Following the Kentucky attorney general’s completion of the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor, protests exploded across the United States.
Chanting #BreonnaTaylor’s name as they approach Black Lives Matter Plaza pic.twitter.com/aU80Ul6f8f
— Heather Graf (@ABC7HeatherGraf) September 23, 2020
The investigation results were presented to a Jefferson County Grand Jury, which indicted former Detective Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment. Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, who were part of the trio who executed the warrant at Taylor’s home, were not charged. The wanton endangerment charges are not affiliated with the killing of Taylor, but because Hankison shot into the home next to Taylor’s, endangering the people inside.
The decision comes about a week after the city of Louisville announced it would pay Taylor’s family a $12-million settlement and reform police practices.
Even before the grand jury announcement, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer set a countywide curfew from Wednesday at 9 p.m. to Thursday at 6:30 a.m. Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Robert Schroeder announced he would cancel all vacation and requested days off for officers in anticipation. Police say they arrested 127 people, as of this morning.
Beyond Louisville, in New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, Oakland, Washington DC and more, thousands protested the injustice of the jury’s decision. In Portland, the police arrested 13 people during what the police are calling a riot. Late last night, police used chemical agents on protesters in Atlanta. According to the Associated Press, a Georgia state patrol spokesperson said this was in response to “unruly protesters” who climbed on a SWAT vehicle.
This week continues the action of this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests. The death of Taylor on March 13 has been a focal point of the movement, leading to both an uplift in the necessary #SayHerName campaign and tone-deaf memeification on social media.
Today, Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, posted a painting-like photo of her daughter. “It’s still Breonna Taylor for me,” she wrote.
