United States: after Minneapolis, the Biden administration investigates Louisville police
A protester holds up the portrait of Breonna Taylor during a rally to commemorate the first anniversary of her death, in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2021. AP - Timothy D. Easley
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Changing practices within the police, an emergency for Joe Biden.
A week after the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Justice Secretary Merrick Garland announced on Monday April 26 the launch of a federal investigation into the practices of the Louisville police force in Kentucky.
It was there, thirteen months ago, that African-American Breona Taylor was killed during an intervention at her home triggering months of protests.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in San Francisco,
Éric de Salve
His name is chanted in all
protests against police violence
in the United States.
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American nurse, was mistakenly killed at her home by Louisville police.
Thirteen months later, Merrick Garland, the American Minister of Justice launches a federal investigation to determine if this Kentucky police force is accustomed to the excessive use of force.
"
The investigation must determine whether the Louisville police are carrying out checks and arrests contrary to the Constitution but also illegal interventions in private homes,
" said Merrick Garland.
It will also determine whether this police force is responsible for racial discrimination.
"
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To read also: United States: record compensation for the family of Breonna Taylor, killed by the police
George Floyd Act
Last week, the Justice Department already launched an identical investigation into the Minneapolis police.
It was right after
Derek Chauvin's conviction
for the murder of George Floyd.
Joe Biden said it: this historic trial must mark a culture change within the police.
In Congress, the American president puts pressure on elected officials.
He wants the
George Floyd Act to
be passed before May 25, the anniversary of the African American's death.
This legislation could in particular prohibit certain arrest practices such as the strangulation key, but also revise the quasi-judicial immunity currently enjoyed by the American police.
►
To read also: After the George Floyd affair, the hope of a profound change in the United States
?
"
So little confidence in the police
"
This new law and the activism of the Biden administration to try to reform the police come in a context where one case drives out the other.
A new case of police violence has thus appeared this time in North Carolina in the small town of Elizabeth City.
Andrew Brown, a 42-year-old African-American suspected of dealing drugs, was killed by police in confused conditions while driving his car riddled with bullets.
The victim's family could only see 20 seconds of police footage.
Their lawyer, the famous Ben Crump, demands that all the images be made public, which the police refuse.
A refusal that feeds suspicion of a mistake.
►
See also: United States: Benjamin Crump, the tireless defender of African-Americans victims of racism
“
For us it's clear,”
says Ben Crump: “
there is something wrong with these on-board videos and the police don't want the public to see it.
We already know that he was shot in the back and we believe that transparency is essential.
"
The lawyer questions the police supervision system: "
Why is the taxpayer spending all this money to equip the police with cameras if it is so that the public cannot see these images when we are in? need it most?
This is why the African-American community has so little confidence in the police.
People think they are conspiring to protect killers and use excessive force on a regular and systematic basis.
"
►
To listen: Chauvin trial: "
This case is not representative of police violence in the United States
"
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United States
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