Farmerville, LA – On Monday, October 28, at 8:30 a.m., about 30 people showed up to the Union Parish courthouse for the plea hearing of Kory York, a Louisiana State Police officer who participated in the murder of unarmed Black motorist Ronald Greene in May 2019. Supporters rallied to pack the court and show their support for Greene’s family, including his mother, sisters and daughter.

Ronald Greene was killed in May 2019 by five Louisiana State Police Troopers after a traffic stop which turned into a car chase. Body camera footage of the officers show the troopers tasing, macing and beating Greene to death as he pled for his life. York was filmed dragging Greene by his ankle shackles and forcing him to lie in the dirt. Five years later, Ronald Greene’s family is still fighting for justice, as no officers are facing murder charges for their crimes.

Upon arriving at the courthouse, supporters from across the country and throughout the South came together and chanted to demand justice for Ronald Greene.

“Ronald Greene means fight back!” they shouted in unity. The family and supporters then entered the court dressed in green to represent their solidarity, as Ronald Greene was wearing a green shirt the night he was murdered.

Inside the courtroom, the hearing was short, only lasting about 15 minutes. After testimony from the family, Union Parish District Attorney John F. Belton, the judge, and York’s lawyer announced they had come up with a plea deal. York pleaded no contest to eight counts of “simple battery.” The result was sentencing York to up to six months jail, one year probation, 160 hours of community service and $1000 fine. The ruling meant that York would go home a free man that same day, as he already served six months leading up to the hearing.

Once the hearing concluded, the family rallied outside the court to express their disgust and frustration with the judicial process. “People serve more time for shoplifting than for my brother’s murder!” shouted Greene’s sister, Pepper Hardin. Mona Hardin, Ronald Greene’s mother, expressed her determination to continue this fight for all families affected by police violence.

Among the crowd, several Black families shared stories of also losing loved ones to police brutality. There was a powerful shared conviction in their stories that police killings are the result of racist inequality that is deeply entrenched in the United States police system.

Greene’s family will be mobilizing again for Chris Harpin’s court date in February 2025. Harpin taunted Greene as he lay on the ground before Greene stopped breathing. He is the last state trooper with pending charges for his role in Greene’s murder, facing only three counts of malfeasance-in-office.

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