Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 21 years for violating the civil rights of the late George Floyd. On May 25, 2020, Chauvin pinned his knee to the neck of Floyd for over nine minutes leading to his death.
Chauvin plead guilty to a violation of civil rights in December. He was previously convicted of murder and manslaughter and is currently in jail.
According to USA Today, Chauvin will serve the new federal sentence in a federal prison, which will the host of his state sentence.
In court, prosecutors sought 20 to 25 years. Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson wanted 20 years.
Chauvin will be transferred out of solitary confinement at Minnesota’s only max facility to federal prison.
TMZ notes the court proceedings included a victim impact statement from Floyd’s brother, Philonise, who stated Chauvin exhibited excessive police force.
When Chauvin entered the courtroom he waved at his mother and friends who were in attendance. He wore an orange jumpsuit. His mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, spoke in court, stating that she will visit him and hoped she is alive when he is released. At his release, Chauvin will have five years of supervised probation.
In June, Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill sentenced former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin to 22.5 years for his role in the murder of George Floyd.
25-year-old Jayland Walker was struck at least 60 times by the more than 90 rounds that were fired at him by Akron Police. His death has sparked protests in the area.
Akron Police claim Walker refused to stop his car after they attempted to pull him over for a traffic stop. Following the shooting, an undefined number of officers were placed on administrative leave.
Following the release of the video footage, which shows Walker getting out of his car and running away unarmed on foot, protests have broken out in Akron. The family lawyer, Bobby DiCello, said of the footage to be released, “I’ve been a trial lawyer for 22 years, and I’ve never seen anything remotely close to what that video is going to show.”
In a statement, the Akron PD said officers opened fire after “actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them.”
Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:
“On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jayland Walker. From every account, he was a family man loved by many. He should still be alive today. The body camera footage is gut-wrenching and leaves us with far more questions than answers. The conduct of the officers and all involved must be investigated without delay. The Akron Police Department, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office must conduct a thorough and transparent investigation and provide regular updates to the community. Jayland’s family, the Akron community, and all of us deserve to know what happened and what the department will change to ensure routine traffic stops do not lead to more unnecessary deaths. Far too many Black people in America are killed at the hands of police during alleged traffic violations, and we cannot remain silent. This is not an acceptable outcome, and we can no longer afford to be merely outraged and heartbroken. While we have seen action on police reform in recent months, it is clear there is more work to do.”
The video of the shooting is below; viewer’s discretion is advised.
Mack shared the video on TikTok on July 4 and playfully stated, “Vote Senator Mack” at the end of the video clip. She is a Democrat representing District 6 of the state.
According to Newsweek, Mack was praised on social media for the video with messages stating “Ignore the haters” and “I live in GA, but just donated to your reelection campaign.”
The support carried over to Twitter but was criticized by conservatives who believe the behavior is improper for an elected official.
Newly implemented changes to Florida’s criminal justice system were announced by the nonprofit REFORM Alliance, which was founded by award-winning recording artist Meek Mill, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, business mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, and other influential figures from business, philanthropy, and entertainment. The new changes went into effect on July 1.
The nonpartisan measure, which was supported by REFORM and its allies in the Florida Safety Coalition, was overwhelmingly approved by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. As a result, changes have been made to Florida’s probation system.
The new education and workforce credits will cut probation terms for those in Florida who pursue a GED, degree, vocational certification, and/or retain full-time job. They will be available to people on state probation and community control. For every six-month period during which they work an average of 30 hours per week, individuals are eligible to receive 30 days off from their supervision periods. For each educational task successfully completed, they can additionally subtract 60 days from their probationary period.
Florida will also establish a new, permanent system for statewide remote reporting, giving counties a method to engage with probationers and their supervision officers in ways that will support their rehabilitation objectives and successful reintegration back into society.
Together, these policies will support probationers in engaging in community-safety initiatives and reducing technical violations, which fuel the probation-to-prison pipeline. Tens of thousands of people will benefit from the new measures when they successfully finish their probation terms, which will safely lower Florida’s supervision population.
“Improving public safety isn’t a partisan issue,” REFORM CEO Robert Rooks said. “The new law means more people on probation will pursue education and employment, producing better outcomes for themselves and their families. That will lead to safer and stronger communities for all. This is a huge win.”
“At a time when our politics are increasingly polarized and we see crime and public safety becoming a wedge issue in campaigns, lawmakers from both parties in Florida showed that supervision reform can be smart on crime and good for communities,” said Jessica Jackson, Chief Advocacy Officer & Chief Operations Officer of REFORM Alliance, which is a member of the Florida Safety Coalition. “REFORM Alliance thanks Governor DeSantis, our champions Rep. Koster and Senator Perry, and the entire Florida legislature for their leadership. The unanimous support of both the Florida House and Senate demonstrate just how urgent these changes are; encouraging redemption, education, and employment for people all across the state.”
“I am thrilled that SB752 has taken effect,” said REFORM Founding Partner and Arnold Ventures Co-founder Laura Arnold. “This law will have a profound impact on both probationers and the community supervision system. By incentivizing and rewarding people who pursue work and education with shorter probation terms, we will safely reduce the scale of Florida’s probation system and help to change lives. The expanded opportunity for remote reporting, which was championed by probation officers themselves, will also help Florida’s workforce and economy by reducing the burden of in-person visits and more appropriately aligning supervision resources to where they are needed most. I have deep gratitude to the lawmakers and our coalition for making this happen.”
“This new law will help more than 150,000 on probation in Florida by removing barriers to their success and rewarding them for doing well,” said Michael Rubin, Fanatics CEO and Co-chair of REFORM Alliance. “Not only was this unanimously supported by members of the Florida legislature, but probation officers, business owners, and community service providers all joined us in the effort to pass this new law. This is going to safely reduce the number of people on supervision, improve lives and increase community stability across the state.”
The new law builds on the legislative successes of REFORM, which now total 14 measures in nine states and assist in removing people from the probation-to-prison pipeline and into stable communities with access to opportunities for health, wellness, and employment. More than 650,000 people nationwide now have a way out of the system thanks to REFORM.
This morning the Supreme Court announced its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, reversing the long-standing constitutional right to abortion set forth in the Supreme Court’s 1973 Rose v. Wade decision. In holding that “[t]he Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion,” the Court’s decision removes the nationwide federal abortion ban and permits each state to enact and enforce laws restricting abortion or outlawing it entirely. This highly unprecedented and controversial ruling represents one of the first if only times that the Court has rejected and overruled its own 50-year-old, well-established precedential rulings in order to take away the Constitutional rights of Americans. Moreover, it promises to radically reshape how access to abortion occurs in this country and to trigger massive amounts of further litigation.
A critical question is what will happen in the states now that the Supreme Court has lobbed this particular bomb into the already highly volatile political landscape of this country. It is expected that, following Dobbs, as many as twenty-six states will quickly outlaw or severely restrict abortion.
Thirteen states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, have enacted “trigger laws” that are intended to outlaw abortion automatically as soon as Roe v. Wade is reversed. In each of these states, these laws have already gone into effect upon the issuance of Dobbs, or will very soon go into effect automatically or upon certification by an executive officeholder.
Five states have pre-Roe laws outlawing abortionthat have been unenforceable until today. These include Alabama, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The status of these laws in certain states remains uncertain. In Michigan, a court has blocked the law from being enforced. In Wisconsin, the Attorney General has stated he will not enforce the state ban. Arizona’s Republican governor has suggested that the state’s current 15-week ban would take precedence over the pre-Roe total ban. It remains to be seen how these issues will be resolved.
Four states, including Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and South Carolina, currently have six-week abortion bans that will likely go into effect, and these states may further seek a total ban following Dobbs. Additionally, Florida, Indiana, Montana, and Nebraska do not currently have bans in place but are expected to attempt to outlaw or restrict abortions going forward.
The states that are not expected to outlaw or restrict abortion rights, at least in the short term, based on their current recognition of the right to abortion are Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Hawaii.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are ripping the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe V. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that led to the legalization of abortion in America.
Pelosi said a “radical Supreme Court” is eviscerating the health and safety of American women. She also accused Republicans of plotting a nationwide abortion ban. The high court’s ruling leaves abortion up to individual states.
Speaking with reporters, Pelosi vowed, “Reproductive freedom is on the ballot” in November’s midterm elections. She said the high court has reversed a constitutional right that has existed for nearly 50 years, calling it a “dangerous decision.” Pelosi also labeled the ruling cruel and heart wrenching.
According to NBC News, in a statement Schumer called it “one of the darkest days our country has ever seen.” The New York Democrat added, “Millions upon millions of American women are having their rights taken from them by unelected justices on the extremist MAGA court.”
MAGA is shorthand for former President Trump’s longtime slogan, Make America Great Again.
Other officials reacting to the Roe V. Wade decision is New York City Mayor Eric Adams, condemning the ruling, calling it an affront to human rights that shackles women and others to “reproductive bondage.” Adams says the Supreme Court has ignored the opinions of the majority of Americans.
Abortion is still legal in New York, even for those coming from out of state.
On Friday, The Supreme Court overruled Roe V. Wade, terminating the constitutional right of women to abortion. Roe V. Wade was put in place nearly 50 years ago. The ruling will now result in total bans of abortion in nearly half of the states in America.
According to the New York Times, the 6-3 ruling will be a key moment for the Trump administration, which had the desire to overrule Roe by placing conservative judges in the Court. Three of Trump’s appointees were in the majority for the decision.
Roe V. Wade was established in 1973 by a 7-to-2 vote. At the time, the court stated states did not have the ability to ban abortions before fetal viability.
The majority opinion that tossed Roe was written by Justice Samuel Alito.
“The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,” Alito wrote.
“That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and ’implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.”
In early May, a leaked draft of the decision to pull back Roe V. Wade hit the public and sparked protests on both sides of the political discussion. A source for the leak has yet to be identified.
United Justice Coalition (UJC) has announced a one-of-a-kind social justice summit on July 23 at Center415 in New York City, which will bring together the country’s top activists, entertainers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, professors, experts, media personalities, organizations, and more to discuss combating social and racial injustice.
The UJC is a think-tank of specialists from various industries that joined together informally in 2019 to share resources, information, ideas, and assistance in order to align on strategic solutions to fight structural injustice across the United States. They’ve collaborated behind the scenes over the years to raise awareness about important issues, draft and push bipartisan legislation, laws, and policies, and mobilize support for grassroots organizations around the country.
UJC’s founding advisory board members are made up of Team ROC, along with a list of powerful figures including Charlamagne Tha God, attorney Ben Crump, Dream Corps founder Van Jones, attorney Angela Rye, Mysonne, attorney Alex Spiro, Gayle King, Michael Eric Dyson, Until Freedom co-founder Tamika Mallory and more.
“The United Justice Coalition started as an informal meeting of the minds, but it has quickly evolved into a more purposeful initiative to create change in our communities,” Team ROC and UJC founding member Dania Diaz said. “Our goal for this summit is to spark discussion and collaboration and take a solution-oriented approach to reforming America’s antiquated policies. At the end of the day, we are all bonded by one common goal – to eradicate injustice.”
Speaking exclusively with The Source, Diaz spoke about what led to this event, creating it, and the important work it will do in the future.
The Source: What recent activities led to the creation of this one-of-a-kind social justice event?
Dania Diaz: When the United Justice Coalition formed in 2019, we knew early on that we wanted to host a summit to bring the broader public together in conversation, collaboration, and action. Unfortunately, when the pandemic occurred, we had to pause on the Summit idea and found other ways to make impact. Over the years, we have worked together to amplify critical issues, advance just policies, and leverage support for on-the-ground organizations across the country and now we’re incredibly excited to take it to the next level and bring the vision for the UJC Summit to reality.
How complicated was it to put this event together, but also not lose track of current developments in social justice?
Everything of value requires thoughtful and intentional work. And you have to be passionate and care about what you are doing. So with that said, it’s neither complicated nor easy, but necessary and required. The UJC’s incredible advisors keep one another abreast of the issues of collective concern.
Some advisors are families that have lost loved ones to police violence, some members are organizing masses on the ground to protect our civil rights, some are litigating cases of wrongful conviction – pro bono. Others are using their media platforms to amplify issues, or are in the classroom educating the next generation of social justice leaders. We come together with our individual expertise and unique lens to keep one another informed and to collectively take action. For example, Team Roc’s justice work in Parchman Prison in Mississippi, where the DOJ recently declared that the conditions violated the Constitution’s 8th and 14th Amendments, was supported by the UJC’s body of experts.
This event brings experts together from various industries – how important is it to have and what is hoped for when you combine these various minds?
This Summit is about advancing justice through thoughtful, diverse, collaborative learning and exchange. In order to achieve that we need to engage different perspectives and viewpoints to be shared, so productive solutions-focused conversations can take place. We want everyone who cares about social justice, criminal justice reform, equity and human life to be at the Summit. If you are seeking to learn, share, network, take action – we want you at the Summit.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is signing into law two new abortion bills that criminalize providers. Under the new restrictions, abortion is banned in most cases, there are no exceptions for victims of rape or incest.
Anyone who performs the procedure could face ten years in prison and fines between ten-thousand and 100-thousand dollars.
Edwards, a Democrat, says he believes the bills should have rape and incest exceptions, but he didn’t want to veto the them entirely.
The bills have come under fire from the Biden Administration, with officials calling them “radical” and “extreme”. Criminal charges cannot be brought against a woman who receives an abortion.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams reportedly has his sights set on the White House. The New York Post reports City Hall insiders say the 61-year-old Democrat believes the national party has swung too far to the left, and that he has a platform to win the presidency in 2024.
The paper quotes an elected official in Brooklyn with ties to the mayor, who says Adams is “considering a White House run” if President Biden does not seek re-election.
Should Adams run, he would be the fourth consecutive New York City mayor to seek the nation’s highest office, following in the footsteps of Bill de Blasio, Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani.
According to theNew York Post, Mayor Adams commented on the topic previously and said he is not interested in focusing on a presidential campaign.
“That’s a silly, silly story. I never had a conversation about that and I love being mayor, and you can run the country from New York City. I’m the mayor. That’s all I’m focused on.”
