Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is being called out as folks continue to critique the work he's done in the high profile case of the two white Louisville police officers, who shot
Breonna Taylor to death in her home last year.
Rihanna took to Twitter with a simple message on the first day of Black History Month, reminding Cameron that his tone-deaf message to mark the month rang extremely hollow considering his past actions.
Sup nigga? #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor
https://t.co/tkk3hXf9L2— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 1, 2021
The tweet was in response to a lengthy video message Cameron sent out in honor of Black History Month.
Under the video, thousands of people said his message was offensive considering his work in allowing Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove to go unpunished for killing Taylor on March 13 despite the trove of evidence and testimony from other officers proving their actions were unconscionable.
Cameron has used Taylor's death and his work in exonerating her killers to become a star within the Republican Party. He was able to meet with former President Donald Trump and secure a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last year.
His message on Feb. 1 was ratioed almost immediately, with many people in the comments bashing him for even mentioning Black History Month in light of his past actions.
I'm sick of folks like you who will do everything in their power to NOT be an ally to black people but want to come out on special occasions to pretend to be one. You were better off sitting this one out. Oh and BREONNA TAYLOR DESERVED BETTER
— The Fly Knows (@GaiusLeonidus) February 1, 2021
Daniel Cameron will always be remembered as the very first elected black AG for the state of Kentucky and that he was on the wrong side of history in the Breonna Taylor case, he lied to protect her killers and kept her family from getting justice .. that’s his contribution
— Kim Paul Cuzick (@o0okeyumo0o) February 1, 2021
It would be a great time to say her name:
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor— Savvy1 (@Savvy_1of1) February 1, 2021
— Savvy1 (@Savvy_1of1) February 1, 2021
May you, officers Brett Hankison, Johnathan Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove and anyone else in the Louisville Metro Police Department who had a part in the murderers of #BreonnaTaylor going free never have peace for what you all did #SayHerName
pic.twitter.com/coSnqDAdVf— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) February 1, 2021
If you don’t take your Supercuts haircut and go on somewhere, negro… pic.twitter.com/AHvCOhmrqK
— ???????????????????????? ???????????? ????????????????… (@travisfromthebk) February 1, 2021
I know that ain’t who I think it is https://t.co/2bzWTXB1q5
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 1, 2021
The living embodiment of “Skinfolk ain’t always kinfolk.” https://t.co/tmCfdax4Go
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) February 1, 2021
very tone deaf of him at 0:44 to ask people to take the time to learn about those who’ve helped the commonwealth when he was complicit in not pressing forward to see justice served for a BLACK WOMAN who provided service to the Kentucky commonwealth as an EMT https://t.co/68n9Cmpoo7
— growing and glowing ????✨ (@najeimanii) February 1, 2021
Let’s take a moment to remember Breonna Taylor and how you as a black man did everything to sabotage her getting the justice she deserves. https://t.co/4GwM4QAjZ0
— Jessica Fyre ???? (@TheJessieWoo) February 1, 2021
Remember that time Breonna Taylor was murdered in her house and you did everything to let the cops walk? https://t.co/ewEQGE1qyB
— Rex Chapman???????? (@RexChapman) February 1, 2021
Not this man talking about black history month after protecting the murderers of a black woman…. https://t.co/rOK409rUuT
— pejjss???? (@_pejuu) February 1, 2021
There were thousands of comments bashing Cameron for having the audacity and hubris to send out the message when he knew what the reaction would be from critics.
Cameron is now facing calls for his resignation in light of accusations from members of the jury in Taylor's case, who say Cameron never brought up potential murder charges and actively suppressed evidence that would have implicated Mattingly and Cosgrove in a variety of crimes for blindly firing dozens of bullets into Taylor's apartment, as Blavity previously reported.
Three of the grand jurors in Taylor's case have filed a petition with the state House of Representatives calling for Cameron to be impeached, according to The Louisville Courier-Journal.
The move to impeach Cameron was "an extremely courageous and admirable action taken by these grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case," civil rights attorney Ben Crump with co-counsels Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker said in a statement to Blavity in January.
"They should be applauded for taking a valiant stand for justice and transparency within our institutions, along with reclaiming their voices that AG Cameron attempted to stifle during the grand jury proceedings. AG Cameron placed an impossible burden on these citizens when he skewed the circumstances of Bre’s death and failed to present the possibility of homicide charges," the lawyers said.
“We encourage the House committee to seriously review this petition and hold AG Cameron accountable for his role in misleading the public and the grand jurors, and denying justice for Breonna Taylor and her family,” they added.
The petition said Cameron outright lied to the public during his widely covered press conference, where he announced that no charges would be filed against either officer. The three jurors, and many others who participated in the grand jury, have taken specific issue with Cameron's line where he "said his office presented 'all of the information' and walked the grand jury through 'every homicide offense' before the grand jury came to its conclusion."
According to the petition, "neither Cameron nor anyone from his office mentioned any homicide offense to the grand jury. Not only were no homicide offenses presented as alleged, but no charges of any kind were presented to the grand jury other than the three wanton endangerment charges against Detective Hankinson."
Jurors have since said that Cameron "misled the public" and used the jury "as a shield to deflect accountability and responsibility." The petition said Cameron should be removed from office because he "lied to the grand jury by excluding information and charges available to them, then lied to the public about what he had told the grand jury."
The petition even notes that Cameron should face consequences for participating in a robocall that was sent out urging people to participate in the Jan. 6 domestic terrorist attack on Congress.
“We were happy to help in the role that we could to continue to try to put the appropriate accountability in the right place for how the Breonna Taylor investigation and grand jury presentation was handled. Mr. Cameron continues to blatantly disregard the truth,” the jurors' attorney Kevin Glogower said in a statement to The Louisville Courier-Journal.