They dont expect a decision that departs from whatever this grand jury finds in this longawaited decision in this case. I say longawaited because whatever you think of this case, the fact is its been nearly 200 days since Breonna Taylor was killed by police in the noknock raid on her apartment. After months of protests this case garnered attention locally and nationally. City officials made some moves but not a decision on the criminal charges. For example, the city now agreed to a multimillion Dollar Settlement with the Taylor Family for a wrongful death lawsuit. The city of louisville is bracing for this announcement in the criminal lane, that is whether or not theres criminal charges and whether the officers involved would basically face a criminal process, a trial or reckoning for that or not. I can also tell you in terms of what we track, the areas a state of emergency. We have seen roadblocks, bare kids in certa barricades in certain parts of the city. They activated the National Guard without knowing what this grand jury will do. Moments ago he also announced a citywide curfew tonight locally at 9 00 p. M. And called for unity and to the extent of protests that they be peaceful. Its a very big story. We expect to get breaking news as mentioned within moments and we have you covered. Joining me is cal perry in louisville. Blayne alexander and paul butler, joy reid, reverend al sharpton and an advocate in many such cases like this as well as Derrick Johnson president and ceo of the naacp. Many experts who know this case well. I want to begin with blayne alexander. Your views on what today means and what your reporting shows. Reporter well today is significant. Let me start by setting the scene for you. We are in front of the department of corrections. Police headquarters. I can walk for blocks and blocks through downtown louisville and you would see pretty much the same thing. Boarded up windows, barricades, large trucks blocking the street. The city is absolutely on edge and really preparing in many ways for the worst. I want to show you right back here. This is Jefferson Square park and shows you how close we are to where the Police Headquarters are, department of corrections. This is really kind of an epicenter where so many protesters have been gatherring, many more than 100 days now and theres this kind of almost eerie silence in the air. Theres not what you would know as the usual singing, the usual chanting there and quiet, some applause every now and then but the roads are closed. Nobodys here. I do hear a chopper overhead and weve got to say that just even walking over here i saw several people gathered together in black and walking toward the park, three women with long guns strapped to them. In speaking with protesters today and over the past few weeks that, yes, theres the settlement, yes, the Police Reforms but what theyre relentless on is to see the officers arrested and as a protester told me anything less is a gross miscarriage of justice. The other thing to say, ari, the wait, the wait is something that so many people have driven home, more than six months since this shooting happened. They said its taken so long and whatever happens is theres emotion built into the response. Ari . Thank you. Stay with us, of course. Turning to the same question to cal perry. Reporter you know, ari, i think whats important is you have the individual case of what happened to Breonna Taylor. You had what police call a no knock raid where they may not have announced themselves going through the door. Neighbors told the family they burst in the door, they take gun fire from Breonna Taylors boyfriend and presenting this idea that they acted in self defense. We have heard the police say that. The problem with that is, of course, you have somebody killed in her own home shortly after midnight on a no knock thats now illegal based on the city and doesnt fit with the national conversation, about what is happening to people of color at the hands of police. Which is why you have the media, blayne gave you the perfect idea of what the city is preparred for. The International Media is here. So many folks in this square, members of the media because it is such an important story for the country. But it is that sort of push and pull and i know that the guests will get into that but looking at the charges that may come down in the next 15 to 20 minutes, got to keep in mind kentucky is a constitutional right to carry state. There are stand your ground laws and the idea to just charge the Police Officers with murder charges i think is difficult. It is why we heard the family say what they hope for is seconddegree man slauslaughter charges. That comes with five to ten years in prison. Will the leaders happy with Something Like that . Obviously well know in the next few hours, ari. Thank you, cal. Paul butler, an experienced prosecutor, walk us through the process we expect today. So, the grand jury in kentucky consists of 12 people. It takes nine people to bring an indictment so it doesnt have to be unanimous. The standard is probable cause. If the jurors think that the defendants probably are guilty, the prosecutor himself will use a different standard, whether he thinks he can win the case. So i think the options before the grand jury are homicide charges, murder, manslaughter or reckless homicide. The second option is wanton endangerment and a no true bill, that is no charges at all. We know the lore about the control that prosecutors have over grand juries so in many ways this will be a decision thats looked at as a decision by the prosecutor himself. His name is Daniel Cameron. He is africanamerican, a conservative republican who spoke at the Republican National convention. Yeah, paul. Build on that point briefly because this is exactly what we will go through. Im eager to get to the other experts on civil rights and you know both. But what you just dejiscribed i important. Theres a presentation of the grand jury as you say. It would require nine votes or more for any charge whatever it may be but you are giving us insight of what well first see there is a grand deal of impact on that grand jury by the lawyer who presents. Explain. The prosecutors the only lawyer in the room. Defense attorneys arent allowed. If the defendants or targets request the grand jury can allow them to testify but that almost never happens and so it will be interesting to see the proceedings are secret and reportedly the two people who are actually doing the work before the grand jury are two extremely experienced prosecutors who have convicted Police Officers in lexington before. Reportedly theyre very sympathetic to defendants. This will be a difficult case if a charge is brought. Theself defense case i dont think is irrefutable but persuasive. A difficult decision for the attorney general is even if theres probable cause to think that the officers did it, can he compel a kentucky jury of 12 people chosen from the community to unanimously agree on a conviction . Understood. Very important. I want to turn to my colleagues joy reid and reverend sharpton. Good to see you both of you. A very big and Important News day. Joy reid, you have covered this case. You have discussed its import in a national context. What is on your mind as we prepare to watch the longawaited developments and potential of criminal charges or no true bill, no charges . We have been doing this a very long time. You can go all the way back, you know, to all of these black lives matter cases, and i tend to be very pessimistic that there will be charges. The freddy gray case was quite a surprise to me that there were charges against those officers there because use of force guidelines are written for a broad anlt to use force against civilians. And it is i think something that we as a Public Policy matter, as americans need to revisit the breadth of that ability to use force against us. In this case, Breonna Taylor was in bed. Her boyfriend Kenneth Walker heard a noise. There is a 911 call in which hes calling her mom saying somebody shot breonna. He didnt say a Police Officer shot breonna and clear he was rattled by someone busting into their apartment and starting to shoot and he shot back. Initially police tried to charge him with a crime, tried to charge him. As we heard cal perry, this is an open carry state and defending his rights, castle, in terms of Castle Doctrine but tried to charge him with a crime. The former boyfriend, an attempt to get him to implicate breonna in a crime to get it to look like he had committed a crime in that apartment that would have justified that no knock raid. So theres a lot of behavior, the fact that aid was not rendered to young woman when these Police Officers shot her. She is laying bleeding on the floor, no attempt to render aid. Theres a lot here that does not look like a legitimate shooting in which Police Officers played it by the book. What it looks like is that officers attempt to defend themselves and to make sure that they would have a defense for what they did. That doesnt look good for them but even with that, even with all of that and the tragedy of this 26yearold first responder, lets be reminded, she was a first responder, she was responding to covid in a community where as in all of the country covid is hurting africanamericans more and here she is doing her job. She goes home, go to bed and ends up dead and yet with all of that im still very pessimistic. I have sat on grand juries. Theyre very much about what the attorney, what the prosecutor wants and Daniel Cameron is an accolite of Mitch Mcconnell. I dont expect much. I appreciate your candor on the way they have gone in the past and your views of what may transpire here. Reverend sharpton, same question to you, sir. When you look at this case, and i have watched this case from the beginning, in fact, Breonna Taylors mother did our show policies nation, the first show with her Attorney Ben Crump and she spoke at the march on washington, and its been clear not only from the activists on the ground, many of whom we know and work with in louisville, but from the family is that theyve said despite the policy changes, despite the settlement and the police reform, they want to see criminal charges. And that is what is going to be looked at by the family and by the activists and by those of us nationally watching this case. Because if they come back a no bill then they are saying that these policemen who were going in with a no knock law after a suspect that was not there, that did not have body cameras filming this, right to shoot 20 times, 1 shooting just recklessly from outside and that is all right legal and acceptable which is a threat to everyone in that county as well as around that state. I do not have a lot of faith in mr. Cameron. He is a protege of Mitch Mcconnell. He is a person that spoke at the convention. But you would hope that with the family even saying publicly that they would look for at least manslaughter 2 that he would have the respect of the law to say that there was no legal reason to go and continue the continual shooting because youre talking about over 20 shots, 1 policemen outside firing, firing recklessly. If thats found to be legal by the grand jury then you have to put this at the feet of the prosecutor who has said here who is the only one that could bring evidence or bring anything to the grand jury. Theres a former new york state chief judge that said you cannen diet a ham sandwich if you want and you cannot indict a ham sandwich if you dont want to. The process shows theres probable cause here for at least that and let a jury decide on the innocence or guilt. But i have to go along with joy. I think that optimism is not something that i have here but hope i always have that somehow they would do the right thing. We have a woman who did nothing but go to bed in her own house who then they tried to smear, tried to get the exboyfriend to in some way ensnare her in criminal enterprise, they tried to dig her up and kill her again. This is outrageous at best. I want to also say, ari, that we have said to all that listen to us that dont be provoked into violence. If there is a no bill, we must protest and we must also make Mitch Mcconnell whos in a tight race for the senate and a mentor of this prosecutor understand we dont want that. The galvanize that community could cost Mitch Mcconnell his seat and will not bring justice to Breonna Taylor if there is not criminal charges in my judgment from knowing the case from the attorney from the family and members of the family. Reverend sharpton, interesting to hear you, of course, remind everyone of the context including what we are reporting allegations against the Police Separate from the original incident, an effort to impugn ms. Taylor just to state the legal baseline is the potential victim if any charges are returned today and as you say highly suspect according to those allegations in addition, the reverend using his bully pulpit to remind people not to turn to violence whether they agree or disagree with the decision. I want to bring in Derrick Johnson from the naacp whos been patiently with us as we have so many experts on this Important News. Mr. Johnson, i want to turn to you and remind the audience we are waiting for the scheduled start time of this presentation by the grand jury of whether there will or will not be charges in their report in the Police Shooting death of Breonna Taylor. We are about 90 seconds past the starting time. The court and Government Press conference type events and announcemen announcements as i think viewers know start late. Your views on all of this . I should mention, mr. Johnson, whos joining us we have a little bit of audio issues and will work on that directly with him. Ill bring back in joy reid as we look at this. Joy, we have tried to give the viewers some context here and folks will see where we have a tracking of one of the aspects of today, we have the longawaited presentation of the grand jury and then we have this Kentucky AttorneyGeneral Press conference, two thing that is both go to the same question whether or not there will be charges. Im curious if you had reaction to the point that is our colleague rev sharpton raised. Yeah. I think about the Michael Brown case. I think about the tamir rice case. Right . Two previous grand juries in which the decision is made whether or not prosecution is made. It is in part obviously a legal decision. Thats important but there is a political piece to this and david cam ran i think, an elected official, has to think about the public good, right, and what a charge versus a no charge would do in the public square. We can go back through the 1960s where the majority of what were called riots, uprising in cities, a lot of them had to do with the brutality by police against black bodies. This is something that happened repeatedly from miami to watts and all over this country, to new jersey, to harlem. Because there has been a consistent experience of black people that our lives are less valued by police, that police are much more free wheeling with the use of force when it comes to black people. One cannot imagine Police Officers, forren stance, busting into the home of a 26yearold white woman and just joy, im joy, as mentioned, were going to intercede to go to this news. Lets listen to the Court Proceeding in the grand jury case. Select a number. The case will then be assigned to the courtroom or division that corresponds with the number selected by the foreperson and the courtroom will that case or those cases will then proceed in those courtrooms assigned. For further proceedings. The indictment itself, that is to say the charging document, will be transmitted to the Jefferson County clerks office, recorded and made publicly available through that office. And so i will begin the report of the Jefferson County grand jury. In the matter of common wemt of kentucky versus Brett Hankerson, the grand jury charges as follows. Count one, wanton endangerment in the first degree, on or about march 13th, 2020, in Jefferson County, kentucky, the above named defendant committed the offense of wanton endangerment in the first degree when under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life he wantonly shot a gun, a gun, excuse me, into the apartment occupied by initials ce. Count two, wanton endangerment in the first degree. On or about march 13th, 2020, in Jefferson County, kentucky, the above named defendant Brett Hankerson committed the offense of endangerment in the first degree when under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life he shot a gun into the apartment occupied by initials cn. Count three, wanton endangerment in the first degree. On or about march 13th, 2020, the Jefferson County, kentucky, the above named defendant Brett Hankerson committed the offense of wanton endangerment in the first degree when in circumstances of indifferen