Author: Staff

Mississippi lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove a Confederate emblem from their state flag on Sunday, after protests against racism and police brutality in America have increased.

The bill passed 128 to 37 and is now awaiting signature by Gov. Tate Reeves. It requires the current state flag to be removed within 15 days of passage. A commission selected by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House will design a flag including the phrase “In God We Trust” to be completed by September 14. Mississippi voters will decide on the new flag during the November general election. If the new flag is not ratified by voters in November, a new design will be created and voted on the following year.

“Today’s vote is not a vote to erase Mississippi’s history or its heritage,” Sen. John Horhn said. “But it’s an affirmation of Mississippi’s future, and that we intend to move forward together.”

Mississippi Legislature Votes To Abandon State Flag Featuring Confederate Icon

Via www.forbes.com

Governor Tate Reeves has said he’ll sign the bill, which would institute a 9-member…

06/28/2020 9:23 PM

 

On Thursday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the 2019 death of an unarmed Black man who died days after he was subdued by three policemen and injected with a powerful sedative. The state’s attorney general, Phil Weiser, will probe the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, who died following an encounter with police who applied a chokehold on him. During the incident, paramedics injected him with ketamine and he lapsed into a coma from which he never recovered.

Back in November, Adams County District Attorney Dave Young said there was insufficient evidence for him to charge the officers with any crimes. Young said that McClain was approached by officers on reports of a man acting erratically in the city of Aurora on Aug. 24, 2019, although he was not suspected of committing a crime.

On Thursday, Young said McClain’s death was “tragic and unnecessary,” but defended his decision not to prosecute the officers. An autopsy said the cause of death was undetermined and the pathologist was unable to conclude the officers’ actions caused the death.

Colorado Governor Orders New Probe Into Elijah McClain’s Death Amid Nationwide Outcry. Here’s What to Know

Via news.yahoo.com

Mari Newman, an attorney for the McClain family, says that the family is grateful for the…

06/25/2020 9:08 PM

 

Editorial credit: JosephRouse / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a wide-ranging Democratic police reform bill on Thursday, sending the measure to the Senate despite opposition from President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Congress. The Democratic-controlled House voted 236-181 roughly along party lines to adopt the legislation.  The reform bill comes one month to the day after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody sparked weeks of worldwide protests over police brutality. Democrats named their legislation “The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”

The Democratic bill mandates changes in law and policy to rein in police misconduct, but is unlikely to be taken up in the Republican-led Senate, and it also faces a formal White House veto threat.   Republicans oppose the Democratic bill because of mandates they say could undermine law enforcement.

Democrats blocked the Republican reform bill on Wednesday; the Democratic and Republican bills address similar topics: chokeholds, no-knock warrants, police body cameras, use of deadly force, and training to de-escalate confrontations with suspects and to encourage officer intervention against illegal conduct as it occurs. 

House bill’s passage expected to force standoff with GOP over policing

Via abcnews.go.com

The House has approved a historic, sweeping police reform bill on Thursday, setting up a…

06/25/2020 9:05 PM