Ronald Greene's Mom: 'We're Waiting for State Police to Prove that It's More than a Gang of Thugs. Colonel Davis, We're Waiting on You to Prove that You're More than a Besuited Blackface Puppet'
Ronald Greene was a Black man who was tortured and murdered by white troopers in LA. On May 10, 2019, Greene, who was unarmed, died after being arrested by Louisiana State Police following a high-speed chase outside Monroe, Louisiana. During the arrest, he was stunned, punched, and placed in a chokehold. He was also dragged face down while handcuffed and shackled, and he was left face down for at least nine minutes. At least six white troopers were involved in the arrest.
When Greene's corpse was brought to the hospital, police told doctors that his car had run into a tree, a story a doctor said "does not add up", given the nature of Greene's injuries and the fact that there were two stun-gun probes lodged in his body; police later acknowledged that Greene had died during a struggle, though without mentioning any use of force by officers. Although authorities refused to release body camera footage for two years, the Associated Press obtained and published a portion of it in May 2021. [MORE]
IN PHOTO LAMAR DAVIS, A BLACK STRAW BOSS WHO CARRIES OUT VARIOUS FUNCTIONS FOR HIS WHITE AUTHORITARIAN MASTERS SUCH AS FIRING BLACKS (LIKE CARL CAVALIER) WHO SPEAK OUT OF TURN. ANOTHER FUNCTION IS ASSIST IN THE COVER-UP POLICE MURDERS OF BLACK PEOPLE (LIKE RONALD GREENE), WHO CAN BE MURDERED ANYTIME, ANY PLACE IN THE SYSTEM OF RWS IF AN AUTHORITARIAN SAYS SO. [MORE]
DON’T WAIT ANY LONGER. From [HERE] Ronald Greene's mother and Louisiana's Black lawmakers are accusing the State Police's top leaders of participating in a coverup of the circumstances of Greene's violent in-custody killing in 2019.
Greene's mother Mona Hardin likened the State Police to "organized crime" in an open letter to Superintendent Lamar Davis, while the Legislative Black Caucus issued a press release questioning whether second in command Lt. Col. Doug Cain had a role in the coverup.
Greene died in 2019 following a brutal beating by State Police during an arrest in Union Parish near Monroe.
His cause of death was first covered up by State Police troopers on the scene who said Greene died from injuries suffered in a car accident during their pursuit of him before the severity of his beating and investigators' records became public.
A federal investigation is ongoing in the Greene killing.
The latest criticism of the State Police is connected to excerpts of various written reports from lead investigator Sgt. Albert Paxton in which Paxton wrote he was blocked from charging an officer who beat Greene, including former Superintendent Kevin Reeves and Cain.
Reeves retired in 2020 amid the escalating controversy. Gov. John Bel Edwards replaced Reeves with Davis, who is Black.
Paxton wrote in a later report that during a meeting with 3rd District Attorney John Belton Cain "seems angry the DA is even considering charging" one of the officers.
Earlier this month Paxton filed for early retirement. During a legislative hearing last month, Paxton said he told his supervisor: "I won’t participate in a coverup, I won’t hide evidence and I won’t lie."
In her letter, Hardin wrote: "The manner in which your agency protects its own considering the wrongdoing is likened to the action of a gang or other entity of organized crime. Colonel Davis, my family and I are waiting for you to do the right thing.
"We are waiting for you to prove that your agency is more than a gang of thugs willing to die upon a hill of lies. Colonel Davis, we are waiting on you to prove that you are more than an overpaid, besuited Blackface puppet, positioned to continue the coverup."
Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, said Paxton's written reports "for me really confirm what I've known all along, that this goes all the way to the top."
"These low-level troopers would not have been able to concoct these coverups without help from the higher-ups," James said.
James is leaving the Legislature effective Jan. 31 to take over as President Biden's regional administrator of the Small Business Administration.
Sen. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, who is Black, is a member of the Senate Select Committee on State Police Oversight that held a hearing in the Louisiana Capitol last month.
"I already know there are people who participated in the coverup who haven't been held accountable; I just don't believe we've been able to definitively identify them yet," Jackson said. "It's frustrating, but I don't care how long it takes, we have to get to the truth."
Davis said during last month's Senate Select Committee hearing that he has installed "fundamental changes" to prevent future violent excessive force arrests.
In a statement provided to USA Today Network Friday, Davis said his agency "will continue to provide assistance into the ongoing review of the (Ronald Greene) incident and we will continue to offer our full cooperation to all investigating authorities.”
“This matter is still under investigation by federal and state authorities and no investigative findings have been released at this time," Davis said in the statement. "I have the utmost confidence in my leadership team and our handling of this investigation during my administration.
"Our command staff and supervisors routinely engage in discussions with investigators and prosecuting authorities on the circumstances surrounding incidents and investigations."