Kentucky Rep. Attica Scott Arrested, Charged With Rioting
"Frivolous and trumped up!" This is how Kentucky Representative Attica Scott described the charges that were filed against her.
Scott was among the 24 people arrested on Thursday night, following a stand-off between police and "Breonna Taylor" protesters who were seeking shelter at the First Unitarian Church in downtown Louisville.
Scott, 48, was arrested along with her daughter Ashanti. The Democratic representative is facing a felony charge of first-degree rioting and two misdemeanor charges for failure to disperse and unlawful assembly.
Speaking from the jail grounds on Friday morning after her release, Scott said that charges against her were frivolous and trumped up. She added that she's ready to fight the charges against her when she goes to court next month. Based on the court records, Scott's arraignment is scheduled for October 6.
Scott said the police claim that they were trying to burn a library does not make sense because libraries are in her district, and she has been lobbying for more funding for libraries. She noted that it does not make sense that she would be involved in burning one.
A crowd had started to gather early on Thursday night to continue the protest against a decision handed down against three police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Taylor. None of them were indicted for her death.
Scott said she was trying to join the crowd that had gathered at the grounds of the First Unitarian Church on 4th Street after the 9 p.m. curfew took effect. The church has opened its doors to protesters who would otherwise be arrested for violating the curfew.
Last month, Scott had proposed a bill dubbed as "Breonna's Law" following Taylor's death during a police raid in her home last March. The bill proposes to end no-knock warrants statewide.
Scott has been calling for police accountability and has been vocal in saying that justice is hardly ever served when Black people are being "murdered" by police officers.
The bill, which Attica Scott co-authors, would also require that a judge approve the use of violent entry when issuing the warrant.
Other provisions are having police officers activating their body cameras while serving a warrant and having police officers screened for drug and alcohol after a deadly incident or after having fired their gun while on duty.
According to Scott, their call to action is to make sure that the entire Louisville City understands that they will not go away and will continue to demand the defunding of police and the dismantling of the police department because it is corrupt from top to bottom. She said it cannot continue to function the way it does now.
Attica Scott noted that Breonna's Law for Kentucky must be passed and approved to prevent a tragedy similar to Taylor from happening again.
She added that there should be a policy change because there would be no change in the system unless policies will reflect what the people want.
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