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#blacktwitter helped mobilize social protests against police brutality across the country, like this one in New York City in July 2020. Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images

Black Twitter’s expected demise would make it harder to publicize police brutality and discuss racism

Black Twitter is often the preferred forum for candid and authentic Black-centered discussions on police brutality. Without it, holding police accountable may become even more difficult.
A photo from a demonstration calling for police accountability and an end to police brutality in Vancouver, in May 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Public police are a greedy institution

The greedy tendencies of police departments help illustrate why public police funding is a major problem today in Canada and the United States.
Police body camera video shows Adam Toledo’s hands were raised just before he was shot. Chicago Police Department via AP

Being skeptical of sources is a journalist’s job – but it doesn’t always happen when those sources are the police

In the aftermath of Adam Toledo’s death, police and a prosecutor framed the incident as a confrontation with an armed male holding a gun. Should reporters have been so quick to accept that version?
A man meditates on the road by a police line as demonstrators protest on the section of 16th Street renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, June 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

How to deal with the pain of racism — and become a better advocate: Don’t Call Me Resilient EP 2 transcript

This is the full transcript for Don’t Call Me Resilient, EP 2: How to deal with the pain of racism — and become a better advocate.
A ‘Black Lives Matter’ billboard hangs above a Modell’s in New York. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Corporate activism is more than a marketing gimmick

Big businesses often engage in social activism because they want to sway public policy outcomes. They’re not exclusively trying to appeal to liberal customers.
Protesters in front of Boston Police Headquarters during a United Against Racist Police Terror Rally on June 7, 2020. Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Police unions are one of the biggest obstacles to transforming policing

Across the United States, police are shielded from both public and departmental accountability by multiple layers of contractual and legislative protections.
A protester holds up a sign with Breonna Taylor’s name. Taylor was killed by police officers on March 13. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

A short history of black women and police violence

Young men make up the majority of black people killed by police in the US. That’s fed a perception that black women are somehow shielded from the threat of police violence. They aren’t.
Volunteers helped city workers paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the street near the White House. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

How DC Mayor Bowser used graffiti to protect public space

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ to be painted on a street near the White House. The act would have been considered vandalism had it not been done by city workers.
There are currently at least four major calls to defund police forces in Canada. Here, hundreds of people participate in a Black Lives Matter demonstration in front of Saskatchewan’s Legislative Building in Regina on June 2, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor

A better future: How to defund and reimagine policing

Another world is possible when we defund and reimagine policing as we know it. A review of police budgets could mean more money towards community initiatives.
A protester raises a fist in New York’s Washington Square Park during a June 2, 2020 demonstration. Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images

Where are the African American leaders?

Sweeping changes were possible in the past because black leaders were willing to risk their lives and call out problems before they became crises.
Ahmaud Arbery’s best friend, right, and his sister speak at a memorial event for Arbery on May 9, 2020. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Why cellphone videos of Black people’s deaths should be considered sacred, like lynching photographs

The US has a centuries-old tradition of killing black people without repercussion – and of publicly viewing the violence. Spreading those images can disrespect the dead and traumatize viewers.

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