Some measure of justice looks to be on the way to the family of black motorist Ronald Greene, but none yet for what Louisianans suffered under Democrat former Gov. John Bel Edwards’ in his quest for political power ahead of justice.
Only cursory media coverage accompanied an initial settlement agreement between the state and Greene’s estate of $4.85 million for civil rights violations. Greene, who was in an impaired state that could have contributed to his death, was pulled over by state and local law enforcement, beaten, and neglected, dying later likely in part due to his treatment by law enforcement.
Because of the uncertainty behind the contributions of various factors that caused his death, criminal cases couldn’t be made against any officers of the law, which in turn also hampered pursuit of charges against Louisiana State Police officials who slow-walked the investigation. The suit looks to provide the only accountability.
But lost in all of this is Edwards’ role in obscuring this accountability. Although an incomplete, flawed, and politicized report begun in 2022 by the Democrat former Pres. Joe Biden Administration attempted to weave the incident into a pattern of intentional racist behavior propagated by the LSP (failing to make its case because it used associated outcomes rather than demonstrated causation, and later rescinded), it failed entirely to investigate the actions of the Administration’s ally Edwards in trying to cover up the incident that at least showed partial culpability of the LSP. Nor did the media renditions of the settlement acknowledge the role of Edwards – not even the Associated Press, which had done more than any other media outlet to reveal hidden evidence concerning Greene’s death and its relationship to the Edwards Administration – leaving, in fact, only the far left Manchester Guardian, a British publication whose U.S. editor was a former Louisiana newspaper reporter, even bothering to mention that the incident occurred when Edwards was governor, but which also held back on explaining the context.
The fact of the matter is Edwards had to know the next day after it that Greene didn’t die from a crash, which became the official story peddled not long after, yet two years later he still privately and publicly disseminated the line that the (decidedly low-speed) crash at the very least contributed to, if not caused, Greene’s death. And there never has been an independent reckoning of just how deeply Edwards was involved in a coverup, which likely was deeper than his public statements of complete ignorance of the matter given he clung to the lie of the crash’s impact well past the point he could not have helped to know that was untrue.
Not that political checks and balances worked in this case. In a bizarre sequence of events, Republican former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder – who owed his elevation to that post to House Democrats allied with Edwards – claimed Edwards was under federal investigation for the matter and whipped up a House investigation, only to have him and his top lieutenant turn it into a meaningless dog-and-pony show when political conditions changed.
Edwards behaved in this fashion due to election year politics. The incident happened fewer than six months before Edwards attempted reelection which, ultimately, he barely achieved with huge black voter support. Had the truth not been suppressed immediately – and LSP head and Edwards appointee Col. Kevin Reeves (who retired the next year abruptly after news broke about sketchy behind-the-scenes maneuvering associated with the case) would have to have known reporting upon and launching an investigation of white troopers beating a black man would have damaged Edwards’ chances – Edwards stood a real chance of losing. And then after the election it had to remain secret because of the reputational damage that threatened to diminish his political power that Edwards would have suffered and subsequently did.
Thankfully, Greene’s family will see some restitution, which in a broader sense will encourage official accountability. Perhaps Louisianans will see a measure as well. Edwards in a legal sense never may be called to account for his part in the coverup, but it’s very likely what little we do know of it has helped, along with a record of failure and vigorous defense of some issue preferences well to the left of the state’s public, to terminate his political career and influence. That’s about the only justice citizens will receive related to this episode.
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