September 24, 2020

Yesterday’s grand jury decision to indict only one Louisville police officer in the case of the murder of Breonna Taylor was a miscarriage of justice to her family, to the people of Louisville, and to the ideals of this country. MPAC firmly denounces this decision that has left a family, community, and nation in grief and outrage.

In March, Breonna Taylor, a 26 year-old Black medical worker, was asleep in her bed in her apartment when she was shot 8 times by three Louisville Metro Police Department officers serving a no-knock warrant, which has since been cleared.

After a delayed response by the city of Louisville, the grand jury yesterday charged Detective Brett Hankison with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for bullets that went into neighboring apartments, but there were no charges levied against him or the other two officers for murdering Breonna Taylor. It is absolutely unacceptable that justice once again eludes police officers who kill Black Americans. Black lives are not “collateral damage”, they are fellow human beings who deserve to live without the fear of being killed by a criminal justice system that fails them every single day.

Our hearts, prayers, and grief are with the family of Breonna Taylor, her community in Louisville, and everyone that is understandably outraged by this decision. The criminal justice system failed Breonna Taylor, and it failed everyone who believes in justice. With the country still reeling from the police murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many other Black men and women, we must continue to push for a complete overhaul of the criminal justice system until all of us are treated with equity and justice.