Latest news with #CivilRightsDivision
Epoch Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
DOJ Finds UCLA Violated Civil Rights Law
The University of California, Los Angeles, violated Civil Rights by failing to address campus anti-Semitism, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division announced. Specifically, UCLA violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 'by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students,' said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a July 29 statement.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'You are misinformed': Harmeet Dhillon's heated exchange with Sen. Welch about Texas redistricting - The Economic Times Video
Tensions exploded during a heated Senate hearing as Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for civil rights, fired back at Senator Peter Welch, accusing him of being 'misinformed' over the DOJ's redistricting push in Texas. Dhillon, facing tough questions about alleged Trump-era interference in the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, shut down Welch's accusations with a sharp rebuttal, sparking a fiery exchange that left the room stunned.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Suspects identified as police investigate Cincinnati fight seen in viral videos. What we know
Multiple videos of a fight in downtown Cincinnati have been circulating on social media over the weekend, bringing up safety concerns for a city that has made a recent push to reduce crime in its urban core. Signal 99, a Facebook page which calls itself "a Spicy meme page for Cops, Firefighters, Medics and Dispatchers," shared the video the morning of July 26. It went on to gain traction on multiple platforms, including on Mayoral candidate and JD Vance's half-brother Cory Bowman's own Facebook page, and additional angles of the incident have also been shared. Elon Musk and Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, also weighed in. Seen in one of the videos is a group of people striking one man until he falls to the ground as they continue to punch and kick him. Shortly after, another man is seen punching a woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground, where she remained motionless until a person helped pick her back up. Here is everything we know about the fight in downtown Cincinnati: When and where did the fight happen? The post by Signal 99 claims the fight took place at the corner of Fourth and Elm streets during the evening of Friday, July 25. In another video posted on Facebook by Marvin C Bennett, the LoVe on Fourth nightclub can be seen in the background. Cincinnati police, however, have yet to confirm the time and location. What have officials said? Police Chief Teresa Theetge issued a statement later on July 26: "I am in complete disgust waking up to the viral video many of you have now seen. The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable ... Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm." She also said the fight was not connected to the Cincinnati Music Festival that took place from Thursday to Saturday. "This was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation," Theetge added. The "verbal altercation" can be seen at the beginning of Bennett's video post on Facebook. The situation is still under investigation and Theetge is asking anyone with information about the incident to call CrimeStoppers at 513-352-3040. More: Cincinnati city, law enforcement leaders react to video of Downtown fight The Enquirer texted Mayor Aftab Pureval's spokesman for comment, but had not received a response as of Sunday evening. Cincinnati City Councilman Mark Jeffreys issued a response on his Facebook page, describing the video of the fight as "incredibly disturbing and horrific," as well as "downright inhumane." He added that he's spoken with other city officials and police to work on "finding the individuals responsible and arresting them urgently." "This behavior cannot stand and will not represent our city," Jeffreys said. "Those responsible must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Police union president: Several suspects in viral brawl identified Cincinnati police union president Ken Kober said that investigators have identified four to five suspects believed to be involved in the fight. He said police are continuing to sort through tips to identify additional suspects. Officials have yet to announce any arrests in connection with the brawl. Kober said that police did respond to the scene, but he did not have any other information to share about the response. "That was nothing more than a savage attack," Kober said. "There's no place in society for what we saw." Downtown residents group to hold public safety meeting The Downtown Residents Council is holding a Special Meeting on Public Safety at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at the main branch of the Cincinnati Public Library, according to their website. In an email sent earlier in July, the council stated that those in attendance will include Mayor Aftab Pureval, City Manager Sheryl Long, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, and 3CDC President & CEO Steve Leeper. Have there been any arrests or hospitalizations? No details about whether anyone was arrested or hospitalized have been released as of Sunday evening. Has there been a rise in crime in Cincinnati? According to Cincinnati police data released on July 21, the Central Business District and riverfront areas of Downtown have seen a 25% increase in violent crime compared to last year. The data shows there have been 21 aggravated assaults between Jan. 1 and July 21 this year, compared to 16 during the same period in 2024. Property crime has also increased by about 57% year over year. During a press conference earlier this summer, city leaders acknowledged there was an "unacceptable rise in crime," as well as some unease over crime among Cincinnati residents, particularly in neighborhoods in the urban core. Because of the uptick, Theetge launched a series of initiatives aimed at curbing crime, including a roving task force and more visible patrols. She has been giving updates about crime statistics in press conferences nearly every week. What we don't know It is not known who the people involved were and why they were gathered in a large group. Police have not said how many people were injured or what the extent of their injuries is. Police spokesperson Lt. Jonathan Cunningham told The Enquirer on July 27 that there were "no significant updates" at that time regarding the fight. This is a developing story and will be updated. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati fight at Fourth and Elm: What to know about brawl videos Solve the daily Crossword
AsiaOne
23-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
US judge sentences ex-police officer to 33 months for violating civil rights of Breonna Taylor, World News
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was sentenced on Monday (July 21) to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor's rights during the raid in which she was shot and killed, after President Donald Trump's Justice Department asked the judge to imprison him for a single day. Taylor, a Black woman, was shot and killed by Louisville, Kentucky, police officers in March 2020 after they used a no-knock warrant at her home. Her boyfriend, believing they were intruders, fired on the officers with a legally owned firearm, prompting them to return fire. Taylor's death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, sparked racial justice protests across the US over the treatment of people of colour by police departments. US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, who handed down the sentence on Monday, criticised prosecutors for making a "180-degree" turn in its approach to the case and said political factors appeared to have influenced its recommendation for a one-day prison sentence. "This sentence will not and cannot be measured against Ms. Taylor's life and the incident as a whole," Jennings said. The sentence was at the low end of the 33 to 41 months called for under federal sentencing guidelines, but far more severe than the Justice Department under Trump had sought. Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, several other family members and Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend at the time, all spoke in court to ask the judge to impose the maximum penalty. "A piece of me was taken from me that day. You have the power to make today the first day of true accountability," Palmer told the judge. Ex-officer apologises During President Joe Biden's administration, the Justice Department brought criminal civil rights charges against the officers involved in both Taylor and Floyd's deaths. Hankison was convicted by a federal jury in November 2024 of one count of violating Taylor's civil rights, after the first attempt to prosecute him ended with a mistrial. He was separately acquitted on state charges in 2022. In a brief statement to the court, Hankison apologised to Taylor's family and friends and said he would have acted differently if he had known about issues with the preparation of the search warrant that led police to Taylor's home that night. "I never would have fired my gun," he said. The Justice Department's sentencing memo for Hankison downplayed his role in the raid at Taylor's home, saying he "did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death." The memo was notable because it was not signed by any of the career prosecutors — those who were not political appointees — who had tried the case. It was submitted on July 16 by Harmeet Dhillon, a political appointee by Trump to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and her counsel Robert Keenan. Keenan previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where he argued that a local deputy sheriff convicted of civil rights violations, Trevor Kirk, should have his conviction on the felony counts struck and should not serve prison time. The department's sentencing recommendation in the Hankison case marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to put the brakes on the department's police accountability work. Earlier this year, Dhillon nixed plans to enter into a court-approved settlement with the Louisville Police Department, and rescinded the Civil Rights Division's prior findings of widespread civil rights abuses against people of colour. Attorneys for Taylor's family called the department's sentencing recommendation for Hankison an insult, and urged the judge to "deliver true justice" for her. [[nid:720458]]
UPI
22-07-2025
- Health
- UPI
DOJ drops challenge to Tennessee's gender care ban for minors
Participants walk up Market Street in the 55th annual San Francisco Pride Parade in San Francisco on Sunday, June 29, 2025. On Monday, the Justice Department dropped a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's ban on minors receiving gender-affirming medical care. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo July 22 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has dismissed a Biden-era lawsuit challenging Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming care for minors, as the Trump administration continues to attack the rights and medical care of transgender Americans. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that her department's Civil Rights Division dismissed the lawsuit in a statement Monday that said the Justice Department "does not believe challenging Tennessee's law serves the public interest." Gender-affirming care includes a range of therapies, including psychological, behavioral and medical interventions, with surgeries for minors being exceedingly rare. According to a recent Harvard study, cisgender minors and adults were far more likely to undergo analogous gender-affirming surgeries than their transgender counterparts. Every major American medical association supports gender-affirming care for both adults and minors, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, the largest national medical association. Despite the support of the medical community and evidence of its efficacy, gender-affirming care and this marginalized community continue to be targeted by conservatives and Republicans with legislation. Tennessee enacted Senate Bill 1 in March 2023 to prohibit healthcare professionals from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones to minors to treat gender dysphoria, which attracted a lawsuit from the Justice Department under President Joe Biden, arguing the law violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, as all other minors continued to have access to the same procedures and treatments. The conservative movement targeting the healthcare of transgender minors has since gained a supporter in the White House with the re-election of President Donald Trump. Since returning to power, Trump has implemented an agenda targeting transgender Americans, including directing the federal government to recognize only two sexes determined at "conception," restricting gender-affirming care for youth and banning transgender Americans from the military. Last month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Biden administration's complaint to overturn the Tennessee law. The ruling fell along ideological lines, with the conservative justices voting for the law to stand. The liberal justices dissented. "By retreating from meaningful review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in her dissent. "Tennessee's ban applies no matter what a minor's parents and doctors think, with no regard for the severity of the minor's mental health conditions or the extent to which treatment is medically necessary for an individual child." Bondi on Monday said the Supreme Court made "the right decision." Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said that by dismissing the lawsuit, they "undid one of the injustices the Biden administration inflicted upon the country."
