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The Truth About The Ferguson Case That Some People Really Can't Accept

Some things I have learned:ProPublica recently did an in-depth analysis and found that black kids between ages 15-19 are 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by cops than white kids of the same age. That's an insane statistic. That's per capita, not total. If you are a black teenage boy, you have a 21x higher risk of being shot by police than a white teenage boy.Also, in 2010, federal prosecutors took 162,000 cases to a grand jury. You know how many DIDN'T go to trial? Eleven.Mike Brown's family will never get a state criminal trial to get justice for their son. And the testimony that denied them that right technically doesn't make any sense. Seriously, go read it.

The Truth About The Ferguson Case That Some People Really Can't Accept

Police have a hard job. What they do is something I couldn't ever do. But you know what they rarely have? Accountability. In this case, the prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, always gets indictments — unless it's a cop. He's had five cop-involved killing cases and zero indictments. Again, five cases against police haven't made it to trial at all. He could get an indictment if he wanted one.

Don't believe me? Ask a public defender.


Don't believe him? Ask another lawyer.

The fact that this didn't at least get a trial infuriates me. But my being upset isn't that interesting. I'm white. People will take me seriously because I don't have the "bias" of being black. But actual black people, who live with this every day, are constantly second-guessed because they are somehow "biased." As though not wanting to get shot by police at a 21x higher rate is a bias. It's a daily reality of being black in America.

Danez Smith experiences this every day. He is 21x more likely than me to be shot by a police officer. And so he wrote "Not an Elegy for Mike Brown."

I could never imagine having to think this every day of my life. And I don't have to. Danez will, though. It's his and many other Americans' reality. There will be more unarmed black kids being shot by police. 21 times more. There's no question about that. The question is: How long will you tolerate it, and what are you willing to do to try to prevent it in the future?

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The average American produces nearly 5 pounds of waste material—cardboard, plastic, aluminum cans, and junk mail—each day. The United States creates significantly more garbage than the rest of the world (roughly 3 times more!), and we're running out of places to put it.

Most people are aware that recycling is important, but knowing exactly what and how to recycle properly can be confusing. Let's face it: we are, as a nation, stretched pretty thin in this particular moment; now we have one more thing to worry about? In a word, yes.

Don't worry though, because whether you're new to recycling or have been doing it for years, there is always something more to learn and endless ways you can help. To make saving the planet a little bit simpler, we compiled a list of small things you can do that will make a huge impact.

Acknowledgment. Most of us go about our day without thinking about the garbage we're producing, so simply tuning in to the choices we make is a big step forward. For example, online shopping increased dramatically in 2020, translating into a lot more cardboard boxes, plastic shopping bags, and Styrofoam takeout containers finding their way into households. That is a lot of trash!

Awareness. Buy from brands with a proven track record of environmental responsibility. Select foods in recyclable containers. Take the time to educate yourself on the best eco-friendly grocery stores in your area, and then... actually shop there.

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As the election approaches and millions of Americans prepare to send in their ballots by mail, people might be worried about how it's going to go. Between the president's constant drum-beating about fraud with mail-in ballots (which experts still say is not the major concern that he claims it is) and the administration's ongoing attacks on the United States Postal Service, it's an understandable concern.

But never fear—America's favorite mail carrier, Newman, is here. And he has an important message for all of us regarding the postal service and the election, and a message for President Trump regarding his tax returns.

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Photo courtesy of Lily Read
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Now more than ever, teachers are America's unsung heroes. They are taking on the overwhelming task of not only educating our children but finding creative and effective ways to do it in an unpredictable virtual learning environment.

Lily Read and Justin Bernard, two Massachusetts educators from one of the most diverse public high schools in the U.S. (over 25 different languages are spoken in the student body!), feel ready to meet the challenges of this unprecedented school year. Their goal: find ways to make virtual education "as joyful as possible" to help support teenagers during quarantine.

"Our school is very economically, racially, and linguistically diverse," said Read, "which means meeting the needs for all those students is incredibly complex." That wide range of diversity means that they spend a lot of time in professional development, preparing to meet students where they are. This summer, educators in their district spent weeks learning everything from how to provide emotional and social support via virtual platforms, to meeting 504 plans and Individual Educational Plans for disabled students virtually, to mastering the various online programs necessary for instruction.

Bernard, now in his fifth year of teaching, also coaches the high school football team. Prior to the pandemic, there were clear expectations for student athletes, with clear goals and incentives to keep their grades up. Now, Bernard is concerned that student athletes will begin to fall through the cracks without the structure of physically going to school each day, and he is on a mission to do everything he can to keep that from happening.

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I saw this poster today and I was going to just let it go, but then I kept feeling tugged to say something.

Melanie Cholish/Facebook

While this poster is great to bring attention to the issue of child trafficking, it is a "shocking" picture of a young girl tied up. It has that dark gritty feeling. I picture her in a basement tied to a dripping pipe.

While that sounds awful, it's important to know that trafficking children in the US is not all of that. I can't say it never is—I don't know. What I do know is most young trafficked children aren't sitting in a basement tied up. They have families, and someone—usually in their family—is trafficking them.

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via Foleyfriends / TikTok

The president's words matter. In what appears to be the waning days of the Trump presidency, they seem to matter less and less but there are still millions of people who mistakenly take his words as gospel.

A poll from last month found that two-thirds of Americans don't trust Trump when it comes to the pandemic. But that still means millions will follow his advice. The frightening thing is that during a pandemic, bad advice can mean the difference between life or death.

On Monday, after returning from Walter Reed Medical Center where he was being treated for COVID-19, President Trump sent out an irresponsible tweet urging Americans to be less concerned with the deadly virus.

A virus that is spreading like wildfire through his administration and their contacts.

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