A.C. Thompson

Reporter

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A.C. Thompson is a staff reporter with ProPublica. His stories, which often examine the criminal justice system, have helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison and the prosecution of seven New Orleans police officers. In addition to working as a print and web journalist, Thompson has reported extensively for television, serving as a producer and correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. His life was fictionalized on the HBO show “Treme.”

DOT Researchers Suggested a Way to Make Big Trucks Safer. After Meeting With Lobbyists, Agency Officials Rejected the Idea.

The Department of Transportation allowed trucking lobbyists to review an unpublished report recommending a safety device that could save lives by preventing pedestrians and cyclists from getting crushed under large trucks.

Trapped Under Trucks

For decades, federal safety regulators ignored credible scientific research and failed to take simple steps to stop gruesome roadway crashes involving heavy trucks. Meanwhile, the bodies piled up.

What Happened When Twitter and Other Social Media Platforms Cracked Down on Extremists

In a Q&A with ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson, former intelligence officer and data scientist Welton Chang explains how conspiracy theorists and violent racists fled to smaller platforms. Once there, their remarks festered and spread.

Facebook Grew Marketplace to 1 Billion Users. Now Scammers Are Using It to Target People Around the World.

ProPublica identified thousands of Marketplace listings and profiles that broke the company’s rules, revealing how Facebook failed to safeguard users.

The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records and Military Training. Now They Want to Overthrow the Government.

ProPublica and FRONTLINE have identified more than twenty members with ties to the armed forces.

Members of Several Well-Known Hate Groups Identified at Capitol Riot

A ProPublica-FRONTLINE review of the insurrection found several noted hardcore nativists and white nationalists who also participated in the 2017 white power rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

House Committee to Subpoena Records on Discipline Related to Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group

Rep. Carolyn Maloney says Customs and Border Protection won’t turn over records identifying agents disciplined or fired for their offensive posts

After a Year of Investigation, the Border Patrol Has Little to Say About Agents’ Misogynistic and Racist Facebook Group

The Border Patrol vowed a full accounting after ProPublica revealed hateful posts in the private Facebook group. Now congressional investigators say the agency is blocking them and revealing little about its internal investigation.

How a Key Federal Civil Rights Agency Was Sidelined as Historic Protests Erupted

Launched by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the Community Relations Service has been without a director and short-staffed during recent unrest. The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to eliminate the agency.

NYC Mayor and Health Officials Misled Public About Plans to Move COVID-19 Patients Into Nursing Home, Advocates Say

Lawmakers have also written that they are “deeply concerned” about the situation at a Roosevelt Island facility and the possibility that the coronavirus may be spreading from COVID-19 patients to long-time nursing home residents.

The FBI Is Investigating Massive Embezzlement of Border Patrol Union Funds

The head of the powerful union representing border patrol agents nationwide said the FBI is working to identify who stole some $500,000 out of the coffers of the El Paso local. The theft raises more questions about lawlessness in the union’s ranks.

“Dirtbag,” “Savages,” “Subhuman”: A Border Agent’s Hateful Career and the Crime That Finally Ended It

Border Patrol agent Matthew Bowen had been investigated for years before he used his 4,000-pound truck to assault a fleeing migrant.

Border Patrol Condemns Secret Facebook Group, but Reveals Few Specifics

The agency won’t say how many employees have been disciplined or warned in the ongoing scandal over offensive social media posts.

En un grupo secreto en Facebook, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza se burlan de inmigrantes muertos y publican memes sexistas

En este grupo creado hace tres años y con aproximadamente 9,500 miembros, se compartieron comentarios despectivos sobre las legisladores latinas que planearon visitar un polémico centro de detención en Texas, llamándolas “escorias” y “putas”.

Investigation of Secret Border Patrol Group Launched as New Degrading Facebook Posts Surface

A ProPublica story revealing demeaning posts directed at Latina lawmakers prompted widespread revulsion. Immigration officials said such comments violate the agency’s code of conduct and promised that violators will be held accountable.

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes

The three-year-old group, which has roughly 9,500 members, shared derogatory comments about Latina lawmakers who plan to visit a controversial Texas detention facility on Monday, calling them “scum buckets” and “hoes.”

Years Ago, the Border Patrol’s Discipline System Was Denounced as “Broken.” It’s Still Not Fixed.

An expert panel’s pleas for swifter, more consistent, more transparent punishment of rogue agents languish.

Federal Judge Dismisses Charges Against 3 White Supremacists

The three, members of the Rise Above Movement, had been charged under a federal anti-riot statute with planning and then carrying out assaults at rallies in California in 2017. The judge said the federal statute used to prosecute them was unconstitutional.

Over 200 Allegations of Abuse of Migrant Children; 1 Case of Homeland Security Disciplining Someone

A federal judge found the department’s own records disturbing and ordered the names of the accused agents made public. Now, DHS has taken its fight against doing so to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Once Defiant, All Four White Supremacists Charged in Charlottesville Violence Plead Guilty

Guilty pleas last week by two prominent members of the Rise Above Movement came after pledges to fight federal charges and claims that those jailed were political prisoners punished for their controversial views.

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