For the past ten months, Kentuckians and the country at large have faced anguish and grief over the death of Louisville resident and EMT, Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by law enforcement officers in her home on March 13, 2020. In response to these events, Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) unveiled an executive order earlier this year that created a task force to review the search warrant process.
In an interview with Forward Kentucky, State Representative Attica Scott (D-41) stated:
“I’m not convinced that we need a task force to do a comprehensive review of the search warrant process in Kentucky. What I believe is that we need to move on issues like Breonna’s Law for Kentucky, which would restrict the use of no-knock warrants: it’s based on evidence, it’s based on research to look at what are the best practices across the country, and we’ve talked to the experts right here in Kentucky about search warrants to create this legislation. We don’t need to keep pushing justice further and further away from people.”
Rep. Scott is one of the biggest proponents of calling out performative politics in the Kentucky legislature. When asked if Cameron’s task force is another example, she says yes: “Of course Attorney General Cameron’s task force is another form of performative politics. It is his way of continuing to remind us that he has no intention of seeking justice for Breonna Taylor.
“So what that means to me is that we have legislators who have refused for years to listen to, for example, those of us who are members of the Legislative Black Caucus about the issues that our folks are crying out for us to address. Issues around equity, and fairness, and justice.
And their response now all of the sudden is to create task forces or work groups. That’s performative because you’re not actually addressing anything, you’re creating another way to kick the can down the road and ignore the cries from the constituency and the neighbors that we serve.”
A national model?
In a news release, Cameron stated: “Our goal is to establish Kentucky as a national model for how search warrants should be pursued and executed.” Rep. Scott has her doubts about whether Cameron can accomplish such a feat:
“What the Attorney General has done is shown the United States that Kentucky is a national model of what it looks like when your Attorney General fails you, miserably, every single time. Literally lies to a grand jury and withholds evidence from them … I am not convinced that this task force is going to be a model for the rest of the country, when it’s already been set up to exclude community, exclude the voices of activists, and leaders, and people seeking community-based justice. That is not the model that I want anyone across this country to follow.”
The task force appointments
Appointments for the task force are scheduled to be released in early February; included in those 19 appointees, 5 are designated by law enforcement groups. In reply to the makeup of Cameron’s task force, Rep. Scott has many concerns:
“Well again, it’s clear that the Attorney General is sending a strong message that he has no intention for there to be justice for Breonna Taylor, or justice in our communities across Kentucky. You have a task force that is heavily weighted towards law enforcement, not the people who have been crying out for justice, not the community, not the folks who don’t have bully platforms like law enforcement has already. They already have a bully platform and they use it all the time, I know.”
Two bills inspired by Breonna Taylor
Rep. Scott and her daughter, Ashanti, were arrested by the LMPD in September 2020 along with over a dozen protestors following the news that no officers would be charged in Breonna Taylor’s death. The misdemeanor charges were dropped in early November.
Rather than be discouraged, Rep. Scott has taken matters into her own hands and proposed the historic Breonna’s Law (HB21), which would restrict the use of no-knock warrants in Kentucky. In her interview with Forward Kentucky, she commended the individuals and organizations across the state who have taken action to pass Breonna’s Law:
“I am hopeful, and inspired, and motivated by all of the folks across Kentucky who have stepped up to take action. Literally 4,000-plus emails have been sent from activists connected to Hood to the Holler. … Kentuckians for the Commonwealth has taken action with their phone banks, getting their activists engaged. The ACLU of Kentucky has been putting out good, educational information. All these partners across Kentucky have been getting community mobilized.”
Another bill on Rep. Scotts mind for this session is in homage to Taylor as well:
“One of Breonna Taylor’s last tweets in December 2019 is that she was looking forward to being a mom one day. So, I am hopeful that the legislative body will hear and pass the Maternal Care Act (HB 266) for Kentucky to address institutional and systemic racism in healthcare. If this legislative body wants to force people to give birth, well if you’re going to force people to give birth, at least provide them with the support they need to have.”
However, Rep. Scott acknowledges that grassroots work can only do so much, and it is up to the elected officials in Frankfort to make progress:
“Now what we need is the political will. We need politicians to set aside their egos and their racial hatred to actually take action on Breonna’s Law. A bill that, for the first time in Kentucky’s history, will carry the name of a black woman. Unfortunately, it’s because of her murder, but we have plenty of bills in Kentucky that have white people’s names, we don’t have any that has a black woman’s name. This would be powerful. So I’m hopeful that the legislative body that has been doing its own performative politics would actually take some real action for community and pass Breonna’s Law.”
To the legislators who have not yet signed on to co-sponsor Breonna’s Law (HB21), Rep. Scott encourages them to reflect:
“What I want you to know is this would restrict the use of no-knock warrants across Kentucky. We know how necessary this is, we just saw in Florida where we had federal agents who were shot issuing warrants to people. We don’t want that to happen to anyone in law enforcement and we don’t want people harmed in their homes. I know you get it, I know you understand it. For folks who are Republicans, 52% of Republicans surveyed across the country support restricting the use of no-knock warrants. So I definitely encourage you to consider signing on and supporting.”
Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others, many law enforcement agencies are reforming and reviewing their practices. It couldn’t have come soon enough, says Rep. Scott:
“It’s overdue. And unfortunately sometimes it takes those sparks, like the murder of Breonna Taylor, to get us to pay attention to issues that have long gone ignored. And her death has definitely pushed many of us to start paying attention to those issues that have lingered under the surface.”
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