No Officers Were Charged in Breonna Taylor's Killing. Here's What You Can Do About It.
Breonna Taylor, a Black emergency room technician was shot and killed in her own home by three plain-clothed police officers in March. Her memory has been at the center of civil rights demonstrations for over six months as demonstrators have called for accountability for the 26-year-old's killing. While a devastatingly long list of Black people have been killed by police officers, Taylor's death has been ever-present, due largely to the fact that the officers who killed her have faced no accountability.
On Wednesday, September 23, a grand jury came forward with charges, indicting only one of the three officers, Brett Hankison. The charge, unrelated to Taylor's death, was for three counts of "wanton endangerment." The grand jury did not charge Hankison or any of the other officers with a charge related to Taylor's death.
In regard to the decision, Daniel Cameron, Attorney General of Kentucky, said, "I know that not everyone will be satisfied. Our job is to present the facts to the grand jury, and the grand jury then applies the facts... If we simply act on outrage, there is no justice—mob justice is not justice. Justice sought by violence is not justice. It just becomes revenge.” In anticipation of "civil unrest," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer placed a 9 p.m. curfew in place. City police chief Robert J. Schroeder has placed barricades and officers downtown to limit movement.
In recent months, demonstrations like the ones anticipated in Louisville Wednesday night have resulted in reported police brutality, civilian arrests, and an increased need for bail funds. As the outrage over Taylor's death and the grand jury's decision to not indict officers continues to grow, there are a number of ways you can reach out to demand justice for Breonna Taylor's death.
General Resources
This site gives an overview on what happened to Taylor, her life, and ways that you can work for justice, including donations, petitions, and numbers of elected officials.
Petitions
The above link is the ongoing petition to sign for justice for Taylor's death. Its current goal is 12 million signatures.
Similarly, Stand with Breonna is a grassroots petition with the intent of getting justice for Taylor and stopping further police murders like hers.
BLM #DefundPolice is a petition for defunding the police, in which a large portion of police budget would be reallocated to non-violent services—some of which are already in place—that would alleviate the need for armed officers to respond to non-violent situations.
Donations
The official GoFundMe for Breonna Taylor is where you can donate additional funds to help Taylor's family out.
Louisville Community Bail Fund
In anticipation of the many arrests likely to happen during Louisville demonstrations, a donation to the Louisville Community Bail Fund will help offer financial relief to those arrested.
The proceeds from this tee shirt will go directly into the Breonna Taylor Foundation, through Justice for Breonna.
The above link is a way to donate directly to the Black Lives Matter initiative.
Another civil rights organization, the above link is a way to donate directly to the Movement for Black Lives.
With protests likely to spread across the nation, a donation at the above link will be spread across over 70 bail funds throughout the country.
Protests
Protests have already been planned for the evening for Chicago, Seattle, New York City, and more.
Contacts for Elected Officials
Contact Attorney General Daniel Cameron
Contact Interim Deputy Police Chief Yvette Gentry
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