LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Many gathered to listen to civil rights attorney Ben Crump speak on Thursday night at the University of Louisville as he discussed racial justice and the death of Breonna Taylor.

In attendance was Jasmyne Jones, who was recently named a Breonna Taylor Legacy Fellow. She says she is inspired by Crump’s advocacy.

“We’re getting into making that playing field more even, and not just getting invited to the playing field to begin with,” Jones said. “And not only are we making and creating allies, but we are raising up a community that can fight for themselves.”

The recent Department of Justice findings reported that LMPD “unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing”. Crump feels that LMPD disproportionately used no knock warrants on Black people.

“Is it only Black people committing crime in Louisville? That doesn’t add up, and we see that in most cities in America,” Crump asserted. “So everybody has to take to count what role they played.”

Crump said to avoid mistrust in the community, the police and Louisville Metro Government must show everyone that the system works equally for all residents.

“It’s about transparency, plus accountability, equals justice—which leads us to trust,” Crump said.

Jones added that the DOJ’s findings on Louisville policing show that racial biases need to be addressed.

“Racism is something tangible that you can choke on, that you can taste, that’s pungent, that permeates the air,” Jones said. “It’s not something that we can keep sweeping under the rug because they didn’t know any better.”

Crump has also worked with families of other Black Americans killed in high-profile police shootings, including George Floyd, Micheal Brown and Tyre Nichols.