“We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.” — The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Aug. 28, 1963
As galling as it has been to watch a Jacksonville sheriff’s deputy break a car window and punch a non-combative man in the face, the feeble justification from the sheriff and a determination from the state attorney that cops did nothing wrong is just as infuriating.
The Feb. 19 videotape of an encounter with William McNeil, Jr. and a posse of rogue officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and their brutal response, is a searing reminder of everything wrong with policing in America.
— Read on floridaphoenix.com/2025/08/02/jacksonville-cops-in-hot-water-after-brutalizing-driver/
Tag: Police Use of Force
Breonna Taylor shooting: Brett Hankison sentenced to 33 months in prison
Former police officer Brett Hankison was convicted in November 2024 in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.
— Read on 19thnews.org/2025/07/breonna-taylor-brett-hankison/
Has America learned anything from the George Floyd uprisings? | Eric Morrison-Smith and David Turner III | The Guardian
The response to the demonstrations fell short. But they marked the beginning of a new era that calls for action
— Read on www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/13/has-america-learned-anything-from-the-george-floyd-uprisings
Community Voices: A Public Primer on News Reporting on Police Violence
As you read this report keep the following in mind:
- News report is supposed to report the facts and not sell an AGENDA
- Police Violence is not DEFINED
- In this report Police Violence is naively considered as ANY police use of force
- The report ignores CONTEXT of the police-citizen contact
- People’s feeling are not FACTS
- The FACTS are that police use force in less that 5% of police-citizen contacts and Deadly Force in less that 0.1% police-citizen contacts.
The research report, Community Voices: A Public Primer on News Reporting on Police Violence offers a practical review of the community impacts of, helpful and harmful narrative patterns in, and recommended standards for reporting on police violence. Through participatory analysis conducted in partnership with Community Co-Lead Mo Korchinski and clients at the Unlocking the Gates Services Society, these findings have been developed by community members who have experienced police violence to offer guidance to journalists, editors, and others who are interested in critical heart-based storytelling. The Student Co-Lead on this project, Emily R. Blyth, developed the research behind this publication through her time with the 2023-2024 CERi Graduate Fellowship program as a part her doctoral research which examines policing practices in Canada as a source of health inequity. This action-driven and accessibly written publication centers the voices of impacted community members to support the difficult work of reporting on police violence in ways that can expose the harms that police cause and that refuse to perpetuate those harms though uncritical narratives.
Get the Report HERE
Police Use of Force Policies Across America – Stanford Center for Racial Justice – Stanford Law School
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Five years after George Floyd’s killing sparked unprecedented demands for police reform, questions persist about the changes that have—and haven’t—been made to American policing. Many Americans may be surprised to learn that policing rules vary significantly across jurisdictions, with stark differences in how officers are permitted to use force. One city may require officers to try de-escalating a traffic stop before using any force, while another city may permit officers to immediately draw their weapons without attempting alternatives.
— Read on law.stanford.edu/2025/06/25/police-use-of-force-policies-across-america/
Five Years Since the Death of George Floyd: The Damage Continues, Part 1 – Chronicles
There is no evidence that Floyd’s death had anything to do with race, but that fact doesn’t stop the narrative from being promulgated.
— Read on chroniclesmagazine.org/web/five-years-since-the-death-of-george-floyd-the-damage-continues-part-1/
Read part 2 HERE
Understanding Graham v. Connor | Police Magazine
The 1989 case of Graham v. Connor is an example of how the actions of one officer can start a process that establishes law. Using the Graham standard, an officer must apply constitutionally appropriate levels of force based on the unique circumstances.
— Read on www.policemag.com/patrol/article/15347041/understanding-graham-v-connor
2024 Police Violence Report
Comprehensive review of killings by police in 2024.
— Read on policeviolencereport.org/
Five Years After George Floyd: Lessons For Future Movements
The question now is not whether George Floyd’s death changed anything—it did. The question is: Who has the power to shape what comes next?
— Read on newsone.com/6174511/five-years-after-george-floyd-lessons-for-future-movements/
The Supreme Court just got an important police violence case right, in Barnes v. Felix | Vox
The Birthright Citizenship argument wasn’t the only significant news out of the Supreme Court on Thursday.
— Read on www.vox.com/scotus/413340/supreme-court-police-shooting-barnes-felix