Search About Newsletters Donate
Wilbert L. Cooper is a staff writer for The Marshall Project and the author of “The Black Shield,” the forthcoming book from Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Email wcooper@themarshallproject.org
A black-and-white photo shows a group of uniformed police officers, including both men and women, standing in several rows on stairs. The officers are all wearing dark uniforms and caps, and they are posing for a formal group portrait inside a building.
Cleveland June 13
Behind the Black Shield: The History of a Cleveland Institution
How one of the oldest Black policing organizations in the country shaped law enforcement in Cleveland.
By
A collage of items related to policing, the Black Shield Police Association and the author’s family. The items include: a police helmet; a baton; a gun; bullets; a sergeant’s badge; a newspaper clipping related to police misconduct and another related to use of force by police; and a photo of former police officer Vincent Montague.
Feature May 23
Out of the Blue: The Rise and Fall of a Black Cop
After Cleveland officer Vincent Montague shot a Black man, he got promoted. Then he allied with Black Lives Matter, and his life went off the rails.
By
RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, cries at a news conference in Memphis, Tenn. on Monday. Nichols died after being beaten by Memphis police officers on Jan. 7.
Closing Argument January 28, 2023
Tyre Nichols’ Death: How Black Officers Alone Can’t Stop Brutal Policing
A dialogue with Wilbert L. Cooper, a reporter from a family of Black officers, on why Black officers are no cure for police violence.
By and
The Language Project April 13, 2021
People-First Language Matters. So Does the Rest of the Story.
While we have to be aware that any word we choose has influence, no amount of Googling will reveal the magic word that brings justice into American prisons.
By
The Language Project April 12, 2021
The Language Project
Rethinking the words journalists use to talk about people who are currently or previously incarcerated.
By The Marshall Project
An election worker sorted submitted ballots at the Multnomah County, Oregon, elections office on Nov. 2.
Analysis November 11, 2020
Will Drug Legalization Leave Black People Behind?
Even in states that have legalized or decriminalized marijuana possession, Black people are still more likely to be arrested for it than White people. These organizers are working to change that.
By and
About
People
Jobs
Sitemap
Funders