Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice has entered into a consent decree with the Louisville, Kentucky, police department. It was the culmination of a DOJ investigation that commenced in April 2021 – a year after the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, an emergency room technician for the University of Kentucky Health.
Taylor was in an apartment with her boyfriend when police executed a search warrant as part of a drug investigation. According to reports, police first knocked on the door – although they had a “no knock” warrant — and then entered. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he did not hear the knock or the police announcing the presence. He fired what he said was a “warning shot,” thinking the police were intruders. The shot wounded one of the officers in the leg. Taylor was killed in the return fire. Walker was unhurt.
It turned out that the warrant was issued on false information provided by the Louisville police. Detective Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty to putting false information in the request for the warrant – and for issuing a false report to cover up the false information.
Following several investigations – including a grand jury hearing – all charges against Walker were dropped. The Taylor family was provided with a $12 million settlement. One officer was convicted of “reckless endangerment” for shooting blindly through a wall to a neighboring apartment. Others either resigned, were fired or were reassigned.
As a result of its investigation, the DOJ found that the Louisville Police Department had engaged in “a pattern” of civil rights violations — especially discriminating against African American residents. The report accused the police of “routinely” targeting black citizens for stops, searches, and arrests without probable cause. The DOJ further accused Louisville police of using excessive force and derogatory language in dealing with blacks – treating them as “inherently suspicious or dangerous.”
This is yet another example of the remnants of the ebbing institutional racism that still afflicts many or our major cities. The problem of urban institutional racism has been an iconic characteristic of American cities with large – and mostly segregated – black populations. Institutional racism is not as bad or flagrant as it was in the past, but it still can be found in urban America.
It is also an example of a truth that some folks try to deny or ignore – and I do get pushback for pointing to that truth. The preponderance of institutional racism in America is found where there has been a long established – mostly one-party – rule by a Democrat political machine.
Louisville is just another example. It has not had a Republican mayor since 1969. In fact, since the end of the Civil war, only 9 of the 45 mayors have been Republican – and most of those were prior to 1933. Only two Republicans have served since that time. For the record, the City Council has also been dominated by Democrats for generations – with the current division of 16 Democrats and 10 Republicans.
This is all relevant because urban institutional racism is the product of municipal government – that controls the police, housing, education, segregation, job creation, and social mobility.
Louisville will now undergo reforms in policing under the Consent Decree. An independent monitor will report progress to the Department of Justice. Reforms involve changes in policies on stops and arrests. Police will undergo training in dealing with people – including citizen speech rights and handling mental health issues in crisis responses. The police are required to collect more defined data on enforcement activities.
Of course, this one Decree does not address other aspects of historical institutional racism. Hopefully, they will be addressed by future municipal leaders in cities across the nation. At least the problem of institutional racism is trending in the right direction. And will continue to do so IF we hold those accountable who are imposing or allowing institutional racism to exist.
So, there ‘tis.
Editor’s note: Having grown up in Louisville and done a deep dive into this particular case, it was clear to me that Breonna Taylor was guilty. They found money in the walls, the evidence was solid according to my sources. And her boyfriend was a scumbag who used her has a human shield.
It was probably wrong for the one officer to shoot through the wall (after being shot at), and it may be true that there have been civil rights violations elsewhere in the Louisville Police Department. But in this case, the police officers (in my opinion) behaved according to the law and police procedures. This was simple racist appeasement from the Biden Administration.
Original Article: https://punchingbagpost.com/merrick-garland-louisville-police-dept-engaged-in-a-pattern-of-civil-rights-violations/
