2015

By 2015, the U.S. incarcerated 2.3 million people — 25% of the global total despite having 5% of world population. Black Americans were incarcerated at 5.1 times the rate of white Americans. One in three Black men born in 2001 could expect to be incarcerated in their lifetime. Black Americans were 3.73 times more likely than white Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession in 2018 despite similar use rates.

By 2015, the U.S. incarcerated 2.3 million people — the largest prison population in the world and 25% of the global total despite having 5% of world population. Black Americans were incarcerated at 5.1 times the rate of white Americans. One in three Black men born in 2001 could expect to be incarcerated in their lifetime. The War on Drugs, mandatory minimum sentences, and three-strikes laws enacted in the 1980s–1990s drove the rise. Although drug use rates are similar across racial groups, Black Americans were 3.73 times more likely than white Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession in 2018.

In April 2014, a state-appointed emergency manager switched Flint's water source to the corrosive Flint River without adding corrosion inhibitors, causing lead to leach from aging pipes. State officials suppressed evidence of contamination. An estimated 6,000-12,000 children were exposed to lead. Eighteen officials were charged; most charges were later dropped. Infrastructure replacement remained incomplete a decade later. Flint is majority Black.

In April 2014, state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley switched Flint's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to cut costs, without adding corrosion inhibitors. The corrosive water leached lead from aging pipes into homes across the majority-Black city. State officials, including Governor Rick Snyder's office, suppressed and dismissed evidence of contamination through 2015. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's pediatric study confirmed elevated blood lead levels in children by September 2015. An estimated 6,000–12,000 children were exposed to lead. Eighteen officials were charged; most charges were later dropped or dismissed after legal disputes. Infrastructure replacement remained incomplete a decade later.

The DOJ's Civil Rights Division released a scathing report on the Ferguson Police Department, finding a pattern of unconstitutional stops, searches, and arrests targeting Black residents, and a municipal court system designed to generate revenue through fines and fees. Black residents accounted for 85 percent of vehicle stops, 90 percent of citations, and 93 percent of arrests despite being 67 percent of the population.

Walter Scott, 50, was shot five times in the back and killed by North Charleston, South Carolina officer Michael Slager after a traffic stop for a broken taillight. Bystander video showed Scott fleeing and Slager firing eight shots. Slager was charged with murder after the video emerged, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges in 2017, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Following Freddie Gray's death, Baltimore erupted in protests beginning April 25, 2015. After his April 27 funeral, large-scale unrest broke out in Sandtown-Winchester and across the city. Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency; the National Guard was deployed. The uprising focused national attention on Baltimore's history of discriminatory policing, redlining, and disinvestment.

The Chicago City Council passed a reparations ordinance providing $5.5 million to survivors of systematic torture by Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and his subordinates, who tortured over 200 predominantly Black men between 1972 and 1991 to extract confessions. The package included monetary compensation, free City College tuition, a public memorial, and formal teaching of the Burge torture history in Chicago public schools.

Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white supremacist, opened fire during Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, killing nine people: Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson. Roof's manifesto cited the Council of Conservative Citizens website and stated he wanted to start a race war. Survivors' families publicly offered forgiveness at his bond hearing, a response that drew worldwide attention.

Freddie Gray, 25, died on April 19, 2015, a week after being arrested by Baltimore police who gave him an unsecured 'rough ride' in a police van, severing his spine. Six officers were charged; all were acquitted or had charges dropped. The death sparked days of uprising in Baltimore. A DOJ investigation found the Baltimore Police Department engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional stops, excessive force, and discriminatory enforcement against Black residents.

Sandra Bland, 28, was pulled over by Texas DPS Trooper Brian Encinia in Prairie View, TX, for failing to signal a lane change. Dashcam footage showed Encinia ordering Bland out of her car and threatening her with a Taser. She was arrested for assaulting an officer. Three days later, on July 13, she was found dead in her Waller County jail cell, ruled a suicide by hanging. Bland had recorded much of the encounter on her own phone. The case fueled the #SayHerName movement and scrutiny of pretextual traffic stops targeting Black drivers.

On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in 2015, New Orleans' Black population remained 100,000 below its pre-storm level. The Lower Ninth Ward, predominantly Black, had recovered only 37% of its population. Road Home compensation program payments were based on pre-storm property values rather than rebuilding costs — disadvantaging homeowners in lower-value (redlined) neighborhoods. The Orleans Parish School Board used Katrina to fire 7,500 unionized — majority Black — teachers and convert to an all-charter system. Research showed Black homeowners received 46 cents per dollar of damage compared to 61 cents for white homeowners in federal recovery funds.

On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans' Black population remained 100,000 below its pre-storm level. The Lower Ninth Ward had recovered only 37% of its population. Road Home compensation was based on pre-storm property values, disadvantaging homeowners in historically redlined neighborhoods. Black homeowners received 46 cents per dollar of damage compared to 61 cents for white homeowners in federal recovery funds.

Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald, 17, 16 times, 15 while McDonald was on the ground. The city suppressed dashcam footage for 13 months, paying a $5 million settlement with a non-disclosure agreement. A court order forced release of the video on November 24, 2015. Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder in 2018 — the first Chicago officer convicted for an on-duty shooting in over 50 years.

On October 20, 2014, Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald, 17, 16 times, 15 of which hit McDonald while he was on the ground. The city suppressed dashcam footage for 13 months, paying a $5 million settlement to McDonald's family before any lawsuit was filed, with a non-disclosure agreement. A court order forced release of the video on November 24, 2015, sparking massive protests. Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in 2018 — the first Chicago officer convicted for an on-duty shooting in over 50 years. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired. Mayor Rahm Emanuel chose not to seek reelection.

A Cuyahoga County grand jury declined to indict Cleveland officer Timothy Loehmann, who shot Tamir Rice, 12, within two seconds of arriving at a park where Rice was playing with a toy gun on November 22, 2014. The dispatcher had told officers the gun was 'probably fake' and the person 'probably a juvenile'; this information was not relayed. A surveillance video showed Loehmann shooting as the car stopped, giving no warning. Loehmann had previously been deemed unfit for duty in a prior police job. The DOJ under Obama began a civil rights investigation; it was closed without charges in 2020. The city settled with Rice's family for $6 million.

Chicago completed demolition of Cabrini-Green in 2011 and Robert Taylor Homes by 2007. Nationwide, HOPE VI-funded demolitions displaced over 100,000 predominantly Black households. Promises of one-for-one replacement were broken; original residents failed income and background screening for mixed-income replacements. The program translated as systematic displacement of poor Black communities from desirable urban land.

North Charleston, SC police officer Michael Slager shot Walter Scott, 50, five times in the back as Scott fled on foot following a traffic stop. Bystander Feidin Santana's cellphone video contradicted Slager's initial account that he feared for his life. Slager was charged with murder; a state mistrial was declared. He later pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The video evidence was critical to achieving accountability.

Legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw and the African American Policy Forum launched the #SayHerName campaign in May 2015 to document and publicize cases of Black women killed by police, who were often absent from mainstream Black Lives Matter narratives. The campaign named Rekia Boyd, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Michelle Cusseaux, Tanisha Anderson, and others. Crenshaw's intersectionality framework was applied to argue that race-only analysis failed Black women.

In the weeks following the June 17, 2015 Charleston massacre, at least seven predominantly Black churches burned in the South between June 21 and July 7. Fires were confirmed at Briar Creek Road Baptist Church (NC), Glover Grove Baptist Church (SC), College Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church (TN), and others. Some were confirmed arson. The FBI investigated several as potential hate crimes.

In the weeks following the June 17, 2015 Charleston church massacre, a wave of fires hit Black churches across the South. Between June 21 and July 7, 2015, at least seven predominantly Black churches burned. Fires were confirmed at Briar Creek Road Baptist Church (Charlotte, NC), Glover Grove Baptist Church (Warrenville, SC), College Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church (Knoxville, TN), Greater Miracle Temple Apostolic Holiness Church (Tallahassee, FL), and others. Some were confirmed arson; others remained under investigation. The FBI investigated several as potential hate crimes. Historically, Black churches have been targets of racial terror since Reconstruction.

Following intense pressure after the Charleston massacre, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed legislation removing the Confederate battle flag from the State Capitol grounds. The flag was lowered on July 10, 2015. The killing of nine Black churchgoers by a gunman photographed with the flag accelerated decades of activism demanding the flag's removal. Several retailers, including Walmart and Amazon, simultaneously removed Confederate flag merchandise.

A 2015 U.S. Justice Department investigation found that Ferguson, Missouri ran its police and courts as a revenue machine — ticketing and jailing Black residents to fund the city through fines and fees.

A white supremacist murders nine worshippers at Mother Emanuel AME Church.

Gray's death in police custody triggers protests in Baltimore.

Bland is found dead in a Texas jail after a contested traffic stop.