BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — “I’m not resisting! I’m not resisting!” Aaron Larry Bowman can be heard screaming between blows on the footage obtained by The Associated Press.
The recently released body cam video from the Associated Press has prompted a response from the ACLU of Louisiana.
The following statement is attributed to Alanah Odoms, ACLU of Louisiana executive director:
Hardly three months after the footage of Ronald Greene’s killing was released, we have yet another tragic example of the rampant misconduct that has plagued Louisiana State Police for decades. The repugnant and unnecessary beating of Aaron Bowman—and countless Black people at the hands of this agency—confirms what we’ve known for too long: it is time for the federal government to intervene and put an end to LSP’s vile pattern of unconstitutional brutality against Black people.
The type of violence and corruption that Mr. Bowman has experienced is in line with a system of American policing that has harassed, brutalized, and murdered Black people since its inception, and it can no longer be swept aside. Aaron Bowman deserves justice, and our community members deserve transparency and accountability.
In the absence of federal oversight, LSP will continue to put Louisianans at risk of constitutional rights violations. Only an independent, top-to-bottom investigation can ferret out the root cause of LSP’s wrongdoing and develop accountability mechanisms that can ensure these officers no longer engage in discriminatory and unconstitutional policing practices. The ACLU of Louisiana will fight relentlessly alongside Mr. Bowman’s attorneys Donecia Banks-Miley and Ron Haley to help win justice for him. We will not rest until there is justice for Aaron Bowman, Ronald Greene, and all other known victims of violence at the hands of Louisiana State Police.
This comes after the release of video earlier this summer which appears to show Louisiana state troopers “stunning, punching and dragging” Ronald Greene.