JUSTICE, BUT NO PEACE ..... NOTHING LESS THAN THE BLOOD OF EVERY OFFICER INVOLVED IN THE BREONNA TAYLOR RAID WILL SATISFY THE BLM MOB

Grand jury indicts 1 police officer in Breonna Taylor case, but not for killing her

by: Jake Boswell

 

Associated Press

September 23, 2020 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky grand jury on Wednesday indicted a single former police officer for shooting into neighboring apartments but did not move forward with charges against any officers for their role in Breonna Taylor’s death.

The jury announced that fired Officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in connection to the police raid of Taylor’s home on the night of March 13.

Immediately after the announcement, people were expressing frustration that the grand jury did not do more.

“Justice has NOT been served,” tweeted Linda Sarsour of Until Freedom, a group that has pushed for charges in the case. “Rise UP. All across this country. Everywhere. Rise up for #BreonnaTaylor.”

Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Taylor’s family, tweeted that the charges involved “NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor. This is outrageous and offensive!”

At a news conference, state Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Hankison and the two other officers who entered Taylor’s apartment announced themselves before entering the apartment and did not use a no-knock warrant.

“According to Kentucky law, the use of force by (Officers Jonathan Mattingly and (Myles) Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves. This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor’s death.”

Regarding the inevitable disappointment by those who wanted criminal charges brought in Taylor’s death, he remarked, “The decision before my office as the special prosecutor in this case was not to decide if the loss of Ms. Taylor’s life was a tragedy. The answer to that is unequivocally yes.”

Cameron added that, “I understand that Breonna Taylor’s death is part of a national story, but the facts and evidence in this case are different than others” involving police shootings.

“If we simply act on emotion or outrage, there is no justice,” Cameron said. “Mob justice is not justice. Justice sought by violence is not justice. It just becomes revenge.”

He added that the FBI is still investigating potential violations of federal law in the case.

A Republican, Cameron is the state’s first Black state attorney general and a protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who has been tagged by some as his heir apparent. His was also one of 20 names on President Donald Trump’s list to fill a future Supreme Court vacancy.

Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by officers who entered her home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside. The use of no-knock warrants has since been banned by Louisville’s Metro Council.

Cameron’s office had been receiving materials from the Louisville Police Department’s public integrity unit while they tried to determine whether state charges would be brought against the three officers involved, he said.

Before charges were brought, Hankison was fired from the city’s police department on June 23. A termination letter sent to him by interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the white officer had violated procedures by showing “extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he “wantonly and blindly” shot 10 rounds of gunfire into Taylor’s apartment in March.

Hankison, Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly, Officer Myles Cosgrove and the detective who sought the warrant, Joshua Jaynes, were placed on administrative reassignment after the shooting.

Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire when police burst in, hitting Mattingly. Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but prosecutors later dropped the charge.

Walker told police he heard knocking but didn’t know who was coming into the home and fired in self-defense.

On Sept. 15, the city settled a lawsuit against the three officers brought by Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, agreeing to pay her $12 million and enact police reforms.

Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other Black people killed by police in recent months. The release in late May of a 911 call by Taylor’s boyfriend marked the beginning of days of protests in Louisville, fueled by her shooting and the violent death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Several prominent African American celebrities including Oprah and Beyoncé have joined those urging that the officers be charged.

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Civil unrest in Louisville intensifies hours after Breonna Taylor grand jury decision 

 

By Natalie Musumeci

 

New York Post

September 23, 2020

 

It only took a few hours for violent clashes to erupt between protesters and police in Louisville, Kentucky, after a grand jury cleared the cops of any criminality in Breonna Taylor’s police-involved death.

Moments after a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to only indict one of three cops involved — and only for endangering neighbors by opening fire — in Taylor’s March 13 shooting death, protests erupted on the streets of Louisville.

Hundreds chanting, “No justice! No Peace!” took to the streets — and less than three hours after the charges were handed up against former Louisville police detective Brett Hankison, confrontations between police and protesters broke out.

As police in riot gear and demonstrators clashed, officers fired off pepper balls and several arrests were made.

At one point police wielding batons formed a human chain along a city street, so that protestors could not pass, prompting some to shove through.

Tensions rose further as protestors cursed and shouted at police and reportedly hurled water bottles at them.

One video posted to Twitter showed some demonstrators descending on a local restaurant, and throwing the tables and chairs on its outdoor patio, as one man shouted, “No! No! No! No vandalizing!”

The city of Louisville was bracing for riots and civil unrest ahead of the grand jury announcement into the killing of Taylor.

Shortly before the announcement Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced a countywide 72-hour curfew effective Wednesday night from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Members of the Kentucky National Guard were also deployed in the city where a state of emergency has already been declared in anticipation of the protests.

Barricades have been set up to restrict vehicle access to downtown areas, stores and restaurants have boarded up their windows, and federal buildings have been closed.

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SO, IS LOUISVILLE BURNING ?

by Bob Walsh

It is Wednesday afternoon as I write this.  The grand jury has recently come in in the Breoona Taylor case.  One officer, former cop Brett Hankison, who was fired the day after the incident, was indicted for three counts of felony stupid (aka wanton endangerment) for hosing the apartment down with gunfire thru a curtained window.  The other two cops were not charged.  Neither of the other two cops were charged.  It should be noted that nobody was charged for actually shooting Taylor.

A warrant has been issued for Hankison with a $15,000 bond required.  

The demonstrations, which have so far actually been mostly peaceful, have already begun.  The mayor instituted a curfew, and the mayor's house has police protection.  As of now (2:30 pacific coast time) about a dozen people have been arrested in Louisville.  The National Guard has already been called up.  

With a bit of luck people will behave in a sane, reasonable fashion.  Don't bet on it.