The government needs to stop murdering its people

In the past year, 1,036 people have been shot and killed by police, according to the Washington Post. Black people are killed at twice the rate of White Americans, and on May 25, George Floyd’s name was added to this list of injustices. Days later, massive protests followed, in spite of and because of the pandemic we’re in. In a country already on edge due to a government’s callous response to a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, the American people exploded.  …

‘Stop The Genocide’: Locals protest Pasadena’s police brutality

Last Saturday morning, local activist groups held a protest against police brutality with Pasadenans and Altadenans at a Mobil gas station in Altadena. The protest was sparked by the murder of Stephon Clark who was gunned down by police officers while in his own backyard. The groups that participated were the Pasadenans and Altadenans Against Police Violence, Refuse Fascism and other local activists. The protest was held at the same gas station that Christopher Ballew was beaten by Pasadena Police on Nov. 9, 2017. As …

Conflicts of interest inhibit transparency in grand jury cases

If a grand jury can “indict a ham sandwich,” why is it so rare in cases concerning police using deadly force that the grand jury believes there is “probable cause” to bring an officer to trial for a crime? The Washington Post reported that “only 11 of the 65 officers charged in fatal shootings over the past decade were convicted.” As reported by the New York Times and as surprise to many, a grand jury in Georgia indicted Officer Robert Olsen of the DeKalb County Police …