Civil Rights

Portland police officer testimony in a civil trial last week suggests the city's police have an understanding of civil rights and use-of-force laws different from that of the federal courts and of lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice. In one instance, an officer appeared to not fully understand the bureau’s own use-of-force directives.

The agency surveilled Franklin and those around her to gauge how deeply she was involved in organizations tied to Communism, the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement.

Vice President Kamala Harris linked arms with rank-and-file activists from the civil rights movement and led thousands across the bridge where, on March 7, 1965, white state troopers attacked Black voting rights marchers attempting to cross.

The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, will soon celebrate its 113th birthday, which its leaders say comes as it undergoes a restructuring to reflect a membership and leadership that is trending younger.

The Justice Department has announced federal hate crime charges in the death of a Georgia man who was killed while out for a run last year

Erious Johnson was forced to step down from his job at the Oregon Department of Justice. This is his first one-on-one interview since he settled his civil rights lawsuit against his former employer.

The state of Oregon has reached settlements in two high-profile lawsuits.

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case in Colorado involving a baker who refused to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple could resolve a similar case in Oregon.

Mayor Charlie Hales's new contract for the police trades pay raises for the end to the 48-hour rule, which limited interviews after officer involved shootings. Activists question the deal.

Wendell Pierce is best known for his role as Detective William "Bunk" Moreland on "The Wire." We spoke to him at Wordstock about his memoir "The Wind in the Reeds."