Amir Locke Lawsuit Moves Forward. National Guard Stays in D.C. Kanye on Mental Health.

A federal appeals court has allowed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis to proceed regarding the police killing of Amir Locke. Locke was shot and killed by a SWAT team during a no-knock warrant in February 2022 while asleep on a couch, despite not being the target of the warrant. His parents allege constitutional rights violations and a pattern of excessive force and improper no-knock warrant use by the Minneapolis Police Department.

The US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled the lawsuit can move forward. Locke was asleep on his cousin's couch in Minneapolis in February 2022 when a SWAT team executed a no-knock warrant. He was not the person officers were looking for and was shot and killed by an officer seconds after police entered. His parents are suing the city of Minneapolis.

The EPA affirmed that Elon Musk's XAI illegally operated gas turbines in Memphis without the required permits, releasing thousands of tons of nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde into the air. This pollution disproportionately affected Black residents in areas like Boxtown and Westwood. Local city and county officials, including the mayor and health department, were criticized for supporting XAI and allowing them to operate with impunity, despite community warnings.

The EPA affirmed that Elon Musk and XAI were illegally operating gas turbines without a permit. They built a power plant and didn't go to the health department or any other agency asking for a permit. They polluted the air of our community more than the international airport, with thousands of tons of nitrogen oxides and 17.2 tons of formaldehyde. The Shelby County Health Department previously allowed XAI to designate its turbines as non-road engines and to start using them without public comment and environmental impact review.

A new study from North Carolina State University found a direct link between worrying about police brutality and harassment and adverse heart health outcomes in Black women. The study, which examined 422 Black women aged 36-46, identified that related stressors contributed to a higher risk of heart disease and hypertension through chronic stress and the experience or fear of police misconduct, particularly concerning their children's interactions with law enforcement.

A new study shows the link between police brutality and heart health in black women from North Carolina State University. It shows that worrying about police brutality and harassment is having an impact on heart health. The top concern for black women is the potential interactions between their children and police. Researchers found the related stressors contributed to higher risk of heart disease and hypertension through chronic stress and experiencing or fear of police misconduct.

Indianapolis-based organization Gang Gang, founded by Velia and Al Bacon, is dedicated to centering beauty, equity, and culture through art. They economically empower artists by ensuring 100% of sales from their 'Butter' fine art fair go directly to the creators, challenging the 'starving artist' narrative. The 'Butter' fair, which started in 2020 and has grown to generate over $1.2 million in sales for artists, is expanding to Los Angeles in 2026, aiming to disrupt traditional art fair models by being accessible and cause-driven.

Gang Gang's mission is to center beauty, equity, and culture in cities by activating creative economy. They support musicians, rock artists, painters, sculptors across disciplines. Their most visible output has been Butterfing Art Fair, launched in 2020 as a tactic for equity and action. Butter ensures 100% of the sales go back to the artists. It has grown from selling $65,000 worth of art to over $1.2 million going back to artists. Butter is expanding to Los Angeles in Black History Month 2026.

Dr. James Peterson's article, 'They Shoot the White Girl First,' argues that violence in America is ordered and hierarchical. Historically, police brutality against Black and Latino communities has been met with excuses and impunity, with legal protections like qualified immunity. However, recent fatal shootings of white individuals by federal immigration authorities, like Renee Nicole Good, are shattering the 'veneer of safety' for white Americans. Peterson contends this unchecked authoritarianism, rooted in white supremacy and amplified by the current administration's policies, is now expanding its reach, creating a potential for broader solidarity against tyranny.

Dr. James Peterson's new opinion piece connects those deaths to broader issues of authoritarian nationalism, but also to shine a light on the history behind who receives public outrage and sympathy after a deadly encounter with law enforcement. He states, 'They're gonna shoot a white woman. They're gonna shoot a white guy, they're going to shoot anybody, right?' He argues that the hierarchy of unlawful police violence typically directs against black/Latino/poor communities with excuses and qualified immunity. What they've practiced in these communities with impunity, they can now do at a large scale, killing middle-class white folks. He explicitly states, 'white supremacy is really the bedrock beneath all of this' and 'animates a lot of this nation's history.'