Protests Against Police Brutality

WBUR's coverage of the anti-police brutality protests in America in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

A person holds up a sign as protesters kneel on Canal Street in New York during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images)

Journalism Professor: Stop Showing Violent Police Videos

Professor Allissa Richardson argues for a moratorium on the public airing of videos showing the deaths of Black people at the hands of police.

How Reforming Qualified Immunity Could Transform Policing In America

For more than half a century, so-called qualified immunity has shielded police officers from lawsuits. Now, Congress and some state houses are considering changing that.

'Until We Win': Boston Protesters Seek Bigger Changes To Policing

Police reform activists have had some recent wins, including the guilty verdicts against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. But they say much more is needed.

Activists Gather In Boston, Demand Further Police Accountability After Chauvin Verdict

The event, hosted by the prominent local activist group, Mass Action Against Police Brutality, drew a small crowd of dozens of protesters, including the family members of several people who...

I'm Not Celebrating The Chauvin Verdict

I fear that congratulatory celebration may lead to complacency -- a complacency that does not fully acknowledge that there have been and will be many George Floyds, writes Lee Pelton.

PHOTOS: After Chauvin Verdict, Demonstrators Gather In Boston To Demand Accountability

There were multiple demonstrations pushing for racial justice across Boston Wednesday evening, a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.

PHOTOS: Rejoicing, Reactions In Minneapolis, Other Cities After Ex-Officer Chauvin Is Found Guilty

Demonstrators and activists against police brutality took to the streets in Minneapolis and in other U.S. cities to express relief, exaltation and continued calls for justice following the verdict in...

WBUR News

Apr 20, 2021

Acting Mayor Kim Janey. (Elise Amendola/AP)

WATCH LIVE: Boston Acting Mayor Janey Delivers Remarks On Chauvin Guilty Verdict

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey is expected to speak at City Hall about the trial verdict for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. He was found...

WBUR News

Apr 20, 2021

Organizer Sirad Zahra speaks to protesters at the Mass Action Against Police Brutality rally in front of the Massachusetts State House. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Protesters Gather On Beacon Hill, Demand Prosecution Of Police Officers Who Kill People

The group gathered in Boston has also long pushed for further investigations and prosecutions in local cases of police violence.

WBUR News

Apr 15, 2021

A protester holds up caution tape that read “Don’t Shoot” as police and protester stand off in front of Forest Hills station in Jamaica Plain im June 2020. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Professor Imani Perry Looks At Police Violence Through Lens Of History

The professor of African American Studies at Princeton brings a historical perspective to today's police violence against Black Americans.

Here & Now

09:42Apr 14, 2021

Police and protesters converge during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Louisville, Kentucky, in Sept. 2020. (John Minchillo/AP)

Police Killings Decreased In Cities That Saw Black Lives Matter Protests, Study Finds

There's up to a 20% difference between cities that saw Black Lives Matter protests from 2014 to 2019 to those that didn't, the study finds.

Here & Now

04:13Mar 12, 2021

George Floyd Murder Trial Begins: What's Changed Since Floyd's Death?

Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is accused of kneeling on the neck of George Floyd during a police...

Here & Now

05:18Mar 8, 2021

A group of Whole Foods employees dismissed by managers for wearing Black Lives Matter masks during their shifts gather outside of the Whole Foods on River Street in Cambridge in July 2020. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Judge Dismisses Bulk Of Discrimination Lawsuit Led By Cambridge Whole Foods Employees

The law "does not protect one’s right to associate with a given social cause, even a race-related one, in the workplace," wrote the deciding judge in an opinion released Friday.

Bostonomix

Feb 8, 2021

In this Aug. 26, 2020, photo released by the Antioch Police Department is Kyle Rittenhouse in Antioch, Ill. (Antioch Police Department via AP)

Wisconsin Prosecutors Seek Rittenhouse Arrest, Higher Bond

Kyle Rittenhouse failed to inform the court of his change of address within 48 hours of moving, Kenosha County prosecutors alleged in a motion filed with Judge Bruce Schroeder. The...

WBUR News

Feb 3, 2021

A pro-Trump protester is tended to by a police officer while suffering the effects of chemical agents used to disperse crowds after protesters stormed the grounds the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Of Course The Mob That Stormed The Capitol Wasn't Afraid

These far-right activists have been courted by law enforcement to help control Black Lives Matter and other racial justice protesters, writes Karen J. Pita Loor.

Cognoscenti

Jan 11, 2021

After A Year Of Calls For Changes To Policing, A Reform Bill Awaits Baker's Signature

After a year convulsed by Black Lives Matter protests and calls for heightened police accountability, a major police reform bill sits on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. He is expected to...

WBUR News

06:59Dec 28, 2020

A crowd of protesters gather during a rally on Sept. 18, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Protesters rallied in front of the attorney general's office for a decision to be made regarding the Louisville Metro police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot during a no-knock warrant at her apartment on March 13, 2020. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

More States Propose Legislation To Criminalize Protests

Civil rights lawyer Nora Benavidez discusses a growing number of states where lawmakers are passing or proposing laws to criminalize protest activity.

Here & Now

06:21Nov 20, 2020

Police strap themselves into their tactical helmets before reinforcing a barricade line facing demonstrators near the location where Walter Wallace Jr. was killed by two police officers on October 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Walter Wallace Jr.'s Death Raises Questions About Police Response To Mental Health Crises

Protests continued in Philadelphia Tuesday night following the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. on Monday.

Here & Now

05:39Oct 28, 2020

Black Lives Matter protesters march past the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Friday, July 31, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (Noah Berger/AP)

American History Records Our Struggle Toward Freedom. Trump Shouldn’t Erase The Failures

Acknowledging the faults, the bigotry and the blind spots in our past is not unpatriotic, write Fernande Raine and Adam Strom. These stories help us understand who we are as...

Cognoscenti

Oct 13, 2020

Demonstrators march along Constitution Avenue in protest following a Kentucky grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case on September 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Power, Propaganda And What Justice Might Look Like For Breonna Taylor

New details are forcing more questions about power, propaganda and what justice might look like for Breonna Taylor.

On Point

47:20Sep 29, 2020

Radio Boston

Journalism Professor: Stop Showing Violent Police Videos

How Reforming Qualified Immunity Could Transform Policing In America

'Until We Win': Boston Protesters Seek Bigger Changes To Policing

Activists Gather In Boston, Demand Further Police Accountability After Chauvin Verdict

I'm Not Celebrating The Chauvin Verdict

PHOTOS: After Chauvin Verdict, Demonstrators Gather In Boston To Demand Accountability

PHOTOS: Rejoicing, Reactions In Minneapolis, Other Cities After Ex-Officer Chauvin Is Found Guilty

WATCH LIVE: Boston Acting Mayor Janey Delivers Remarks On Chauvin Guilty Verdict

Protesters Gather On Beacon Hill, Demand Prosecution Of Police Officers Who Kill People

Professor Imani Perry Looks At Police Violence Through Lens Of History

Police Killings Decreased In Cities That Saw Black Lives Matter Protests, Study Finds

George Floyd Murder Trial Begins: What's Changed Since Floyd's Death?

Judge Dismisses Bulk Of Discrimination Lawsuit Led By Cambridge Whole Foods Employees

Wisconsin Prosecutors Seek Rittenhouse Arrest, Higher Bond

Of Course The Mob That Stormed The Capitol Wasn't Afraid

After A Year Of Calls For Changes To Policing, A Reform Bill Awaits Baker's Signature

More States Propose Legislation To Criminalize Protests

Walter Wallace Jr.'s Death Raises Questions About Police Response To Mental Health Crises

American History Records Our Struggle Toward Freedom. Trump Shouldn’t Erase The Failures

Power, Propaganda And What Justice Might Look Like For Breonna Taylor