Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash
Black lives matter. But sometimes the criminal justice system says otherwise. Last Friday, white ex–St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley was acquitted in his murder trial. In 2011, Stockley killed Anthony Lamar Smith, who’s black, minutes after telling his partner, “We’re killing this motherfucker, don’t you know”—words which were caught on audio recording. Today’s edition is devoted to Black Lives Matter and protesting racialized police violence.
Note that today’s edition discusses domestic violence and the role of guns. The National Domestic Violence Hotline has a helpful guide called “Is This Abuse?” and a variety of other resources on their website. The number to the hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
The United States is the country with the highest per capita gun ownership rate in the world. According to statistics kept by the National Domestic Violence Hotline, having a gun in the house makes it 500% more likely that there will be a domestic violence-related homicide—2,000% if there is a history of domestic violence. The facts surrounding domestic violence and guns in the U.S. are grim, and today’s edition focuses on this issue.
Photo by Redd Angelo on Unsplash
For the past month, American students have been headed back to school. You’ve seen their proud parents post “Back to School” and “First Day in the Dorms” photos on Facebook. Today we talk about how you can join several school-related fights for justice.