Detroit man freed from prison after life sentence is overturned
A Detroit man who had been convicted in 2005 for double-homicide and arson walked away a free man after a judge overturned his conviction. The Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Innocence Project now claims 28 convictions overturned. RELATED: Man freed after 26 years of wrongful imprisonment for Detroit murderThanks to the Innocence Project, Kenneth Nixon is now a free man. The Innocence Project found the original identification that came from a 13-year-old boy and a jailhouse informant werenโt reliable and overturned the conviction. The mother of two children who were killed, Naomi Vaughn, did not agree with the conviction being overturned.
Detroit to dismiss some tickets issued during Floyd protests
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)Detroit will dismiss most misdemeanor citations issued last spring during several days of protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a city official said Tuesday. Most of the tickets written from May 31 through June 2 were for curfew violations as hundreds of people demonstrated in downtown Detroit. The city expects to dismiss 238 of the 245 tickets issued on those three days, Detroit Corporation Counsel Lawrence Garcia said. Dozens of demonstrators received appearance citations for violating the cityโs 8 p.m. curfew, Garcia said in a statement. Prosecutors in Los Angeles also decided not to charge thousands of protesters arrested for violating curfew and other police orders.
2-year-old abducted by father in Gibraltar found safe
GIBRALTAR, Mich. โ Police have located 2-year-old Justice Kelly who was taken by his father from a Gibraltar home Wednesday night, violating a personal protection order against him for domestic violence. A ring doorbell camera captured the screaming of the boyโs older sister as her stepfather, Maurice Kelly, took him from the motherโs home. Michigan State Police put out an Endangered Missing Advisory with the vehicle description Wednesday. The Endangered Missing Advisory has been canceled. The Endangered Missing Advisory issued for: JUSTICE LANCE KELLY has been cancelled.
Michigan groups unite to urge passage of criminal justice reforms before yearโs end
LANSING, Mich. โ โWe are, so excited about this coalition, and weโre excited about these reforms. They prove that when people work together, they make genuine real process in Lansing,โ said Kimberly Buddin. Thursday, several organizations -- like Americans for Prosperity, the ACLU of Michigan, Safe and Just Michigan and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy -- presented the Justice Reform Package to the State House and Senate. They addressed key and important issues like driverโs license suspensions, mandatory minimum sentencing, case initiation, sentencing, probation, racial justice and fairness. The State House approved the package, now they move on to the Senate.
Live stream: GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee advances Barrett despite Dems' boycott
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance Amy Coney Barrettโs Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate as Republicans powered past Democrats' boycott of the session. Read update: GOP-led Senate panel advances Barrett despite Dems' boycottWatch live coverage:Despite a Democratic boycott, Republicans are powering ahead to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by Election Day with the Senate Judiciary Committee set to recommend President Donald Trumpโs nominee to the full Senate. Never before has the Senate confirmed a Supreme Court pick so close to a presidential election. Thursdayโs Judiciary Committee vote is expected to launch a rare weekend Senate session to push Barrettโs nomination forward, as millions of Americans are casting early ballots. โJudge Barrett deserves a vote and she will receive a vote,โ said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the committee chairman, in a statement.
Meet the Michigan couple who has been working to pave the way for civil rights, social justice for decades
Local 4โฒs Paula Tutman shared a story of a couple who was there that day and has continued to risk their lives to pave the way for civil rights and social justice. When King debuted his original โI Have A Dreamโ speech in Detroit in 1963, somewhere in the crowd was a 22-year-old warrior for civil rights named Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge. โIt was a very exciting day to be a part of the march,โ Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge said. Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge and her husband Dan Aldridge have spent more than six decades fighting for civil rights, equality and social justice. Now, the fight for civil rights seems different.
Michigan governor endorses Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy
DETROIT โ Saying she has been a creative leader for justice, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in her re-election bid. โI am excited to endorse Kym Worthy for her re-election as Wayne County Prosecutor. Kym Worthy has been a bold and progressive leader for Wayne County for years. Others who have endorsed Worthy include the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO, UAW Region 1-A, The Black Slate, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, AFSCME Local 25, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, the 12th, 13th and 14th Democratic Congressional Districts and the Fannie Lou Hamer PAC.
Live stream: JusticeCon: A Path Towards Freedom social justice conference
JusticeCon, a virtual social justice conference on Juneteenth, aims to connect activists, faith leaders and politicians with more than 2,000 attendees to explore social change through community, conversation, and courageous action. Speakers include former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kamala Harris. Watch live here beginning at 9 a.m. Friday:
Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit closed due to planned protest
DETROIT The Frank Murphy Hall of Justice will close at 2 p.m. Friday due to a scheduled demonstration at the courthouse. Any afternoon hearings that are scheduled after 2 p.m. will be rescheduled. The other divisions of the Third Circuit Court will be open for normal operations. READ MORE: AP-NORC poll: Majority of Americans support police protests
How city of Detroit is celebrating Juneteenth this week
From right in the middle of Woodward Avenue, Dean explained how the city is celebrating Juneteenth all week long. READ: Detroit is holding weeklong Juneteenth celebrationJuneteenth is a celebration of when the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, found out that they were actually free," Dean said. Once they heard the news, it started a Juneteenth jubilee.A stretch of Woodward Avenue is where that jubilee will be held this week, leading up to Juneteenth on June 19. Then were going to end the week with a celebration here in Spirit Plaza -- a Juneteenth rally, Dean said. We had some folks that reached out really wanting to paint a message of strength and resilience on Woodward Avenue, Dean said.
Civil rights groups sue Oakland County Jail for immediate release of people during pandemic
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. โ On Friday, several civil rights and racial justice groups filed a federal lawsuit calling for the release of medically vulnerable people inside the Oakland County Jail, arguing that county officials are risking the lives of everyone inside and the community at large. Naming Oakland County, its Sheriff, Michael Bouchard, and Commander of Corrective Services Curtis D. Childs, the lawsuit filed by Advancement Project National Office, American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU), Civil Rights Corps (CRC), LaRene & Kriger P.L.C. and the Law Firm of Pitt, McGhee, Palmer and Rivers in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, argues that Oakland County officials are violating the constitutional rights of people in the jail by exposing them to an unnecessary risk of infection, illness or death during the coronavirus pandemic.