Six Months Later and Still No Justice for Breonna Taylor
Written By Kaila Love
It’s approaching six months since Breonna Taylor was murdered in her sleep by the Louisville Metro Police Department. Despite cries for justice from big celebrity names like Cardi B, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kehlani, Ariana Grande, Nick Cannon, Lizzo and numerous others, there still hasn’t been much progress towards justice. Pictures of Breonna have graced the covers of Oprah Magazine and Vanity Fair turning her into not just another victim of police murders but a national symbol of an outcry for justice. Recently, 68 Louisville protesters were arrested for demanding answers about Breonna’s case while the men who killed her still have not been apprehended.
Something hits different about Breonna’s case. Cop sympathizers will often blame victims of police brutality with arguments like “they had a criminal record” or “they shouldn’t have resisted arrest” but none of these are applicable in the case of 26 year-old Breonna Taylor who was working as an EMT during a global pandemic and asleep in her own home at the time of the break-in that led to her murder. The whole incident took place during a no-knock warrant raid which was supposed to yield drugs, although no drugs were ever found at the scene. It seems that this should be the clearest cut case of all – there was nothing Breonna did to provoke the officers and nothing that she could have done to defend herself.
To make matters worse, the police report list Breonna Taylor’s injuries as “none” despite her sustaining eight bullet wounds. It also indicates that there was no forced entry despite witness accounts stating otherwise. Also, despite her still being alive when the officers saw what they had done, no medical services were requested. So if we can’t get justice in a case like this, when and how can we expect justice when the lines aren’t as clear cut? Especially when police violence is continuing to cause a nationwide divide with new cases like the shooting of Jacob Blake inciting new waves of protest.
The actions taken towards justice have been minimal and performatroy. The Louisville City Council passed “Breonna’s Law” which suspends the use of the controversial no-knock warrants. However, five of the officers involved in the Breonna Taylor murder were also involved in a botched raid in 2018. Although that raid was not with a “no-knock” warrant, the body footage cam showed that the officers didn’t knock – so why should we believe they took the liberty to knock as they testify in the Breonna Taylor case when they technically didn’t have to because of the no-knock warrant? That damning evidence paired with the fact that officers lied about Breonna’s injuries on the police report has tarnished any credibility they may have.
One of the officers, Brett Hankison, was fired but this is just not enough. What is to stop him from simply going to work at another police department? He was one of the officers involved in the botched raid that was dismissed in 2018. If disciplinary action may have taken then, he may not have been in the position to murder this young woman. We must never stop fighting for justice for Breonna – justice that shows her life truly mattered. We can never bring her back but we can arrest and sentence these officers for their crimes. A new precedent must be set.
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