The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Calm urged amid anger over Taylor case
Louisville has taken some steps to address protesters’ concerns.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Authorities pleaded for calm Thursday while activists vowed to fight on in Kentucky’s largest city, where a gunman wounded two police officers during anguished protests following the decision not to charge officers for killing Breonna Taylor.
Outrage over a grand jury’s failure to bring homicide charges against the officers who burst into the Black woman’s apartment six months ago set off a new round of demonstrations Wednesday in several American cities. The state attorney general said the investigation showed officers were acting in self-defense when they responded to gunfire from Taylor’s boyfriend.
Reginique Jones returned Thursday morning to the park in downtown Louisville that has been the hub for protests, saying she was distraught over the grand jury’s decision to only charge a single officer for firing into apartments neighboring Taylor’s. Still, Jones vowed to continue pressing for increased police accountability and for a statewide ban on “no-knock” warrants — the kind issued in the Taylor case, though state Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the investigation showed police did announce themselves before entering.
“I believe that we are going to get past this,” Jones said as demonstrators began to arrive at the park dubbed Injustice Square. “As long as we continue to remain strong and stay on the same page, we can still get some justice.”
Though protests in Louisville began peacefully the day before, officers declared an unlawful assembly after they said fires were set in garbage cans, several vehicles were damaged and stores were broken into. A 26-year-old man was arrested and charged with firing at police and wounding two officers.
“Violence will only be a source of pain, not a cure for pain,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Many see Breonna Taylor’s case as both the tragic death of a young woman and the continuation of a long pattern of devaluation and violence that Black women and men face in our country, as they have historically.”
“The question obviously is: What do we do with this pain?” the mayor asked. “There is no one answer, no easy answer to that question.”
Activists, celebrities and everyday Americans have called for charges against police since Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers after one of them was fired upon and wounded while conducting a raid in a narcotics investigation in March. Police entered on a warrant connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.
Along with George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Taylor’s name became a rallying cry during nationwide protests this summer that drew attention to entrenched racism and demanded police reform.
Since Taylor’s killing, Louisville has taken some steps to address protesters’ concerns. The officer who was eventually charged has been fired, and three others were put on desk duty. Louisville officials have banned no-knock warrants and hired a Black woman as the city’s new permanent police chief — a first for the city.
Last week, the city agreed to more police reforms as part of a settlement that included a $12 million payment to Taylor’s family.
The FBI is still investigating whether Taylor’s civil rights were violated.
The burden of proof for such cases is very high, with prosecutors having to prove officers knew they were acting illegally and made a willful decision to cause someone’s death.