Find Your Daily Voice
GO
Yonkers, NY
Breaking News
City Of Yonkers To Pay $50K To Activist As Part Of Settled Civil Rights Lawsuit
A city in Westchester will pay $50,000 to an activist as part of a settled civil rights lawsuit filed after his arrest at a city council meeting. According to court documents filed in July in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the City of Yonkers will pay the sum to settle a lawsuit filed by activist Hector Santiago in September 2023 following his arrest at a city council meeting in 2022. In the lawsuit, Santiago claimed his rights were violated when he was detained during a Yonkers City Council meeting on Nov. 22, 2022. According to the lawsuit complai…
Quincy, MA
Breaking News
No Jail Time For Ex-Mass. Officer Who Punched Handcuffed Man 13 Times: Feds
A former Weymouth police officer who was caught on video camera beating a handcuffed suspect will not serve any jail time, federal authorities said. Justin Chappell, 43, was sentenced to two years of supervised release, with the first six months to be spent under house arrest, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said on Tuesday, July 16. He must also complete 40 hours of community service each year of his supervised release. Chappell pleaded guilty in May to a single count of deprivation of rights under color of law, the prosecutor said. The assault happened on July 2,…
Yonkers, NY
Obituaries
First African American Westchester County Legislator From Yonkers Dies: Was 'Revered Figure'
Westchester is mourning the loss of its first African American County Legislator known as an iconic figure who fought for civil rights and equality for all. Former Westchester County Legislator and Yonker resident Herman Keith died on Saturday, June 22 after a long illness due to complications with Alzheimer’s disease, Westchester County officials announced on Wednesday, July 3. Keith, who Westchester officials called a "revered figure," was originally from Alabama and served in the US Army, eventually rising to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He later moved to …
Middletown, NJ
Breaking News
Asbury Park Restaurant Fined For Discriminating Against Nonbinary Customer, AG Says
A restaurant in Asbury Park was fined after it was accused of having a dress code that discriminated against a nonbinary person, officials said. Brando’s Citi Cucina agreed to several punishments, including a $5,000 payment to the customer, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a news release on Friday, June 28. The restaurant was found to have violated the state's Law Against Discrimination (LAD). Investigators said Brando's refused to serve the customer because staff believed they weren't following the restaurant's dress code, banning men from wearing sleeveless shirts while …
Bowie, MD
Breaking News
Former Maryland Police Officer Pepper-Sprayed Handcuffed Man During DC Stop: Feds
A former police officer in Maryland who broke bad has been convicted for violating a man's civil rights, using excessive force, and crossing the line during an incident in Northeast DC, federal authorities announced. Officer Philip Dupree, 40, formerly of the Fairmont Heights Police Department in Prince George’s County, was found guilty on Monday, June 17 for abusing a suspect during a traffic stop that was recorded by his victim's sister. "We depend on law enforcement officers to protect our communities from crimes and to protect our civil rights while doing so,” US Attorney Matthew Graves…
Massapequa, NY
Breaking News
Bill Banning Transgender Athletes Advanced By Long Island Lawmakers
A month after the Nassau County Executive’s executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports was struck down in court, a new proposed bill with the same goal has been advanced to the next step. After an at-times heated discussion between lawmakers and public commenters at a Nassau County legislative committee meeting on Monday, June 10, a bill aiming to bar transgender women from women’s sports passed an initial committee vote. Earlier Report: Nassau County Bans Transgender Athletes From Competing In Women's, Girls Sports The bill, which was introd…
Paterson, NJ
Breaking News
Passaic County Jail Officer Admits Bringing Inmate To 'Blind Spot' For Beating By Colleagues
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Passaic County correctional officer admitted that he brought an inmate to a "blind spot" at the county jail so two colleagues could beat him for squirting one of them with urine. Officer Lorenzo Bowden, 39, initially agreed with Sgt. Jose Gonzalez and Sgt. Donald Vinales not to talk after they'd received federal grand jury subpoenas two years ago this month, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Bowden eventually had a change of heart. The pretrial detainee was "transported through an area of the PCJ that does not have a video surveillance camera, which correctional officers …
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
Former DC Corrections Officer Admits To Assaulting Handcuffed Inmate, Feds Say
A former District of Columbia Department of Corrections officer who assaulted a handcuffed inmate has admitted to using unreasonable force, federal authorities announced. Marcus Bias, 27, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law after being charged late last year for an alleged incident more than three years ago. According to court documents, while working as a corrections officer, Bias pushed a handcuffed pre-trial detainee's head into a metal doorframe while escorting him within the Department of Corrections on June 12, 2019, causing an …
Springfield, MA
Breaking News
6 Western Mass Teens Held Mock 'Slave Auction,' Made Racist Comments On Social Media: DA
Six Hampden County eighth-grade students have been charged in juvenile court after chat logs were discovered where they made threats against minority students, used racist slurs, shared racist memes and comments, and held a mock "slave auction" for two black classmates, authorities said. Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni held a press conference on Thursday, March 14, explaining his decision to charge the Southwick Regional School students. He called their online chat "vile, cruel, and contemptible" in a news release. Hatred and racism have no place in this community. …
Arlington, VA
Breaking News
No Charges For Metropolitan Police Officers Involved In Fatal DC Shooting: Prosecutors
There will be no charges for a pair of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department for their role in a fatal shooting last year involving a 33-year-old District resident, according to federal investigators. The US Attorney's Office announced that there is insufficient evidence to pursue criminal or civil rights charges for their roles in an officer-involved shooting in Southeast DC in October 2023 that left Arthur Porter dead. According to prosecutors, at around 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 last year, the officers were called to the 2800 block of Gainesville Street SE, where there were reports of…
Cherry Hill, NJ
Breaking News
NJ Prison Officer Admits Looking Other Way While Inmates Were Beaten, Brutalized
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Nine months after a former corrections officer at a New Jersey prison was sentenced to 2½ years behind bars for admitting that he brutalized inmates in what one victim called a “fight club," a second officer cut his own deal with federal prosecutors. Joshua Hand, 34, of Millville, admitted in federal court in Camden on Monday, Feb. 26, that he stood by while two prisoners were being assaulted by fellow inmates at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Hand violated both inmates' civil rights by not stopping their assailants or reporting the in…
Paterson, NJ
Breaking News
Paterson Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Using Excessive Force Twice: Prosecutors
A 32-year-old Wayne resident and Paterson police officer pleaded guilty on Thursday, Feb. 8 to using excessive force during two separate arrests in late 2020, the US Attorney's Office announced. On Nov. 26, 2020, Kevin Patino responded to a call for backup from a police officer attempting to disperse a crowd on Main Street in Paterson, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. Patino got into an altercation with a person getting into verbal exchange with the officer, pushing them into the street, Sellinger said. Patino then threw them to the ground and proceeded to repeatedly strike them, Selling…
Next Page
Archive
