R&B Singer/Songwriter, Darrell Kelley has shifted his focus to Ronald Greene, on his new single, aptly titled, “Ronald Greene.” Darrell Kelley has based his music around cases of African Americans, being a target and subsequent casualties of police in various instances. Darrell Kelley is highly consumed by these cases, and has seemingly now devoted his entire career to shedding light on them, and seeking justice in the process. While, Kelley is a nominal talent, his objective is generally achieved, in terms of bringing attention to instances of prejudice within our law enforcement programs. It’s unclear if he was inspired by the George Floyd case, or if Kelley has been singing the truth, long before that.
It was May of 2019 that Ronald Greene left this world in a traumatic and violent way. The incident took place in Louisiana, within the jurisdiction of the Monroe Police Department. The police had initially declared that Ronald Greene had fled from them, when they instructed him to pull over, after a traffic violation. They claimed that Greene was intoxicated and led them on a dangerous car chase, that ultimately resulted in Greene’s death. The Monroe Police Department claimed there was no footage of the incident, but have since, reneged on that statement, and handed over body cam footage of the incident.
In the footage, we see 4 to 5 officers drag Greene from the car, and repeatedly instruct him to give his hand. You can hear, Greene saying “I’m sorry, I was scared,” and “ok,” over and over, again. A lot of the footage is close up, and chaotic, so the audio is more clear, at times. There is no mistaking the sheer fright in Greene’s voice, as he attempts to comply with the officers’ instructions. At different points, a stun gun, and mace are used on Greene, as by all appearances, he is being cooperative.
A wrongful death lawsuit has been brought against the Monroe Police Department, by the family of Ronald Greene. In an unexpected and unsettling twist in the case, the lead officer on duty that night, who would actually provide the cam footage, was let go by the department. He would then go on to commit suicide, a short time, later. As of this, writing, the case is still being investigated, and the wrongful death lawsuit, pending. Ronald Greene had also just beaten cancer, before his death in 2019.
Darrell Kelley has once again brought awareness to a case that has otherwise not garnered a great deal of publicity. His song, “Ronald Greene,” does a sufficient job of establishing who Greene was and what happened to him. Kelley is certainly biased in his viewpoint of what happened, but the facts certainly support his stance. There was more than one life lost in the fallout from the Ronald Greene incident, when there should have been none. Darrell Kelley, tells the story, on his new single.
Claire Uebelacker
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