Quintez Brown Louisville civil rights activist pleads not guilty to attempted murder of Craig Greenberg mayoral candidate. No known motive.
The individual arrested in Monday night’s attempted shooting of Louisville, Kentucky Democrat mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg has been identified as an activist for civil rights and gun control. The attempted shooting led to no one being hurt.
Quintez Brown, 21, upon his arrest was charged with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment, the Louisville Metro Police Department revealed on Tuesday. Responding to the charges against him, Brown pleaded not guilty and was placed on $100K cash bond WHAS11 reported.
The Louisville Metro Police Department responded around 10:15 a.m. Monday after Brown an advocate of socialism, liberalism and anti gun rights, walked into Greenberg’s campaign headquarters in Butchertown and fired up to five gunshots. Investigators say Greenberg was not struck and no one else was injured.
Police said an article of clothing Greenberg was wearing was struck, and the candidate said his sweater was grazed by a bullet. Greenberg said the suspect had walked into the campaign office, pulled out a gun, ‘aimed directly at me and began shooting.’
‘Today is not a day for politics, but it’s not lost on me that the violence my staff and I experienced today is far too common in our city,’ Greenberg said, also thanking the Louisville Metro Police. “Too many Louisville families have experienced the trauma of gun violence. Too many aren’t as blessed as me.”
Aspiring black radical leader
After having fired off a 9mm Glock handgun at Greenberg, Brown fled the building. About 10 minutes later, officers located a man matching the suspect description less than a half-mile away. He was found carrying a loaded 9mm magazine in his pants pocket and was taken into custody, FOXNews reported.
Brown is a civil rights activist who reportedly participated in 2020 racial justice demonstrations.
In his Twitter bio, he says, ‘We have one scientific and correct solution, Pan-Africanism: the total liberation and unification of Africa under scientific socialism.’
In a Feb. 1 post, Instagram post, Brown, using the handle ‘tez4liberation,’ shared a post celebrating ‘Black Radical Month’ and a list of names that included convicted cop killer Assata Shakur.
Of note, Brown is a former intern and editorial columnist for The Louisville Courier Journal.
In December, Brown shared a short campaign video on Twitter announcing that he was running to represent District 5 for Louisville’s Metro Council in 2022. The 21 year old in previous posts advocated for the ideals of communism, socialism, liberation along with previously criticizing ‘gun-loving’ Republicans.
As a freshman in college, Brown also reportedly was selected to meet former President Obama.
Revolutionary
On Jan. 10, Brown published a piece on Medium.com titled, ‘A Revolutionary Love Letter.’
‘During our short stay on this glorious planet we all have been collectively dehumanized and reduced to political talking points — Black, white, liberal, conservative, Christian, criminal, boss, worker, activist, etc.,’ Brown wrote in the letter. ‘Our sick, manipulated brethren will weaponize common sense and tell us to ‘face to facts’ — as if facts are something outside of us as if life were something we encounter as foreigners*. They will tell us that communism and collectivism has never and will never work and refuse to even explore these ‘childish’ (or inferior) ideas.’
Screenshots shared online show Brown wrote one piece for the Courier-Journal published on July 2, 2019, titled, ‘Kentucky’s concealed carry law shows your life doesn’t matter to gun-loving Republicans.’
As a freshman political science major at University of Louisville, Brown was one of 22 students in the country invited to the inaugural national gathering of the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance that supports boys and young men of color. He was quoted as saying he had the opportunity to shake hands with Obama himself during a two-day workshop.
In 2018, Brown was featured in an MSNBC segment covering students participating in ‘March For Our Lives’ protests in Washington, D.C., demanding stricter gun laws.
The 17-year-old president of the Black Student Union at duPont Manual High School in Louisville at the time, Brown sat down with MSNBC host Joy Reid.
In the steps of MLK?
Addressing Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was the Senate majority leader at the time, Brown said students want Congress to act on guns, ‘and if you’re not going to give us that, then we’re going to get everyone out here to vote, and we’re going to vote you out of office.’
‘Get rid of assault rifles,’ Brown said.
Brown also made headlines last summer when his family reported him missing. He was found safe on July 1, about two weeks after vanishing, and his family subsequently asked for privacy and patience ‘while we tend to the most immediate need, which is Quintez’s physical, mental and spiritual needs.’
The Courier Journal reported that Brown was an MLK scholar at the University of Louisville ( a regard of his Instagram page sees various posts lionizing the 60’s black activist) a former columnist for the student newspaper, the Cardinal, and founded From Fields to Arena, a group committed to providing political education and violence prevention training to youths in hip hop and athletics.
Not immediately clear is what led to the Brown targeting Greenberg, a Democratic mayoral candidate- a candidate that may have possibly echoed his positions, or not enough…
Brown is remanded to re-appear in court on February 23rd.
