The Grand Jury in Jefferson County, Kentucky, failed to deliver justice for Ms. Breonna Taylor and her family this week. The Grand Jury indicted one police officer for wanton endangerment of persons who were not injured in any way and took no action against the police officers who shot Ms. Breonna Taylor multiple times and failed to provide her with first aid. While we did not expect the Grand Jury to hand down first-degree murder indictments for each of the police officers involved, we hoped for something more than total indifference for the killing of Ms. Breonna Taylor.
The Grand Jury can not blame Ms. Breonna Taylor for her death. The Grand Jury can not blame Ms. Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend for her death. The responsibility and the blame for the tragic, senseless, and unnecessary death of Ms. Breonna Taylor reside solely on the Louisville Metro Police Department and the officers involved. Yet, in his press conference, the Attorney General for Kentucky did not mention the only victim of this tragic event in his press conference, Ms. Breonna Taylor.
Despite the multiple injustices of the senseless killing of Ms. Breonna Taylor and the failure to bring her killers to justice, we must keep moving forward. This tragedy makes voting in the upcoming elections all the more critical – not only in national elections, but in state and local elections as well, and up and down the ballot. We must continue to demand police reforms and reimagine the roles of our public servants. We must take an honest look at the systemic drivers of racism and inequity and channel our rage into voting.
We cannot let Ms. Breonna Taylor’s death be in vain. We must be her voice and seek the change that would have prevented her lawless, senseless, unnecessary, and untimely death. Say her name.