Kyren Lacy’s death shows need for police reform .
“Every day we wake up, we fight battles nobody sees. Be kind. Be accountable. Be human.” — Ryan Clark
America has a long history of overpolicing Black men, scapegoating them as criminals without due process. The tragic death by suicide of rising Louisiana State football star Kyren Lacy is no different.
Not only was his death, following a horrific fatal car crash, completely preventable, but the LaFourche Parish Sheriff’s Office should be held accountable for an arrest and prosecution without cause, without an investigation, and investigated for discriminatory policing practices.
Upon review of the footage of Lacy’s accident that caused 78-year-old Herman Hall to lose his life, it is clear that this young man does not bear responsibility for this tragic car crash; his vehicle was not even present when it occurred. Yet deputies from LaFourche Parish’s office not only arrested Kyren Lacy but also charged him with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run, and reckless operation of a vehicle, all while failing to review any evidence in the process.
The unimaginable anxiety and shame that mounted on a young man who entered the 2025 NFL draft the same month that this tragedy changed the trajectory of his life ultimately claimed his own this April, ahead of a trial.
Lacy, a former LSU football player with immense promise, died by suicide during a police pursuit, months after being charged in connection with the fatal crash. Before the courts could determine the facts, before the truth could fully surface, his life came to an abrupt and irreversible end.
For those who knew him, he was not a headline or a statistic; he was a son, a teammate, and a young man still finding his way in a world that too often shows young Black men its harshest face.
This tragedy is about more than a single moment. It speaks to the deep failures of a justice system that too often confuses accountability with punishment, and law enforcement practices that escalate when they should de-escalate.
It calls into question whether our public safety institutions are designed to preserve life or to control it.
At the National Urban League, we know that public safety cannot exist without public trust. Through our 21 Pillars for Redefining Public Safety and Restoring Community Trust, we have outlined a comprehensive framework for real reform — reform that moves us beyond rhetoric and toward results.
These pillars demand transparency, community engagement, and accountability at every level of law enforcement. They call for independent civilian review boards, strict standards for the use of force, and a nationwide system to prevent officers with histories of misconduct from quietly transferring from one department to another.
Our vision is not anti-police; it is pro-justice. We believe in a model of community policing rooted in respect, empathy, and shared responsibility. Officers should be trained and equipped to respond to crises with compassion as well as control, and departments must reflect the diversity and values of the communities they serve.
Reform must also include investment in mental-health response, conflict resolution, and economic opportunity, because proper safety is not built on fear, but on fairness and trust.
Kyren Lacy’s death reminds us that every encounter between law enforcement and the public is not just a matter of law, but of life. His story joins too many others in the long record of loss that demands our nation’s attention and action.
The goal of justice cannot simply be punishment after tragedy; it must be prevention before it.
To be equal means more than equality before the law; it means equality in treatment, in dignity, and in the chance to live freely and fully.
The work of reform is not abstract. It is urgent. It is human. And it is the only way to honor those we have lost while ensuring that fewer lives meet the same fate.
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Marc H. Morial is the president and CEO of the National Urban League.
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