The US Attorney General Merrick Garland came to Louisville today, to announce that the Louisville Metro Police Department hasn't the foggiest clue what the Constitution is, much less the inclination to follow it.
The Department of Justice has been investigating LMPD since 2021 and today they released the results of that. If you're so inclined you can read the full 90 page report here.
For those of you who aren't that much of a masochist, here's the tl;dr version from the report:
LMPD uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers .
LMPD conducts searches based on invalid warrants .
LMPD unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing.
LMPD unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops.
LMPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.
LMPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech critical of policing.
Louisville Metro and LMPD discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.
We also identified deficiencies in LMPD's response to and investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault, including its responses to allegations that LMPD officers engaged in sexual
misconduct or domestic violence . These deficiencies raise serious concerns about whether LMPD engages in gender bias in providing policing services to women .
That's not exactly short but then again, neither is LMPD's list of misdeeds. Basically the feds confirmed everything we'd been saying LMPD was doing, and then some. Turns out we're the first city to be found in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, for the way people going through mental health crises are treated.
Can't tell you how many times I've gotten disbelieving looks trying to explain that it was the cops escalating things in 2020, that nothing caught fire until after we'd gotten blasted with tear gas and pepper balls. Hearing the feds say the same thing, that was a vindication that I was afraid I'd never see.
The vindication is nice but the real test is what comes next. The city is going to enter into a consent decree, which is where they agree to make changes and get judge-enforced independent oversight to try and make sure it happens. Fixing what the NY Times called "one of the country’s most hated police departments" will be no small task but with the feds breathing down their neck we might actually see some results. Ask me in a few years and I'll let you know the verdict.
If there's one thing conservatives and liberals in this country can agree on, it's that rioting and property destruction are BAD. Curiously enough, it seems like that's what it requires to get anyone to take a serious look at what's going on. Ferguson, Baltimore, and now Louisville, it took people rising up and burning it down to get the feds to take a look and say 'this shit's fucked up!' Kind of makes you wonder why they're more fixated on broken windows than police brutality...
Photos are all from protests here in Louisville, Kentucky back in 2020, in no particular order.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a report to finish reading. Be safe out there y'all.
Here in Pakistan also some similar areas were going on yesterday because the whole world knows that the government that is running in Pakistan wants to arrest Imran Khan but those who are his supporters don't allow him to be arrested. Kareena has done a lot of injustice to these people and one of them has died. And the same situation is going on all over the world now, anyone who raises his voice for the truth is killed in the same way.
I'm glad you mentioned that, I've been trying to follow what's going on there with Khan but I have some major doubts about the accuracy/reliability of the reporting I've seen on it so far. Is the military behind the efforts to go after Khan or is there other dynamics in play?
I'm afraid you're right, and also that there is long history of that being done. Still, what can we do but keep speaking out?
Thanks for dropping by!
Decades ago the Portland, OR PD was the most lethal police department in the world per capita, and I was trying to raise a family there. I was selected for Grand Jury duty for the purpose of inspecting Multnomah County jails and we were availed counsel from the District Attorney's office.
I ascertained during that stint that 1/4 of the jury had been beaten by PDX cops (including myself), yet due to the control effected by the counsel on the jury by their sole option to draft subpoenas, the report of the jury, and control of the itinerary of the jury, including witnesses to be interviewed, security of the jury during inspections, and more, it was impossible to pursue any investigation into police brutality, training, corruption, or, indeed, into any actual problem we were confronted with or suspected. There was actually an escape during our service, and all the report mentioned was that the facility had acted according to policy. That jail later closed, but we had nothing to do with it.
At one point an inmate volunteered to testify to the jury, and indicated a guard in the room providing the security to the jury, and stated 'That guy is sexually abusing me.', whereupon the guard stated 'I'm going to get you for that.' Because the counsel did not enable the jury to file any subpoena, to include any reference to the testimony or the identity of the people involved in our report, and the jury was not empowered to institute pro se actions, all I could do was tell the captive that he should take care to guard his security because we could not avail him of any help whatsoever. We couldn't even call the cops.
His reply was 'I don't care. I just want someone to know.'
I hope things get better in Louisville, but as I was compelled to leave PDX as a result of threats against my children and family from the judicial and police institutions in PDX as a result of my participation on that jury, and in view of the serial degradation of PDX thereafter, I can offer little in the way of practical solutions to the problems you face there. I can assure you that federal involvement is bringing in foxes to improve chicken coop security, so don't hold your breath on that account.
Thanks!
Your grand jury experience sounds similar to the grand jury 'investigation' that the state attorney general choreographed for the cops that shot Breonna Taylor. Just a charade to create the appearance of doing something. It's funny you mention an escape, the night of my last drink of alcohol (12/12/2010) I managed to escape from the jail here. That'll make you popular with the cops, or at least make sure they know who you are. Pretty sure they papered over that in similar fashion, were embarrassed and didn't want people asking questions about how I'd managed to pull that off.
Don't worry, I don't have much in the way of expectations in terms of what the consent decree will actually accomplish, it's still cops watching cops and we already know how good they are at that. One of the things that the protests here in 2020 drove home was that 'we take care of us.' The community organizing and mutual aid stuff that grew out of that is still going strong, I am a bit hopeful that having LMPD on a shorter leash will give that more room to grow and flourish. We shall see.
Thanks for dropping by!