Florida
Racism evident in plans for Urban Beach Week
There can be little doubt that racism is the driving factor behind the attitude of Miami Beach officials towards the thousands of young African Americans who make the annual trip to the city to celebrate Memorial Day. The central force behind the city’s approach to this “problem” has always been alarm over the presence of [...]
Band mates say FAMU victim volunteered to be hazed
Robert Champion was known for his opposition to the hazing rampant in the Florida A&M University marching band, but he was vying to be lead drum major and wanted the respect he could earn by enduring a brutal ritual known as “crossing over.” With chances for initiation ending with the football season, fellow band members [...]
Prosecutor to release evidence in FAMU hazing case
Prosecutors are expected to release evidence they have against the 13 people charged in last year’s hazing death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion. A state attorney’s office spokeswoman says hundreds of pages of documents and audio files will be released Wednesday. Champion died in November following what authorities have said was a hazing [...]
Latino, black political clout grows in Florida and North Carolina
The face of the Southern electorate is changing, and perhaps nowhere is the shift clearer than Florida and North Carolina. In the two critical battleground states, the share of white voters has shrunk since the last presidential election in 2008, and the number of African-American, Latino and other people of color voters has steadily grown. [...]
Jacksonville woman sentenced to 20 years in controversial warning shot case
Saying he had no discretion under state law, a judge sentenced a Jacksonville, Florida, woman to 20 years in prison Friday for firing a warning shot in an effort to scare off her abusive husband. Marissa Alexander unsuccessfully tried to use Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law to derail the prosecution, but a jury in [...]
