From 2019 EJI Calendar
2015: Uncovered evidence of San Francisco police officers’ text messages referencing cross burning and lynching is released to news media.
From EJI Timeline
Racist Texts Between San Francisco Police Officers Uncovered
Racist San Francisco police officer texts.
On March 13, 2015, a flurry of racist text messages sent between several members of the San Francisco Police Department were released as part of an ongoing investigation into a corruption scheme involving Ian Furminger, one of the main officers also involved in the text scandal. Furming claimed that the messages were “supposed to be funny” and “not to be broadcast on the news”; they involved several references to cross burning, lynching, and many homophobic and racial slurs.
As many as fifteen police officers were immediately placed under investigation due to the text messages. Afterward, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr called for seven of the officers to be dismissed. The San Francisco District Attorney’s and Public Defender’s offices each began their own investigations announcing the need for thousands of cases to be reviewed for potential biases in these officers’ conduct.
Today’s articles:
The Better Clarksdale Foundation on Maple Melton, Pt. 1
Handgun charge stops a fleeing Roosevelt Smith
Lawmakers considering 4-times more raise for school teachers than expected
