Oral History Interview with Destiny Cornett

Partial Transcript: If you wouldn't mind to restate your name and then give your age and your place of birth.

Segment Synopsis: Cornett was born and raised in Hazard, Kentucky and currently attends Eastern Kentucky University. Cornett is currently a student worker at the EKU library and previously worked in a fast food restaurant. Cornett went to two protests with her friends, one in Lexington and another in Hazard. Cornett adds that she was at the protest in Lexington for about two to three hours and stayed at the protest in Hazard for an hour, respectively. Cornett found out about the protests via social media. Cornett explains that she attended the protests because she was upset at seeing people being killed at the hands of police. Cornett also wanted to be an ally for people of color by protesting. The only reservation that Cornett had with protesting was the possibility of contracting and spreading COVID-19 to others.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Friends; People of color; Student workers

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Blacks; COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 pandemic (2020-); Eastern Kentucky University; Education--Higher; Fast food restaurants; Hazard (Ky.); Instagram (Electronic resource); Kentuckians; Kentucky; Lexington (Ky.); Libraries; Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Public health; Social media; Twitter; Violence; Work

Partial Transcript: Just generally--uh--when COVID-19 started how did it impact the way that you were living your life . . . in terms of work, school, and social life?

Segment Synopsis: When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of 2020, Cornett was living on campus at EKU. Cornett recalls that all students living on campus were moved to one central dorm. Cornett felt like her life was on hold during the initial stay-at-home orders issued in Kentucky during the spring of 2020. Cornett was taking online classes and could not work her job at the EKU library. Cornett shares that she received CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act funds from EKU. Cornett says that she was more cautious in the days following her participation in the protests. Cornett explains that she was concerned about spreading COVID-19 to others as a result of her being exposed to a large group of people at the protests. Cornett waited until three to five days after the protests to go grocery shopping. Cornett explains that she broke public health protocols designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 because dealing with issues of police brutality could not wait. Cornett felt that it was more important to have the voices of people of color be heard immediately than to wait for more ideal conditions in terms of the pandemic. Cornett was more comfortable at the Hazard protests because it was a smaller crowd and protestors were wearing masks. Cornett attended the Lexington protest early in the summer of 2020 before mask mandates were implemented in Kentucky, in contrast to the protest in Hazard, which took place after the mask mandate.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; CARES Act; Friends; Isolation; Mask mandates; Online classes

Subjects: African Americans; Black lives matter movement; Blacks; COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 pandemic (2020-); Crowds; Death; Eastern Kentucky University; Fear; Hazard (Ky.); Hope; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Lexington (Ky.); Masks; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Public health; Racism; Richmond (Ky.); Social distancing (Public health)

Partial Transcript: What were some thoughts that you experienced . . . going into these protests . . .

Segment Synopsis: Cornett says that she is an activist at heart and was excited for the opportunity to help people of color through protesting. At the same time, Cornett was angry that it was even necessary to protest for people of color to feel safe. Cornett was concerned about the large police presence at the Lexington protest, but was also apprehensive about the possibility of counter protestors at the Hazard march. Overall, Cornett felt more comfortable at the Lexington protest because of the diverse crowd there. Cornett also enjoyed participating in chants at the Lexington protest, as opposed to the silent Hazard protest. In a sense, Cornett says that she felt that the silence of the Hazard protest was taking away the ability of people of color to have a voice.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Comfort; People of color

Subjects: Activism; Black lives matter movement; Chants; COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-; Crowds; Hazard (Ky.); Kentuckians; Kentucky; Lexington (Ky.); Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Safety; Silence

Partial Transcript: --Um--what was it like in the crowds during the protest and what stuck out to you most about the events, if you wanna talk about--um--this based on location?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett compares her experiences of attending the Hazard and the Lexington Black Lives Matter protests, respectively. Cornett recalls that the Hazard protest was silent and she made signs with her friend. Conversely, Cornett says the Lexington protest was very loud, with chants being led by people of color. Chants include "say their names, black lives matter, and silence equals violence." Cornett was surprised that Lexington police did not act violently towards protestors since they were so outnumbered by demonstrators. To prepare for the protests, Cornett watched videos on Instagram that showed her how to protect herself against common crowd control methods utilized by police such as tear gas. After watching the videos, Cornett was less afraid about attending the protests, since these types of police tactics were rarely used in Kentucky outside of Louisville. At the Lexington protest, Cornett felt that the police were trying to intimidate the protestors despite there being no imminent threat of violence from the crowd. The only type of violent behavior Cornett reported seeing was people jumping on top of police cars at times. Prior to attending the Hazard protest, Cornett observed that many of the people she followed from her hometown on social media were reacting negatively to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Because of this sentiment, Cornett had expected there to be counter protestors at the Hazard BLM march, but in reality, the protest went on with no disruptions.

Keywords: Activists; Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Lexington Police; People of color; Police cars; Preparations; Signs; Supportive; Tension; Yelling

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Chants; Crowd control; Crowds; Fear; Hazard (Ky.); Instagram (Electronic resource); Intimidation; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Lexington (Ky.); Marching; Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Silence; Social media; Tear gas; Water

Partial Transcript: So, for Kentucky we know that one of the major sparks in protesting in this region specifically was the death of Breonna Taylor.

Segment Synopsis: Cornett provides her understanding of how the killing of Breonna Taylor unfolded. Cornett believes that police were looking to arrest a man they already had in custody and had the wrong address when they began shooting indiscriminately into Breonna Taylor's apartment. Cornett says that Taylor's boyfriend fired back at police in self defense. Cornett knew that Taylor was a first responder and it resonated with her that there was one less EMT available to help confront the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Cornett explains that there was a shortage of medical professionals at the beginning of the pandemic and Taylor may have had the opportunity to continue saving lives during the pandemic if her own life had not been cut tragically short in March of 2020. Cornett believes that no-knock warrants like those conducted in the killing of Breonna Taylor should not be utilized. In Cornett's view, no-knock warrants are a way for police to circumvent the civil rights of citizens. Cornett thinks that the police were looking for Taylor's ex-boyfriend, who did not live in the apartment at the time. Cornett says that the murders of Trayvon Martin and Elijah McClain also had an impact on how she perceived the police and systemic racism in the U.S.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Boyfriends; Breonna Taylor; Elijah McClain; EMTs; Essential workers; Louisville Metro Police; No-knock warrants; Trayvon Martin

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Bullets; Civil rights; COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-; Death; Firearms; First responders; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Louisville (Ky.); Police; Police brutality; Racism

Partial Transcript: --Um--are you or were you involved with BLM or any other organizations during the time of protesting?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett says she was not involved with the Black Lives Matter organization, but supports its goals. Cornett perceives that the organization's goals are to have police give Blacks equal treatment, eliminate police brutality, and to address racial injustice in the American criminal justice system. Cornett also thinks that the Black Lives Matter organization helps to hold police accountable for their actions. Cornett says that the police are supposed to serve and protect citizens, which is not happening when people of color are being killed at the hands of police.

Keywords: Accountability; Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Elijah McClain; Inequality

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Criminal justice; Police; Police brutality; Racial justice

Partial Transcript: . . . How do you feel about the slogan Blue Lives Matter?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett does not agree with the concept of Blue Lives Matter, explaining that policing is a career which can be easily changed, while racial identity is a permanent characteristic. Cornett believes that people supporting Blue Lives Matter are simply masking their racism through claiming to support the police. Cornett views defunding the police as a way to bring more resources and attention to how police respond to mental health crises. Cornett believes that police departments should hire more trained mental health professionals such as social workers and psychologists to respond to mental health crises rather than police.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter Organization; BLM; Blue Lives Matter; Counter protestors; Defund the Police

Subjects: African Americans; Black lives matter movement; Blacks; Careers; Identity; Mental health; Police; Psychologists; Racism; Social workers

Partial Transcript: So, if you could make a change to the way that policing is done when it comes to the education of police officers, what would you say would be helpful for them to add into their training regimens?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett believes that police officers should only patrol in areas that they are familiar with. One of Cornett's high school classmates from Hazard is now a police officer in Louisville, which may cause tensions with the people he serves, since he is unfamiliar with the city. Cornett says that it is difficult for police officers who were raised in rural, predominately white areas to essentially deprogram some of the racist ideologies they were exposed to in their communities. Cornett also thinks that many police officers who come from rural areas are not used to the diversity of larger cities and primarily act out of fear, which causes the impulse to reach for their guns and could potentially escalate a situation. Cornett suggests one way to combat these issues is to require police academy recruits to take an African American studies course. Cornett explains that she took an African American studies course at EKU and it deepened her understanding of the Black experience. Having more empathy and understanding for Blacks, according to Cornett, would help to reduce police brutality incidents.

Keywords: Biases; People of color; Police academies; Police reform

Subjects: African Americans; African-American studies; Blacks; Change; Cities; Culture; Diversity; Eastern Kentucky University; Education; Education--Higher; Fear; Firearms; Hazard (Ky.); High school; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Neighborhoods; Police; Prejudice; Racism; Rural; Stereotypes; Students; Training; Voice

Partial Transcript: . . . Do you think that the ability now to film the police . . . and body cams is a positive or a negative or what are your thoughts around that?

Segment Synopsis: In Cornett's opinion, police body cameras are helpful to citizens since they show what police are doing. Cornett does not like that police have the ability to turn the camera off, which gives them too much power over what they can and cannot reveal to the public. Additionally, Cornett says that body cameras take the burden off of citizens to film the police, which can oftentimes be difficult in tense situations. Cornett feels that it is unfortunate that the first impulse of citizens is to film interactions with the police, but it is a learned behavior as a result of the horrific violent acts committed by police countless times. At the Lexington protest, Cornett sensed that the police were there to intimidate protestors. Cornett believes that police departments should function to serve and protect their citizenry. In her own interactions with police, Cornett has observed that they seem to have pride in their work, but do not uphold their duty to serve and protect people.

Keywords: Accountability; Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Body cameras; Lexington Police; Surveillance

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Fear; Intimidation; Lexington (Ky.); Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments)

Partial Transcript: How did participating in these protests . . . how did it impact--um--your relationships with your friends, family, or community? Did you face any resistance or grow closer to anyone because of it?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett says that she grew closer to her friends after attending the protests together since they had shared values. Cornett felt a bit estranged from her parents after attending the protests, since they did not support the Black Lives Matter Movement. Cornett finds it strange that so many people from her hometown of Hazard support the police. Cornett believes that people from Hazard are reluctant to support black lives matter since, according to Cornett, many people are racist and prejudiced against Black people.

Keywords: Family; Friends; People of color

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Discrimination; Facebook (Electronic resource); Hazard (Ky.); History; Interpersonal relations; Parents; Police; Prejudice; Racism; Rural

Partial Transcript: If there is something that--uh--you could do in regions like Hazard in order to curb--um--systematic racism . . . what do you think a potential fix could look like?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett thinks that police should not respond to mental health crises. Instead, Cornett says trained mental health professionals such as social workers and psychologists should respond to mental health crisis calls. Additionally, Cornett believes that police should have more education and training with higher pay. In Cornett's view, becoming a police officer is a last resort for people rather than a first choice in terms of a career path. Cornett is hopeful that additional training and increased pay would help to dissuade people with ulterior motives from joining the police force. Cornett says that people are more afraid of the police as a result of the militarization of police forces following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Cornett adds that the violence of protestors was emphasized rather than the acts of police violence committed against peaceful protestors. Cornett believes that people who looted and rioted during the protests were justified since people died at the hands of police. Cornett thinks that the only way to truly harm government interests was to impose a financial cost on businesses and property.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); Incentives; Systematic racism

Subjects: Black Lives Matter movement; Communities; Death; Education; Fear; Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Psychologists; Racism; Riots; Salaries; Social workers; Training; Violence

Partial Transcript: How did the media depictions of the events differ from your own firsthand, if they did, like--uh--maybe a comparison between major news outlets and then social media?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett believes that the media depicted the black lives matter protests as violent. Cornett adds that the violence perpetrated against protestors by police was not emphasized. Cornett thinks that conservatives used the riots and looting associated with the protests as an excuse to subvert the goals of the Black Lives Matter Movement and claim that the movement wanted to hurt the economy. Cornett did not see any violent acts at the Lexington protests except for some protestors jumping up on police cars.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); Looting; Media; Police cars; Rubber bullets; Small businesses

Subjects: Black Lives Matter movement; Conservative; Death; Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Social media; Tear gas; Violence

Partial Transcript: --Um--so, what outcomes did you wanna see from these protests, like what was--what was the hope?

Segment Synopsis: Cornett wanted one of the outcomes of the protest to be that the police who killed people be arrested and held accountable. Cornett regrets that she did not do more to help the Black Lives Matter Movement. Ideally, Cornett would have liked to donate more money, contact her elected representatives and attend more protests. Cornett also wanted people of color to feel that their voices were heard as a result of the protests. Cornett also wanted the movement to make police less greedy with the power that they wield over citizens. Cornett also hoped that as a result of the protests, people of color felt supported and realized that there were many white allies willing to step up and help combat police brutality.

Keywords: Accountability; Black Lives Matter (Organization); People of color

Subjects: African Americans; Black Lives Matter movement; Blacks; Change; Police; Police brutality; Politicians; Power; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Society; Voice