Wildfires with the hidden men and women on the front lines of the state’s ever-growing fire season: prisoner firefighters. Of the 13,000 firefighters battling blazes across the state, more than 2,500 are prisoners. While salaried firefighters earn an annual mean wage of $74,000 a year plus benefits, prisoners earn $1 per hour when fighting active … Read the rest
Protesters in Lafayette, Louisiana, Demand Justice for Trayford Pellerin, Shot Dead by Police
In Lafayette, Louisiana, protesters took to the streets this weekend in the wake of the police killing of a 31-year-old Black man, Trayford Pellerin, on Friday. Police officers reportedly were called for a “disturbance” at a convenience store, where they encountered Pellerin and used Tasers on him, before shooting him dead as he tried to … Read the rest
California cannabis arrests down 27%, but racial disparities increase
The number of felony marijuana arrests in California continued to decline in 2019 in the age of legalization, but another trend remained unchanged: those arrests fell disproportionately on Hispanics and Blacks, state data showed.
The California Department of Justice, in an annual snapshot of crime rates in the nation’s most populous state released earlier this
How slavery flourished in the United States
Four hundred years ago the first slave ship docked on North American shores, launching a chapter of the trans-Atlantic trade that saw more than 12.5 million people kidnapped from Africa and sold at ports throughout the Americas. In the United States, their story begins with the Portuguese ship San Juan Bautista, which picked up … Read the rest
How Disney, Six Flag, Universal, and other theme parks handle medical marijuana and CBD
After a four-month coronavirus shutdown, Walt Disney World reopened its gates to thousands of visitors earlier this week near Orlando. But the Magic Kingdom—and all Disney parks—still remain closed to certain visitors.
Medical marijuana is legal statewide, but Disney refuses to allow it. Why? Disney won’t say.
Millions of Americans who rely on medical marijuana … Read the rest
U.S. Senator Wants Answers From Adam Silver About NBA’s China Relationship
A U.S. Senator is demanding answers from NBA commissioner Adam Silver on his league’s relationship with China.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Silver, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) expressed “concern” over the NBA’s dealings with a country governed by a Communist regime that has abused human rights, squashed pro-democracy protests and hidden details on the … Read the rest
NBA’s trouble with China, four months and counting
For someone who was raised in Italy, came of age in Philadelphia, and ultimately established himself as a star in southern California, it is telling that Kobe Bryant once referred to China as his “home away from home.” Bryant first visited the country in 1998 to host a basketball camp, a year after he entered … Read the rest
Mayor & Council Have Prioritized the NYPD Over Our Communities; Movement to #DefundNYPD Continues!
The City Council’s FY21 budget vote was a racial and economic justice litmus test and we now have the results. We commend the councilmembers who voted NO on the FY21 City budget and its fake NYPD budget cuts for standing with families who have lost loved ones to police, Black, Latinx and other New Yorkers … Read the rest
Biden-Sanders Task Force Does Not Recommend Legalizing Marijuana
While the unity task force pushed Biden farther left on cannabis policy, the former Vice President still doesn’t support ending prohibition.
Joe Biden will not change his mind on cannabis anytime soon. A task force formed between Biden and Bernie Sanders, which had prior heated discussions on cannabis, agreed on multiple criminal justice priorities, but … Read the rest
George Floyd: Timeline of black deaths caused by police
The wave of protests in the US over the killing in police custody of George Floyd are the latest outpourings of anger that have erupted after the deaths of black Americans.
Here’s a timeline of some of the major incidents from 2014 onwards.