Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Nearly 3 Thousand D.C. Officers Will Get Bodycams In The New Year
After eight months of debates, the Washington, D.C. city council unanimously voted to purchase and equip all 2,800 police officers in the nation’s capital with body cameras. Currently, 400 cops are utilizing the systems. The public will also have access to the body camera footage through the Freedom of Information Act. This same legislation allowed a judge to rule in favor of releasing the heart wrenching video footage of Laquan McDonald’s death in Chicago. Unlike Chicago, DC’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier is supportive of the decision to move forward with providing transparency between the police and the public. “To say that we started this process of trying to get body cameras long before any other city in the United States and we still don’t have them, for me, is frustrating. But hopefully things are now on the right track and moving” she said. [The Huffington Post]
Black Jury Selected For Freddie Gray Trial
William Porter is the first of six former officers to stand trial for his involvement in the death of Freddie Gray. Of the twelve jurors selected, eight are African American and four are Caucasian. Porter, who is also black, is being sought after by prosecutors to implicate two of the other officers during their trials next year. The jury selected is reflective of Baltimore’s diverse population which is 63% black and 32% white. During the jury selection process, over half of the 75 prospective jurors said that they or someone in their family has had a negative experience with police and/or the justice system. All of the jurors were familiar with the controversy surrounding Gray’s death. And all but one was aware that Gray’s family had received a $6.4 million settlement from the city of Baltimore. [The Huffington Post]
Brazil Puts Internet Trolls Racists Comments On Billboards
Brazilian meteorologist, Maria Julia Coutinho has encountered intense, racist backlash on social media for her dark brown skin and natural hair. In response, Criola, an empowerment organization for Afro-Brazilian women, partnered with ad agency, W3haus to take the hurtful comments offline. Using geotags, which is similar to an IP address, Criola and W3haus had billboards of the disrespectful comments plastered in the neighborhoods of the individuals who wrote the messages. “We just want to educate people so that in the future they think about the consequences before posting racist comments,” says a statement on Criola’s website. [BBC]
Radio Shack Hires Nick Cannon To Reinvent Their Brand
Actor, rapper and host of America’s Got Talent and star of Chi-raq, Nick Cannon, just got another job. The 35-year-old is the newest Creative Director of RadioShack. The brand filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and is restructuring to focus on innovation, education, DIY products and providing an in-person “neighborhood feel,” said Michael Tatelman, RadioShack’s chief marketing officer. In a new ad campaign for the company, Canon took gadgets from RadioShack to kids with special needs at St. Mary’s Children Hospital in New York. [USA Today]
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