Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor

Wednesday, September 23, 2020--Wanton endangerment. That is what the reckless murder of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was reduced to by a Louisville grand jury earlier today.

For nearly 200 days, we have demanded accountability and justice, but instead, today, we were patronized by Kentucky’s Attorney General, Daniel Cameron. One officer was charged for the wanton endangerment of others in connection to the death of Breonna Taylor, but nobody was charged for actually killing her.

This is not justice for Breonna Taylor. This is an insult to her memory, and a disregard of Black lives.

Make no mistake, the unsubstantial charges against officer Brett Hankinson are an attempt to placate the Black community and those who have rallied on Breonna’s behalf all summer long. But we will not be silenced, and we will never stop demanding real justice. It is unacceptable that, once again, culpability has eluded those guilty of state-sanctioned murder.

The system failed Breonna Taylor and, as such, failed us.

We know that justice is a proper indictment and conviction for all 3 officers involved in the shooting. We know that justice means a complete overhaul of policing within Black communities, not just in Louisville, but across the country.

We know that justice is protecting Black lives at all costs, and not treating us as collateral damage in botched arrests. We know that justice is leaders in our state and local governments who put people over politics.

We know what justice is, and so we must fight for it as though our lives depend on it – because they do.

Friend, now is the time to use our voice louder than you’ve ever used it before.

If we want real justice for Breonna Taylor, we must fight for it in the courts, we must fight for it in our very own  communities – online and offline – and we must fight for it at the polls.

We are upset, and rightfully so, but we must take our anger from protest to power.

Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor at naacp.org

In Solidarity,