A former Louisville, Kentucky, officer was sentenced Monday to 33 months in prison for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a no-knock raid in 2020. The officer, Brett Hankison, fired 10 bullets that did not strike or kill Taylor, who was a 26-year-old first responder. Yet, he was indicted in […]
Breonna Taylor
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
DOJ Under Trump Shuts Down Police Reform Cases Sparked by Floyd, Taylor Deaths
Just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the Justice Department said they will dismiss police investigations launched during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Harmeet Dhillon, the leader of the department’s Civil Rights Division, announced Wednesday plans to withdraw pending federal lawsuits against police departments in Louisville, Kentucky, following the death of Breonna […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
What a Second Trump Presidency Could Mean for Pending DOJ Investigations
The clock is ticking for the Justice Department and federal prosecutors trying to resolve civil rights investigations and complaints against law enforcement agencies accused of mistreating Black and brown communities. This form of accountability can produce a court-ordered agreement — a consent decree — to enforce departments to overhaul their policing practices that Black Americans […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
A Judge Ruled That Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend Caused Her Death, Not The Officers Who Shot Her
It has been four years since Breonna Taylor was killed inside her home by a hail of bullets fired by three Louisville, Kentucky, police officers. It has also been nearly four years since Vice President Kamala Harris uttered Taylor’s name in agreement that the 26-year-old first responder had not received justice when a grand jury […]
Posted inPartner Content, Politics & Policy
The Killing of Breonna Taylor Still Reverberates in Kentucky Politics
Originally published by The 19th The economy, abortion and education: They’re the big issues in the ads and debates in the Kentucky governor’s race, just as in other races around the country. But the contest between Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Black Republican, and incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear, who is White and the rare Democrat […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Louisville Police Violated Black People’s Civil Rights ‘For Years,’ Says Justice Department
The Louisville Metro Police Department has a pattern of discriminating against Black people and violating their constitutional rights, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday. In 2021, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched a nearly two-year investigation of the Louisville department following the March 2020 fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Taylor was a 26-year-old […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voices of Change
This Activist Campaigned on Poverty, Gentrification, and Reparations —and Won
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Capital B is talking to newsmakers from across the country who want to reshape American politics or galvanize Black voices in government. Our “Voices of Change” series will update periodically with insights from the candidates, activists, lawmakers, and political insiders who you should know. Jecorey Arthur expected much more pushback from other […]