It really doesn’t matter whether you’re black, white, or any other race it’s pretty clear when we look at the handling of Breonna Taylor’s tragic death at the hands of the police, there has been a clear miscarriage of justice. The outcome that we’ve all learned about this week is pretty sickening– in my personal view. After George Floyd and Rayshard Brook this is a slap in the face.This morning something very strange happened to me, I actually shared the full event as a Facebook post. Basically before I got out of bed as I always do on a Sunday and most other days I closed my eyes and asked the Universe and myself ‘what’s the focus this week, where should I place my energy?’ Breonna Taylor’s face and this picture that I always see came to my mind’s eye, as clear as day. I then said to myself ‘what?’ Along came the word ‘petition.’
Weird! I journalled about it in my diary, it was a very strange experience for this to be placed in my mind’s eye. Then I did some online research around the case. Last week the editor of Aspiring Author Magazine LLC asked me for the October edition to focus on Black History month in the UK, when I submit my articles for October. I’ll also be adding something in to support Breonna Taylor’s online petitions for justice also, following what happened this morning!
I have signed these two as the concerns that the petitions express, also reflect the same concerns I have around the handling of her case, her death, the police involvement, laws, and the overall outcome. If you see the miscarriage of justice please sign and support her. #StandWithBre
Petition one: Change.org
On this link 11340,523 people have signed at the time of writing this. The target is 12,000,000 add your support!
https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor
Petition two: Stand With Bre
On this link 59,500 people have signed at the time of writing this. The target is 75,000 add your support!
About Breonna
As a full-time EMT for two hospitals in Louisville, Kentucky, Breonna Taylor was a beloved and respected essential worker during the coronavirus pandemic. That police brutality killed her, and not the virus, is a painful reflection of the state of America.
A loving daughter, caring sister, and a kind and giving friend throughout her short life, she had a servant’s heart and dedicated her entire life to helping people.
Breonna and her hard-working family moved to Louisville, Kentucky 12 years ago looking for a better life together. They found better jobs, a welcoming community, good schools, and were happy to call Louisville their home.
Breonna was always caring and thoughtful of others. At an early age she decided to dedicate her time to helping people. She worked with children with disabilities right after she graduated high school and spent the last several years working as an Emergency Medical Technician as she prepared to become a full-time nurse.
As proud as her family was of the good she did, they were concerned by the risks she faced serving patients impacted by the coronavirus. As an employee of not just one but two medical centers, she was living out her dream of serving others. She was truly on the front lines of the pandemic response, risking her own life every day to protect the community that she had come to love, and that loved her.
About the case / March 13, 2020
Around 1 a.m. on March 13, while Breonna was asleep in her own bed, a rogue, renegade task force of three white male Louisville Metro Police officers with questionable records known as the Crime Interdiction Division gathered silently outside and crept through her apartment complex in the dead of night. Not a single member of the community saw or heard them. They were dressed in plain clothes and never announced themselves or knocked on Breonna’s door.
When they arrived at Breonna’s apartment, they broke the door down, burst into her home, and in a matter of seconds, they opened fire, taking Breonna’s life. The police were so wildly irresponsible and reckless, that their bullets were found in three different apartments. In total, they fired their weapons dozens of times, hitting Breonna at least 8 times, likely more. The local funeral home told the family that her body was riddled with bullets.
The officers would later claim that they had an arrest warrant, and were executing a drug raid, and they only opened fire in self-defense.
Breonna’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who is an upstanding citizen and is beloved by Breonna’s family, was also home asleep at the time and did indeed fire on one of the police officers during the raid, but only because he thought he and Breonna were experiencing an armed robbery. The officers did not announce themselves before entering, and they were not in uniform. Kenneth actually called the police himself, assuming they were experiencing a dangerous break-in.
No drugs were found at the scene. Breonna was not a suspect. Instead of holding the officers involved accountable, the police arrested Kenneth Walker, a licensed gun owner who was merely defending himself and his family.
The LMPD officers responsible for Breonna’s murder are John Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron just announced that the grand jury failed to indict any of the officers for Breonna Taylor’s death, and that they would indict only Officer Brett Hankison with shots fired into other apartments during this senseless killing.
Author, Kim Knight 