Breonna Taylor — Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

If Black Lives Matter, Why Was There No Arrest?

A national campaign demanded justice for Breonna Taylor. Yet, justice has evaded her. Black Lives Matter activists protested for months, called the district attorney and inquired about the case. On March 13, 2020, plain-clothed police officers entered her home using a no-knock warrant. They began shooting. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker returned fire on the officers, assuming they were robbers. He was arrested that night but was later released. No police officers died that night. However, Breonna Taylor died from gunshot wounds. She slept police officers entered her home, using force.

“Mayor Greg Fischer said Brett Hankison, one of three officers involved, would lose his badge. The others have been placed on administrative leave.”

“Ms. Taylor’s name has become a rallying cry at global anti-racism protests.”

“Mayor Fischer did not provide more details regarding the decision to fire Mr. Hankison.

‘Unfortunately, due to a provision in state law that I very much would like to see changed, both the Chief and I are precluded from talking about what brought us to this moment, or even the timing of this decision,’ he said” (BBC, 2020).

To understand the pain of being black in America, consider that Breonna Taylor was your sister or daughter. Her only crime was sleeping in her home. Her murderers walk on a technicality, never entering a courthouse. While it’s easy to say that black lives matter, it’s much more challenging to address those who don’t value black lives and dismantle the systems that allow them to thrive.

Her mother and family mourned, knowing that Breonna Taylor’s case will likely never involve an arrest.

Police, in America, have policed themselves; the results have been disastrous. They have treated lives, especially black ones, as expendable. They didn’t know who was in the home on that evening or who they could have killed by shooting. Still, they felt righteous in their cause. No officers were arrested. Is this justice? Is this okay, America?

Drugs were not found in the home; the person named in the warrant was not at the home. Poor planning and intel by officers, low standards for no-knock warrants, and carelessness resulted in the death of a young, black woman.

“Last week, Louisville’s city council voted unanimously in favor of banning no-knock warrants. Similar legislation that would ban the warrants nationwide was introduced in the US Congress” (BBC, 2020).

No knock warrants are often used when the police officers fear a suspect will dispose of evidence. Although banning them within Louisville was necessary, it did not address the injustice. Even if we stipulate that the officers did not intend to kill her, they still took her life.

“Published first in the Louisville Courier-Journal, the police document states Taylor’s name, a case number, and the time and date of the shooting, but leaves blank details already made public, including her date of birth. Also blank is the section for injuries, while the section for “forced entry” is marked as a no, despite the use of a battering ram” (Stieb, 2020).

Her report did not mention the injuries that she sustained even though these injuries led to her death. This destroys the credibility of the police. Even with the national attention on her case, officers still failed to fill out the report. One can only assume that they did not want to explain the cause of her death. None of the officers involved wanted to take responsibility or ensure that Breonna Taylor received justice. There was more than one bad apple that night. Like teenagers who didn’t want to tell their mom who dropped the vase, they evaded answering the tough questions after her death.

Since the district attorney refused to hold the responsible police officers accountable, let’s consider, as citizens, a possible charge for the officers involved in her shooting:

“Involuntary manslaughter is defined as an unintentional killing that results either from criminal negligence or the commission of a low-level criminal act such as a misdemeanor. Involuntary manslaughter is distinguished from other forms of homicide because it does not require deliberation or premeditation, or intent. Because neither of these mental states is required, involuntary manslaughter is the lowest level category of homicide” (Involuntary Manslaughter, 2019).

The police and their unions do not want to implement systematic change in their departments. None of the police unions support ending no-knock warrants or ending choke-holds, like the one responsible for killing George Floyd. Even those who recognize the problems within modern policing feel powerless to stop acts of aggression against marginalized groups of people. Even if the killing of Breonna Taylor was unintentional, a crime was still committed. A life was taken. She had value to herself, her family, and her country. The callousness by police officers and government officials has to end. If there are no consequences for Breonna Taylor, it is unlikely that there will be meaningful change. Only then, will black lives matter.

References:

BBC. (Ed.). (2020, June 20). Breonna Taylor: Louisville officer to be fired for deadly force use. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53111709

Involuntary Manslaughter. (2019, June 03). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.justia.com/criminal/offenses/homicide/involuntary-manslaughter/

Stieb, M. (2020, June 11). The Police Report on the Killing of Breonna Taylor Is Almost Entirely Blank. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/police-report-for-killing-of-breonna-taylor-is-nearly-blank.html