ALPRs and Minneapolis’ Growing Discriminatory Surveillance Dragnet
Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), an extremely invasive form of public surveillance, have been around for decades, but lately they have been becoming more prevalent.
Category: Investigative
Key Minnesota DFL Leader Resigns After Vehicular Homicide Charge; Party Under Pressure Risks Major Rifts
Cyndy Martin, the former chair of the Democratic Party across the vast 8th Congressional District, is awaiting a grim vehicular homicide trial, after being charged in Itasca County with killing Carter Haithcock.
Body Cameras Show How Police Acted During Minneapolis’ Largest Mass Arrest
UR is exclusively releasing 73 Minneapolis Police videos from the largest mass arrest in MN history of at least 646 people in Nov. 2020.
The Deep Ties and Deeper Pockets of Minnesota’s Far-Right
Maple Grove, MN – The Rush Creek Golf Club’s event space was filled with the din of knives and forks, scraping and tapping ceramic to the tune of conspiratorial chit chat, as a fluorescent white audience –mostly over the retirement age — shared with one…
Chainsaws, Chaos, and Javier Milei: How IMF Meddling and Hubris Fueled Argentina’s Reality TV Presidency
Flashback to a Pivotal Moment in Global Politics
It was a crisp evening in December 2021 when Donald Trump stepped onto a gilded stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida. The former president — reduced to a kingmaker, still without access…
APIII Militia Infiltrator Warns of Danger to 2024 Elections; Leaks Show Targeting Journalists
After two years of actively participating in militia, 'the infiltrator' is dropping 13 gigabytes of 'internal, secretive communications,' says "APIII and other paramilitary groups provided the muscle" for voter intimidation. A new set of leaks from inside the Telegram chats of the American Patriots Three Percent militia group (AP3 or APIII) reveal a sprawling network buzzing with activity.
‘Mobile Field Force’ Policing Model Funded for Milwaukee Republican National Convention
The 2024 Republican National Convention starts on Monday, July 15, and will run for four days. This report covers the latest Milwaukee developments and a quick historical rundown about the huge security setups at previous conventions and special events.
Interview: Breaking Down the Mahdi Ali Case
The brutal 2010 triple murders at the Seward Market shocked the community, and police concluded the killer was fifteen-year-old Mahdi Ali. A new Unicorn Riot investigation raises 27 different issues with that investigation and the murder trial. We circled back with our contributor to break down the major elements people should know about this contentious case.
Cobwebs Spy Software Locks Onto Protesters: Israeli Social Media Mining Contract with Homeland Security Revealed
An Israeli spy software tech firm licenses web surveillance tools to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The software contract shows new details about this sensitive technology DHS has used to spy on activists during the last several years.
Target, ‘Junk Science’ and Unreliable Testimonies: The Contentious Conviction of 15-Year-Old Mahdi Ali
Minneapolis, MN — Overlooked details have emerged casting serious doubt on Mahdi Hassan Ali’s conviction for a 2010 triple murder, as well as the integrity of the investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
“I was the perfect scapegoat.”…
Imminent ‘Cleanups’ Scheduled Under Philadelphia ‘State of Emergency’ Kensington Operations
Unicorn Riot has obtained a schedule for "cleanup" operations due in the next 72 hours in the Kensington neighborhood, one element in new mayor Cherelle Parker's plan to dramatically change local conditions through state action.
Sextortion Coms: Inside a Vile Child Exploitation Cult Run by Nazi-Linked Teens
On Jan. 6, Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, attempting to thwart the peaceful transition of power. One of those insurrectionists, Riley Williams, stole Nancy Pelosi’s laptop. But she was also part of an international, abusive extortion network.
How Target Funded a ‘Tough On Crime’ Prosecutor’s Office, Driving Black Youth Incarceration in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN — Target Corp. pioneered the Community Prosecution Program in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) more than two decades ago during the era of mass incarceration. As part of a broad anti-crime campaign that employed new advanced technology and reshaped the criminal justice…
FBI Bookstore Spying in Chicago Eyes Abortion Rights, Cop City, Anti-Development Activists
Chicago, IL – The owner-workers of Pilsen Community Books acknowledge that their store is “very cute.” A vintage typewriter holds a signboard featuring a quote that’s both intellectually stimulating and heart-warming. A repurposed mid-century card catalog cabinet holds a collection of vintage mass market paperbacks.…
‘Like the Doors of Hell Were Open’: East Palestine Train Disaster Casts Toxic Cloud Over Future of OH/PA Region
Vinyl Chloride & Byproducts like Phosgene Risk Damaging Wide Area
Harris County Jail Crisis in Houston, Texas Kills Dozens
The Harris County Jail is the third-largest jail in the U.S. and the largest jail in Texas. Located in Houston, it also confines the most people with mental illness in the state. Despite its complicated history, the public is largely unaware of the myriad issues at the jail. This report covers how the massive backlog of felony cases and pretrial detention contribute to the deaths of dozens of detainees amid overcrowding, medical crises, and a lack of mental health services.
‘Task Force Butler’ Veterans Share Skills to Track Far-Right Groups
Unicorn Riot chatted with Kristofer Goldsmith, the founder of a nonprofit called the “Task Force Butler Institute” which is recruiting U.S. military veterans to monitor fascists and far-right hardliner movements around the country. Last year he and the group worked on tracking Patriot Front neo-nazis…
Criminal Intel Files Show Facial Recognition, Warrantless Surveillance in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN – Documents obtained via a series of public records requests from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) provide rare insight into police intelligence gathering. The documents include case numbers in which facial recognition was used, details about systems that gain access to vehicle…
Police use Private Database to ID & Racially Profile Roma in US
A Unicorn Riot investigation has uncovered dossier records from a privately curated database of Romani people in the United States, and a web of training programs; many of these have been canceled due to pressure from activists and concerned citizens.
Unicorn Riot found a pattern…