Family of Ronald Greene calls for justice nearly one week after release of body camera footage

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The attorney for the family of Ronald Greene held a news conference on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge on Thursday, May 27, almost one week after Louisiana State Police released all of the body camera footage from his deadly arrest in the Monroe area in 2019.

State troopers pulled Greene over after he led them on a high-speed chase for miles in Union Parish. However, what the video shows came next is hard to watch. The body camera footage shows troopers kick, beat, and use a stun gun on Greene multiple times.

At several points, troopers can be seen leaving Greene face down in handcuffs and walking away from him. During the ordeal, troopers can be seen muting their mics, and at least one of them admits to a fellow officer that things don’t look good for Greene.

Attorney Lee Merritt, who represents Greene’s family, expressed the family’s frustration in the legal process. They are hopeful the officers involved will be arrested and charged.

“It’s frustrating to be told to wait just a little while longer as they gather evidence, as they review the facts, as they check with the authorities,” Merritt stated.

“It hurts the hell out of me to say my son was murdered,” stated Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, during Thursday’s news conference. “It’s so disrespectful to the state of Louisiana to continue this and run this through hoping that eventually, it will lose traction. For some reason or another, they’re hoping it will die away which is not going to happen.”

This has literally torn our family apart. We will never be the same,” said Alana Wilson, the sister of Ronald Greene.

During the news conference, Merritt criticized Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry for remaining silent on the death of Greene since the incident happened.

Merritt called out other state attorney generals that have commented on recent high-profile cases involving alleged misconduct by law enforcement, such as the case of George Floyd.

Attorney General Jeff Landry issued a statement Thursday regarding the death of Ronald Greene.

”I have heard the concerns raised over the death of Ronald Greene. His family has my condolences and prayers. The event captured on video took place two years ago and the Louisiana State Police – which reports to the Governor – has had this evidence, or the ability to access this evidence, since that time. It is important to note that the criminal matter can be broken down into the investigation, state prosecution, and federal prosecution. Our office has no involvement in any of these as they are being handled by the Louisiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Department of Justice. It is also critical to note that the Constitution of the State of Louisiana does not give the Attorney General original jurisdiction in criminal cases or authority to take a prosecution from a district attorney without cause of recusal by the DA. This criminal matter has been ongoing for two years with the involvement of the local District Attorney, and there is no legal cause for recusal. I will continue to closely monitor the situation; and I trust DA Belton and the Biden DOJ will follow the facts and seek justice.”
Attorney General Jeff Landry

Gov. John Bel Edwards met with Greene’s mother on Thursday to discuss the case and hear her concerns. It was the governor’s second meeting with the family since October. Edwards issued a statement after that meeting.

“What happened was tragic, and I cannot imagine the immense pain of losing a child in such a terrible way. Nothing can make up for the disturbing treatment he received at the hands of some state troopers. I pledged to Ms. Mona Hardin that Louisiana State Police is cooperating fully with the Union Parish District Attorney and the United States Department of Justice in their investigations and that under the leadership of a new state police superintendent, change has already started at the agency.
I expect every trooper who wears a Louisiana State Police badge to act professionally under every circumstance, to seek to de-escalate violent or tense situations and to treat all people they encounter respectfully and justly. Law enforcement officers must hold themselves to the highest standards at all times. I certainly do. The officers seen on the body cam footage of Mr. Greene’s arrest do not represent what we aspire to in the state of Louisiana. Their actions were deeply unprofessional and incredibly disturbing. I am disappointed in them and in any officer who stood by and did not intervene during the arrest.
I am praying that ongoing investigations, which the state is cooperating with, will bring Mr. Greene’s family a measure of peace and justice.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards

Merritt said there needs to be action.

“The reason that we haven’t seen justice in the state of Louisiana is because its leadership doesn’t have a taste for justice. If they had a taste for justice, they would have made the arrest already,” said Merritt.

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