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Breonna Taylor protests

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Breonna Taylor protests
Part of the 2020–21 United States racial unrest and the Black Lives Matter movement
Memorial for Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky
DateMay 26, 2020 – present
(4 years, 5 months and 2 weeks)
Location
United States
Caused by
MethodsProtests, demonstrations, civil disobedience, online activism

The Breonna Taylor protests are an ongoing series of police brutality protests surrounding the shooting of Breonna Taylor. Taylor was a 26-year-old African-American woman who was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment on March 13, 2020, by plainclothes officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department conducting a "no-knock" search warrant. For months after the shooting, there were demands from Taylor's family, members of the local community, and protesters worldwide that the officers involved in the shooting be fired and criminally charged.[1][2]

Timeline

May 2020

Protesters in Indianapolis shouting out Taylor's name in remembrance for what would have been her 27th birthday.

On May 26, multiple protesters, including friends and family of Taylor, protested outside Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's office and demanded the three officers be arrested and charged with murder.[3]

On May 27, one Louisville police sergeant said that "The comment section is full of 'All cops need to die' and 'Kill pigs' and things like that" and that several days earlier, while responding to a 911 call near Taylor's apartment, multiple people threw pieces of concrete at police officers (who were uninjured) and then ran away.[4]

On May 28, 500 to 600 demonstrators marched in Downtown Louisville, chanting, "No justice, no peace, prosecute police!" and "Breonna, Breonna, Breonna!"[5][6] The protests continued into the early morning of May 29, when seven people were shot; one was in critical condition. At the same time, Taylor's sister, Juniyah Palmer, posted on her Facebook page, "At this point y'all are no longer doing this for my sister! You guys are just vandalizing stuff for NO reason, I had a friend ask people why they are there most didn't even know the 'protest' was for my sister."[7][8] These protests and demonstrations were part of the nationwide reaction to the murder of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed in police custody on May 25, 2020.[9]

June 2020

A protest against racism in Berlin, Germany, on June 6, 2020; demonstrators hold posters with the photos of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

On June 1, 2020, David McAtee, a 53-year-old African-American man, was fatally shot by the Kentucky Army National Guard in Louisville during nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd and the killing of Breonna Taylor.[10] The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and National Guard were in the area to enforce a curfew. According to officials, the police and soldiers were fired upon by McAtee, and two Louisville officers and two National Guardsmen returned fire. McAtee was killed by a shot fired from a guardsman. The body cams of the police involved were deactivated during the shooting, in violation of department policy.[11] Hours later, police chief Steve Conrad was fired by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.[12]

On June 27, Steven Lopez was arrested after firing shots on the crowd of protesters gathered at Louisville's Jefferson Square Park, killing one and injuring another.[13] Lopez had previously taken part in the Breonna Taylor protests before the incident took place as well, but later got into arguments with other Jefferson Park protesters which resulted in at least three reported physical confrontations.[13] Lopez was also among a group of 17 Louisville protesters who had been arrested on June 17 for inciting a riot, disorderly conduct, harassment and possession of drug paraphernalia.[13]

A Breonna Taylor cardboard cutout at a rally at the state capitol building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, June 2020

In Saint Paul, Minnesota, protesters seeking justice for Breonna Taylor held a "Red Sunday" march on June 26 and gathered at several locations in the Twin Cities.[14]

July 2020

On July 4, over 100 people participated in the Youth March for Freedom in downtown Louisville. The participants stopped at historical civil rights sites, and speakers called for the end of racial injustice and told the stories of the people affiliated with the sites.[15] On July 14, the national social justice organization Until Freedom organized a march of over 100 people to Attorney General Cameron's house, where protesters occupied his lawn, demanding charges against the officers involved in the killing.[16][17][18] Police officers and a police helicopter were present as 87 protesters, including Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills and The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams, were arrested and removed from the lawn.[19]

By mid-July, there had been about 50 days of protests. According to LMPD, 435 protesters had been arrested.[20] On July 24, protesters marched into the NuLu area of Louisville, blocked the 600 block of E. Market Street with metal barricades and set up long metal tables for an impromptu block party to highlight demands for NuLu business owners, including hiring a more proportionate number of black workers.[21] Police cleared the street and arrested 76 protesters who refused to leave.[22][21]

On July 25, 300 members of the Atlanta-based black militia NFAC (Not Fucking Around Coalition) marched to Louisville's Metro Hall with the street lined with local protesters. NFAC founder John "Grandmaster Jay" Johnson gave a speech calling on officials to speed up and be more transparent about the investigation into Taylor's death.[23]

August 2020

As of August 10, LMPD had arrested 500 protesters over 75 days of protests.[24]

September 2020

On September 23, the night after the grand jury verdict was announced, protesters gathered in the Jefferson Square Park area of Louisville as well as many other U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Portland.[25][26] The previous day, a state of emergency had been declared in Louisville in anticipation of the verdict announcement.[27] In Louisville, two LMPD officers were shot during the protest and one suspect was kept in custody.[28][29] Two reporters from the right-wing website The Daily Caller were arrested and charged with breaking curfew and unlawful assembly.[30] In Buffalo, a pickup truck was driven through a crowd of protesters, striking and injuring one.[31]

In Seattle, 13 were arrested for charges ranging from failure to disperse, obstruction, property damage, resisting arrest, and assaulting an officer. One officer was struck on the head with a baseball bat cracking his helmet.[32] In the early morning of September 24, a Seattle Police Officer is seen in a video riding his bicycle over the head of a protester lying on the ground. As a result of a Seattle Police Department use of force investigation, an unnamed police officer was placed on administrative leave after rolling both wheels of his bicycle over the head of a protester lying in the street. The incident was referred to the King County Sheriff's Office for a potential criminal investigation.[33][34]

In December, the Seattle Police Department was held in federal contempt by the U.S. District Judge Richard Jones for the "indiscriminate" use of blast balls and pepper spray during 2020 BLM protests. "On Sept. 23, an officer who was several rows back from the front of the police line threw a blast ball into a crowd, then immediately turned around, demonstrating a "clear lack of care for where the blast ball landed.""[35]

On September 24, Kentucky state representative and former member of the Louisville Metro Council Attica Scott, the only black woman in the Kentucky General Assembly,[36] was arrested in Louisville before the start of the curfew and spent the night in jail. Along with 17 others Scott was charged with felony first-degree rioting, misdemeanor failure to disperse and misdemeanor unlawful assembly.[36] The charge of rioting was dismissed on October 6 and the misdemeanor charges were dropped on November 16.[36]

In Denver, one person was detained for driving into a protester. No injuries were reported.[37]

On September 27, a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with Breonna Taylor occurred at Riverside Park in Wichita, Kansas.[38]

December 2020

On December 3rd, 2020, the founder of the NFAC, a Black separatism movement, John "Grandmaster Jay" Johnson, was indicted on charges of allegedly pointing his rifle at Police Officers. He is being investigated by the F.B.I.[39][40]

March 2021

On and around the anniversary of the killing, hundreds of people gathered for protests and civil unrest in cities across the United States including Louisville, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Grand Rapids, Portland, New York, Washington D.C. and Seattle.[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said that three officers received minor injuries, nine businesses were vandalized and 11 protesters were arrested.[49]

Kentucky Republicans work to pass the controversial 'Kentucky Senate Bill 211', which would make it a misdemeanor to insult Kentucky Police Officers, thus being punishable by up to 90 days in jail. It has been criticized as an infringement on free speech, and as a form of suppression of protesters for Police Accountability. The bill is currently on hold until 2022 and until further notice.[50][51][52]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sanchez, Ray; Joseph, Elizabeth (June 19, 2020). "Louisville, Kentucky, seeks to fire police officer in shooting of Breonna Taylor". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Costello, Darcy (June 19, 2020). "Louisville police is firing officer Brett Hankison involved in Breonna Taylor shooting". USA Today. Gannett. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; June 20, 2020 suggested (help)
  3. ^ Ratterman, Lexie; Shanahan, Kristen (May 26, 2020). "Protesters demand Mayor Fischer fire LMPD officers who shot, killed Breonna Taylor". WDRB. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Lord, Shaquille (May 27, 2020). "LMPD says national exposure of Breonna Taylor case causing concern for officer safety". WLKY. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "7 shot at Louisville protest over fatal police shooting". The San Diego Union-Tribune. May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Sylvestri, Shellie (May 29, 2020). "7 shot as Breonna Taylor supporters protest in downtown Louisville". WAVE-TV. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Seven people shot during Louisville protests". WYMT-TV. May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Vogt, Dustin (May 30, 2020). "Sister of Breonna Taylor posts reaction against violent protest". WAVE-TV. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Evan McMorris-Santoro; Kevin Brunelli; Theresa Waldrop (June 2, 2020). "Louisville, Kentucky, police chief fired after protest shooting death". CNN. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  10. ^ Green, Marcus. "Beshear urges swift release of videos showing fatal police/National Guard shooting of Louisville man". WDRB. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Lampen, Claire (June 2, 2020). "Everything We Know About the Police Shooting of David McAtee". The Cut. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  12. ^ "Protests, Louisville police chief fired after fatal shooting". AP NEWS. April 20, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Authorities identify suspect in fatal shooting at Jefferson Square Park". WDRB. June 29, 2020. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Crowd protests Breonna Taylor decision with march through downtown Minneapolis". kare11.com. KARE 11. September 27, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  15. ^ Loosemore, Bailey (July 4, 2020). "100+ youth march 'for freedom' in downtown Louisville on Independence Day". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Freiman, Jordan (July 15, 2020). "87 people charged with felonies after Breonna Taylor protest at attorney general's house". CBS News. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  17. ^ Loosemore, Bailey; Gardner, Hayes; Tobin, Ben (July 14, 2020). "Protesters converge on Daniel Cameron's Louisville home to demand justice for Breonna Taylor". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  18. ^ @Phil_Lewis_ (July 14, 2020). "Protesters are demonstrating on the lawn of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home, chanting "Say her name! Breonna Taylor!" Police are taking some of them into custody now" (Tweet). Retrieved July 14, 2020 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "87 arrested following protest on AG Daniel Cameron's lawn in Louisville". MSN. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  20. ^ Gardner, Hayes (July 16, 2020). "49 days and 435 arrests: Protesters in Breonna Taylor movement unfazed by charges". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Tobin, Chris Kenning, Hayes Gardner and Ben (July 24, 2020). "76 Black Lives Matter protesters arrested after blocking off NuLu street". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "76 arrested during Breonna Taylor demonstration in NuLu". whas11.com. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  23. ^ Kenning, Chris; Bailey, Phillip M.; Gardner, Hayes; Eadens, Savannah; Tobin, Ben (July 25, 2020). "Opposing armed militias converge in Louisville, escalating tensions but avoiding violence". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. ^ Wolfson, Andrew (August 10, 2020). "Lawyer for protest group seeks to block enforcement of new Louisville police policy". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Callimachi, Rukmini; Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas; Eligon, John (September 24, 2020). "Breonna Taylor Live Updates: 2 Officers Shot in Louisville Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  26. ^ "Protests erupt in San Diego and across the US following latest Breonna Taylor court decision -". McKinnon Broadcasting. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  27. ^ Armus, Teo (September 22, 2020). "'A state of emergency': Louisville braces for grand jury decision in Breonna Taylor case". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  28. ^ Yancey-Bragg, N'dea (September 23, 2020). "Breonna Taylor case: Two police officers shot during protest after officials announce charges; FBI SWAT team at scene". USA Today. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  29. ^ Krauth, Bailey Loosemore, Emma Austin, Hayes Gardner, Ben Tobin, Sarah Ladd, Mandy McLaren and Olivia (September 23, 2020). "LIVE UPDATES: Protesters downtown as 9 p.m. curfew starts, report of officer shot". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 24, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Ramsey, Mary (September 24, 2020). "Daily Caller reporters arrested covering Louisville protests after Breonna Taylor indictment". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  31. ^ "Pickup truck drives through protesters in Buffalo, injuring 1 - Video". KABC-TV. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  32. ^ "Slog AM: 13 Seattle Protesters Arrested, Trump Got Booed, Man Dies From Too Much Black Licorice". The Stranger. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  33. ^ Bella, Timothy (September 25, 2020). "A Seattle police officer rolled his bike over a protester's head. He's been placed on leave". Morning Mix. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020.
  34. ^ "Bike Officer Placed on Leave; OPA, Sheriff's Office Conducting Reviews". SPD Blotter (Press release). Seattle Police Department. October 24, 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020.
  35. ^ Yancey-Bragg, N'dea. "Seattle police who fired pepper spray, blast balls on BLM protesters violated order, judge says". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  36. ^ a b c Cummings, Darron (November 17, 2020). "All protest charges dropped against Kentucky lawmaker". Across America. The Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020.
  37. ^ Gstalter, Morgan (September 24, 2020). "Protester struck by car in Denver following Breonna Taylor rally". TheHill. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  38. ^ Rolfe, Felicia. "Peaceful demonstration held for Breonna Taylor in Riverside Park". KWCH12. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 7, 2020 suggested (help)
  39. ^ Kobin, Billy. "NFAC leader 'Grandmaster Jay' indicted on federal charges linked to Breonna Taylor protest". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  40. ^ Amir Vera and Rebekah Riess. "Founder of all-Black armed activist group faces federal charge after FBI says he aimed a rifle at officers". CNN. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  41. ^ Satterfield, Kolbie (March 13, 2021). "'It sparked not just a moment, but a continued movement' | D.C. community mourns Breonna Taylor's death 365 days later". wusa9.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  42. ^ Frazier, Charise (March 14, 2021). "'We Still Fighting': Photos Of Protests Marking 1-Year Anniversary Of Breonna Taylor's Death". NewsOne. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  43. ^ Kovatch, Breanne; Sennott, Adam (March 13, 2021). "Arlington protesters mark the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  44. ^ "Breonna Taylor: Protest marks anniversary of police killing". BBC News. March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  45. ^ "A year after her death, protesters take to the streets to demand justice for Breonna Taylor". ABC News. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  46. ^ Stimson, Brie (March 14, 2021). "West Coast cities erupt in violence on Breonna Taylor anniversary". Fox News. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  47. ^ Booker, Brakkton (March 13, 2021). "A Year After Breonna Taylor's Killing, Family Says There's 'No Accountability'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  48. ^ "Portland Demonstrators Release Lanterns in Honor of Breonna Taylor". news.yahoo.com. March 14, 2021. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  49. ^ "3 Officers Injured, 10 Arrested as Breonna Taylor Protests Turn Violent in LA". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  50. ^ "Kentucky bill would make it a crime to insult a police officer". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  51. ^ EDT, Mary Ellen Cagnassola On 3/23/21 at 4:21 PM (March 23, 2021). "Kentucky bill prompted by Breonna Taylor protests on hold until 2022". Newsweek. Retrieved March 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ "Kentucky Republican defends controversial bill that outlaws insulting police". www.msn.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
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