Above The Law - Hankison, Cosgrove & Mattingly

Hankison, Cosgrove & Mattingly - Police Officers, Louisville, Kentucky; Raided Breonna Taylors apartment and shot her to death

Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky

Lets face it.  The well-choreographed legal theater staged by Daniel Cameron Attorney General of Kentucky, Greg Fischer – Mayor of Louisville, and the city elders/council was fixed from the day the false police reports of the raid was leaked to the press.  They showed their hand when they gave Ms. Taylors mother a civil settlement on September 15.  It was the largest and fastest civil settlement in Louisville history.  The fact that it included police reforms as part of the settlement was the “tell”.  They already knew that Daniel Cameron’s team was working to find the officers blameless in the murder of Breonna Taylor.  During the announcement Mayor Fischer apologized to Breonna’s mother.  Kentucky leadership knew on September 15 that no criminal charges would be forthcoming.
 
All the signs of an out of control police force is evident in this case. 

1. No one heard the announce that they were the police before entering the apartment;
2. They were in plain clothes and therefore could not be identified as police;
3. They shot Breonna to death when she was not the person that fired the shot:
4. Her boyfriend that fired the shot was not hit by gunfire;
5. Police fired 32 shots over the course of at least 90 seconds;
6. Police filed a false report of the raid, indicating that no one was injured during incident
7. No body cameras were worn by any of the participants.

It is true that the prosecutor has significant control of what a grand jury hears and what charges they may file.  The prosecutor steers the grand jury process depending on their prosecutorial goals for the case.  Attorney General Daniel Cameron is directly complicit in the legal theatre we have witnessed.  It is time for the Black community in America to call out Black officials that are being used as instruments to perpetuate the systematic process of oppression imposed on Black people.  Let’s make Daniel Cameron a poster boy for racial injustice in the Black community.  He will cry foul and say how I am making it personal when he was just doing his job.  That is a lame and weak excuse for the one person in a position to hold the murders of Breonna Taylor accountable to the Black citizens of Louisville.
 
If you are Black, you can no longer be a cog in the wheel of injustice perpetrated on Black people.  There are Black criminals just like there are criminals in every ethnic group in America.  But when the police or citizens decide to cross the line and kill and injure Black folks because of their explicit or implicit bias, they must be held accountable by Black law enforcement and legal professionals that are part of the system.  If not, they should be targeted for protests wherever they are.

Here are the facts according to the prosecution.  Officers in the process of executing a search warrant entered the apartment of Breonna Taylor.  One out of twelve witnesses confirm what the officers stated – they announced “Police” prior to entering the apartment. Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker lay asleep in bed.  Mr. Walker fearing a break in, fired at the intruders with a licensed firearm.  The officers unleashed a torrent of 32 shots hitting Ms. Taylor 6 times. One officer was shot in the leg. Mr. Walker then called 911 to report the break in and shooting to police. Breonna Taylor lay dead on the floor while the officers withdrew.
You can be a law abiding citizen asleep securely in your home.  Have armed intruders break down your door.  If you defend yourself, you can be shot to death and no one prosecuted for your murder if the gang is named Police.  Any other gang members would be facing a possible death penalty prosecution.
 
Black folks, we must decide what our next steps are.  No police accountability, no movement on legislative action to ban or outlaw the tactics by law enforcement that is leading to our deaths.  How long should law abiding citizens continue to obey laws that directly lead to our deaths?  This questions will be answered in the coming weeks and months as the impact of the economic collapse from the coronavirus, the Covid19 death toll continues to rise, and the injustices of police shootings mount in the Black community.
 
I predict we will see an explosion of assaults and attacks directly on police across the nation if no significant national legislation is passed.  Black people are fed up America.