The Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron is being criticized on social media by activists and celebrities for allegedly hosting an engagement party despite the current tense climate in the state over the death of Breonna Taylor.
Cameron, who is the first Black Attorney General of Kentucky and a Republican, has been facing mounting pressure to arrest and prosecute the three officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, the Black medical worker who was killed in her home while sleeping with her boyfriend in a botched raid in Louisville over three months ago. The officers involved in the incident – Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove – haven’t been charged.
Responding to the case early last month at a press conference, Cameron, 34, assured Taylor’s family and activists they are “working around the clock to follow the law to the truth.”
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“I’d also like to say to all those involved in this case, you have my commitment that our office is undertaking a thorough and fair investigation,” he added. “Obviously, there are sensitivities to this case because of everything that’s going on in this country, but at the end of the day my responsibility is to make sure that we get it right.”
However, photos of Cameron allegedly hosting an engagement party over the weekend got activists and celebrities alike questioning his commitment towards seeking truth and justice in the case which has been dragging for months. Scores of people, including Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Lawson, took to social media to call Cameron out over the timing of his engagement party while Taylor’s family continues to grieve and wait for justice.
“I was shocked to learn that the attorney general for Kentucky is a 34-year-old black man. A republican,” she captioned on Instagram with photos of the engagement. “When Breonna’s Mother Tamika asked to speak with him, he had someone else call her. !”
She continued: “When he ran for office there are a lot of Black people that were excited and thought oh my God maybe we have a fair chance now because it will be a black man in this position ! He will be fair and unbiased towards Black people. They voted for him. Well That’s why it’s important to educate yourself on people who are running for office . I have no problem with who he marries , that is his personal business. That is not what this post is about ! I just don’t understand his actions !!! And where are their masks?”
A Twitter user by name Brandon Johnson also shared the photos and said: “Instead of charging the killers of #BreonnaTaylor ….. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron had an engagement party this weekend.”
Lawson’s reaction comes in the wake of her daughter penning an open letter to Cameron two weeks ago demanding “swift and decisive action in charging the officers” involved in Taylor’s death. In response, Cameron said he won’t be moved by pressure from celebrities.
“Whether it’s a celebrity or Kentuckian or any interested party, I take great care and concern in every letter we receive and completely understand the interest surrounding this case,” he told reporters, according to New York Post. “It doesn’t matter who sends me a piece of mail, it won’t have any bearing on the case.”
