riverside County Jury Awards $2.5 Million for Wrongful Death in Fatal Shooting of Mentally-ill Anthonie Smith by Sheriffs Deputies
LocalNews

Riverside County Jury Awards $2.5 Million for Wrongful Death in Fatal Shooting of Mentally-ill Anthonie Smith by Sheriffs Deputies

Sentinel News WireDecember 3, 2018

Attorney Herbert Hayden, Sybil Davis (Mother), Attorney John Harris Photo credit: Chaz Hall Photography A Riverside County jury awarded a $2.5 million wrongful death verdict on Wednesday to the family of a mentally-ill African-American man fatally shot nine times by Riverside Sheriffs on July 16, 2015. Sybil Davis, the mother of now deceased, Anthonie Smith, has further expressed her hope that law enforcement will be required to obtain adequate training on the appropriate handling of citizens with mental illness. In a statement following the verdict, Ms. Davis expressed,”I’m very relieved that my son got justice today. It’s been three years

Los Angeles Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Spearheaded by Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors Cleared for March 2020 Ballot
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Los Angeles Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Spearheaded by Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors Cleared for March 2020 Ballot

October 11, 2018

Patrisse Cullors, Campaign Chair Reform L.A. Jails ballot measure led by Black women in Los Angeles will get full vote of electorate Los Angeles, CA – On Tuesday, the five members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to send the Reform L.A. Jails initiative to California’s Mar. 3, 2020 presidential primary ballot.  Reform L.A. Jails is an initiative that will mandate a study be done on alternatives to jail in an effort to reduce the jail population and give the Civilian Oversight Commission subpoena power. The initiative is supported by a coalition of community organizations including ACLU

Cop who Killed Tamir Rice Returns to the Police Force in Ohio
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Cop who Killed Tamir Rice Returns to the Police Force in Ohio

Sentinel WireOctober 8, 2018

BELLAIRE, Ohio (AP) — The former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice has been hired by a police department in a small Ohio village. The Times Leader reports Bellaire’s police chief confirmed Friday he hired Timothy Loehmann as a part-time officer. Richard Flanagan said Loehmann was never charged in Tamir’s death and deserves a second chance. Bellaire is a village of about 4,000 along the Ohio River, more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of Cleveland. Tamir, who was black, was playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center in 2014 when he was shot by

WATCH CHICAGO BREAKING NEWS: Officer Convicted of Killing Black Teenager Laquan McDonald
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WATCH CHICAGO BREAKING NEWS: Officer Convicted of Killing Black Teenager Laquan McDonald

DON BABWIN and MICHAEL TARM - ASSOCIATED PRESSOctober 5, 2018

  CHICAGO (AP) — A white Chicago police officer was convicted of second-degree murder Friday in the 2014 shooting of a black teenager that was captured on shocking dashcam video that showed him crumpling to the ground in a hail of 16 bullets as he was walking away from officers. The video, some of the most graphic police footage to emerge in years, stoked outrage nationwide, and the high-stakes trial gripped the nation’s third-largest city for nearly three years. The shooting also led to a federal government inquiry and calls to reform the Chicago Police Department. Jason Van Dyke, 40,

Governor Brown Signs Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer’s Bill That Will Help End the School-to-Prison Pipeline
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Governor Brown Signs Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer’s Bill That Will Help End the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Sentinel WireSeptember 18, 2018

  (Sacramento)–Governor Jerry Brown signed Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer’s (D – South Los Angeles) Assembly Bill (AB) 2944, legislation that creates a permanent contribution-based funding source to end the school-to-prison pipeline. “As the Chair of the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, I want to personally thank Governor Jerry Brown for signing AB 2944,” said Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer. “California is now taking a national leadership role in ending the school-to-prison pipeline. Millions of taxpaying Californians can invest in programs that divert our at-promise youth from the criminal justice system.” With a population of nearly 40 million Californians, AB 2944 allows those taxpayers to donate a portion of their

White Female Off-Duty Cop Gets Manslaughter for Killing Black Man, After Illegally Entering his Home
Daily BriefsNational

White Female Off-Duty Cop Gets Manslaughter for Killing Black Man, After Illegally Entering his Home

RYAN TARINELLI and KEN MILLERSeptember 10, 2018

  DALLAS (AP) — A white Dallas police officer was arrested Sunday on a manslaughter charge in the off-duty shooting of a black neighbor whose apartment she says she mistook for her own. Officer Amber Guyger was booked into the Kaufman County Jail after being taken into custody, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a news release. The department said the investigation is ongoing and that no additional information was available. A jail employee said Guyger was released on bond. Online records initially showed Guyger was in custody, but she later was not listed on the jail inmate