As Thanksgiving approaches and many of us look to find gratitude, let’s consider how some of the things we may be grateful for are denied to others in our community. In fact, there are things that many of us take so much for granted that we may forget to even be grateful for them. Benjamin… Read More
Our system of unequal justice was on further display last week in St. Louis, where police officer Jason Stockley was found not guilty of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith. Stockley was accused of chasing Mr. Smith for three miles, shooting him without provocation, and then planting a gun in Mr. Smith’s car. A recording device inside… Read More
Many of us are reeling as we watch the body count of black shooting victims pile higher at the hands of violent police officers. This time it is the tragic deaths of Terence Crutcher, Keith Scott, and Tyre King. Video footage proves that Terence Crutcher was simultaneously tasered and shot by Tulsa police, while… Read More
How law enforcement thinks about gun ownership rights has everything to do with race. The bottom line is that open carry gun laws and gun ownership laws in general afford rights that the police often only recognize for white people. That sounds like a pretty inflammatory thing to say, but once you look at how… Read More
As our country looks for a quick fix to the many problems plaguing our criminal justice system, some courts and police departments are trying to use artificial intelligence as a cure-all. One flawed idea is that technology could be used by courts to take bias out of the equation for fairer sentencing decisions. Police departments could… Read More
Black Lives Matter. It’s sad and confusing that such an important and basic affirmation is being treated as if it was a war cry against cops or a denunciation of white people. It is neither. Instead, it simply acknowledges centuries of violent oppression at the hands of those with economic, political, and police/military power and… Read More
We ache again over senseless police shootings of black men. In the span of two days, two tragic police killings of black men have shaken our sense of justice. In the first, Alton Sterling was literally pinned to the ground by an officer when a second cop shot him at close range. In the other… Read More
The devastating terrorist attack in Orlando underscores a terrible problem in our society – too many people are armed to the teeth. This causes tragic acts of gun violence every day. It also leads to oppressive and violent police tactics – both because police are heavily armed themselves and because they often have to be,… Read More
As a native Asian-American New Yorker who has been advocating for police accountability for almost a decade, I am conflicted and have mixed feelings about the police shooting of Akai Gurley and the criminal charges filed against former NYPD Officer Peter Liang. On one hand, if I praise the jury for holding Liang accountable for… Read More
In the aftermath of highly publicized police shootings, a number of states around the country have enacted reforms requiring special prosecutors to investigate police shootings, and many other states are considering them. Chicago, more so than any other jurisdiction, needs to implement this reform. The demand for special prosecutors is a result of the following… Read More
