Category: Police

Denver Migrant Encampment Faces Further Displacement, Auraria Campus Palestine Solidarity Camp Grows [Press Conference]
Denver, CO — On Friday afternoon, members from the unhoused migrant community, alongside organizers with Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND), Colorado Palestinian Coalition (CPC), and Students for a Democratic Society hosted a press conference about an impending sweep of the encampment on May 8 and…

Brazil: Slave Revolt Celebration, Deadly Police Op, Bolsonaro’s Issues and Marielle’s Killers Arrested
Espírito Santo, Brazil — Providing an update from Brazil, we look at new happenings in four stories that Unicorn Riot has explored in the past; post-slavery commemorations, police killings, Bolsonaro’s legal troubles and the murder of Councilmember Marielle Franco.
Celebrating the Queimado Insurrection
Days of…

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.

As Border Protection’s Budget Increases, So Does Its Reach
Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency tasked with policing international borders in the U.S., is set to receive billions in additional funding after Congress passed its latest spending package. The agency, which has long avoided accountability, has a troubled history of law enforcement away…

Community Calls on Minnesota Governor and AG to ‘Stay Out of Hennepin County Prosecutions’
Minneapolis, MN – Police associations and pro-police members of Congress are pressuring Minnesota’s governor to wrest prosecuting power away from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty over her decision to charge State Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder for the July 2023 fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb…

Nationwide ‘Week of Abolition’ Envisions an Abolitionist Future Without Prisons, Police
Denver, CO — This week is the National Lawyers Guild’s (NLG) annual nationwide campaign called “Week of Abolition” where local NLG law school chapters host events, activities and actions to spread knowledge and promote discussion about “alternatives to the criminal punishment system” with an aim…

Supporters of Jack Mazurek Hold Rally, Punk Show, Outside Fulton County Courthouse
Jack Mazurek, accused of burning Atlanta Police motorcycles in connection to the politically repressed 'Stop Cop City' movement, had his bond hearing delayed on Monday but a punk band still played a free show outside the courthouse.

Camp Nenookaasi Pushes Debates in Minneapolis Around Encampments [Video]
Minneapolis, MN — Camp Nenookaasi, an encampment of unhoused peoples with grassroots Indigenous leadership, is pushing debates in Minneapolis around encampments, evictions, and solutions for the unhoused. Started in late August 2023, the camp successfully delayed two eviction threats from the city in December, before…

Federal and State Police Raid Three Homes in Atlanta Leading to One Arrest Amid ‘Cop City’ Investigation
Atlanta, GA — A multi-agency task force raided three homes in Atlanta early Thursday morning as part of an ongoing investigation surrounding resistance to ‘Cop City.’
At around 6:00 a.m., law enforcement agents with the Atlanta Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol,…

Denver Passes ‘No Freezing Sweeps’ Bill, Potential Mayor Veto Looms
Denver, CO — During Monday evening’s Denver City Council meeting, a narrow majority of council members voted to approve a measure to prevent forced removals of unhoused residents from their outdoor encampments in 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Because Denver does not guarantee temporary indoor…

‘Stop The Steal’ Protest in San Diego ‘Hijacked’ by Proud Boys, Police Bodycam Shows
San Diego, CA – On the morning of Jan. 9, 2021 in Pacific Beach, San Diego, California, a group of Stop the Steal ralliers gathered on the sunny California boardwalk.
Hours later, after counter protesters had been dispersed, a voice would chime in over a…

Murder Charges Filed on Trooper Who Fatally Shot Ricky Cobb II
Minneapolis, MN — Less than six months after Ricky Cobb II, 33, was fatally shot by Minnesota State Patrol troopers, Ryan Londregan has been formally charged with three felonies, including murder. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced on January 24, 2024, that her office filed…

Greek Anarchist Collective Targeted by the State
The far-right Greek government has been going after the anarchist collective Rouvikonas (Rubicon) in similar ways as the U.S. has attempted to dismantle the ‘Cop City’ movement with state-level domestic terrorism and RICO charges. From wrongfully charging two Rouvikonas members with murder to attempting to…

One Year Since Tortuguita’s Killing: A Reflection on our Coverage of the Movement Against ‘Cop City’ and the First Eco-Activist Killed in the US
Thursday, January 18, 2024, marks one year since Manuel “Tortuguita” Esteban Paez Terán was killed by police in the South River Forest outside Atlanta. A 26-year-old queer anarchist, Tortuguita had been an active participant in the movement against “Cop City” for months before Georgia State…

Marvin Haynes Exonerated and Released From Prison After 19 Years
Minneapolis, MN — In a historic ruling, Hennepin County Judge William Koch vacated Marvin Haynes’ murder conviction, dismissed his charges with prejudice, and ordered his release from prison where he was sentenced to serve life. Haynes walked out of MCF-Stillwater as an exonerated man into…

‘Jane’s Revenge’ Activist Pleads Guilty in Firebombing of Anti-Abortion Group ‘Wisconsin Family Action’
Madison, WI — Hrindindu Sankar Roychowdhury pleaded guilty on November 20, 2023 to federal arson charges resulting from a 2022 attack claimed under the moniker ‘Jane’s Revenge’ against Wisconsin Family Action, an anti-abortion Christian fundamentalist group.
The attack on Wisconsin Family Action’s office occurred on…

Film: An Infamous Precinct in Ruins and a Community Organizing Itself
Minneapolis, MN — Minneapolis has decided on a new site for housing its police department’s 3rd Precinct. Three and a half years after thousands of community members ransacked and torched the precinct at 3000 Minnehaha Avenue during the George Floyd Uprising, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey…

Questions Surround FBI Informant Charged With Stabbing Convicted Cop Derek Chauvin
Tucson, AZ — Federal inmate and former FBI informant, John Turscak, was charged last week with attempted murder by federal prosecutors for the Black Friday stabbing incident of fellow prisoner Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted for the 2020 murder of…

Minneapolis City Councilors Reject Recruitment Deal With Cops, Accuse Mayor Frey of Fear Tactics
Minneapolis, MN — Minneapolis city council members repudiated Mayor Jacob Frey twice in one week before voting down his last minute effort to allocate more than $15 million to the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) for recruitment and retention bonuses.
“They had six months to speak…

FBI Labels Anti-Fascists and Anti-Racists as Violent Extremists
A recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document titled “Domestic Terrorism Symbols Guide”* links common protest symbols to “terrorism” — another marker in a common theme of conflating militant protest for social justice with deadly terrorist violence within the United States. Groups like the…

National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality at Ruins of the 3rd Precinct
Minneapolis, MN — Over a dozen members of families impacted by police violence marched from the ruins of the former Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct to one of the proposed new precinct sites chanting “No new precinct” on the 28th annual National Day of Protest Against…

Target’s Critics Call Out Chicanery: New Report Contradicts Official Reason Behind Closings
Minneapolis, MN — Data does not support Target’s claim that it’s closing stores due to theft, a new report finds — while others accuse the corporation of financial fraud, saying it is fudging its finances and falsely flagging shoplifters.
Due to “organized retail theft,” Target…