Breonna Taylor never got the justice she deserved for what happened to her, and today’s news is nothing more than a slap in the face to top the disrespect.
According to CNN, the Department of Justice is asking that former Louisville Police Department officer Brett Hankison serve only one day in prison following his conviction for violating Taylor’s civil rights during the no-knock raid that led to her fatal shooting. The court filing states that even though Hankison “was part of the team executing the warrant, Defendant Hankison did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death.”
“Counsel is unaware of another prosecution in which a police officer has been charged with depriving the rights of another person under the Fourth Amendment for returning fire and not injuring anyone,”
The one-day “sentence” essentially amounts to time served, and Hankison would not have to return to prison. Additionally, the DOJ is asking that Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings grant Hankison three years of supervised release. CNN notes that this filing was not handled by the lawyers or staff who are working the case, but we’ll give you one guess as to who might be involved in this request…
Donald Trump appointee Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Department within the DOJ.
In asking for leniency from Judge Jennings, Hankison’s lawyers tried to play the “fear for his life” card.
“Mr. Hankison is suspectable to abuse based on his status as a police officer, coupled with the extensive national and international media attention this case has generated over the past five plus years,” his attorneys wrote.
Boo hoo. Tell your client to put on his big boy pants and pay his penance to society like everybody else.
Ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump has since released a statement calling the 1-day sentence the highest disrespect and noting the “dangerous precedent” it sets.
“This recommendation is an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury’s decision,” reads the statement. “Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity.
We couldn’t agree more.
