What happened?

On Thursday, November 16, a mistrial was declared in the excessive force case against former Louisville police detective Brett Hankison for charges related to the botched 2020 raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor. 

How is this related to public policy?

Both public trust and public safety are jeopardized when people who abuse their badges are not held accountable. With a more effective policy, Hankison’s reckless and destructive behavior would have disqualified him from service long before he ever shot blindly into Taylor’s home, endangering her neighbor. Instead, his behavior was overlooked and covered up time and again, even when it harmed fellow officers. 

What is the Louisville Urban League doing about it?

The Louisville Urban League continues to monitor the LMPD’s commitment to enhancing public trust. While we are disappointed by the outcome of this trial, we are proud that our community’s organizing efforts led to a federal investigation of the LMPD. Long-term residents of Louisville know that before 2020, officer accountability was not a priority for the department or the city of Louisville. Hopefully, we’ve turned the page on feckless leadership, but we’ll have to wait and see.

What can I do about it?

1. Understand that jury duty is more a necessity than a nuisance. Since bias is baked into the legal system, we must try to mitigate that with our diverse perspectives as jurors. LUL is also monitoring policies regarding juror selection, as citizens cannot step up if they are not called.
2. Speak up at the civilian oversight board for the LMPD, which meets monthly under the Office of the Inspector General. They allow for public comment as long as citizens contact the office beforehand and keep their comments to three minutes. 
3. There are many other ways to be heard by your local government, and we suggest that you get active with our community partners such as Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky, and Citizens of Louisville Organized and United for Truth (CLOUT).

Ultimately, our hearts break for Breonna’s family and the community of support around them. Hankison’s mistrial was one in a seemingly unending stream of indignities on top of her loss. Still, the family has held strong and steadfast in the fight for justice and for a better Louisville. Our fighting hope is that their work and example will push us to be the community that all Louisvillians deserve sooner rather than later.  

About the Louisville Urban League
The Louisville Urban League assists African Americans and those at the margins in attaining social and economic equality and stability through direct services and advocacy. For more information, go to lul.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter  (@louisvilleUL), or Instagram (@louisville_ul).