On July 12, 2015, Denver Police officer Michael Traudt fatally shot 35-year-old father of one and Rosebud Sioux tribal member, Paul Castaway, after responding to a mental health crisis help call placed by Castaway’s mother. Despite struggling with the trauma since the tragic killing, Castaway’s…
Since its founding, CUAPB has acted as a clearinghouse for scrutiny of Minnesota law enforcement. The nonprofit has organized police oversight pushes, streets copwatch programs, a 24-hour hotline, and an online database of police officer complaints, among dozens of other projects. And their efforts are ever-expanding – the group recently formed the Stolen Lives Justice Fund, a new Reinvestigations Workgroup and a Data Practices Workgroup.
Denver, CO – On the evening of April 23, 2021, three high school seniors held an overnight sit-in outside the Colorado State Capitol to raise awareness around Black lives lost to police violence—most specifically 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant.
One of the students, Ashira Campbell, told Unicorn…
Eagan, MN – Almost a year to the day after Isak Aden was killed by police during a July 2019 standoff, the negotiating officer who spoke with Aden as he was fatally shot aggressively pushed two ‘Justice for Isak’ protesters during a march on Somali…
João Alberto Silveira Freitas, a 40-year-old Black man, was beat to death by security guards outside a Carrefour supermarket in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on November 19, 2020. Moments of the beating and killing, which happened a day before Brazil’s Black Awareness Day (Black Consciousness Day),…
Minneapolis, MN – More than a hundred people gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, August 31, to honor the life of Kobe Dimock-Heisler on the one year anniversary of his death. Kobe, a 21-year-old autistic man, was unarmed when he was shot…
Aurora, CO — This evening over a thousand protesters demonstrated outside the Aurora Police Department (APD) to continue calling for justice for Elijah McClain, as well as, to show solidarity with Portland.
Unicorn Riot is covered the event, which you can check out below.
Aurora…
Minneapolis, MN – “I can’t breathe” were some of the last words of the latest victim to police terror. Memorial Day in Minneapolis saw the echoing of the same words as Eric Garner before he was killed by police six years earlier. For over eight…
St. Paul, MN – “Politicians are afraid of the police line.” This remark from a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar (TCC4J) was inspired by the state’s recommendations for how to begin addressing the phenomenon of police killings. The community-based group…
Chicago, IL – On Friday, a Cook County judge acquitted the officer that killed a 25-year-old Minnesota father of three in 2017 as he ran from an attempted search at Chicago’s Union Station.
Two years after Amtrak officer LaRoyce Tankson shot and killed Chad Robertson,…
Richfield, MN – The police who shot and killed Brian Quinones-Rosario in September 2019 will not face charges. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, the deciding voice in many recent police shootings in Hennepin County, made the justification announcement on Monday, February 10 and released a…
Minneapolis, MN – After initially agreeing to release footage of the police killing Brian Quinones, city officials in Edina and Richfield have reversed their decision and will not release the videos. This flip-flop comes after the Quinones family was allowed to view select portions of…
Richfield, MN – Dash camera footage of the September police killing of Brian Quinones-Rosario was viewed by Brian’s family on Wednesday, October 23. Demands for greater transparency in October City Council meetings have helped move the process forward for the family of Quinones after Brian…
Richfield, MN – On Sunday evening Interstate 494 was shut down by community members protesting Brian Quinones’ death at the hands of police. Hundreds attended an emotional vigil at the site where Quinones was shot and killed a night earlier. Mothers, children, elders, and neighbors…
Lamia, Greece – The police officer that killed teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos on December 6, 2008, had his life sentence overturned in a Greek courtroom on Monday, July 29, 2019. An appeals court found him guilty for the murder but reduced his sentence to just 13…
Eagan, MN – Protests shut down roads around Eagan’s Outlet Mall and miles of Minnesota Highway 13 on Saturday, July 27. About 100 protesters marched through the area seeking justice for 23-year-old student and entrepreneur, Isak Aden, who was killed by police after a standoff…
Falcon Heights, MN – Three years to the day after the police killing of Philando Castile, a 32-year-old school cafeteria worker, about 100 people gathered in remembrance. At the site of Castile’s death in a St. Paul suburb, his family was joined by community members,…
Minneapolis, MN – Unicorn Riot recently sat down with Darlynn Blevins, sister of 31-year-old father of three, Thurman “June” Blevins, who was killed by Minneapolis police after being shot in the back while running down a North Minneapolis alley on June 23, 2018.
In the…
St. Paul, MN – For the second year in a row, mothers from across the United States who have lost their children to police killings take part in a community celebration and remembrance of their lost children’s lives. The 2nd Annual Remembering Cordale Q. Handy…
Minneapolis, MN – Late in the night of July 15, 2017, Justine Maia Ruszczyk called 911 after she heard a sound in the alley of her Southwest Minneapolis home. That call turned into her death. Two Minneapolis Police officers responded to the 911 call in…
Crystal, MN – Eighteen year old Khaleel Thompson, who was recently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was going through a mental crisis while holding an airsoft pistol when four Crystal Police officers shot 18 rounds at him two weeks ago. Khaleel survived and is in the…
St. Paul, MN – On Sunday, March 19, 2017, the family of Cordale Handy held a vigil near the site of the last moments of his life. Cordale was shot dead by St. Paul police officers Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce on Wednesday morning, March 15, 2017,…
Minneapolis, MN – Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Officer Efrem Hamilton has been charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and felony discharge of firearm from a November 19th, 2016 incident where he shot a bullet into a car full of young adults.
For more…
Columbia Heights, MN – On March 5th, 2016 a Justice 4 Michael Kirvelay action was called “Police Station take 2” in Columbia Heights, a northeast suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to protest of the killing of Michael Kirvelay by police during a mental health check on…
St. Paul, MN – On Wednesday, February 18, St. Paul police officers Joe LaBathe and Rich McGuire were cleared in the killing of Phil Quinn. During Thursday’s press conference, authorities released the dashcam footage and 911 transcripts of the incident.
In a bid to win…
Denver, CO
“I am not shocked. This is what this D.A. does” – Pastor Terrance Hughes of the Denver Ministerial Alliance
The office of Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey has announced that no criminal charges will be filed against Denver sheriff’s deputies who were involved…