REVOLTING

Louisville Police Call Black People ‘Monkeys,’ DOJ Review Finds

Launched after Breonna Taylor’s death, the review also found that the police department routinely uses excessive force against Black people.

Louisville police routinely use excessive force and aggressively and unlawfully discriminate against Black people, a disturbing review by the Department of Justice has found three years after the death of Breonna Taylor. Some officers have called Black people slurs, as well as “monkeys,” “animal,” and “boy,” the review found, adding that the Louisville Metro Police Department has selectively targeted Black people and undermined public safety. Several officers have also made fun of people with disabilities and thrown drinks at pedestrians from their cars, the review said. In March 2020, Breonna Taylor was killed in a “no-knock” raid of her apartment. Four officers have been charged federally for civil rights violations and unconstitutional use of force. Louisville officers and government authorities have a pattern of conducting searches based on invalid warrants, the review found, with one police leader telling the DOJ “Breonna Taylor was a symptom of problems that we have had for years.”