Commentary: Without accountability, deaths at the hands of police will continue

Mona Hardin is the mother of Ronald Greene, who was killed by police in Louisiana two years ago.

"I'm sorry. I'm scared. I'm your brother." These were some of my son's last words before he was killed.

On May 10, 2019, my son Ronald Greene was tortured to death by Louisiana State Troopers in Monroe, La.

My son Ronnie was tasered, punched and choked by White officers. They shackled Ronnie's wrists and ankles, pepper sprayed him while laying face down, and left him moaning for more than nine minutes, as they washed and wiped his blood from their hands and faces while he struggled to breathe, bleeding from their beating.

Then, the officers bragged to each other about what they did.

When medical assistance finally got there, Ronnie was limp and unresponsive. He was loaded into the ambulance, cuffed to the bedrail, without any administration of oxygen or aid.

After my son was killed by these cops, the call came. The Louisiana State Police lied to me, and told me that he died in a car crash.

They hid the body camera footage from the public for more than two years.

• Louisiana troopers seen punching and using stun gun on Black man in bodycam video of fatal arrest obtained by AP (5/20/21)

I saw my son Ronnie murdered at the hands of those troopers. There's no way you can look at the body camera videos and not see that.

I wish I could tell you that these officers have been convicted of crimes they did that night. But they have not. I wish I could tell you that justice has been served for my Ronnie. But it has not. No one has been held accountable for my child's death.

We need these officers arrested for what they did that night. We need them to be indicted for this inhumane and unbelievable act of violence. If there is no accountability, deaths like Ronnie's will just continue.

How many Black men, women and children will be killed by the police before we make a real change? How many Black men, women and children do we have to watch get slaughtered by White cops on camera?

Ronnie was a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend to many. He was loved and taken too soon. Our family will never, ever be the same.

I will never give up, never give up this fight for his justice.

     
See also: 

• Cop in Ronald Greene's deadly arrest made multiple false statements to investigators, documents show (5/24/21)
• Louisiana governor condemns police in Ronald Greene death (5/25/21)

     
For more info: 

• Ronald Allan Greene Foundation

     
Story produced by Mark Hudspeth. Editor: Chad Cardin.