Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron slams celebrities for weighing in on Breonna Taylor case

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has called out ‘celebrities, influencers and activists’ for weighing in on the grand jury findings in the Breonna Taylor case, saying they will ‘try to tell us how to feel.’

Cameron was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in which he announced that a grand jury grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police for the killing of Breonna Taylor in March.

‘Each [case] is unique and cannot be compared,’ Cameron said, going on to predict an inevitable outcry from celebrities over the grand jury findings. 

‘There will be celebrities, influencers, and activists who having never lived in Kentucky, will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case and that they know our community and the commonwealth better than we do. But they don’t,’ he said. 

‘Let’s not give into their attempts to influence our thinking or capture our emotions. At the end of the day, if is up to us. We live here together,’ Cameron added.

Cameron said that his job is ‘to set aside everything in pursuit of the truth.’

‘Our reaction to the truth is the society we want to be,’ he said. ‘Do we really want the truth? Or do we want a truth that fits our narrative? Do we want the facts? Are we content to blindly accept our own version of events? We, as a community, must make this decision.’

Cameron, a Republican, is considered a rising star in the party, and was praised by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, who said he handled the Taylor case ‘very well.’

The grand jury indicted one of the three officers who fired during the March 13 raid, charging Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment for alleged wild shots that entered a neighboring apartment.

The other two officers were not charged, with the grand jury finding that their actions were justified after Taylor’s boyfriend first opened fire, striking one officer. 

Celebrities including actress Viola Davis, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ creator and star Dan Levy, actor George Clooney, rapper Common, and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James have expressed outrage at the grand jury decision.

Davis expressed her outrage online, calling the outcome a ‘Bulls*** decision!!!’

‘BLACK LIVES MATTER !!! Cannot be said enough times,’ the Oscar-winning actress, 55, went on, also reposting messages from the NAACP and TV One.

‘Scandal’ star Kerry Washington expressed her anger while sharing a post by the ACLU, which said: ‘Today’s verdict is not accountability and not close to justice.’

Later she criticized Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for acting politically, tweeting: ‘Daniel Cameron is on Donald Trump´s short list as replacement of #RGB on the Supreme Court. The same man who decided to not charge the officers responsible for killing #BreonnaTaylor. Vote.’ 

Levy wrote in a tweet that he was ‘Disgusted. Enraged. Heartbroken,’ over the decision, and encouraged his followers to donate to a bail fund for protesters in Louisville. ‘Please contribute if you can. Justice should not be a luxury,’ Levy wrote.

Clooney, a Kentucky native, said he was ‘ashamed’ of the grand jury’s decision.

‘The justice system I was raised to believe in holds people responsible for their actions,’ Clooney said in a statement to Deadline.

‘Her name was Breonna Taylor and she was shot to death in her bed by 3 white police officers, who will not be charged with any crime for her death. I know the community. I know the commonwealth. And I was taught in the schools and churches of Kentucky what is right and what is wrong. I’m ashamed of this decision,’ said Clooney.

NBA star James tweeted: ‘I’ve been lost for words today! I’m devastated, hurt, sad, mad! We want Justice for Breonna yet justice was met for her neighbors apartment walls and not her beautiful life. Was I surprised at the verdict. Absolutely not but d***it I was & still am hurt and heavy hearted!’  

Director Ava DuVernay sent a compassionate message to Breonna’s loved ones, tweeting: ‘God bless Breonna’s family and all who knew and loved her. 

‘Her tragic death compounded by the violence of silence and inaction by the city she called home is more than any of them should have to endure.

Common shared a poignant quote from writer James Baldwin, tweeting: ”To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all of the time.’ James Baldwin. #BreonnaTaylor.’

He followed up with another searing quote from Malcolm X, which said: ‘If you stick a knife in my back 9 in and pull it out 6 in, there’s no progress. 

‘If you pull it all the way out, that’s not progress. The progress is healing the wound that the blow made. They won’t even admit the knife is there.’

MLK’s daughter Bernice King herself shared her grief for Taylor’s family, writing: ‘Praying for Breonna’s mother and family. Because they knew and loved her before her name became a hashtag.’ 

Top Chef host/judge Padma Lakshmi wrote: ‘What we saw today was not justice. May Breonna Taylor’s spirit rest in power as we all continue the fight #justiceforbreonnataylor.’

Actress Yvette Nicole Brown was incensed, writing: ‘No. Officers. Charged. In. The. Killing. Of. #BreonnaTaylor. One. Was. Charged. For. Endangering. But. NOT. Killing. Her. Neighbors. #MakeMeWannaHollerAndThrowUpBothMyHands.’

Singer/This Is Us star Mandy Moore was speechless, telling the public: ‘I don´t have the words. #BreonnaTaylor and her family deserve justice.’

On Instagram Mandy shared a portrait Breonna with the caption voicing her support for Black Lives Matter, captioning the post: ‘Today’s news is devastating and infuriating and indicative of a miserably broken system. 

‘Breonna Taylor’s life had value. She and her family deserve justice. Black women matter. Black Lives matter.’

‘So, no one is responsible for killing #BreonnaTaylor ?’ wondered Mia Farrow.