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Welcome to The Logoff: In a significant reversal from the Biden administration, the Justice Division is asking for a token one-day jail sentence for an ex-police officer who fired pictures into Breonna Taylor’s dwelling throughout a deadly raid in March 2020.
Why is that this within the information now? Brett Hankison, a former Louisville, Kentucky, officer, is about to be sentenced subsequent week after being convicted final 12 months of violating Taylor’s civil rights. He may face a most sentence of as much as life in jail — however below the DOJ request, would in the end serve no time.
What did Hankison do? Hankison was one among a number of officers to execute a raid on Taylor’s condominium in March 2020. He blindly fired 10 pictures into her condominium by a coated window and door, a few of which entered an occupied adjoining condominium. Not one of the bullets Hankison fired in the end struck an individual, however Taylor was shot and killed by one other Louisville police officer.
What does the DOJ request imply for Hankison? If the decide — a Trump appointee — adheres to the DOJ sentencing memo, Hankison won’t ever return to jail for his conviction. The memo requests that he obtain credit score for time already served, rendering even the single-day sentence irrelevant. It additionally calls for 3 years of supervised launch and a meager wonderful as a part of the sentence.
Why does this matter? Breonna Taylor’s dying was one among a number of high-profile police killings in early 2020 that led to widespread racial justice protests following the homicide of George Floyd that Could. Since then, strides — although typically halting and imperfect — have been made towards police accountability and addressing racial discrimination in policing. The DOJ sentencing memo is the newest signal of the Trump administration’s full lack of curiosity in these efforts and choice to roll the clock again to an earlier period.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
Hello readers! A second thank-you in as many days on your emails — I really appreciated all the animal images.
As we speak, I wished to focus on this podcast by my colleague Sean Illing, concerning the concept of “hopeful pessimism.” Sean talks with Mara van der Lugt about what the time period means and the best way to maintain hope once you’re feeling pessimistic. As she places it, hope may be “oriented not on certainty or expectation, however relatively on the openness of the longer term” and a dedication to our values. It’s an enchanting, beautiful dialogue that’s actually value your time — I hope you’re taking a second to pay attention.
