On March 13, Breonna Taylor was shot eight times and killed in her Louisville home during a botched police raid at the wrong address. On Sunday, Beyoncé shared an open letter on her website to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron demanding justice for Taylor.
The letter begins with a recap of the events that led to the 26-year-old’s death, and subsequent “Breonna’s Law” that recently passed in Louisville, banning no-knock warrants. However, “these small steps in the right direction are painful reminders that there has still been no justice for Breonna Taylor or her family.”
In the time since her passing, the officers involved still have their jobs, and “the [Louisville Metro Police Department] LMPD’s investigations have created more questions than answers.”
“Three months have passed — and Breonna Taylor’s family still waits for justice,” the singer wrote. “Ms. Taylor’s family has not been able to take time to process and grieve. Instead, they have been working tirelessly to rally the support of friends, their community, and the country to obtain justice for Breonna.”
She continued by listing three action items for Cameron: Bring criminal charges to the three officers involved; transparency in the investigation and prosecution of the officers; and investigate LMPD’s response to Taylor’s murder, “as well as the pervasive practices that result in the repeated deaths of unarmed Black citizens.”
“Don’t let this case fall into the patter of no action after a terrible tragedy,” Beyoncé concluded her letter. “With every death of a Black person at the hands of police, there are two real tragedies: the death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers. The next months cannot look like the last three.”
Taylor’s death is one of many that has sparked recent Black Lives Matter protests and action to fight racial injustice and police brutality.
