Justice for Breonna Taylor
Photo Credit and Caption: “Memorial for Breonna Taylor in Jefferson Square in Louisville, Kentucky. The large portrait featured is by local artist and community advocate Aron Conaway.” by FloNight (Wikipedia)
On March 13, 2020, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed by three Louisville, Kentucky police officers who were executing a no-knock warrant. Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and Jonathan Mattingly forcibly entered her home, unannounced, in the middle of the night while she was asleep with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Terrified of possible armed intruders, Walker fired a warning shot. In response, the officers unleashed a barrage of bullets, killing Taylor and jeopardizing her neighbors' safety as bullets pierced a wall in her apartment. To date, none of the officers have been charged with Taylor's death. This month, her family, celebrities, and civil rights advocates have renewed calls for the U.S. Department of Justice to charge the officers. How can we help?
Eliminate no-knock warrants. In February, a Minneapolis SWAT officer killed Amir Locke while carrying out a no-knock warrant. Locke was not named in the warrant. The officers entered the apartment where Locke was sleeping shortly before 7 am. Locke, a legal gun owner, immediately reached for his firearm, and one officer responded by fatally shooting him. Locke likely assumed he was acting in self-defense during a break-in. Harrowing body camera footage captured Locke's last moments. Even some officers believe that no-knock warrants pose too many risks, but the practice has yet to be banned across the country. At Locke's funeral, his mother said this during his eulogy: "At the end of the day you are going to pass the law of the no-knock warrants, ban it starting here in the Twin Cities where my son was born and raised."
Justice delayed, but not denied for Walker. Kenneth Walker is a licensed gun owner who was legally permitted to abide by the state's "stand your ground" laws and fire his weapon at suspected intruders. While the police claimed they announced themselves, Walker maintained they did not. He was initially charged with attempted murder, based on the assumption that his warning shot was the bullet that struck Jonathan Mattingly's leg. Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron supported the police officers' accounts, but ABC News learned that the Kentucky State Police ballistic report revealed that Walker's shot "was neither identified nor eliminated as having been fired" because of "limited markings of comparative value." After a lengthy legal battle, Walker has since been cleared of all wrongdoing.
Taylor's family is still fighting for justice. After Breonna Taylor was killed, Attorney General Daniel Cameron assembled a grand jury. They indicted Brett Hankison on "three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree" for firing shots into Taylor's neighbor's apartment. Three people, including a five-year-old, were inside. Earlier this month, a jury found Hankison "not guilty" on all counts. Thus far, he has been the only officer charged with a crime in connection to Taylor's murder. When asked if he did anything wrong, Hankison replied, "absolutely not."
Support Taylor's family's call for justice. Breonna Taylor was a devoted daughter, sister, and friend who loved Mary J. Blige's music and wanted to help people, which is why she proudly became an emergency medical technician. Taylor's family is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to issue federal charges against the officers responsible for her death. You can sign this petition and amplify messages, like this tweet by Viola Davis, for justice.