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It's been over 120 days since Breonna Taylor was killed. I haven't spoken of her death on the forum, because I have been trying to look for more uplifting stories during this difficult season. However, last night I had a dream about Breonna where I discovered a video of the last few moments before she was killed. I have decided not to be quiet on this topic any longer.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Breonna was a bright, warm, lovely young lady that died in a tragic and unnecessary way this March at the hands of the police. I think her story is underreported compared to the murder of George Floyd, but the loss of Breonna is equally heartbreaking, and I wanted to share something about her on the forum because it's a killing that especially touches me. She would have turned 27 in June.
Breonna was a paramedic for EMS in Louisville, Kentucky and on her way to becoming a nurse. In her Facebook post last year she talked about how inspired she felt to help others after seeing her uncle recover from a stroke, writing: Working in health care is so rewarding. It makes me feel so happy when I know I've made a difference in someone else's life. I'm so appreciative of all the staff that has helped my uncle throughout this difficult time and those that will continue to make a difference in his life.
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/8699...-breonna-taylors-family-grieves-a-life-robbed
On March 13th 2020 at 12:40 am 3 plain-clothed police officers raided the apartment where Breonna and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker slept, executing a warrant meant for someone else entirely. They were looking for evidence to incriminate a Jamarcus Glover, whom they suspected of selling drugs. Breonna and Kenneth had no drugs in their home, and no criminal records of any kind. Her only connection is that she had once dated Jamarcus Glover.
Had the police been more diligent in their investigation they would have been aware that the person they wanted, Glover, had already been arrested the day before and was in their custody!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breonna-taylor-family-sues-wrongful-death-killed-police-louisville/
The officers on the scene, Jonathan Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hakison had obtained a special type of warrant known as a no-knock warrant so they could come in and surprise residents before any potential drugs could be hidden or destroyed.
Kenneth, a licensed gun owner, heard strangers outside of their apartment. He says that he asked who they were, but they never answered him. In mere seconds the police began breaking down the door with a battering ram.
Fearing burglars when he saw the group of armed, plain-clothed men forcing their way in, he fired a warning shot out the window to deter them, which hit one officer in the leg.
The police retaliated by lighting up the entire building up with nearing 30 rounds of bullets, shooting every room from the bathroom to living room, kitchen and into the neighbors apartments too.
Kenneth survived, but Breonna was riddled with bullets. She didn't do anything. She was unarmed. She never had any drugs, or anything illegal in her home. She was a good person whose career was devoted to helping people, but she was literally attacked while she was defenseless in bed. She did not need to die.
Kenneth was arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder of a policeman because the officer's leg was injured. The charges against Kenneth Walker were dropped by the prosecutor, and he has been released. The officers who killed Breonna have not yet been charged with anything however. Only one of them, Brett Hankison, was fired. The others were just reassigned.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53111709
The family of Breonna Taylor currently have a lawsuit against the Louisville police department for a wrongful death, and are seeking criminal charges as well for the officers who shot her. My deepest condolences to this family, and I fully support them in their quest for justice.
Their suit outlines a history of using excessive force by officers Cosgrove and Hankinson, and there are even allegations that Officer Hankison also abused his power as an officer to sexually assault multiple women.
https://www.vox.com/2020/6/12/21288932/police-officers-sexual-violence-abuse-breonna-taylor
Hankison not only appears to be a corrupt cop, but the police department sounds woefully incompetent. A no-knock warrant should probably have never been issued in this case. To get a judge to approve one, officers claimed they saw their suspect take a package from Breonna's Taylor's home, and they thought he was stashing drugs there. However, a U.S. postal inspector in Louisville has contradicted this report, saying that his office found "no packages of interest" going to Taylor's residence. They literally had no reason to be at her door. Let's not forget also that the person they were trying to take down was already in their custody.
https://www.wdrb.com/news/what-we-k...cle_92ce412e-97ba-11ea-973b-63af762490fe.html
Detective Joshua Jaynes who sought the warrant from courts based on evidence that may have been untrue was placed on administrative leave by the police department, and the matter referred to the FBI to investigate.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...aynes-no-knock-warrant-reassigned/3200277001/
One step forward has been that the policy of no knock warrants has been challenged, and a ban on them in Louisville, Kentucky passed unanimously by the city council, called "Breonna's Law."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/us/louisville-breonnas-law-no-knock-warrants-ban/index.html
I hope to see this go beyond a local ordinance, and passed as law on a state and nation-wide level. I understand in theory why this warrant would be issued, but the Breonna Taylor case demonstrates how problematic it is to send police officers into homes like this unidentified. The possibility that drugs could get lost doesn't compare to the lives of human beings that could be lost unnecessarily this way, be they the police or civilians.
I have talked about this case with people I am close to who happen to come from the opposite side of the political aisle from me, and are generally supportive of the police and increasing their size and funding. While almost everyone has sympathy and will acknowledge the situation is tragic, not everyone agrees with me that the police should be prosecuted for Breonna's death because a shot was fired at the cops, underscoring that a police officer has the right to defend themselves.
I think this is an improper use of force for self-defense. The police knew they drove up in unmarked cars, had no uniforms and broke down the door in the dead of night, packing guns. To not expect that this would terrify and confuse the residents is crazy to the point that it defies common sense. In the United States almost anyone can legally buy a gun, and many homeowners would fire under these circumstances because there would be no point of reference for you as police officers. It would look like an armed robbery or a thrill kill had come to your door.
While an officer returning fire after being shot at could reasonably be self-defense, I feel the response they gave was disproportionate considering the sheer volume of firepower that they unleashed into that home. One officer shot in the foot was not comparable to spraying everything in sight with bullets. Breonna didn't die because she was struck with one or two bullets, she was hit with 8 of the dozens and dozens of rounds fired.
The cops emptied entire clips all over the building, and could have hit any innocent person, as they unfortunately did. This is far and beyond just trying to stay alive. And I think there should be consequences for reckless open fire by the police. They didn't know what they were hitting, and didn't care. I don't want any of them to be police officers, I think it's dangerous to give people off their hinges guns and badges. I want these guys prosecuted, sentenced and to serve some time. It's past time to restructure the way we police in this country.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Breonna was a bright, warm, lovely young lady that died in a tragic and unnecessary way this March at the hands of the police. I think her story is underreported compared to the murder of George Floyd, but the loss of Breonna is equally heartbreaking, and I wanted to share something about her on the forum because it's a killing that especially touches me. She would have turned 27 in June.
Breonna was a paramedic for EMS in Louisville, Kentucky and on her way to becoming a nurse. In her Facebook post last year she talked about how inspired she felt to help others after seeing her uncle recover from a stroke, writing: Working in health care is so rewarding. It makes me feel so happy when I know I've made a difference in someone else's life. I'm so appreciative of all the staff that has helped my uncle throughout this difficult time and those that will continue to make a difference in his life.
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/04/8699...-breonna-taylors-family-grieves-a-life-robbed
On March 13th 2020 at 12:40 am 3 plain-clothed police officers raided the apartment where Breonna and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker slept, executing a warrant meant for someone else entirely. They were looking for evidence to incriminate a Jamarcus Glover, whom they suspected of selling drugs. Breonna and Kenneth had no drugs in their home, and no criminal records of any kind. Her only connection is that she had once dated Jamarcus Glover.
Had the police been more diligent in their investigation they would have been aware that the person they wanted, Glover, had already been arrested the day before and was in their custody!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breonna-taylor-family-sues-wrongful-death-killed-police-louisville/
The officers on the scene, Jonathan Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hakison had obtained a special type of warrant known as a no-knock warrant so they could come in and surprise residents before any potential drugs could be hidden or destroyed.
Kenneth, a licensed gun owner, heard strangers outside of their apartment. He says that he asked who they were, but they never answered him. In mere seconds the police began breaking down the door with a battering ram.
Fearing burglars when he saw the group of armed, plain-clothed men forcing their way in, he fired a warning shot out the window to deter them, which hit one officer in the leg.
The police retaliated by lighting up the entire building up with nearing 30 rounds of bullets, shooting every room from the bathroom to living room, kitchen and into the neighbors apartments too.
Kenneth survived, but Breonna was riddled with bullets. She didn't do anything. She was unarmed. She never had any drugs, or anything illegal in her home. She was a good person whose career was devoted to helping people, but she was literally attacked while she was defenseless in bed. She did not need to die.
Kenneth was arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder of a policeman because the officer's leg was injured. The charges against Kenneth Walker were dropped by the prosecutor, and he has been released. The officers who killed Breonna have not yet been charged with anything however. Only one of them, Brett Hankison, was fired. The others were just reassigned.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53111709
The family of Breonna Taylor currently have a lawsuit against the Louisville police department for a wrongful death, and are seeking criminal charges as well for the officers who shot her. My deepest condolences to this family, and I fully support them in their quest for justice.
Their suit outlines a history of using excessive force by officers Cosgrove and Hankinson, and there are even allegations that Officer Hankison also abused his power as an officer to sexually assault multiple women.
https://www.vox.com/2020/6/12/21288932/police-officers-sexual-violence-abuse-breonna-taylor
Hankison not only appears to be a corrupt cop, but the police department sounds woefully incompetent. A no-knock warrant should probably have never been issued in this case. To get a judge to approve one, officers claimed they saw their suspect take a package from Breonna's Taylor's home, and they thought he was stashing drugs there. However, a U.S. postal inspector in Louisville has contradicted this report, saying that his office found "no packages of interest" going to Taylor's residence. They literally had no reason to be at her door. Let's not forget also that the person they were trying to take down was already in their custody.
https://www.wdrb.com/news/what-we-k...cle_92ce412e-97ba-11ea-973b-63af762490fe.html
Detective Joshua Jaynes who sought the warrant from courts based on evidence that may have been untrue was placed on administrative leave by the police department, and the matter referred to the FBI to investigate.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...aynes-no-knock-warrant-reassigned/3200277001/
One step forward has been that the policy of no knock warrants has been challenged, and a ban on them in Louisville, Kentucky passed unanimously by the city council, called "Breonna's Law."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/us/louisville-breonnas-law-no-knock-warrants-ban/index.html
I hope to see this go beyond a local ordinance, and passed as law on a state and nation-wide level. I understand in theory why this warrant would be issued, but the Breonna Taylor case demonstrates how problematic it is to send police officers into homes like this unidentified. The possibility that drugs could get lost doesn't compare to the lives of human beings that could be lost unnecessarily this way, be they the police or civilians.
I have talked about this case with people I am close to who happen to come from the opposite side of the political aisle from me, and are generally supportive of the police and increasing their size and funding. While almost everyone has sympathy and will acknowledge the situation is tragic, not everyone agrees with me that the police should be prosecuted for Breonna's death because a shot was fired at the cops, underscoring that a police officer has the right to defend themselves.
I think this is an improper use of force for self-defense. The police knew they drove up in unmarked cars, had no uniforms and broke down the door in the dead of night, packing guns. To not expect that this would terrify and confuse the residents is crazy to the point that it defies common sense. In the United States almost anyone can legally buy a gun, and many homeowners would fire under these circumstances because there would be no point of reference for you as police officers. It would look like an armed robbery or a thrill kill had come to your door.
While an officer returning fire after being shot at could reasonably be self-defense, I feel the response they gave was disproportionate considering the sheer volume of firepower that they unleashed into that home. One officer shot in the foot was not comparable to spraying everything in sight with bullets. Breonna didn't die because she was struck with one or two bullets, she was hit with 8 of the dozens and dozens of rounds fired.
The cops emptied entire clips all over the building, and could have hit any innocent person, as they unfortunately did. This is far and beyond just trying to stay alive. And I think there should be consequences for reckless open fire by the police. They didn't know what they were hitting, and didn't care. I don't want any of them to be police officers, I think it's dangerous to give people off their hinges guns and badges. I want these guys prosecuted, sentenced and to serve some time. It's past time to restructure the way we police in this country.
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