Category: Police
Torgerson Ruling Prohibits Police Searches in Minnesota Based on Odor of Cannabis
Minneapolis, MN — Last month, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in State v. Torgerson that the odor of marijuana on its own does not establish probable cause for police in Minnesota to search vehicles.
Criminal defense attorney and 2008 University of St.…
The Story of Chris Kaba: How London Police Hide Behind the Thin Blue Line
London, United Kingdom — Chris Kaba, 24, was unarmed when he was fatally shot by police in Streatham Hill, South London on Sept. 5, 2022. Kaba was the eldest of three brothers raised by parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He lived in Wembley,…
#NoKidsInPrison Art Installation Highlights Youth Incarceration Driven By Target
Saint Paul, MN — The #NoKidsInPrison traveling art installation highlighted artwork from several cities across the U.S. along the theme of abolishing youth imprisonment; including art inspired by youth incarceration in Minneapolis driven by Target Corp.
The Minneapolis based non-profit law firm Legal Rights Center…
No Charges For Georgia Troopers Who Killed Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán
Stone Mountain, GA — A Georgia prosecutor announced Friday, Oct. 6, that six Georgia State Patrol SWAT troopers – Brylend Myers, Jerry Parrish, Jonathan Salcedo, Mark Lamb, Ronaldo Kegel, and Royce Zah – will not face criminal charges in the January 18, 2023 shooting death…
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Minneapolis City Council Rejects MPD Sergeant’s Workers’ Comp Settlement
Minneapolis, MN — In what appears to be a first in city politics, the Minneapolis City Council voted to reject former Minneapolis Police Sergeant Andrew Bittell’s workers’ compensation claim of $145,000. With over 23 years on the force, Sgt. Bittell had a violent history of…
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Found Dead Following Police Encounter, Justin Teigen Remembered
A newly released Unicorn Riot video highlights the final moments of 24-year-old Justin Teigen’s life and features an interview with one of Teigen’s best friends who was perhaps the last person to see him alive. In 2009, Teigen, a father of one, was found dead…
🦄 Police
Over 60 People Indicted on RICO Charges in Atlanta, Allegedly Promoting ‘Anarchist Ideas’
Georgia prosecutors have indicted 61 individuals under the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, for their alleged participation in the #StopCopCity movement and for, as they put it, promoting “virulent anarchist ideas.”
‘Wall of Forgotten Natives’ Encampment Revived After Five Years, Gets Evicted
Minneapolis, MN — On the morning of Thursday, August 24, Minnesota State Troopers clambered over an overturned car, piles of street lamps, and concrete barriers brought in to fortify the perimeter of a strip of land known as the Wall of Forgotten Natives as its…
French Police Kill Teen During Traffic Stop, Leading to Mass Revolt
A month before Minnesota law enforcement fatally shot Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop, police in France killed an Algerian teenager during a similar stop leading to a mass revolt across the country against anti-Black racism. An alarming pattern of deadly traffic stops in…
Helicopter Footage From Mass Arrest Reveals State Trooper Surveillance Capabilities, Tactics, and Communications
Minneapolis, MN – High-tech surveillance video and audio communication from a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter, obtained and first published by Unicorn Riot, reveals some of the planning and tactics behind the largest mass arrest in recent Minnesota history. On Nov. 4, 2020, a multi-agency law…
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‘Traffic stops should not be death sentences’ – Trooper Kills Ricky Cobb II During Traffic Stop
Minneapolis, MN — Around 2 a.m. on July 31, Minnesota State Patrol trooper Ryan Londregan fatally shot Ricky Cobb II, 33, during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 West near 42nd Ave. North. Cobb II is Black and Londregan is white. It’s yet another deadly…
‘We Won the Move!’ Minneapolis Council Member Celebrates After Community Thwarts Plans For Old 3rd Precinct Site
Minneapolis, MN — Results from the recent listening sessions hosted by the the City of Minneapolis and a consulting firm about the future location of the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct that was torched after George Floyd was murdered by former 3rd Precinct officer Derek Chauvin…
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Exclusive: Tekle Sundberg’s Parents Recall the Moments Snipers from the Minneapolis Police ‘Executed’ Their Son
“‘They’re in place on the roof.’ When I heard that I was pretty sure how the night was going to end. I was beginning to panic.” – Mark Sundberg, Tekle’s father
Cindy and Mark Sundberg arrived at their 20-year-old son Tekle’s apartment building late on…
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Remembering Paul Castaway: Killed by Denver Police
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…
🦄 Police
Banners Dropped for Isak Aden at Bloomington’s July 4th Celebration
Activists dropped banners on July 3 to commemorate Isak Aden at Bloomington’s ‘Summer Fete’ fourth of July celebration. Aden, 23, was killed by Bloomington and Eagan police on July 2, 2019. The banners read “Justice 4 Isak Aden”, “BPD Kills”, and “City council complicit in…
‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action Day 8: Youth Rally; Atlanta Police Vehicles Torched
Atlanta, GA — The sixth ‘Stop Cop City’ “Week of Action” concluded on Saturday, July 1. The day’s main event was a planned ‘Youth Rally’ in Brownwood Park in the East Atlanta Village (EAV) neighborhood, which had served as the main hub for gatherings and…
6th ‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action – Unicorn Riot Coverage
Atlanta, GA — During the week of June 24 – July 1, activists, organizers, and community members opposed to ‘Cop City’ are converging in Atlanta for a “Week of Action” against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. People gathered in and around Atlanta to mobilize…
‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action Day 7: Cadence Bank ‘Drop The Loan’ Protest, Panel on Overpolicing
Atlanta, GA — The ‘Week of Action’ against ‘Cop City’ continued Friday with a protest outside the offices of Cadence Bank in Midtown Atlanta, which is providing a construction loan to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the building of ‘Cop City.’ Friday evening, a panel…