By Cindy Hernandez
Felony rioting charges against State Rep. Attica Scott and several others were dropped Tuesday afternoon by Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell.
While felony charges were dropped, prosecutors will continue to pursue misdemeanor charges for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. A second hearing will be held on Nov. 16.
Scott claimed that her and others’ arrest was “political retaliation” and she will fight the misdemeanor charges.
“The absurdity of trying to claim that I would try to burn down the library in District 41 that Black people so desperately need is something that we all need to fight against,” said Scott on Tuesday.
Scott along with her 19 year-old daughter Ashanti Scott and organizer Shameka Parrish-Wright with the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression were among those arrested on Sept. 24.
Scott and others were arrested by LMPD officers as they were trying to cross the street to First Unitarian Church who was offering sanctuary for protesters after the 9 p.m. curfew went into effect.
Scott said she was detained before 9 p.m.
More than 200 protesters were arrested in the days following the announcement of the Breonna Taylor case. On Sept. 23 only one officer involved in the case, former LMPD Detective Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. The charges against Hankison were for firing at Taylor’s neighbors yards. No direct charges were made for the killing of Taylor.
“We will continue fighting for justice for Breonna Taylor,” said Scott. “We will turn our protest into policy with Breonna’s Law,” said Scott.
In August, Scott proposed Breonna’s Law, a bill that would end statewide no-knock warrant arrests.
