Ezell Ford’s Shooting Death Shines Light on LAPD Brutality

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Jun 11, 2015 The Los Angeles Police Commission ruling in the notorious case does nothing to satisfy the demands for justice being voiced by angry protesters at a commission hearing and in front of the mayor’s home. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Police Commission Rules Ezell Ford Shooting Not Within LAPD Policy (UPDATE)

Staff / Truthdig Jun 10, 2015 UPDATE: The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners ruled Tuesday that the actions of one of the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Ezell Ford were not within department policy. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Is Blue the New White?

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig May 14, 2015 When death occurs at police hands, the easiest story line is “white cops versus black kids,” but it’s much more complicated. "Manifest Justice," a Los Angeles event that included Trayvon Martin's mother, looked at the issue. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Where Black Lives Don’t Matter: Serial Murder and Silence in South L.A.

By Meleiza Figueroa and Alan Minsky Apr 27, 2015 Police don’t always to have to shoot to kill black people "Tales of the Grim Sleeper," which debuts Monday on HBO, shows how the devaluing of black women’s lives allowed a serial killer to roam free for 25 years Police don’t always to have to shoot to kill black people. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

In ‘Ghettoside,’ an Indictment of the Criminal Justice System

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Mar 4, 2015 In her new book, reporter Jill Leovy tackles a subject usually ignored by progressives, black-on-black murders, and she explains how the U.S. criminal justice system too often treats them as not worth solving. In her new book, Jill Leovy tackles black-on-black murder, explaining how the criminal justice system too often treats it as unimportant. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

After L.A. Homeless Man’s Killing, Russell Brand Asks, ‘Are Police Deadlier Than Terrorists?’

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Mar 3, 2015 The video of the shooting in Los Angeles "shows you what the problem is, in essence: that the police force in certain sections are out of control, and there are members of the human community whose life doesn't have value," the comedian and commentator says. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Harrowing Bystander Video of Police Killing a Homeless Man in L.A. Sparks Protests

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Mar 2, 2015 A camera phone video showing Los Angeles police officers fatally shooting an unarmed homeless man Sunday morning had over 4 million views on Facebook as of Monday morning. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Blue Is the New White: Why Diversity Doesn’t Fix Policing

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Jan 14, 2015 L.A.'s multiethnic population is now policed by a multiethnic force, but cops still shoot people of color at a disproportionately high rate. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Black Women’s Lives Matter: Film Reveals Little-Known Story of the Grim Sleeper

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Dec 18, 2014 As an invigorated movement emerges against police killings of black men, a timely new documentary examines American law enforcement's negligence in the grisly killings of black women for over two and a half decades. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

In Defense of Daniele Watts

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Oct 3, 2014 When people of color, especially black Americans, are constantly treated with suspicion by both society and law enforcement, they are expected to just take it silently and "file that complaint later." Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Justice for Eric Garner: Street Protests and Prosecutions Will Not End Police Brutality

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Aug 7, 2014 "I can't breathe" was one of the last things 44-year-old Eric Garner said after being arrested by New York Police Department officers and placed in what appears, in a bystander's video, to be a chokehold. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

What Were Los Angeles Police Doing in Israel?

Staff / Truthdig Feb 26, 2014 Top LAPD officers took a trip to Israel, at least in part paid for by taxpayer money, in search of policing tips; the question of whether Putin will take Crimea from Ukraine has arisen; and there are only about six different types of Twitter conversations. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )