Breonna Taylor’s family demands city of Louisville “Tell Us The Truth”
From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian
Breonna Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar released a strongly worded statement Tuesday morning saying that all of Taylor’s family has been asking from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) is for them to “Tell Us the Truth.”
Taylor was killed in March after officers forced their way inside her home and exchanged shots with her boyfriend, according to a lawsuit filed by her mother. The officers were executing a search warrant in a narcotics investigation, the Louisville Metro Police Department has said, when they entered Taylor’s apartment just before 1 a.m. on March 13.
Aguiar points out that LMPD has denied the family’s repeated open records requests and that open records requests filed into the matter are being denied pending an appeal with the attorney general’s office.
“For months, we have pursued the truth surrounding what took place leading up to, during and following the murder of Breonna Taylor. And for months, LMPD and Mayor Fischer have covered it up,” the statement says.
Aguiar says that last Friday marked the deadline for the Louisville Metro Coroner’s Office to produce an autopsy in regards to Taylor’s death and the deadline for the mayor to produce all of his communications in regards to the investigation surrounding Taylor’s death.
Aguiar accuses the mayor’s office of providing all requested information regarding Taylor’s death investigation to counsel for the city and withheld it from Taylor’s family legal representation.
Aguiar continues by calling these actions taken by mayor Greg Fischer’s office “above the law” and says they’ve gone on far too long in this administration, “contrary to the mayor’s office’s beliefs, the city is not exempt from the rules governing our justice system.”
The attorney says that Louisville ignored the Taylor’s family’s requests for an independent investigation and “only succumbed after national outrage and urging” by Gov. Andy Beshear.
Aguiar ends the statement by saying Taylor’s mother, Tamika, “deserves the truth” and that “the city deserves the truth.”
CNN has reached out to city of Louisville officials, Louisville Metro Police for comment and the Kentucky Attorney General’s office for comment.
Ex-Xerox CEO’s message to CEOs: “You are the architects…of a system today that you can undo”
From CNN’s Adrienne Vogt
Former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns said she gets “concerned” after conversations with white business leaders.
“It’s like speaking to the people who are the oppressed and asking them … to lead to the undoing of the oppression,” she said.
“What you have to do is not only speak to us. You have to speak to yourselves,” Burns told CNN’s Poppy Harlow. “You are the architects and you’re the beneficiaries of a system today that you can undo.”
There are only four black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, none of which are women.
Burns said companies can immediately make their boards more diverse.
African American women, in particular, she said can “diversify the thought, diversify the language, diversify the culture, everything about the companies,” she said.
Burns said that corporations in the United States have been left to monitor themselves to diversify, but they have continuously failed.
“How many more years do you say to the people who have been excluded ‘Just hold on?’” Burns said.
“How long do you wait? … There are fewer women CEOs today than when I was CEO. And there are significantly fewer black CEOs than when I was CEO. So we’re not making a lot of progress here.”
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Senate leader pushes Republicans for broad support on GOP police reform plan
From CNN’s Manu Raju
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for as broad of support as possible within the Senate GOP Conference for the emerging police overhaul bill that will be offered by Republican Sen. Tim Scott, two GOP sources tell CNN.
This comes after more than 220 House Democrats signed onto their police reform bill, a strong sign of Democratic support that ensures it will pass that chamber next week.
Scott said Monday evening that he’s had talks with some Senate Democrats but said he’s been told that Democratic leadership has urged their members not to sign onto his emerging measure.
Democrats are pushing back on this, arguing that there’s no bill text yet to sign onto. Though Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders have expressed skepticism to the drafts of the bill.
Atlanta police union official: Filing charges against officers in Brooks shooting would be “premature”
From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher and Pamela Kirkland
Vince Champion, southeast regional director of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, said he believes the Fulton County District Attorney weighing charges for both officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks at an Atlanta Wendy’s on Friday is a rush to judgement and politically expedient.
“For the DA to start acting as if he’s going to charge without a complete investigation done by the [Georgia Bureau of Investigation] which they’re in the process of doing, I think it’s premature,” Champion told CNN. “I feel that he’s just trying to cater to the rioters and I think he’s doing it for his own political gain.”
Champion said that if Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard does charge the officers, the union will provide their legal representation.
The district attorney has said he would announce charges against the officers on Wednesday, at the earliest.
Some background: Atlanta Police Department officer Garrett Rolfe has since been fired for his involvement in the shooting. Officer Devin Brosnan was placed on administrative duty. Champion also called the firing of Rolfe premature. “There was no investigation into what happened. His due process was violated,” he said.
Brooks was shot twice in the back, according to a release by the Fulton County, Georgia, Medical Examiner’s Office. Brooks died from organ damage and blood loss from the two gunshot wounds, according to the office.
The autopsy, performed on Sunday, lists Brooks’ cause of death as gunshot wounds to the back. The manner of death is listed as homicide.
According to the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Police Foundation, a total of eight officers have resigned since June 1. The foundation did not have an exact reason for the resignations, but indicated a low moral throughout the department.
Champion said that the Brooks incident and the charging of six Atlanta police officers in the tasing of two college students in May have had a negative impact.
“[The officers] don’t know how to do their job now because if they do their job and they do what they’re trained and they do and do what their policies and procedure say, it doesn’t matter because if the mayor doesn’t like the way it looks, she fires. If the District Attorney doesn’t like the way it looks, he charges,” Champion says. “When it comes to the time that you have to act. The officers now are deciding whether they’re going to or not. And the sad part about that is if those officers think a little longer than they should, we’re going to start seeing a lot of police officers hurt and injured.”
NYC mayor announces NYPD will now release body cam footage within 30 days
From CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new policy today that immediately requires the city’s police department to release body cam video and audio footage of incidents in 30 days.
The mayor said the police must release all video and audio that meet the following criteria:
- If an officer discharges their fire arm that hits or could hit someone
- If an officer discharges their taser in a way that results in death or substantial bodily harm
- If an officers use of force results in death or great bodily harm
In those cases, the obligation will be for the New York City Police Department to release all pertinent video and audio footage within 30 days. Previously, disclosure had been at the discretion of the commissioner and for narrow purposes.
“Body warn cameras are only as powerful as the transparency that comes with them,” the mayor said.
He called this a step toward an “accountable” system. He noted that there are 24,000 body worn cameras in the police force, “by far” the largest in the country, he said.
The mayor also noted police gun discharges have gone down steadily
The mayor said the footage will be first shown to family members involved and then be available online for the public.
NYC mayor calls NYPD decision to reassign anti-crime officers “very powerful”
From CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio remarked Tuesday on what he said was the “very powerful” announcement by the NYPD yesterday to reassign plainclothes officers from its anti-crime unit and change to a more “modern, community based approach.”
He called it a “crucial decision to disband that unit and move us forward, deepening neighborhood policing.”
Beginning his remarks Tuesday, the mayor said we are at a moment in time where “change is not optional.”
“We have to make things happen,” he said adding “it is a moment that demands change, it is required of us.”
Albuquerque police arrest man in protest shooting
From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson
Albuquerque police have arrested Stephen Ray Baca, 31, in connection to a shooting at a protest on Monday, according to a release from Albuquerque police.
Baca is facing charges of aggravated battery.
Last night Albuquerque police said the protester who was shot was transported to the hospital and is in critical but stable condition. The protest was over a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate.
Social media video from the scene shows a fight breaking out before shots can be heard.
Trump is expected to unveil his police reform order at noon today
From CNN’s Jeremy Diamond and Kaitlan Collins
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order today at noon to establish a national certification system for law enforcement agencies and a database to better track excessive uses of force by police officers nationwide, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The executive order is still being finalized, but the key provisions in the current draft of the executive order include modest directives with broad-based support intended to encourage higher standards among police departments while leaving the prospect of more significant police reform to Congress.
A source briefed on the text of the order said it is relatively muted when it comes to sweeping police reforms that have been discussed by members of both parties recently.
The order mainly leans on lawmakers to do the heavy lifting, as the President has privately expressed caution about alienating police officers by going too far.
The executive order is also expected to direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to encourage police departments to embed mental health professionals in their response to calls related to mental health, homelessness and addiction as well as to find resources to help police departments hire mental health co-responders, the source said.
Ja’Ron Smith, a deputy assistant to the President, confirmed Monday morning that the executive order will look to incentivize police departments to include mental health professionals as co-responders.
“Co-responders would allow for police to do their job but bring in social workers and experts that deal with mental health and deal with issues such as drug addiction or alcohol addiction or even other issues like homelessness,” Smith said on Fox News Channel.
The executive order is also expected to include language acknowledging that some law enforcement officials have misused their authority and will urge Congress to pass legislation on police reform.
While Trump signaled last week that he may support outlawing chokeholds, the executive order is not expected to direct an outright ban.
Trump has yet to comprehensively address issues of police reform or even acknowledge systemic racism in America and has not been heavily involved in drafting the executive order. Instead, the President has directed his energy on delivering a tough-talking law-and-order message and falsely portraying peaceful protesters as mostly violent.
Measures in Congress: Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are working to advance two competing bills, with the Democratic legislation going further in several respects by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants.
White House officials have been coordinating with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the sole black Republican senator, who is spearheading the GOP’s legislative effort.
Rayshard Brooks’ family “not even to the healing stage yet,” attorney says
From CNN’s Adrienne Vogt
Rayshard Brooks’ family attorney Justin Miller said the family wants to see charges for the officers who were involved in Brooks’ killing, but there is uncertainty over whether that will happen.
The family is struggling after Brooks’ death, Miller said.
“They’re just trying to get to the point where they understand what’s going on. They’re not even to the healing stage yet,” Miller said to CNN’s Alisyn Camerota.
Miller said the death of Brooks is personal for him.
“I’m Rayshard Brooks, I’m George Floyd; it’s happened to me, it’s happened to my friends and it’s happened to my father and every other black person I know. So we’re all the same. So when we fight these battles, we’re fighting them from a place of knowledge and really from the heart,” he said.
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