Lawsuit alleges excessive force by police, false arrests, during George Floyd protest
June 2, 2023 GMTEleven people have filed a federal lawsuit saying they were assaulted by police or wrongfully arrested while peacefully observing a June 2020 protest in Massachusetts’ second-largest city over the killing of George Floyd.
Prosecutor: Trio convicted of murder in fatal shooting of former Indiana U football player
May 26, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three people have been convicted in the fatal shooting of a former Indiana University football player who was gunned down during unrest in Indianapolis following the death of George Floyd.
Anniversary of George Floyd’s killing: Changes were made, but short of ‘reckoning’ on racial justice
May 26, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, and the fervent protests that erupted around the world, looked to many observers like the catalyst needed for a nationwide reckoning on racism in policing.
US Park Police used excessive force against journalists during George Floyd protests, inquiry finds
May 25, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — An internal investigation has concluded that U.S. Park Police used unnecessary force in a confrontation with two Australian journalists three years ago during the George Floyd protests near the White House.
On 3rd anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Biden stops GOP-led effort to block DC police reform law
May 25, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday — the third anniversary of George Floyd's murder — vetoed an effort led by congressional Republicans to overturn a new District of Columbia law on improving police accountability.
Top prosecutor in trial of officer who killed George Floyd writes book recounting case
May 25, 2023 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors were so worried a judge would move the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin out of the city where he killed George Floyd that they conducted a mock trial in a deep red rural county to test their strategy, Attorney General Keith Ellison reveals in a new book.
Man who witnessed George Floyd murder by police suing Minneapolis over officers’ actions
May 18, 2023 GMTOne of the most vocal bystanders as a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd three years ago is suing the city, alleging he was assaulted and suffered emotional distress as he witnessed the handcuffed Black man beg for his life, go limp and stop breathing.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin appealed his murder conviction in the killing of George Floyd to the Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday, saying the district judge's decision not to move the proceedings out of the city deprived him of a fair trial.
Ex-officer Thao convicted of aiding George Floyd’s killing
May 2, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd has been convicted of aiding and abetting manslaughter.
Minneapolis NAACP sues city over police spying allegations
April 26, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis NAACP sued the city of Minneapolis on Wednesday over allegations that police officers used phony social media accounts to spy on activists without a legitimate public safety purpose.
Chauvin murder conviction upheld in George Floyd killing
April 17, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday upheld former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's second-degree murder conviction in the killing of George Floyd, and let his 22 1/2-year sentence remain in place.
Minneapolis to pay $8.9M over Chauvin’s actions before Floyd
April 13, 2023 GMTThe city of Minneapolis agreed Thursday to pay nearly $9 million to settle lawsuits filed by two people who said former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into their necks years before he used the same move to kill George Floyd.
Lawsuit: Guards beat, taunt inmate with, ‘You can’t breathe’
April 12, 2023 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Advocates for prisoners’ rights have filed a civil rights lawsuit against state corrections officers who allegedly ignored requirements that they videotape a prison-cell encounter with an inmate who says he was sexually abused, beaten without provocation and taunted with words that evoked the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of police.
Army sergeant guilty in fatal Texas shooting of protester
April 7, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Army sergeant was convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed protester in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice, a Texas jury ruled Friday.
Walz takes case from Hennepin County, gives it to Ellison
April 7, 2023 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has taken the rare step of taking a murder case away from Hennepin County prosecutors and handing it to Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Two juveniles, ages 15 and 17, are accused of killing of Zaria McKeever, 23, the mother of a 1-year-old child, in her Brooklyn Park apartment last November at the direction of her ex-boyfriend.
Minneapolis and state agree to revamp policing post-Floyd
March 31, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights signed a “court-enforceable settlement agreement” Friday to revamp policing in the city where George Floyd was murdered by an officer nearly three years ago.
Minneapolis council to discuss post-Floyd policing lawsuit
March 29, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council is set to hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss a potential settlement in a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights over the city’s policing practices following the murder of George Floyd.
Lead Derek Chauvin prosecutor appointed to be state judge
March 21, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — One of the state's lead prosecutors who helped convict Derek Chauvin of murder in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd has been appointed as a judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota's governor announced Tuesday.
Chauvin, who killed George Floyd, pleads guilty in tax case
March 17, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the 2020 killing of George Floyd pleaded guilty Friday to two tax evasion counts, admitting that he didn't file Minnesota income taxes for two years due to “financial concerns.”
Denver to pay $1.6M to protesters injured by police in 2020
March 14, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — The city of Denver will pay $1.6 million to settle lawsuits filed by seven people who police injured during demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
North Carolina Senate advances House riot penalties bill
March 8, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation that would toughen punishments for violent protests — a response to 2020 demonstrations over racial injustice that at times turned into tumult — advanced in the North Carolina Senate on Tuesday.
Bill enabling Maryland AG to prosecute police advances
March 7, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland measure that would give the state’s attorney general independent authority to prosecute police after investigating deaths, or injuries likely to result in death, when officers are involved moved forward in the state Senate on Tuesday.
23 charged with terrorism in Atlanta ‘Cop City’ protest
March 7, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — More than 20 people from around the country faced domestic terrorism charges Monday after dozens in black masks attacked the site of a police training center under construction in a wooded area outside Atlanta where one protester was killed in January.
Burlington voters consider community police oversight board
March 6, 2023 GMTResidents of Vermont's largest city will vote Tuesday on whether to create a community police oversight board that would have the authority to discipline Burlington police officers, including the chief.
Man paralyzed by officer who mistook gun for Taser sues
March 2, 2023 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man left paralyzed when a police officer shot him after mistaking his handgun for his stun gun filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the city, the officer and others, saying, “my life got destroyed.”
Los Angeles police union proposes limits to 911 responses
March 2, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Police Department’s rank-and-file union is proposing that someone other than police respond to more than two dozen types of 911 calls in a bid to transfer officers' workload to more serious crimes.
Chicago mayor’s race shows impact of crime in COVID’s wake
March 2, 2023 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — Four years ago, Paul Vallas finished toward the bottom of the pack in a crowded race for Chicago mayor. Trying again, focused this time on crime, he was the top vote getter Tuesday, toppling the incumbent mayor and advancing to an April runoff to lead one of the country's largest cities.
NYC to pay millions over police ‘kettling’ at Floyd protest
March 1, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — New York City has agreed to pay several million dollars to settle a lawsuit brought by protesters who say they were assaulted, abused and trapped by police using a technique known as “kettling” at a demonstration in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.
Man sentenced for shooting at police during Wichita protests
February 28, 2023 GMTWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man who prosecutors say fired at police during racial injustice protests in 2020 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Henry Parker, 30, was sentenced Monday on 21 counts, including aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer.
Japanese Americans won redress, fight for Black reparations
February 24, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Miya Iwataki and other Japanese Americans fought in the 1980s for the U.S. government to apologize to the families it imprisoned during World War II, Black politicians and civil rights leaders were integral to the movement.
Study: Women still underrepresented in FBS leadership ranks
February 23, 2023 GMTWomen remain significantly underrepresented in leadership positions at the Football Subdivision level of college athletics, a new study shows.
Thursday’s report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) issued another F for gender hiring, a C for racial hiring and an overall grade of D+ for 2022.
Court: Michigan city can’t conceal police force policy
February 22, 2023 GMTA police department in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has been ordered to release its full policy on the use of force after failing to convince the state appeals court that portions should be concealed from the public.
Nevada officer slams student recording police, kneels on him
February 18, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — A school police officer in Las Vegas was captured on cellphone video last week slamming a high school student to the ground and pinning him underneath his knee, prompting an investigation and renewed calls from Nevada activists who want to see police removed from schools and more resources for students.
Oregon joins debate over police education requirements
February 15, 2023 GMTSALEM, Ore. (AP) — Amid a renewed nationwide focus on police qualifications following the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, an Oregon lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require law enforcement officers to complete at least two years of higher education.
Bill would expand attorney general’s powers in police probes
February 14, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A measure before Maryland lawmakers would give the state's attorney general independent authority to prosecute police in cases that the office already investigates when someone is injured or dies when officers are involved.
S. Africa rugby player killed by Hawaii police had acute CTE
February 10, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A Black former professional rugby player from South Africa shot by police months after moving to Hawaii suffered from a degenerative brain disease often found in American football players and other athletes subjected to repeated head trauma, autopsy results show.
Bill raising riot penalties in North Carolina clears House
February 8, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bill increasing punishments for violent protests following the 2020 demonstrations over George Floyd's murder passed the North Carolina House on Wednesday despite harsh criticism from social justice advocates.
Wisconsin student’s dad sues over officer’s neck restraint
February 7, 2023 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — An Illinois man has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that an off-duty police officer improperly restrained his 12-year-old daughter during a fight in a Wisconsin middle school last year by placing his knee on her neck similar to how Derek Chauvin fatally restrained George Floyd.
More funds head to Minn. attorney general, public defenders
February 7, 2023 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Millions of extra dollars are working their way through the Minnesota Legislature to both beef up the ability of Attorney General Keith Ellison's office to prosecute violent crime and the state's public defender system to relieve the staffing shortages that nearly led to a strike last year.
Family of Minneapolis man killed in no-knock raid sues city
February 3, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The parents of Amir Locke, who was shot to death by a Minneapolis police officer when a SWAT team executed a no-knock search warrant one year ago, sued the city and the officer Friday, alleging he was “gunned down in cold blood” in violation of his constitutional rights.
Fate of last ex-cop charged in Floyd murder lies with judge
February 1, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The attorney for a former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd said in court filings Tuesday that his client is innocent of criminal wrongdoing and should be acquitted on state charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.
Trump says beating of Nichols ‘never should have happened’
January 29, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday said the footage of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers is “horrible” and that the attack “never should have happened.”
Memphis beating video puts spotlight on first police account
January 28, 2023 GMTNewly released video shows Memphis police officers battering motorist Tyre Nichols with punches and kicks and also using pepper spray and a baton, with Nichols howling in pain as he tried to shield the blows.
Foundation empties coffers to fund Black paper in Baltimore
January 19, 2023 GMTIn a rare move for philanthropy, Adam Holofcener and his family emptied their foundation’s coffers and gave $1 million — nearly all the money it had left to give — to support Lisa Snowden-McCray’s dream: a free newspaper staffed by Black editors and writers in Baltimore to provide news primarily for the city’s Black residents.
Court asked to void verdict against ex-cop in Floyd’s murder
January 18, 2023 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An attorney for Derek Chauvin asked an appeals court Wednesday to throw out the former Minneapolis police officer's convictions in the murder of George Floyd, arguing that legal and procedural errors deprived him of a fair trial.
Prosecutors drop appeals against 2 ex-cops in Floyd case
January 12, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday accepted the government's request to drop its appeals of the sentences of two former Minneapolis police officers who were convicted of civil rights violations in the murder of George Floyd.
NJ protester sentenced for helping set police car on fire
January 10, 2023 GMTNEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A man who helped set fire to a police vehicle in New Jersey's capital city during protests against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.
George Floyd family taking applications for business grants
January 9, 2023 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Floyd’s family is ready to take applications from businesses for grants funded by money from their wrongful death legal settlement with the city of Minneapolis.
Floyd, who was Black, died in May 2020 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
White House gun violence program with philanthropies ends
January 4, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — It was small, as Washington celebrations go — two senior Biden administration advisers gathered with program participants near the White House on a Thursday afternoon in December to mark the end of a little-known initiative with a budget of less than $8 million.
Gov. Walz pledges to bolster education as he begins 2nd term
January 2, 2023 GMTDemocratic Gov. Tim Walz pledged Monday to make the largest investments in public education in Minnesota history as he took the oath of office for his second term.
Judge: Gun-waving lawyer shouldn’t get guns or money back
December 30, 2022 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri judge has ruled that a pardon from the governor doesn't mean the St. Louis lawyer and his wife who gained national attention for waving guns at racial injustice protesters in 2020 should get back the weapons they surrendered and fines they paid after guilty pleas last year.
AG charges former officer in Floyd protest beating
December 28, 2022 GMTAttorney General Keith Ellison charged a former Minneapolis police officer Wednesday with beating a man during protests over George Floyd's death.
Justin Stetson, 34, faces one felony count of third-degree assault in connection with the May 30, 2020, beating of Jaleel Stallings.
County attorney: No charges in Minneapolis police killing
December 21, 2022 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — No charges will be filed against two Minneapolis police snipers who fatally shot a Minneapolis man during a standoff in his apartment in July, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
White Florida officer acquitted of shoving of Black woman
December 13, 2022 GMTFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida jury sided Monday with a white Florida police officer accused of shoving a kneeling Black woman to the ground during a protest more than two years ago.
Broward County jurors acquitted Fort Lauderdale officer Steven Pohorence, 31, of a battery charge, the Sun Sentinel reported.
BLM sets up student relief fund as loan forgiveness stalls
December 12, 2022 GMTThe Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation launched a new relief fund Monday aimed at Black college students, alumni and dropouts overburdened by mounting education costs and the student loan debt crisis.
Crews remove box covering Columbus statue in Philadelphia
December 12, 2022 GMTPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Crews have removed the plywood box that had been placed over a Philadelphia statue of Christopher Columbus that saw tense standoffs in 2020 between supporters of the monument and opponents who viewed it as a symbol of white supremacy.
Ex-cop who kneeled on George Floyd’s back gets 3.5-year term
December 10, 2022 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s back while another officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison.
Ex-cop who kneeled on George Floyd’s back gets 3.5-year term
December 10, 2022 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s back while another officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison.
Minneapolis to buy gas station at site of Floyd’s killing
December 9, 2022 GMTThe city of Minneapolis has decided to buy the boarded-up Speedway gas station at the intersection where George Floyd was killed by police and turn it into a racial justice healing center and permanent memorial for the Black man.
Minneapolis to buy gas station at site of Floyd’s killing
December 9, 2022 GMTThe city of Minneapolis has decided to buy the boarded-up Speedway gas station at the intersection where George Floyd was killed by police and turn it into a racial justice healing center and permanent memorial for the Black man.