Ben Crump is an American attorney who specializes in civil rights and personal injury cases, such as wrongful death lawsuits. In recent years, his practice has increasingly focused on accusations of police brutality.
As a result, Crump routinely appears as one of the central figures in high-profile cases regarding alleged police brutality and so-called “systemic racism.”
However, time after time, Crump has — either intentionally or unintentionally — spread misinformation regarding his cases, often with disastrous consequences.
Here is a list of times when Crump effectively promoted misinformation regarding high-profile cases of alleged “racial violence.”
Michael Brown
In 2014, Crump helped propagate the false “hands up, don’t shoot!” narrative following the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
“Regardless of the decision of the grand jury, this will be a defining moment in the history of the state of Missouri,” said Crump, while it was being determined whether charges should be filed against Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson.
Crump also said at the time that he and others believed “there is evidence that shows Michael Brown had his hands up.” He was asked if there’s any doubt, and Crump responded, “there’s no doubt about that.”
Barack Obama’s Department of Justice, headed by Attorney General Eric Holder, decided that this version of events was untrue, finding in its exhaustive investigation of the case that witness accounts and forensic evidence overwhelmingly indicated that Brown did not hold up his hands and surrender.
“As detailed in its famous final report, Obama-Biden administration ultimately concluded that all the available evidence painted an entirely different story than the racially charged narrative that sparked the Ferguson protests and riots. The administration found that evidence indicated that Brown assaulted Officer Wilson, attempted to steal his firearm, and then charged at him,” reported The Daily Wire.
Breonna Taylor
Weeks after Breonna Taylor was “shot and killed by plainclothes police officers who raided her Louisville, Kentucky, home” in March 2020, Crump tweeted, “Louisville Police fatally shot #BreonnaTaylor. They had the wrong address AND their real suspect was already in custody. 2 months later, no one has been held accountable for her death…but we will change that!”
Louisville Police fatally shot #BreonnaTaylor. They had the wrong address AND their real suspect was already in custody. 2 months later, no one has been held accountable for her death… but we will change that! #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor #SayHerName pic.twitter.com/wytTAozY5l
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 11, 2020
As noted by The Daily Wire, “the post contained at least four incorrect or misleading statements about the case that still influence the national discussion today.”
The officers who raided Breonna’s home were not at the wrong address, the purpose of the raid was to find evidence and not to arrest “their real suspect,” they did knock before entering the apartment, neither Walker nor Taylor were in bed when police entered the apartment, and Taylor was not shot eight times.
George Floyd
After the death of George Floyd, Crump called for “first-degree murder charges” to be leveled against Derek Chauvin.
The police were supposed to protect and serve George Floyd. They FAILED. Now I’m calling for first-degree murder charges in the police-involved killing of #GeorgeFloyd. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMattter pic.twitter.com/CI0W3QIz9N
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 7, 2020
In Minnesota, first-degree murder requires both intent and premeditation, meaning that Crump believes that Chauvin set out that day planning to kill George Floyd.
Crump made this claim in a piece for The Guardian in May 2020, writing, “The video evidence clearly shows that the officers acted with the intent to kill and with premeditation. Floyd told the officers he could not breathe 12 times, including within the first few seconds of the video.”
Video evidence showed that Floyd complained of breathing difficulties both while they attempted to place him in the police car, and when he was detained on the ground outside the car.
Jacob Blake
Sharing initial footage, Crump reacted to the shooting of Jacob Blake.
“Wow. This Black man was shot several times in the back by [Kenosha Police] today. He was getting into his car after apparently breaking up a fight between two women. He’s in critical condition now. We demand JUSTICE!” Crump tweeted.
Wow. This Black man was shot several times in the back by @KenoshaPolice today. He was getting into his car after apparently breaking up a fight between two women. He’s in critical condition now. We demand JUSTICE! #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/I1reDEp4nw
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 24, 2020
According to an audio recording of the 911 call that was made, Jacob Blake’s ex-girlfriend, Laquisha Booker, “reported that Jacob Blake would not give her back the keys to her rental vehicle and she was afraid he was going to take that vehicle and crash it. She reported he had done that before. So now police know there’s a vehicle in dispute, Jacob Blake already has the keys, and the concern is will he crash that vehicle in an effort to leave.”
According to the New York Post, Blake had an open arrest warrant at the time for felony sexual assault, with Blake’s ex-girlfriend alleging that he “used his finger to sexually assault her, sniffed it and said, ‘Smells like you’ve been with other men.’”
After violently resisting arrest, Blake was shot while reaching into his car, and later admitted that he was in possession of a knife.
Regardless of the facts of the case, riots ensued in Kenosha, Wisconsin, causing damage estimated to exceed $50 million.
Daunte Wright
Crump claimed that the reportedly accidental shooting of Daunte Wright — the man killed after resisting police who were attempting to arrest him on charges related to an armed robbery attempt — was deliberate. The officer who shot Wright now faces second-degree manslaughter charges.
“You can spot the difference between a gun and a taser from a mile away! Do you really think a 26 year veteran cop would get the two confused, especially after holding it out infront of her for so long?! The shooting of [Daunte Wright] was NO accident,” he tweeted.
You can spot the difference between a gun and a taser from a mile away! Do you really think a 26 year veteran cop would get the two confused, especially after holding it out infront of her for so long?! The shooting of #DaunteWright was NO accident. pic.twitter.com/cDO3imnGw2
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 15, 2021
Ma’Khia Bryant
Most recently, Crump responded to the police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio.
“As we breathed a collective sigh of relief today, a community in Columbus felt the sting of another police shooting as [Columbus Police] killed an unarmed 15yo Black girl named Makiyah Bryant. Another child lost! Another hashtag,” Crump tweeted.
As we breathed a collective sigh of relief today, a community in Columbus felt the sting of another police shooting as @ColumbusPolice killed an unarmed 15yo Black girl named Makiyah Bryant. Another child lost! Another hashtag. ✊🏾🙏🏾#JusticeForMakiyahBryant https://t.co/9ssR5gfqm5
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 21, 2021
According to video footage released soon after the event by the police department, Ma’Khia Bryant was armed with a knife and was in the active process of attacking a potential victim.
WARNING, GRAPHIC: Columbus Police show body cam footage of officer shooting, killing knife-wielding teen girl – https://t.co/627TrzbD9n pic.twitter.com/bW6wgWlFsb
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 21, 2021
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.