Police Accountability Report

17/07/2024

Taya in action

16/07/2024

16/07/2024

Taya on the convention floor

29/06/2024

Hello, PAR family! I know we may sometimes feel helpless with national politics, but I KNOW we can affect local politics! How do I know? Because YOU helped lower Cody Cecil's bail and get him home safely to his family. Cody Cecil, who reached out to us 2 years ago, was trapped in a Cabell County jail with a $100,000 bail, but thanks to YOUR concern and efforts, he was able to get his bail lowered and to return home to Michigan, but his fight hasn't stopped. He currently has a petition for his freedom at https://freedomgrow.org/cody-cecils-sentencing/ And there will be a supportive rally meeting at 8am in front of the Huntington County courthouse on July 2nd. Please take the time to watch this important update to learn more about the raid on his camper, the asset forfeiture he suffered, his struggle to avoid prison, and stay united with his pregnant fiancee and two young sons-- all because of his ma*****na plants and his belief that cannabis is a healing modality. Link to full report on Cody Cecil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UduV1c9-dCM
Also, shout out to Carolina in Fort Worth for surviving her injuries from the Ft Worth, TX police department and still stepping out the next day to cop watch and livestream! 🫡

27/06/2024

Police violently raided his camper, but the cover up is even more shocking! WV police raided Cody's camper over eight h**p plants. He's facing a 10yr sentence. Yet Cabell authorities have a development deal with Trulieve-a billion $ cannabis company🤔please join us for the premiere and livechat tonight 7pm

Two years ago, Michigan-based cannabis entrepreneur Cody Cecil’s camper van broke down in Milton, West Virginia. As he was awaiting repairs, Cecil was confro...

06/06/2024

Unmarked Sacramento gang unit cops drag her child out of her car at gunpoint, then threaten to arrest mother for asking why! Please join us for this important discussion tonight 9pmEST. We will have a live chat where we will engage with the topic of police culture around specialized units and I very much want to hear your thoughts! And I hope you will join us to hear directly from the family what happened, the impact it has had on their lives and how they trying to recover and get some semblance of accountability!

Jennifer Kretschman, a Sacramento school district social worker, was wrapping up her workday when she received a sudden, frantic call from her 17-year-old da...

24/05/2024

An off-duty Texas cop falsely accused him of drug dealing; what happened next was life-changing...A dispute over $20 rapidly escalated when the officer accused one party of drug dealing. K-9, and an illegal search-led to pressure to become a criminal informant! Please join us for this important discussion tonight on the dangerous world of criminal informants eastern time in the live chat!

Jose Palomares, an off-duty cop, was moonlighting as a security guard at a homeless services center in Ft. Worth when a dispute arose over $20. Officer Palom...

06/05/2024

https://vimeo.com/showcase/8261440/video/943066733

In this Season 7 Episode of "An Interview With..." filmmaker(s) Taya Graham & Stephen Janis tells us a little about the process and the making of his/her/their…

27/04/2024

Five years of producing the Police Accountability Report with Taya M Graham. It's been an amazing experience to talk to peope all over the country and to tell theiir stories and all wih the most talented reporter I know! Happy five-year PAR Anniversary!!!!

25/04/2024

It has been 5 years of PAR! That's why Taya Graham and Stephen Janis are celebrating with this special special livestream panel that will bring together cop ...

25/04/2024

Please join us tongith for our PAR 5th Anniversary Livestream

It has been 5 years of PAR! That's why Taya Graham and Stephen Janis are celebrating with this special special livestream panel that will bring together cop ...

25/04/2024

If you're interested in learning how wealthy developers were able to get hundreds of millions in tax breaks from a poor city, please watch our documentary Tax Broke, which is now free on Tubi

Explores the manufactured inequality in a destitute city, where a few prosper at the expense of many through deceitful urban development.

04/04/2024

New Body Cam footage exposes police tasing Wisconsin man for minor traffic infraction. And we explore the "magic words" we have seen used by officers again and again to justify the use of force when there is no justification.
The shocking footage, which shows Wisconsin cops using a taser on a young Doordash delivery driver during a traffic stop, demonstrates how capriciously police wield their prerogative on the use of force. Please join us tonight at 9pmEST for this important conversation and to show support to the young man who is still recuperating from the situation, emotionally and financially.
And as always I can't help but suggest that you support those who fight for the First Amendment like LackLuster Munkay83 Recording the Thin Blue Line Otto The Watchdog - Watchdog News Network The Battousai Phillip Marion For Public Safety John Filax Manuel Mata Jack Miller James Freeman Videos Fintan Vargas David Boren LadyJustice LibertyPress Blind Justice and so many others! Let me know some of your favorites below!

A Wisconsin man making Doordash deliveries in the vicinity of Lake Superior had his world suddenly turned upside-down by a traffic stop gone terribly wrong. ...

03/04/2024

Already serving a 12-year sentence in Colorado, First Amendment activist Eric Brandt now faces unexpected federal charges handed down at the most inopportune time.

02/04/2024

In Colorado there is a First Amendment activist that people love, hate, or love to hate and his name is Eric Brandt.
Here is an update on his on the 12 years he is serving for alleged threats to judges and the unexpected Federal indictment that appeared nearly 5 years after the initial incident, arriving at a time when Eric's good behavior was earning him less restrictive housing...
Special thanks to Winston Otto Noles and Abade Irizarry for helping with this report.

Already serving a 12-year sentence in Colorado, First Amendment activist Eric Brandt now faces unexpected federal charges handed down at the most inopportune time.

21/03/2024

Cops tried to arrest a whole neighborhood this is what happened when the community fought back. Please join us for this important conversation, it is the last part of our 3 part series and highlights two important issues. 1 Body Worn Cameras do NOT guarantee your constitutional rights will be protected. 2 A Federal Consent Decree also does NOT guarantee your constitutional rights will be protected. 3 My question is-- what will? We need solutions and I am open to constructive ideas! Please join us tonight 9pmEST for the live chat to talk discuss with us how we can keep the public safe during public safety enforcement actions.

More information on tonight's episode-

Former Baltimore Police Sgt. Ethan Newberg's disgraceful downfall continues as new body camera footage reveals an incident in which the ex-cop made three illegal arrests, and then threatened to arrest entire block full of witnesses. Although they were initially responding to a neighborhood dispute, Newberg and his partner arrested a local resident who was not involved in the altercation almost immediately. When neighbors began to protest, Newberg escalated to arrest two more residents—and threatened to keep going until the whole neighborhood was in handcuffs. Police Accountability Report returns with exclusive footage of Sgt. Newberg's outburst, and what it tells us about the state of policing in Baltimore and around the country.
And as always please consider learning about the activists, and cop watchers in your area who are really working to protect your civil rights. In my city we are blessed to have Tawanda Jones who has been advocating to reform policing and against police brutality since her brother Tyrone West was murdered by Baltimore City Police in 2013. She has protested EVERY Wednesday holding "West Wednesdays" since then and has been a powerhouse and inspiration for criminal justice system reform in our community and beyond. Don't forget to support your local folks and if you don't have one, maybe this is your sign to become one!

Former Baltimore Police Sgt. Ethan Newberg's disgraceful downfall continues as new body camera footage reveals an incident in which the ex-cop made three ill...

20/03/2024

The process of holding government and police accountable starts with transparency. As you can. see in this story Maryland ha s a long way to go.

The death of a key public accountability bill to increase openness in government policy reveals that Maryland may not be as progressive as it claims.

17/03/2024

If you like our work on police accountability please support our documentary "Tax Broke." It is our five-year investigation into the use of tax breaks to spur development, and how a very poor city made a handful of politically connected developers very rich.

The great inequality divide in America is no accident. Tax Broke tells the story of how one of the poorest cities in America has made a small group of developers rich. A history of fleecing of a great American city.

17/03/2024

We don't just investigative police, we also examine the system that makes bad policing possible. In this case, we exposed how a single politically connected developer received tens of millions in tax breaks with very little transparency. An example of the government making the already rich, richer.

Baltimore's glitzy Harbor East is built on a foundation of tax breaks subsidized by the local taxpayers of a city struggling with poverty, crime, and a devastating lack of affordable housing.

08/03/2024

Thanks to Creative Alliance and Taya M Graham and Jayne Miller for a thoughtful discussion with the community about Baltimore's tax break fueled development strategy. It's a great space for productive and thought provoking discussion. Baltimore is a great city with great people, our leadership just needs to reflect it

06/03/2024

All of these disparate challenges may seem unrelated—yet they are actually informed by the same questions underlying Harbor East: What role should public money play in funding private development? How does a city grow in a way that is both fair and productive? How can a community reimagine itself while meeting the competing demands of affordable housing, attracting new residents, and not overburdening current taxpayers who pay the highest rate in the state? And what can the rise of Harbor East, in part driven by lucrative taxpayer subsidies, teach us as we ponder this momentous present and yet-to-be-determined future of the city?

Baltimore's glitzy Harbor East is built on a foundation of tax breaks subsidized by the local taxpayers of a city struggling with poverty, crime, and a devastating lack of affordable housing.

06/03/2024

https://therealnews.com/baltimore-touts-equality-so-why-did-it-lavish-tens-of-millions-in-tax-breaks-on-a-single-development-harbor-east

Baltimore's glitzy Harbor East is built on a foundation of tax breaks subsidized by the local taxpayers of a city struggling with poverty, crime, and a devastating lack of affordable housing.

01/03/2024

Officer dies after illegal arrest, then his victim was charged with murder.
Sergeant Michael Kunovich self initiated a call for a suspicious hispanic male. The young man was 18 yro Virgilio Aguilar Méndez a Guatemalan farm worker in St. Augustine, FL. Méndez is an indigenous Guatemalan who speaks a language called Mam and speaks some Spanish and no English. Kunovich called for back up but not a translator as he asked Mendez where he was going, what he was doing. Méndez attempted to answer his questions and despite his obvious confusion, Kunovich chose to aggressively search Méndez, take him to the ground using force including, had another officer put him in a choke hold and tasered him roughly 6 times in 2 minutes. In the full body camera video Méndez can be heard screaming in pain saying over and over again that he's sorry. A few minutes after Méndez was placed in the back of the patrol car Sergeant Kunovich collapsed and was taken to a hospital where he later died. Although this was ruled death by natural causes by the state medical examiners the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida charged Méndez with aggravated murder, which is punishable by life in prison. Méndez has been sitting in prison since May of 2023. He currently is considered incompetent to stand trial as the judge has deemed him unable to understand the American legal system or participate via English or Spanish. Do you think Méndez should have his constitutional rights protected? Or do you think these charges should stand? Let me know your thoughts below and remember we will be back with a full Police Accountability Report as soon as we are done with these Mayoral debates in our city-- please wish us luck! Hope to see you soon, and as always be safe out there--Taya

15/02/2024

CW:Gun shots in Video, But No Bodily Harm
Video Reveals Deputy Mistakes Acorn for Gun Fire, Unloads Magazine at Handcuffed Man
Roughly a dozen bullets were fired at a handcuffed, unarmed suspect who miraculously survived. In November 2023 Okaloosa Sheriff's Deputy Jesse Hernandez reported to a scene where a woman alleged her boyfriend refused to return her car and was sending threatening messages. Deputy Hernandez patted the 22yro down, cuffed him and put him in the back of his patrol car without any physical resistance. As Hernandez returned to the vehicle to perform a more thorough search of the suspect he heard what he believed to be suppressed gun fire coming from inside of the car however an Internal Affairs investigation reveals an acorn was seen dropping on camera and the sound matched perfectly to when the deputy asserted he heard gun fire. Hernandez yelled he had been shot leading to his fellow officer Sgt. Roberts to join him at shooting the patrol car. Deputy Hernandez has been permitted to resign without any criminal charges filed. Sergeant Roberts has been exonerated of wrong doing and continues working for the Okaloosa Sheriff's department.

I have highlighted this incident as an example of poor police training and lack of accountability and as outrageous as it is I am grateful I can highlight this issue without extreme injury or a tragic death at the heart of it. You may have recently seen another shooting in Houston, Texas where nearly two dozen rounds were fired into an apartment resulting in 5 direct injuries to a woman misidentified as an intruder. These incidents of poorly controlled gun fire are usually assessed and dismissed by asking the officer if they feared for their safety. Activists and many concerned citizens argue that the standards of reasonable for use of force as well as qualified immunity-- should be reassessed. I hope you will join us tonight for the premiere of our full report 9pmEST which focuses deep in the heart of Texas! Will be pinned in comments hope I will get to talk to you in the livechat!

15/02/2024

Texas Sheriffs Relentlessly Ticket Door Dasher Leaving him thousands in debt, barely able to work. Like MILLIONS of other Texas motorists, Thomas Reader found himself in an unending debt spiral as a result of the state's Drivers Responsibility Act. Due to the program's surcharges and late fees, Reader owed $13,000 to the state—a quantity he simply couldn't pay until he was finally granted a form of amnesty. The occupational license which was a direct result of this program limited his ability to drive, and as a Door Dasher his increased time on the road only meant increased exposure to police looking to write tickets to secure revenue. When Reader, out of frustration, "flipped the bird" at a Texas Sheriff patrol car, officers conveniently claimed to have witnessed a traffic violation, pulling Reader over and arresting him. Taya Graham and Stephen Janis of the Police Accountability Report examine the footage in the case and its wider implications on the corrosive power of revenue-motivated policing, which is increasingly a factor in the behavior of law enforcement nationwide. join us tonight 9pmEST for this important discussion on profit driven policing and the limits of freedom of speech Hope to hear your thoughts in livechat!

Like hundreds of thousands of other Texas motorists, Thomas Reader found himself in an unending debt spiral as a result of the state's Drivers Responsibility...

09/02/2024

The great inequality divide in America is no accident. Tax Broke tells the story of how one of the poorest cities in America has made a small group of developers rich. A history of fleecing of a great American city.

09/02/2024

Please help support our investigative reporting!!!!

The great inequality divide in America is no accident. Tax Broke tells the story of how one of the poorest cities in America has made a small group of developers rich. A history of fleecing of a great American city.