5 Action Items to Honor Breonna Taylor On Her Birthday and Demand Justice
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Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old woman living in Louisville, Ky., was fatally shot in her apartment by the police on March 13. The officers, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly , were investigating a drug case involving two individuals, neither of whom was Taylor. According to the testimonies from 16 individuals, after entering unannounced, the police fired more than 20 rounds into her apartment after Breonna’s boyfriend shot an officer in the leg, believing someone was attempting to break into their home. Taylor was struck over eight times. Neither Taylor nor her boyfriend had a criminal history, and no drugs were found in the apartment.
Breonna’s family filed a wrongful death suit on April 27. According to the lawsuit, the police had already found and arrested the main suspect at the time they entered into her home, but still “proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life.”
Today would have been Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday. As of today, almost three months after her death, her killers still face no charges. Only on May 21 did the FBI announce the opening of an investigation into her death. To honor Breonna Taylor and demand justice today, here is a list of concrete action items you can take. Many of these were inspired by/sourced from writer and culture critic Cate Young’s #BirthdayForBreonna initiative, which you can check out here.