Kentucky’s only Black lawmaker has felony rioting charge dropped

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The felony rioting charges against Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott and other protesters have been dropped as of Tuesday.

Scott confirmed the news to CNN in a text message: “Felony charges have been dropped against all of us! Misdemeanor charges are still pending.”

Scott, her 19-year-old daughter, Ashanti, and 16 other demonstrators were arrested on Sept. 24. All were charged with felony rioting, unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. The latter two charges are both misdemeanors and are still pending.

Scott was participating in protests one day after the announcement by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron that no Louisville Metro Police officers would face charges in the slaying of Breonna Taylor. One, former detective Brett Hankison, was charged with three charges of wanton endangerment for bullets fired that entered a nearby apartment.

Read More: Grand jury audio details raid that killed Breonna Taylor

Scott is the author of legislation known as “Breonna’s Law,” which would ensure that officers executing search warrants in the state would have to physically knock and verbally announce themselves.

She is Kentucky’s only Black female legislator.

Scott was arrested after the group she was in allegedly caused damage to city buses and the main library in Louisville. However, in their hearing Tuesday, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said, “We would need clear-cut evidence that these individuals before you today were working with those who committed that property damage. The evidence we have reviewed thus far does not support that.”

Read More: Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron responds to ‘repugnant’ critics, defends his handling of the Breonna Taylor case

Scott has pledged to continue to fight to see that the misdemeanor charges are dropped as well. They are still under review.

According to a report from the Louisville Journal-Courier, Scott’s arrest motivated another Democratic lawmaker to write a law that would narrow the scope of Kentucky’s rioting statute. This new legislation from Rep. Lisa Wilner “would protect people from being charged with first-degree rioting if they’re present but don’t engage in destructive or violent actions.”

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