Resource Center

Stories

The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast.

These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need.

Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:



Search results for "racially charged" ...

  • Cop Stomp

    KIRO-TV investigates racially charged excessive force allegations against Seattle police officers and weather a cozy relationship between police and another local television station helped keep those allegation's secret.

    Tags: Seattle; stomp; brutality; police; stomping; assault

    By Chris Halsne; Bill Benson; David Weed; David Quinlin

    KIRO-TV (Seattle)

    2010

  • 36 years of Solitary: Murder, Death and Injustice on Angola

    A young guard at Louisiana's Angola prison was slain four decades ago and the two men convicted were sentenced to 36 years in solitary confinement. This series uncovers evidence in the case which may free the men of their sentences.

    Tags: Brent Miller; correction facility; prison; jail; Herman Wallace; Albert Woodfox; racially charged;

    By Laura Sullivan; Amy Walters; Steve Drummond

    American Radioworks (NPR)

    2008

  • The F-School Bomb

    "F-School Bomb" tells the story of English teacher Erika Selig's attempts to address a serious lack of discipline at Allapattah Middle School where she taught. Through Selig's eyes, readers were able to get a first-hand look into the daunting problems facing children, teachers and administrators inside a title 1 school. From racially charged fights between Hispanic and black students to the pressures of teaching students to pass Florida's standardized tests, Allapattah Middle School exemplified everything that is wrong with inner-city failing schools.

    Tags: inner-city schools; education; standardized tests; race; public schools; juvenile delinquents; teaching

    By Francisco Alvarado

    New Times (Miami)

    2008

  • Living Nightmare

    This investigation exposes a dramatic revenge plot, in which a Fresno County jail guard spent nearly ten months sending at least a dozen racially charged letters to violent gang members, all in the name of machine operator Paul Perry, who angered the guard over a traffic ticket.

    Tags: prison; gangs; racism; revenge

    By Chris Collins

    The Fresno Bee

    2007

  • The Lockheed Martin Shooting

    The murder of six employees at Lockheed Martin's aircraft assembly plant in Meridian, Mississippi, was characterized by the county sheriff and Lockheed spokespeople as a typical act of tragic workplace violence. A Primetime Live investigation revealed the racial motivation of the crime and found that Lockheed Martin had known about the murderer's history of making racial threats in the workplace. The investigation also revealed that Lockheed Martin plants across the country had numerous incidents of racially charged threats and hate speech at work among employees. Court records of the Mississippi murders were sealed, but Dateline interviewed plant employees in order to reconstruct the crime.

    Tags: murder; Lockheed Martin; defense contractors; hate crimes; racism; white supremacist

    By Brian Ross;David Scott;Maddy Sauer

    ABC News Primetime Live

    2005

  • Police Force Under Surveillance

    The Bakersfield Californian goes beyond the legal mumbo jumbo to find out what really goes on in the force. Reporters talk to former and current officers and members of the community to contribute to their article. The result is an unbiased, honest review of what role racism plays in the Bakersfield Police Department.

    Tags: police; cops; brutality; racism; department of justice; doj; racial profiling; bias; civil rights; false charges; harassment; misconduct

    By Charles Adamson;Christina Vance

    Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.)

    2004

  • The Car Dealer's Secret

    "In a joint investigation - ABC News 20/20 and The New York Times looked at two class-action lawsuits out of Nashville, TN that accuse two of the nation's most prominent automobile finance companies of credit discrimination. The lawsuits, filed under seal two years ago and unsealed in August 2000 on legal motions by 20/20 and The New York Times, accuse the General Motors Acceptance Corporation and the Nissan Motors Acceptance Corporation of participating in lending arrangements with car dealers that result in African-Americans paying higher finance charges on dealership-arranged loans."

    Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; racial discrimination; car dealerships; loans; automobile manufacturers; General Motors; Nissan

    By David Sloan;Roberta Baskin;Candace Hewitt;Arnold Diaz;David Byrd and Michael Kravinsky

    ABC News/The New York Times

    2000

  • Black, White and Blue

    A Dallas Observer investigation explores the disciplinary practices at the Dallas Police Department in relation with an alleged racial bias. The story reveals "a stark contrast between the way badly behaved white and black officers were disciplined." The analysis of the police department's records shows that 38% of the allegations of misconduct involve black officers at the time when only 16% of the sworn officers at the department are African-American. The investigation also reveals that "white officers have better odds of getting the charges against them dropped" and "if allegation were sustained ... black officers faced a greater likelihood of getting punished more severely than their white counterparts." The reporter points to two examples - one involving a black officer who has been fired for allegedly sleeping while on duty and another involving a white officer who has only received a written reprimand for the same misconduct. The investigation details some questionable hiring practices at the police department. The story also reports on a continuing U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the alleged racial bias.

    Tags: discrimination; race; African-American; Dallas Police Department; civil rights

    By Miriam Rozen

    Dallas Observer

    2000

  • Badges of Dishonor

    "An in-depth examination of Johnstown, Pa., Police Department, including drug abuse by officers, payroll records, morale issues, claims of police brutality and racial profiling." The story centers on Robert Hayes, a 13-year-veteran of the police force who overdosed on drugs. Sources in the police department claim the police department knew of Hayes' unfit conduct but failed to investigate. A young woman, rumored to be his girlfriend, committed suicide shortly after the overdose incident.

    Tags: police; confidential sources; cover-up; alcohol and drug tests; unfit conduct; assault; fabrication of police charges

    By Kirk Swauger;Bernie Hornick;Pete Bosak;Mike Faher;Bill Blair

    Tribune-Democrat (Johnston, Pa.)

    2000

  • Of a Father and Son, Of Guns and Drugs

    Rolling Stone tells the story of Dale and Dennis Cramm, a dysfunctional father and son pair who had a drug-dealing business together. Dennis is charged with murdering two teenagers during chaotic fight between himself and a black teenager. Wright discovers that this fight had racial overtones. Wright details the events that lead up to this fight, explaining, among other things, that Dale has connections to white supremacist groups, Dennis has a severe drug problem and the two had a violent relationship.

    Tags: Dale Cramm; Dennis Cramm; murder; Seattle; teenagers; drugs; guns

    By Evan Wright

    Rolling Stone Magazine

    2000