Member-only story
RACISM + POLICING
Is a No-Knock Warrant a License to Kill Innocent Black Bystanders?
The death of Amir Locke proves we still need criminal justice reform.
Black lives matter, but to whom is a better question. Each year, police serve 20,000 no-knock warrants. Police use this type of warrant when they consider the person of interest too dangerous or that they will destroy evidence. But, the fundamental problem with no-knock warrants is that most people don't live alone. And breaking into someone's home unannounced can have dire consequences for family, friends, and neighbors.
It's obscene that police justify using no-knock warrants when they could easily wait for the person to come outside to make an arrest and avoid risk to themselves and innocent bystanders. But, the roux thickens. In 10% of these cases, "judges would approve no-knock raids that the police didn't even ask for." Police are not alone in this — they have support from the judiciary, yet another reason to vote in every election.
American police have a mile-long rap sheet full of instances of them hurting innocent bystanders as they serve no-knock warrants. For example, in May 2014, officers threw a flash grenade into a home while serving a no-knock warrant. Unfortunately, the grenade landed in a…
