SAY HER NAME: BREONNA TAYLOR! WOMEN EMPOWERMENT & SOCIAL JUSTICE
We felt compelled to write about Breonna Taylor after her story really began to take traction after the protest and riots that ensued after the recent murder of George Floyd that was recorded and went viral.
The chilling video shows nearly 9 minutes of brutality in the form of an unnecessary, non police training , lethal choke-hold that led to Mr. Floyds death. It brought to the forefront racial injustices and police brutality that were always prevalent but never justified. It activated the words " No Justice- No Peace" to become a reality in 2020 across the world.
Since, it has led to reopening and revisiting of many cases that have been, unjustified, silenced and unconstitutionally ignored. Including that of Ms. Breonna Taylor an African-American medical worker in Louisville, Kentucky.
What happened in Louisville?
Shortly after midnight on March 13, Louisville police officers, executing a search warrant, used a battering ram to enter the apartment of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American emergency room technician.
Ms. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had been in bed, but got up when they heard a loud banging at the door. After a brief exchange, Mr. Walker fired his gun. The police also fired several shots, striking Ms. Taylor at least eight times.
According to The Louisville Courier Journal, the police had been investigating two men who they believed were selling drugs out of a house that was far from Ms. Taylor’s home. But a judge had also signed a warrant allowing the police to search Ms. Taylor’s residence because the police said they believed that one of the two men had used her apartment to receive packages. The judge’s order was a so-called no-knock warrant, which allowed the police to enter without warning or without identifying themselves as law enforcement.
No drugs were found in the apartment, a lawyer for Mr. Walker said.
Ms. Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said her daughter had had big dreams and planned a lifelong career in health care after serving as an E.M.T.
“She had a whole plan on becoming a nurse and buying a house and then starting a family,” Ms. Palmer told The Courier Journal. “Breonna had her head on straight, and she was a very decent person. She didn’t deserve this. She wasn’t that type of person.”
Why did the police fire their weapons?
The Louisville police say that they only fired inside Ms. Taylor’s home after they were first fired upon by Kenneth Walker, Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend. They said that Mr. Walker wounded one of the officers, who was hit in the leg but was expected to make a full recovery. Mr. Walker was subsequently charged with attempted murder of a police officer, though the charge was dismissed last month.
The police also assert that, despite having a no-knock warrant, they knocked several times and identified themselves as police officers with a warrant before entering the apartment. Mr. Walker has said he and Ms. Taylor heard aggressive banging at the door and asked who it was, but they did not hear an announcement that it was the police.
The police said that the officers “forced entry into the exterior door and were immediately met with gunfire.” The officers returned fire, the police said.
One of the officers, Brett Hankison, was fired. The other officers involved in the case — Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove — have been placed on administrative reassignment. None of the officers face criminal charges.
The Kentucky attorney general, Daniel Cameron, is now leading the investigation. The F.B.I. is also investigating.
Mr. Hankison appealed his firing, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
Is the police account disputed?
Yes, hotly. Ms. Taylor’s relatives and their lawyers say that the police never identified themselves before entering — despite their claims. They also say that Mr. Walker was licensed to carry a gun.
And Mr. Walker, 27, has said that he feared for his life and only fired in self-defense, believing that someone was trying to break into the home.
“He didn’t know these were police officers, and they found no drugs in the apartment. None,” said Rob Eggert, Mr. Walker’s lawyer. “He was scared for his life, and her life.”
In a 911 call just after the shots were fired, Mr. Walker told a dispatcher that “somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend.
The police’s incident report contained multiple errors. It listed Ms. Taylor’s injuries as “none,” even though she had been shot at least eight times, and indicated that police had not forced their way into the apartment — though they used a battering ram to break the door open.
Ms. Taylor’s family also said it was outrageous that the police felt it necessary to conduct the raid in the middle of the night. Their lawyers say the police had already located the main suspect in the investigation by the time they burst into the apartment. But they “then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life,” according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Ms. Taylor’s mother.
There was no body camera footage from the raid. And, for now, prosecutors have said they had dismissed the charges against Mr. Walker, adding that they would let investigations into the killing run their course before making any final decisions. Some legal experts said the fact that prosecutors dropped charges after a grand jury indictment suggested that they may have doubts about the version of events told by the police.
Why did this take so long to receive national attention?
Lawyers for Ms. Taylor’s family have suggested that the intense focus on the coronavirus pandemic over the past few months most likely dampened the initial response from people in the community and in the news media.
Has there been other fallout?
Plenty — even aside from the continuing protests.
On Tuesday, the Louisville Metro Police Department released a letter of termination that it sent to Brent Hankison, the former officer who “blindly fired” 10 rounds into a covered patio door and a window, according to the termination letter.
Chief Robert Schroeder accused Mr. Hankison of violating the Police Department’s policy on use of deadly force, saying his actions were “a shock to the conscience” that discredited the Police Department.
Why Did We Write About This?
We know its not hair related but we cant ignore the social political issues that impact our community. Bomb Hair Inc (Bomb Dot Com Hair) is a black owned, women owned business. These events impact our sisters and the people around us. When we write about these events we spread awareness. We help shed light on very prevalent issues that need attention. Attention leads to awareness and awareness to activism. Activism leads to reform that is the act of making a change in order to improve and social, political or economic change.
How to Get Involved!
DURING THE ONSET OF A PANDEMIC (COVID19), ANOTHER HAS TAKEN OUR NATION BY STORM AND IMPACTED THE WORLD.
The recent murder of George Flyod by a Minneapolis police officer has activated organizers across the world. As the CEO of Bomb Dot Com Hair, I don`t have the words to describe the enorminity of the suffering due to implict and explicit violence.
Being a black owned business is more than an honor and we will not be silent about the systemic racial violence that is prevalent amongst our communities.
As we grieve the lives lost and the families impacted there are many things that you can do to get get involved and make a difference. We are all equally deserving of life liberty, respect and dignity. Click here to see other ways to get involved: Get Involved
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.html
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000007159353/george-floyd-arrest-death-video.html
Leave a comment
Please note, comments must be approved before they are published