Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
A Black state trooper spoke out about police brutality. Louisiana police want to fire him.
Who is surprised by this? The cops who beat this motorist need to be in jail
Link to tweet
More than a year had passed since a Black motorist in northern Louisiana died after being violently arrested by state police, but trooper Carl Cavalier was just hearing about it. Graphic details from the 2019 incident had rippled through the department. “It’s worse than George Floyd,” Cavalier recalled one investigator saying.
Cavalier spent months quietly trying to figure out what happened and why the department hadn’t disclosed more. When video emerged in May showing troopers beating the motorist, Ronald Greene, Cavalier gave a series of blistering news interviews accusing those involved of murder and alleging a “coverup” by police — a claim department officials have frequently sidestepped in public comments about the matter.
“There are killers,” Cavalier told one local news outlet over the summer, “and there are people who are OK with the killers being on the job.”
This week, police officials moved to fire Cavalier for speaking out about the incident.
In an Oct. 11 letter Cavalier shared with The Washington Post, they said the 33-year-old trooper violated policies related to public statements, loyalty to the department and seeking publicity, and accused him of conduct unbecoming of an officer. He could lose his job within 45 days, according to the letter.
Cavalier spent months quietly trying to figure out what happened and why the department hadn’t disclosed more. When video emerged in May showing troopers beating the motorist, Ronald Greene, Cavalier gave a series of blistering news interviews accusing those involved of murder and alleging a “coverup” by police — a claim department officials have frequently sidestepped in public comments about the matter.
“There are killers,” Cavalier told one local news outlet over the summer, “and there are people who are OK with the killers being on the job.”
This week, police officials moved to fire Cavalier for speaking out about the incident.
In an Oct. 11 letter Cavalier shared with The Washington Post, they said the 33-year-old trooper violated policies related to public statements, loyalty to the department and seeking publicity, and accused him of conduct unbecoming of an officer. He could lose his job within 45 days, according to the letter.
I am glad that there is a DOJ investigation
Cavalier’s possible termination comes amid a broad federal investigation of misconduct among the Louisiana State Police, which has been plagued by allegations of excessive force against people of color.
The Department of Justice probe began in May after the Associated Press published the leaked body-camera footage of Greene’s arrest and has since widened to examine whether supervisors obstructed justice. The footage shows officers punching, dragging and shocking Greene with a stun gun after a high-speed chase, then leaving him unattended in handcuffs for more than nine minutes. He was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after. Police held the footage for two years and initially told Greene’s loved ones that he died in a car accident after driving past a traffic stop, according to a lawsuit filed by the man’s family.
Nick Manale, a state police spokesman, said of Greene’s death: “Since the day of the incident, LSP Detectives were involved in the investigation and the department continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing federal and state investigation.”
The Department of Justice probe began in May after the Associated Press published the leaked body-camera footage of Greene’s arrest and has since widened to examine whether supervisors obstructed justice. The footage shows officers punching, dragging and shocking Greene with a stun gun after a high-speed chase, then leaving him unattended in handcuffs for more than nine minutes. He was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after. Police held the footage for two years and initially told Greene’s loved ones that he died in a car accident after driving past a traffic stop, according to a lawsuit filed by the man’s family.
Nick Manale, a state police spokesman, said of Greene’s death: “Since the day of the incident, LSP Detectives were involved in the investigation and the department continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing federal and state investigation.”