South Africa’s Complex New Marijuana Laws Produce Hope, Fear and Confusion
The unclear nature of South Africa's new marijuana laws is creating confusion and operational hazards amongst a fast growing grey market.
Tag: war on drugs
🦄 Global
South Africa Becomes the First African Country to Partially Legalize Cannabis
Durban, South Africa — On May 28, 2024 South Africa made history by becoming the first African nation to formally legalize recreational cannabis drug use. The Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill — otherwise abbreviated as “CfPPA” — was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa…
In New Sweep, Police Ban Observers & Media from Control Zone in Kensington, Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA — Philadelphia police officers, under orders from the mayor’s office, are conducting anti-homeless encampment sweeps early on a rainy Wednesday morning. New hardline Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration banned the media and legal observers from monitoring their sweeps of unhoused people along a stretch…
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.
How Target Funded a ‘Tough On Crime’ Prosecutor’s Office, Driving Black Youth Incarceration in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN — Target Corp. pioneered the Community Prosecution Program in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) more than two decades ago during the era of mass incarceration. As part of a broad anti-crime campaign that employed new advanced technology and reshaped the criminal justice…
🦄 Investigative, Police, Tech
Criminal Intel Files Show Facial Recognition, Warrantless Surveillance in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN – Documents obtained via a series of public records requests from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) provide rare insight into police intelligence gathering. The documents include case numbers in which facial recognition was used, details about systems that gain access to vehicle…
Brazil: Nearly 7,500 Fall Victim to Femicides and Police Killings
At least 1,319 women in Brazil lost their lives as a result of femicide in 2021 while 6,100 people were killed by police, marking another violent year for the country. Statistics compiled by the Brazilian Public Security Forum (BPSF) in their annual report (pdf) detail…
Amir Locke’s Killer Gave Illicit Drugs to Protesters in 2012 Scandal
Minneapolis, MN – Mark Hanneman, the Minneapolis Police officer who killed Amir Locke while executing a pre-dawn no-knock warrant, was heavily involved in giving illicit drugs to unhoused people and Occupy Wall Street protesters in 2012. At the time, Hanneman was an officer in the…
Roots of Iran-Contra Crisis Found in Recording of Airport Attack Plan
In November of 1985, an American pilot working in El Salvador, Wally Grasheim, and a veteran CIA officer, Felix Rodriguez, were both deeply involved in covert operations to aid the U.S. effort against the Nicaraguan Sandinista government and other leftist groups in Central America. In…