Death of Breonna Taylor shows Black people have no safe haven

Breonna Taylor. A year ago, no one knew who she was. Now, everyone says her name.

Celebrities, politicians, schoolchildren and people from every walk of life speak her name because we cannot afford to forget her. We cannot pretend as though she never lived or act as though her death was just another tragic moment in time.

It is likely that the 26-yearold emergency room technician would have been satisfied spending her days in obscurity. She was on the verge of living her best life when police officers burst into her home and cut it short.

Now, we say her name over and over because it reminds us of the fragility of a life that is burdened with inequities. We say her name because hearing it strengthens our resolve to demand social justice for all and it helps us push forward with fortitude.

Taylor’s death was a reawakening. It reminded us of just how quickly an encounter with police can escalate into death. It proved that, too often, African Americans have no safe haven, not even in their own home.

Taylor and her boyfriend were awakened in the middle of the night by police officers breaking down the front door of her apartment with a battering ram. Her boyfriend reached for his registered handgun, fearing an intruder was breaking in.

He fired a single shot, striking and injuring a police officer. Taylor was killed in a barrage of police gunfire, which struck her five times. She did nothing wrong. Police were the ones who made a mistake. They were looking for a man who wasn’t there.

A grand jury charged one police officer with “wanton endangerment” for firing into another apartment, but none of the officers who riddled Taylor’s apartment with bullets have been held responsible.

In an unusual move, three members of the grand jury who heard the case later complained that the prosecutor told them the use of force was justified and never gave them the option to charge the officer who killed her.

Because of Taylor, America has a better idea of the problem we’re dealing with. That means we can work together to do something about it — if we choose. Otherwise, innocent people will continue to die.

Six years ago, The Washington Post began compiling a database of every fatal shooting by a police officer in the United States. There have been more than 5,000 since 2015.

Some people refuse to acknowledge the severity of police misconduct toward African Americans. They counter that police kill white people, too. They argue that police officers have more reason to fear African Americans than Black people have to fear them.

The Washington Post data proves them wrong.

While it’s true that half of those shot and killed by police are white, Blacks are affected disproportionately. African Americans represent more than 26% of the victims killed by police, yet they make up only 13% of the U.S. population.

Blacks represent 36% of unarmed people who were shot and killed by police. An unarmed Black man is four times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a white man.

It’s also true that most people shot and killed by police are armed, nearly 6 in 10. Many others were carrying a knife or other weapon. But that does not necessarily mean that the person posed a threat.

According to the Post, 155 people killed by police since 2015 were found after the shooting to be wielding toy guns. In Chicago, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was carrying a knife but was walking away when then-Officer Jason Van Dyke shot him 16 times.

Taylor’s death, as well as those of many other civilians, indicates that police killings have reached epidemic proportions in America. Every year, police shoot and kill around 1,000 people. Taylor was among 1,004 in the past year.

Despite how it might appear, she didn’t die by chance.

Her killing was a result of long-standing unfair policies designed specifically to target African Americans and other people of color. Standard practices such as no-knock warrants give police license to terrorize targeted communities without accountability. Change is way overdue. Because of Taylor, many Americans are standing together and demanding reforms. Every time we say her name, it reminds us of the innocent lives we’re fighting for.