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Louisiana's Legislative Black Caucus held a meeting with Governor John Bel Edwards on Tuesday to discuss the governor's alleged knowledge of the 2019 death of Ronald Greene, a Black man who had been stopped by law enforcement.
Authorities initially said Greene's death was caused by a car wreck after a police chase. However, an Associated Press report released last week revealed Edwards was told another account of what happened within hours of the incident, when the head of the State Police texted him that a Black motorist had died in "a violent, lengthy struggle" with troopers.
Since the report, the governor has received backlash from constituents and now from Black lawmakers in his state's Legislature. Edwards held Tuesday's closed-door meeting with the Legislative Black Caucus shortly before making his first public statement on the situation since the report's release.
The AP report said Edwards kept quiet about the difference between the text he received and the police's public story for two years. He finally spoke out in 2021, when the AP obtained body camera footage from the night in question. That footage showed white troopers punching Greene, shocking him with stun guns and dragging him by his ankle shackles as Greene yelled, "I'm your brother! I'm scared! I'm scared!"
According to audio from Tuesday's meeting obtained by the AP, Edwards told the caucus he had no personal involvement in an alleged police coverup. An AP report called the meeting "heated" and said some members cursed when talking about Edwards' response to Greene's death.
"A man died in custody," one of the caucus members reportedly said in the meeting. "You don't ask his name? You don't ask what happened? You don't get any facts?"
Another told the governor the situation "will not go away until there is an acknowledgement that there was a coverup," the AP added.
Representative C. Denise Marcelle, a caucus member, told WBRZ-TV that when the caucus asked Edwards about the text message, the governor said it was "typical of any message that he would get from State Police."
At the news conference after Edwards' meeting with the caucus, he spoke on the incident.
"I can't imagine if Mr. Greene had been white he would have been treated that way," the governor was quoted by the AP. "We have to acknowledge racism when we see it. We have to call it what it is."
He also denied allegations that he covered up his knowledge of the death to help his reelection campaign, saying, "That is not who I am as a person," the AP added.
Representative Edmond Jordan, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, told WBRZ he believes the citizens of Louisiana deserve transparency on the situation.
Jordan added that he is not confident about the investigation into Greene's death, especially with people involved in the death "still on the payroll and getting promoted," he was quoted by WBRZ. "For me, that's a huge red flag."
In a statement on his Twitter account, Edwards said Greene's death never should have happened.
"I want the people of Louisiana to know I am committed to ensuring what happened never happens again," he wrote.
Vincent J. Pierre, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
