A Black Judge Faces Threats After Speaking Out About Racism

Judge's gavel

via Usafe

William Anderson
November 18, 2019

Lori Landry is the first Black woman elected to serve as a judge in Louisiana’s 16th Judicial District! Though this should be great news for everyone, some non-Black people are enraged by this progress - especially after she kept it real when talking about the criminal justice system. 

What did she say that was so “bad?”

Well, she criticized the way Black people are unfairly targeted by the criminal justice system. The Washington Post reports, “Landry’s outspokenness on topics like police brutality, racial profiling and sentencing disparities has put her at odds with local prosecutors.” 

The 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in New Iberia, Louisiana, is requesting that she be removed from cases. They’re saying she’s biased because she’s admitted that the system is stacked against Black people.

Apparently, facts are not okay because there’s no debate about this. 

One of the pieces of evidence against her is this statement she made: “African American men do not survive traffic stops with the police.” 

Why is that bad!? Studies have backed this up, proving that we are much more likely to encounter use of force, and that police violence is a leading cause of death for Black people

The community is rallying in support of her. Local Black people are coming together and organizing to defend Landy and let the Iberia Parish District Attorney’s Office know that they’re proud of her not backing down. After all, we know that the system is indeed racist - we live under it. 

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