We Must Demand Justice For Breonna Taylor

Julia Gomez/Staff Writer

On March 13, Breonna Taylor was shot eight times in her home after police officers broke into the wrong house. They had a no-knock warrant and were looking for someone who was already in police custody.

Three months have passed since then, and only one of the officers, Brett Hankinson, has been fired with no additional consequences, while the other two still remain on administrative leave. 

Not only did the cops murder the 26-year-old EMT worker, but they had the audacity to throw her boyfriend in jail because he fired his weapon at officers who broke into their house unannounced with a battering ram.

Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, shot an officer in the leg. The officer is expected to make a full recovery. Walker later said he believed it was Taylor’s ex-boyfriend trying to get into their home. Charges against Walker were dropped last month after thousands signed petitions asking for #justiceforbre.

The report written by police after the police broke into their house was almost completely blank and said Taylor did not suffer any injuries. Again, she was shot at least eight times.

It goes without saying that Taylor’s death is the result of negligent police officers who weren’t doing their job properly. There isn’t a graphic video or photo of her murder circulating the internet that can spark outrage. That’s why we need to keep saying her name.

Thousands took to the streets after George Floyd’s death to protest police brutality, and his face became a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement. Many raised their voices, shouted his name and signed petitions. The four officers involved in his murder were arrested because people took to the streets to ask for justice. We need to do the same for Taylor.

Firing Hankinson isn’t enough. He needs to be arrested along with the other officers involved. Hankinson’s record is far from clean. When news broke that he was involved in Taylor’s case, several women have come forward accusing him of sexual assault. 

Kendric Wilson sued Hankinson and LMPD after he accused Hankinson of using “excessive use of force, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and malicious prosecution.” Wilson says Hankinson planted drugs on him during one of the several times the officer arrested him. This happened after both men were sexually involved with the same woman. Wilson’s experience is that amongst others accusing all three officers of police brutality and negligent behavior. 

On June 10, the Louisville city council passed “Breonna’s Law,” which bans no-knock search warrants and requires officers to have their body cameras turned on at least five minutes before and after the search. Still, this isn’t enough. Until officers around the country are held accountable for their actions, naming a law after a victim does nothing.

“Black women’s experiences of police brutality and their tireless contributions to mass social justice movements have almost always been left out of the picture,” writes Alisha Haridasani Gupta for the New York Times.

This is true. Atrocities committed against Black women are less likely to be covered by the media, despite the high rate of Black women being murdered and sexually assaulted by police. As is the case for many other Black women, Breonna Taylor’s story is important because misogynoir is ingrained in American culture and fighting it means fighting for her justice. 

I truly believe if George Floyd’s murder didn’t go viral and spark a national outcry, Taylor’s murder would’ve been just another empty incident report. Still, Taylor’s name should be shouted from the rooftops. We need to keep retelling her story and shout even louder until she gets the justice she deserves.

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