racial justice Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Legalizing jaywalking to reduce enforcement inequities considered at Washington statehouse

By Tom Banse February 10, 2023

Police would write no more tickets for jaywalking if the Washington Legislature overcomes skepticism about a pending legalization proposal

Racial and social justice advocates asked Washington legislators Wednesday to repeal laws against jaywalking. However, a bill to do that generated lots of skeptical questions during a state House committee hearing and its prospects are unclear.Read More

Family Meets With President Biden And VP Harris 1 Year After George Floyd Was Killed

By NPR News May 25, 2021

Gianna Floyd, George Floyd's daughter, walks out of the West Wing door at the White House after meeting Tuesday with President Biden and Vice President Harris. CREDIT: Evan Vucci/AP

President Biden lauded the courage of George Floyd's family after meeting with them on the first anniversary of his murder by a Minneapolis police officer, a killing that launched protests and calls for police reform nationwide.Read More

The Artist Behind A George Floyd Mural Reflects On How It Became A ‘Ubiquitous Icon’

By PBS Newshour May 14, 2021

A mural of George Floyd at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue S. in Minneapolis, United States, on January 18, 2021. (Photo by Tim Evans/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

One of the most recognizable images of Floyd sits just above the spot where he drew his last breath – at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis. It’s a haunting, 12-foot mural of Floyd, painted in black and white by Minneapolis-based artist Peyton Scott Russell.Read More

Half Of The Jury In The Derek Chauvin Trial Is Nonwhite. That’s Only Part Of The Story

By NPR News March 25, 2021

A member of the Minnesota National Guard stands outside the Hennepin County Government Center during jury selection in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on March 11 in Minneapolis. Chauvin is facing murder charges in George Floyd's death. Among the 12 jurors and three alternates selected are three Black men, one Black woman and two multiracial jurors. CREDIT: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

The jury chosen for the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, is notable because it is significantly less white than Minneapolis itself.Read More

Court Says Former Officer Who Kneeled On George Floyd’s Neck To Stand Trial Alone

By NPR News January 12, 2021

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on cellphone video kneeling on George Floyd's neck for several minutes, still faces a higher charge of second-degree murder. Brommerich/AP

BY BRAKKTON BOOKER A Minnesota judge has ruled that the former Minneapolis police officer seen in cellphone video kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for several minutes last summer, will stand […]Read More

You Might Be Ready To Forget 2020. This Short Film with ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Reminds Why You Shouldn’t

By NPR News January 1, 2021

Produced by a diverse group of filmmakers assembled by 1504, a studio based in Birmingham, Ala., For The Sake Of Old Times pairs the performance of "Auld Lang Syne" with archival footage from 2020, particularly of the summer's racial justice protests.Read More

MLB Corrects ‘Longtime Oversight’, Now Recognizes Negro Leagues As ‘Major League’

By NPR News December 16, 2020

Negro Leagues baseball veteran Jim Robinson, left, and ESPN/ABC correspondent Ryan Smith, seen in New York in February. CREDIT: Donald Traill/AP

"All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of our game's finest players, innovations and triumphs against the backdrop of injustice," said the MLB commissioner.Read More

Seattle Police Ruled In Contempt For Firing Less Lethal Weapons At BLM Protesters

By NPR News December 9, 2020

The decision on Monday was a partial victory for Black Lives Matter protesters but Judge Richard Jones found that in several instances, Seattle Police Department officers were justified in their use of less lethal weapons. Ted S. Warren/AP

A federal judge said "the court cannot ignore the clear violations" of an injunction limiting the police department's use of the weapons, but added some instances were in compliance.Read More

Washington’s First Native American Supreme Court Justice Works So She Won’t Be The Last

By NWPB News November 14, 2020

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis outside of her Lacey home on Oct. 12, 2020. CREDIT: Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis didn't meet a lawyer until law school. Now she wants others from underrepresented communities to picture themselves in the legal system.Read More

BOOK REVIEW: Barack Obama Tells His Story His Way — And Makes His Case For History

By NPR News November 14, 2020

Book cover - A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Obama's ascent thrilled millions but also stirred a countermovement that is still on the march. His new memoir, A Promised Land, covers his rise through the second year of his presidency.Read More

Wisconsin Man Charged With Providing Rifle Used In Kenosha Protest Shootings

By NPR News November 10, 2020

Kyle Rittenhouse - accused Kenosha Wisconsin shooter

Dominick David Black was charged with illegally providing the gun that prosecutors say Kyle Rittenhouse used to shoot three men, killing two, during a protest this summer in Kenosha, Wis. Read More

60 Years Later, Ruby Bridges Tells Her Story In ‘This Is Your Time’

By NPR News November 7, 2020

Bridges was the little girl depicted in that famous Norman Rockwell painting — the first Black student at her New Orleans elementary school. Now, she's written a book to tell kids her story.Read More

In ‘Chicago 7,’ Aaron Sorkin Sees Chilling Parallels Between ’68 Summer And Today

By NPR News November 5, 2020

Aaron Sorkin revisits an infamous 1969 trial in The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix. "We thought the film was plenty relevant last winter when we were making it," Sorkin says. "We didn't need it to get more relevant, but it did." Niko Tavernise/Netflix

In 1968, several prominent anti-war activists were accused of conspiring to start a riot at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Sorkin's new film captures their infamous trial.Read More

Louisville Police Officer Files Lawsuit Against Boyfriend Of Breonna Taylor

By NPR News October 30, 2020

Kenneth Walker filed a civil lawsuit against the Louisville, Ky., and the police department. CREDIT: Amy Harris/Invision/AP

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly says Kenneth Walker committed battery, assault and intentional emotional distress. Walker filed a civil lawsuit against the city and the police department last month.Read More

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II On Playing Bobby Seale In ‘The Trial Of The Chicago 7’

By NPR News October 26, 2020

This image released by Netflix shows Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale in a scene from The Trial of the Chicago 7. Niko Tavernise/AP

The Emmy-award winning actor reflects on portraying the co-founder of the Black Panther Party in a new film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin about the landmark 1969 trial.Read More

Judge In George Floyd Case Allows Video Of Prior Arrest To Be Made Public

By NPR News October 16, 2020

A memorial stands where George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25 while in police custody. CREDIT: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The prosecution had sought a 48-hour seal on court filings, which include a submission from the defense of footage of the 2019 encounter, in hopes of discussing what information to release.Read More

Judge Says Former Minneapolis Officer Can Await Trial In George Floyd’s Murder Out Of State

By NPR News October 9, 2020

Malaysia Hammond places flowers at a memorial mural for George Floyd in Minneapolis on Sunday. Police brutality has sparked days of civil unrest. But the sparks have landed in a tinderbox built over decades of economic inequality, now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The former police officer charged with murder in the killing of George Floyd can leave Minnesota while he awaits trial. Floyd's family lawyer called it "an example of two justice systems in America."Read More

Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Recording Will Be Released, Kentucky Attorney General Says

By NPR News September 29, 2020

The grand jury recording in the Breonna Taylor case will be released, after a judge ordered the attorney general's office to produce the recording by Wednesday. Here, a mother and son attend a demonstration in what activists are now calling Injustice Square Park in downtown Louisville, as protesters demand justice for Taylor's killing by police. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

"The Grand Jury is meant to be a secretive body," Attorney General Daniel Cameron says in a statement. "It's apparent that the public interest in this case isn't going to allow that to happen."Read More

‘Justice Failed Us,’ Kentucky Lawmaker Says Of Breonna Taylor Decision

By NPR News September 24, 2020

Breonna Taylor, here in December, would have turned 27 on Friday. Her friends and family remember Taylor as a caring person who loved her job in health care and enjoyed playing cards with her aunts. Courtesy of the Taylor family

State Rep. Charles Booker of Kentucky reflects on the grand jury's decision to indict one of the three officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in March.Read More

Man Suspected In Shooting Death Of Person At Tense Portland Protest Killed By Police In Lacey

By NWPB News September 3, 2020

Michael Reinoehl is seen during a protest in front of Mayor Ted Wheeler's residence Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Portland. Reinoehl was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was shot and killed in Portland on Saturday, Aug. 29. CREDIT: Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP

Just hours after an interview was posted online in which Michael Forest Reinoehl took responsibility for the fatal shooting of Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron J. Danielson, Reinoehl has been killed in an attempted arrest in Lacey, Washington, near Seattle.Read More

Thousands Gather For New March On Washington To Demand Police Reform And Racial Equality

By Scott Leadingham August 28, 2020

Human Rights Advocate Martin Luther King III, center at bottom, speaks at the Lincoln Memorial during the "Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" in Washington, D.C. CREDIT: Jacquelyn Martin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" march comes as frustration over police brutality and use of force have sparked national protests following the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd.Read More

WATCH: Mike Pence Makes Case For Trump At RNC, Falsely Implies Biden Wants To ‘Defund The Police’

By NPR News August 26, 2020

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the third night of the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland, August 26, 2020. CREDIT: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

“Tonight, our hearts are with all the families who have lost loved ones,” Vice President Mike Pence said in his Wednesday night speech. “We mourn with those who mourn, and we grieve with those who grieve. And this night I know millions of Americans will pause and pray for God’s comfort to each of you.”Read More

Sterling K. Brown: Black Actors Have Waited ‘A Long Time To Be Fully Recognized’

By NPR News August 25, 2020

Sterling K. Brown has been nominated as best lead actor in a drama series for This Is Us and best supporting actor in a comedy series for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon's Prime Video. He's pictured above in Beverly Hills, Calif., in August 2017. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Brown has made Emmy history this year — nominated as best lead actor in a drama series for This Is Us and best supporting actor in a comedy series for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.Read More

Police Shooting of Black Man In Kenosha, Wis., Sparks Protests

By NPR News August 24, 2020

A person on a bike rides past a city truck on fire outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., during protests following the police shooting of Black man Jacob Blake on Sunday. Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA Today/Via Reuters

Authorities say officers were responding to a domestic incident on Sunday. A video that appears to show police shooting a man several times at close range has been met with outrage.Read More

Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Rights Movement, Dies At 80

By NPR News July 18, 2020

Rep, John Lewis, who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, said it was a moral obligation to stand up for his beliefs. CREDIT: Susan Walsh/AP

Lewis began his nearly 60-year career in public service leading sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the Jim Crow-era South. He went on to serve in Congress for more than three decades.Read More

Federal Law Enforcement Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab Protesters Off Portland Streets

By NWPB News July 16, 2020

In this July 8, 2020 photo, a worker washes graffiti off the sidewalk in front of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in downtown Portland, as two agents with the U.S. Marshals Service emerge from the boarded-up main entrance to examine the damage. Protests and clashes with city, state, and, more recently, federal law enforcement have become a nightly occurrence in Oregon’s largest city. CREDIT: Gillian Flaccus/AP

Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least July 14. Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation of why they are being arrested, and driving off.Read More

Richmond, Va., Photographer Watches Familiar Anger Resurface In Recent Protests

By NPR News July 12, 2020

A crowd of about 1,500 people call for the resignation of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Richmond Police Chief Will Smith on June 2 outside of City Hall. CREDIT: Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Regina Boone has been documenting the protests against Confederate statues for the Richmond Free Press. As the daughter of the paper's Black founders, she says, "This is not a new story for us."Read More

Elevated Voices: Listening To Calls For Racial Justice In The Mountain West

By NWPB News July 9, 2020

Black Lives Matter outside Colorado Statehouse. CREDIT: Mountain West News Bureau

With protesters taking to the streets nationwide to demand justice for George Floyd and confront police brutality and systemic racism, Mountain West News Bureau reporters are gathering perspectives of people of color from around the Mountain West region.Read More

Statue Of Black Abolitionist Frederick Douglass Torn Down On Anniversary Of Famous Speech

By NPR News July 6, 2020

A statue of the abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass, pictured here, was torn from its base in Rochester, N.Y., on the anniversary of his famous speech "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" CREDIT: AP

The statue in Rochester, N.Y., where Douglass lived for decades, was installed two years ago as part of a commemoration of the abolitionist's 200th birthday.Read More

1 Protester Killed, 1 Seriously Injured On Seattle Freeway By Hit-And-Run Driver

By NWPB News July 5, 2020

Summer Taylor, 24, died after being struck by a car on I-5 in Seattle early Saturday, July 4, 2020 driven by a suspect who was later arrested. Courtesy of Becky Gilliam/GoFundMe

Summer Taylor, 24, spent the last six weeks “tirelessly standing up for others while working full time and supporting everyone around them,” wrote Urban Animal on Instagram, the veterinarian clinic where Taylor worked in Portland, Oregon.Read More

WATCH: Frederick Douglass’ Descendants Deliver His ‘Fourth Of July’ Speech

By NPR News July 4, 2020

Descendants of Frederick Douglass give his July 4 speech

In this short film, five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans.Read More