A Louisville activist says he’s been contacted by a second grand juror who asked for advice on how to speak out about deliberations in the Breonna Taylor case.
Christopher 2X, head of Game Changers, a nonprofit that focuses on early education to help curb gun violence, told reporters Sunday that the second juror doesn’t want to come forward yet.
The juror wants to wait until after a hearing regarding the first grand juror who came forward, Christopher 2X said.
The first grand juror, who has remained anonymous so far, filed a lawsuit seeking permission to speak freely about their experiences in the grand jury room and for the release of grand jury recordings and transcripts.
That hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday.
A judge has given Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron until Wednesday to respond to the first juror’s motion.
“The request being made by the Grand Juror is unprecedented, and it is important that all of the legal issues in the case are fully considered,” Cameron said in a statement. “We understand there is considerable public interest in the case, and it will ultimately be up to the Judge to determine if Grand Jurors can share information from the proceedings. We remain confident in the case we presented to the Grand Jury.”
Meanwhile, a lawyer for Taylor’s family has posted an open letter to Gov. Andy Beshear demanding that a new grand jury be called to reopen her case.
“Bre was a hero, a first responder who put her life on the line every day during this COVID-19 pandemic,” lawyer Benjamin Crump wrote. “Together, we demand a new grand jury to reopen Breonna Taylor’s case, immediately.”
Grand jury under scrutiny
Christopher 2X’s organization also wants transcripts and recordings to be released and for jurors to be allowed to speak out.
Grand jury proceedings are normally confidential. But recordings from the Taylor grand jury proceedings were released late last week to the public and journalists.
Taylor was fatally shot in her apartment in March by officers executing a drug warrant. The grand jury’s decisions have come under scrutiny because it did not indict any of the police officers involved on charges related to her death. One officer was charged in connection with shots he fired into an adjacent apartment.
Kevin Glogower, the attorney for the first grand juror, told CNN on Sunday that “We have heard about a potential juror expressing a similar desire to speak publicly and appreciate their efforts to make certain it is their best choice.”
Glogower added, “Hopefully, our client’s bravery has helped them in what must be a difficult thought process. Our team will support them in any way possible.”
Community meetings planned
Members of Game Changers said Sunday that they’d spoken with a representative for the FBI regarding the “civil rights investigation” into the incident, and that they would be setting up community engagement meetings to connect the agency to the public.
“I feel there’s no way in the last week and a few days that we can get a level of comfort and trust in this community until we can have real live individuals who studied this situation as it relates to their civic duty,” Christopher 2X said.
Tim Beam of the FBI’s Louisville office said the community engagement meetings are being held in part to inform the public of their efforts, and in part to foster a greater understanding of the agency’s role in the community.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect day of a hearing that has been scheduled for the first grand juror who came forward. It is Thursday.
