‘Hidden hero': The overlooked civil rights activism of Adjua Naantaanbuu
As Memphis’ pandemic-delayed Africa In April festival starts Friday, supporters say it’s time to honor one of its early organizers, Adjua Naantaanbuu.
Marc Perrusquia
Investigative Reporter
There are 70 articles by Marc Perrusquia :
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August 2021
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City of Memphis
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June 2021
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Metro Critics advocate reforms to limit bodycam fees and redactions
Transparency advocates say reforms are needed to make police body camera footage less expensive, more accessible to the public.
Related article:
Lack of Transparency: Bodycam footage often costly, heavily edited and takes months to get
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Metro Lack of Transparency: Bodycam footage often costly, heavily edited and takes months to get
Police bodycam programs were created to promote transparency and build public trust, yet high costs and long waits for heavily edited footage makes those programs a ‘bait and switch,’ critics say.
Related story:
Critics advocate reforms to limit bodycam fees and redactions
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May 2021
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City of Memphis ‘Taserface’ bodycam footage reveals officer’s liberal use of stun gun
A former MPD patrolman escapes prosecution for the liberal use of his Taser, yet a new District Attorney unit aims to hold brutal cops accountable.
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City of Memphis New Shelby prosecution unit targeting police brutality off to fast start
Amy Weirich’s new unit targeting police brutality is off to a fast start, charging two officers so far, yet faces challenges ahead.
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City of Memphis Former MPD officer faces criminal charge
A former MPD officer accused of pepper spraying a handcuffed, mentally ill man is the second law enforcement officer to face criminal charges brought by a new prosecution unit aimed at cracking down on police brutality.
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March 2021
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Metro Confirmed MPD excessive force cases to undergo criminal review
MPD begins sending confirmed excessive force cases to prosecutors for criminal review following Daily Memphian investigation.
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Metro MPD adds excessive force data to city website
Memphis Police Department launches new dashboard with use-of-force data to promote police transparency and accountability.
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January 2021
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EXCLUSIVE
MetroFrom Memphis to Capitol attack: How Richard Barnett ended up inside Pelosi’s office
Richard Barnett, the man charged with seizing Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Capitol riot, was born and raised in Memphis and worked briefly as a firefighter here before moving in his 30s to Northwest Arkansas.
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November 2020
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Metro Should ex-Klansman’s name remain on Memphis’ federal building?
For 50 years the name of the late congressman and one-time Klansman Clifford Davis has clung to the federal building in Downtown Memphis. His family says it’s time to take his name down.
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Metro A third of MPD excessive force findings are reversed by commanders
Case of Memphis police lieutenant allegedly choking a woman in a bar fight is among a third of cases in which MPD commanders reversed investigators and dismissed excessive force charges.
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Metro MPD brass overturns ‘chokehold’ finding despite bodycam showing officer’s arm around girl’s neck
As the Memphis Police Department weighs a request by District Attorney General Amy Weirich to start sending all confirmed cases of excessive force to her office for criminal review, this hotly disputed September 2016 incident illustrates how thorny Weirich’s proposal may be.
Related Story: A third of MPD excessive force findings are reversed by commanders
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October 2020
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Metro Weirich fires longtime Shelby County assistant prosecutor Glenda Adams
Amy Weirich fires longtime assistant prosecutor Glenda Adams amid misconduct investigation.
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Exclusive
City of MemphisDA Weirich asks MPD to refer all excessive force findings for criminal review; MPD hasn’t agreed
An investigation by The Daily Memphian leads District Attorney Amy Weirich to ask MPD to systematically refer findings of excessive force to her office for criminal review.
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Metro MPD bodycam video raises questions about police treatment of mentally ill
A “frequent flyer” with dozens of encounters with law enforcement is hit with pepper foam and denied water, even as three Crisis Intervention Team-trained officers were on the scene.
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City of Memphis Memphis police officers suspended in connection with Black man’s sexual assault allegation
MPD officers are suspended in connection with Black man’s rape allegations, posing fresh questions about controversial stop-and-frisk practices.
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September 2020
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City of Memphis Memphis police adopt new excessive force reforms following Daily Memphian investigation
But the reforms amount to a hollow ruse, says activist who complained about an officer who shot and killed a Black man in 2013.
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Metro Lawsuit claims officer sexually assaulted Black man while frisking him
A federal lawsuit contends Memphis police sexually assaulted a Black man during a stop-and-frisk operation and then failed to properly investigate the incident. The suit cites evidence from a Daily Memphian allegation into MPD’s failure to refer brutality claims to prosecutors.
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City of Memphis ‘It was torture’ — Video shows MPD officer repeatedly stunning a handcuffed suspect with Taser
Officer Otto Kiehl received a 10-day suspension but the case is one of several serious incidents of police abuse not sent to prosecutors to weigh possible criminal charges.
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Update
MetroFormer MPD homicide detective indicted for misconduct
Eric Kelly, a former Memphis Police Department detective who retired after admitting having sexual contact with a murder suspect, has been indicted on three felony counts.
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August 2020
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Exclusive
Investigating ‘The Mess': Chasing Predators
PART THREE : Memphis cold case task force races clock to use long-forgotten evidence to pursue sex offenders before statute of limitations expires
This week, the Institute for Public Service Reporting at The University of Memphis, in partnership with The Daily Memphian, reveals the results of its exclusive investigation into how more than 12,000 rape kits went untested and the impact that backlog has had on victims.
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Exclusive
MetroInvestigating ‘The Mess’ – Testing rape kits: A police perspective
Day 2: The Institute for Public Service Reporting at The University of Memphis, in partnership with The Daily Memphian and WKNO-FM, reveals the results of its exclusive investigation into how more than 12,000 rape kits went untested and the impact that backlog has had on victims.
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Exclusive
Investigating ‘The Mess’ : ‘Raped Twice’
In part two of our investigation into the city's rape kit backlog, aging sexual assault victims contend MPD’s failure to investigate their cases has doubled their trauma.
Also today:
- MPD looks to fix problems in the Sex Crimes Bureau — but not the “bid system”
- A critic’s perspective
- A police perspective
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Exclusive
MetroInvestigating ‘The Mess’ – Testing rape kits: A critic’s perspective
The Institute for Public Service Reporting at The University of Memphis, in partnership with The Daily Memphian, reveals the results of its exclusive investigation into how more than 12,000 rape kits went untested and the impact that backlog has had on victims.
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Exclusive
MetroMPD fixing troubles in Sex Crimes Bureau – but not the ‘bid system’
This week, the Institute for Public Service Reporting at The University of Memphis, in partnership with The Daily Memphian, reveals the results of its exclusive investigation into how more than 12,000 rape kits went untested and the impact that backlog has had on victims.
When the Memphis Police Department confirmed in 2013 the discovery of an estimated 12,000 older rape kits, many never tested for DNA, Susanna Parkinson refused to refer to the long-ignored evidence as a “backlog.” Instead, Parkinson, who worked closely with MPD as a longtime sexual assault intervention specialist and victim advocate at the Rape Crisis Center, called it “The Mess” — a collection of haphazardly stored and discarded evidence, poor decisions, missed chances and even wanton indifference to sexual assault.
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