Palmer said Friday she “never had faith in Daniel Cameron to begin with.” “I’ve seen that pain in the community.”Ĭritics dismissed his remarks as performative, saying the mention of his race did nothing to alleviate the damage done in the case. I’ve seen that pain on Miss Palmer’s face,” he said, referring to Taylor’s mother. My mother, if something was to happen to me,” he said, pausing as his voice faltered and he held back tears, “would find it very hard. “My heart breaks for the loss of Miss Taylor,” Cameron added. which is why it was so incredibly important to make sure that we did everything we possibly could to uncover every fact,” Cameron said. “I understand that as a Black man, how painful this is. So it’s very near and dear to our thought process on a regular basis,” Hill said.Ĭameron alluded to his personal feelings at his news conference announcing the grand jury decision, at one point choking up as he invoked his own family. “I recognize there have been problems in our country with race from Day One, and we’re still dealing with that. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, the only other Black Republican who currently holds that post, told POLITICO that Cameron insisted his role in the case “has nothing to do with any personal feelings that he might have or any emotional reactions that might tug at his own heartstrings.” “There will be repercussions for his refusal to act, and we believe that he should resign or be replaced.”Įlected a year ago, Cameron is the first African-American attorney general of Kentucky and one of six Black attorneys general in the country, two of them Republicans. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch in the wake of Michael Brown’s death in 2014. She alluded to activists’ efforts to oust St. “Unfortunately, he was recently elected,” said Arisha Hatch, vice president of Color of Change. Some civil rights groups have begun holding strategy meetings to discuss ways to hold Cameron accountable for his actions in the case and plan to work against him if he runs for office again down the line. He had a chance to do right by his people. “This was absolutely a career-defining moment … to set him up for stuff in the future. “You know what they say? All skinfolk are not kinfolk,” said Phelix Crittenden, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Louisville. Cameron’s performance drew kudos from McConnell and Trump, who said after the Taylor news that the Kentucky attorney general was doing a “fantastic job.” While his handling of the high-profile case probably won’t hurt him with Republicans in future potential bids for public office - it might well help - Cameron has ensured a motivated, well-funded opposition.