Charges Dropped Against Unicorn Riot Journalist Weeks Before Trial

Minneapolis, MN – The State of Minnesota dropped charges against Unicorn Riot journalist Niko Georgiades in a case that was set for trial in early June, citing “Prosecutor Discretion”.

[UPDATE – May 22, 2016: Below is ALL of the police reports –22 page PDF- received…

Grand Jury Announces No Indictment in Michael Kirvelay Case

Columbia Heights, MN – On May 6th, 2016, a federal grand jury decided to not prosecute two Columbia Heights police officers with unlawfully killing Michael Kirvelay.

The shooting occurred on the evening of November 24th, 2015, at the workplace of Michael’s sister, Jamie Castilla. As…

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,…

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…

Records Release: Denver Police Twitter Block List

Denver, CO – After filing a request under the Colorado Open Records Act, Unicorn Riot has received a list of all twitter accounts that have been blocked by the official @DenverPolice twitter handle.
According to Mary Dulacki, records custodian for Denver’s Department of Safety, no…

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…

Tribal Citizens Build Camp in Path of Oil Pipeline

April 1st, 2016 – Standing Rock Sioux Nation

Unicorn Riot attended the opening of the “Iŋyaŋ Wakȟáŋaǧapi Othí” (Sacred Rock Camp), a Spirit Camp, on the Standing Rock Nation, to bring attention to the proposed route of the Dakota Access Pipeline [DAPL].” A caravan of…

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…

Community Resists Appleton CCA Private Prison Relaunch at MN Legislature

St. Paul, MN – On Tuesday, March 22nd, faith organization ISAIAH, Black Lives Matter Mpls and community members organized a rally, vigil, and protest aimed at the new bill HF 3223 proposed in the Minnesota Legislature to re-open Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton. The currently…

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…

Liberation Day Honors Resistance at Wounded Knee

Pine Ridge, SD – On February 27th, 2016 Unicorn Riot attended the 43rd annual Liberation Day on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The day began with a “Four Directions Walk & Caravan” led by participants holding Medicine Staffs and American Indian Movement flags…

#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…

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”…

Striking Workers Paralyze Mpls Rush Hour Traffic

Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of striking janitors, staffers, union members, and community members occupied busy intersections in downtown Minneapolis bringing morning rush-hour traffic to a standstill.
CTUL or Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (The Center of Workers United in Struggle) and SEIU 26…

Broken Hearts Rally

St. Paul, MN – On February 13, 2016, Unicorn Riot attended the “Broken Hearts Rally: Picking up the Pieces for Unity.” The rally was held in Arnellia’s jazz club in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was originally slated to be held outdoors, but the event was…

Valentine Left for Denver Police at Vandalized Memorial

Denver, CO – On the morning of Monday, February 15, the Denver Police tweeted that an act of vandalism had occurred outside the police headquarters at 13th & Cherokee:
Media Alert: Chief White will talk to media about Police Memorial Vandalism today at 10:00 a.m.…

Friends of Victims of Police Murder Confront Denver Mayor

Denver, CO – Thursday night, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock spoke at a “Diversity and Leadership Summit” held by Regis University. He specifically mentioned the need to have “uncomfortable conversations” about racism in America. An uncomfortable conversation soon took place as the Mayor’s speech was interrupted…

LEAK: Unredacted Denver Police Crowd Control Manual

Last week, after filing a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request, Unicorn Riot received a heavily redacted copy of the Denver Police Crowd Control Manual. Most sections of the manual relevant to the policing of protests (our primary interest) were redacted. One redaction was 15…

First Nations Invite Enbridge to Public Debate

Superior, WI – During a snow storm in Superior, Wisconsin, about 100 community members and activists gathered at the Douglas County Courthouse to voice their opposition to Enbridge’s pipeline expansion plans, march to Enbridge offices, and call for a public debate. After a feast and…

Hundreds of Students Walkout in Minneapolis to Protest Deportations

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, January 20th, 250-300 students walked out of public high schools across the Twin Cities to demand an end to ICE’s deportation of Immigrant families. The students assembled at MLK park in South Minneapolis and marched to Lake Street to protest…

Protesters File Lawsuit Against MPD for Excessive Force

Minneapolis, MN – Two protesters {interviewed below} from the recent 18 day #4thPrecinctShutDown are suing officers of the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis for violating their free speech and using excessive force. The protests began on November 15th in the wake of…

#BlackXmas2 Shuts Down Mall of America, Light Rail & Both MSP Airport Terminals

Bloomington, MN – Hundreds of protesters converged on the Mall of America in what was billed as another #BlackXmas mall protest. This time Black Lives Matter Minneapolis & other groups demanded justice for Jamar Clark, an independent prosecutor for the police officer that killed him,…

MOA Attempts ‘Unconstitutional’ Injunction Against BLM-Mpls

UPDATE: February 29th, 2016, two months after filing a restraining order against #BlackLivesMatter Minneapolis organizers, Mall of America attorney Susan Gaertner asked a judge to drop the orders. For her reasoning, she stated, “We believe that it had the correct effect on the goings on…

Hundreds March Miles in Frigid Temp for #Justice4Jamar

Minneapolis, MN – A large coalition of organizations and community members defied frigid temperatures for the Justice 4 Jamar Unity Rally/March on Saturday, December 19, 2015 shortly after noon.

The rally and march was the latest in a series of community events in response to…

The Solecast # 19 with Vivien Weisman on The Hacker Wars

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An in-depth interview with Cuban born director Vivien Weisman. We discuss the hacker ethic, the importance of whistleblowers & the confluence of hacking & leaking. Vivien talks in depth about the importance of “activist journalism” and…