National Urban League Leaders Condemn Justice Department's Sentencing Recommendation for Ex-Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor's Killing
URBAN LEAGUE LEADERS CONDEMN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT’S OFFENSIVE SENTENCING RECOMMENDATION FOR EX-OFFICER CONVICTED IN BREONNA TAYLOR KILLING
The move coincides with the release of the 2025 State of Black America® report detailing the radicalization of the Department’s Civil Rights Division
CLEVELAND, OHIO (July 17, 2025) – National Urban League President & CEO Marc H. Morial and Louisville Urban League President & CEO Lyndon Pryor today denounced a stunning recommendation by the Department of Justice that ex-officer Brett Hankison, convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s rights, serve just one day in prison.
“This isn’t a sentencing recommendation; it’s a declaration by the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice that it has no intention of protecting Americans from civil rights violations by law enforcement,” Morial said. “It is an act of hostility against Breonna Taylor’s memory and against the Constitution itself.”
“There is no punishment that will heal the pain felt by Breonna’s family or those who loved her, but to suggest no punishment be given to the unrepentant perpetrator of such a heinous act is disrespectful and dangerous,” Pryor said. “Policing in America has foundational challenges that have caused incredible harms and resulted in disparate outcomes for Black and marginalized communities, but the callous and depraved actions of officers like Hankison exacerbate those harms and inequities.”
The leaders noted that the sentencing recommendation was part of the Justice Department’s aggressive campaign to undermine reform for the Louisville Police Department, including the abandonment of a hard-won consent decree to address a pattern of racism and constitutional violations.
Morial and Pryor issued their statement from the National Urban League’s Conference in Cleveland, just after today’s release of the 2025 State of Black America® report, which includes a section on the radicalization of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“Despite executive orders to unleash police and increase aggressive law enforcement, we do not live in an authoritarian society where agents of the state are free to kidnap, kill, and terrorize with impunity,” Pryor said.