RNC Day 4 – Discourse, Surveillance, and Xenophobia

Cleveland, OH – The last day outside of the Republican National Convention was filled with political discourse. Groups and individuals with a variety of opposing viewpoints and ideals once again peacefully converged on Public Square in downtown Cleveland. Unicorn Riot was live throughout the afternoon,…

RNC Day 3 – Feds, Walls, Flag Burning Arrests, & a Circus

Cleveland, OH – The third day of the 2016 Republican National Convention began with news of a morning visit by FBI agents and local police to a house in Elyria, OH that had been hosting protesters from out of state.
We spoke with Rod Webber,…

RNC Day 2 – Police, Militiamen, Alex Jones, & Anarchists

Cleveland, OH – Protests during Day two of the Republican National Convention began with a banner drop done by climate justice activists who climbed flagpoles outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Several people were arrested after descending from the flagpoles.

Activists Arrested At…

RNC Day 1 – Hundreds March Against Trump & Poverty

Cleveland, OH – Day one of the Republican National Convention in downtown Cleveland was filled with thousands more police than protesters. Two separate protests amassed in rallies attended by hundreds that then marched through the streets chanting against Trump.
The first planned march started with…

RNC Day Zero: Protests in Downtown Cleveland

Cleveland, OH – On July 17, one day before the Republican National Convention is scheduled to commence, hundreds of protesters marched into the heavily secured area near the convention center.
No arrests or confrontations with law enforcement were apparent as the Unicorn Riot team streamed…

Protesters Blockade Interstate 94, 100+ Arrests, 20+ Cops Injured

Twin Cities, MN – Demonstrations continued Saturday evening over the police killing of Philando Castile. Protesters blocked traffic through downtown Minneapolis after a rally and then later in the evening on Interstate 94 in St. Paul, near the Dale Street exit.
Below is a video…

St. Anthony Police Murder Philando Castile for Reaching for his License

Falcon Heights, MN – During the evening of July 6, 2016, officers in Falcon Heights killed 32 year old Philando Castile as he was reaching for his license. It is believed a St. Anthony police officer committed this shooting, according to national media reports.

Unicorn…

Military Police

New Cleveland RNC Police & Military Docs: FEMA Base to Setup at NASA

A trove of new documents exposes how Cleveland’s impending Republican National Convention will subject the public to a massive domestic military operation. Following decades of planning and millions of dollars spent, the RNC this July will amass into an unprecedented security state, constricting the constitutional…

Mayor Betsy Hodges Speech at U of M Campus Disrupted

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, May 19th, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges speech at the U of M campus was disrupted by members of the Black Liberation Project (BLP). The speaking event was titled “The Opportunity City: Progress Report for Improving Equity in Minneapolis”.
Here is…

Unanswered Questions After Aurora Police Shoot Man In Denver

Denver, CO – Early in the afternoon of Monday, May 9, 2016, Denver Police announced via twitter that a “possible officer-involved shooting” had occurred on East Colfax in Denver, near the neighboring city of Aurora.
BREAKING: #DPD in the 8400 block of Colfax on possible…

Denver Foreclosure Auction Disrupted by Friends of Martin Wirth

“What you guys are doing is killing our communities and killing our neighborhoods. Remember that.” – Brenda Budd
Denver, CO – On April 7th, 2016, protesters disrupted a foreclosure auction at the Wellington Webb Building in downtown Denver in honor of their friend Martin Wirth…

One Year Later: A Cop’s Eye View of Protest Repression in Denver

Denver, CO – One year ago today, protesters in Denver took the streets in solidarity with the uprising taking place in Baltimore in response to the police killing of Freddie Gray. The Denver Police Department (DPD) forcefully repressed the march as soon as it began,…

Denver Takes the Streets for Justice for Dion

Denver, CO – April 26, 2016
https://vimeo.com/388915559
At around 6 PM, friends and family as well as concerned community members gathered in the 1300 block of Bannock Street outside the Denver Art Museum, just feet from where Dion Avila Damon was killed on April 12th,…

Denver Cop Jeff Motz Who Killed Dion Damon Has History of Violence

Denver Police Technician Jeffrey Motz was identified in a police press conference as having shot unarmed Dion Avila Damon seven times through the windshield of a car on Tuesday, April 12. While most media coverage in Denver focused on Dion’s alleged criminal history, no reports…

Anonymous Takes Down Denver City Website over Dion Avila Damon Shooting

April 23, 2016
Denver, CO – Shortly after 4 pm on Friday, April 22, the twitter account for ‘New World Hackers’ (NWH), a hacktivist crew associated with several Anonymous operations, announced a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack against DenverGov.org, the official website for the City…

Dion Avila Damon Murdered by DPD With 7 Shots Into Windshield

UPDATE (4/18/16) – Today we received a letter from the Custodian of Records for the Department of Safety informing us that our open records request for the footage of the shooting has been denied. We plan to appeal the denial.
UPDATE (4/13/16) – In a…

Interview with Christopher Soghoian about Analyst’s Notebook

For our story about the Denver Police Department’s use of the surveillance analytics software program Analyst’s Notebook, we were happy to be able to speak by telephone with Christopher Soghoian, Principal Technologist with the American Civil Liberties Union.  He answered some questions for us about…

Community Responds to Jamar Clark Decision

Minneapolis, MN – On the morning of March 30th, Hennepin Co. Attorney Mike Freeman announced that the evidence against officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, for their execution-style murder of Jamar Clark was insufficient to press charges. Community members who have been engaging the prosecutor’s…

Justice for Michael Kirvelay Marches on Columbia Heights Police Department

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…

#FreemanFridays – New Witness Statement Released

Minneapolis, MN – An unreleased video statement from a witness of Jamar Clark‘s murder was played for Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s colleagues today.

Community members and organizers from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar came together on Friday, February 26, at the Hennepin…

Denver Activist Martin Wirth Killed in Eviction Standoff with Sheriffs

On the morning of February 24th, Martin Wirth was shot and killed in Bailey, Colorado as the Park County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve him with an eviction notice in the home where he had lived since 1998. A Corporal from the Sheriff’s Office was…

Hennepin County Attorney Says Jamar Clark Case Set for Grand Jury

UPDATE: As of Tuesday, February 23rd, County Attorney Mike Freeman has stated “a number of things were not completed and they were sent back to get done”, expanding the BCA’s investigation in Jamar Clark’s case. Freeman also stated that “new things have to be investigated”…