From Michigan to Louisville, Breonna Taylor’s family honors her legacy
Char'Nese Turner and Taylor Delandro
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (NewsNation Now) — On the one-year anniversary of her death, Breonna Taylor’s family continued their call for justice as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Louisville on Saturday.
“Eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, today so let’s show America what community looks like,” said Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, who wore her niece’s emergency medical technician jacket.
Austin spoke from a stage set up in Jefferson Square Park, which became an impromptu hub for protesters during months of demonstrations last summer. Flanked by two hand-painted murals of Taylor, activists repeated calls to charge the police officers who killed the Black woman during a raid at her apartment.
The crowd shouted Taylor’s name and “No justice, no peace” as they gathered near an outdoor memorial that includes a mural, posters, artwork and other mementos honoring Taylor’s life. Some organizers gave away food during the speeches.
Taylor’s family then led the protesters on an afternoon march past City Hall.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Taylor’s cousin was joined by supporters rallying to honor Taylor on the street that now bears her name. Taylor was a native of Grand Rapids.
Taylor’s front door was breached by Louisville officers as part of a drug raid in the early morning hours of March 13, 2020. Her boyfriend fired his gun once, saying later that he feared an intruder was entering the apartment. One officer was struck, and he and two other officers fired 32 shots into the apartment, striking Taylor five times.
Last summer, Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, became the site of huge protests in the wake of Taylor’s killing.
The FBI Louisville said Saturday it remains “steadfast in its commitment to bringing this investigation to its appropriate conclusion.”
“Even though the COVID pandemic presented several unexpected obstacles, FBI Louisville has made significant progress in the investigation since it was initiated in May 2020. Our team is actively investigating all aspects of her death and will continue to work diligently until this investigation is completed,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown said in a statement.
People gather in Jefferson Square awaiting word on charges against police officers, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. A grand jury has indicted one officer on criminal charges six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police in Kentucky. The jury presented its decision against fired officer Brett Hankison Wednesday to a judge in Louisville, where the shooting took place. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
People march for the third day since the release of the grand jury report on the death of Breonna Taylor on September 26, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – AUGUST 11: A billboard featuring a picture of Breonna Taylor and calling for the arrest of police officers involved in her death is seen on August 11, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine sponsored the campaign featuring 26 billboards, one for every year Taylor was alive, across the city of Louisville where she died. Taylor was killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in a no-knock raid on March 13 when gunfire erupted. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
In this Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, people gather in Jefferson Square in Louisville, awaiting word on charges against police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
A woman reacts to news in the Breonna Taylor shooting, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. A grand jury has indicted one officer on criminal charges six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police in Kentucky. The jury presented its decision against fired officer Brett Hankison Wednesday to a judge in Louisville, where the shooting took place. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, right, listens to a news conference, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. Family attorney Ben Crump is calling for the Kentucky attorney general to release the transcripts from the grand jury that decided not to charge any of the officers involved in the Black woman’s death. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, poses for a portrait in front of a mural of her daughter at Jefferson Square park on September 21, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
FILE – In this Sept. 25, 2020, file photo, Black Lives Matter protesters march in Louisville. Hours of material in the grand jury proceedings for Taylor’s fatal shooting by police have been made public on Friday, Oct. 2. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
FILE – Protesters participate in the Good Trouble Tuesday march for Breonna Taylor, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. A lawyer for Breonna Taylor’s family said a plea deal was offered to an accused drug trafficker that would have forced him to implicate Taylor, who was killed by police in a raid on her home in March. Louisville’s top prosecutor acknowledged the existence of the document but said it was part of preliminary plea negotiations with a man charged with illegal drug trafficking and not an attempt to smear Taylor.(Amy Harris/Invision/AP File)
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Demonstrations were a frequent occurrence, as protesters called for charges to be brought against the officers involved in Taylor’s death.
A grand jury indicted one officer on wanton endangerment charges in September for shooting into a neighbor’s apartment, but no officers were charged in connection with her death.
Police had a no-knock warrant but said they knocked and announced their presence before entering Taylor’s apartment, a claim some witnesses have disputed. No drugs were found in Taylor’s apartment.
