Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty
A protest for Breonna Taylor on Tuesday resulted in 87 people being arrested and charged with a felony. Among those arrested included a list of celebrities and activists. However, the cops involved in her police killing remained free as of Wednesday afternoon, more than four months after they shot blindly into her Louisville home while she slept.
According to CBS News, protestors were demonstrating on the lawn of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, demanding that charges be filed against the cops responsible for Taylor’s death back in March.
The protest started Tuesday evening near Ballard High School in Louisville before participants marched to Cameron’s home, with many people standing or sitting on his lawn. Demonstrators, who were chanting messages such as justice for Taylor, were told to leave by police, but many stood their ground. Those who did were arrested without incident.
“In total, 87 people were arrested,” LMPD explained in a statement. “Due to their refusal to leave the property and their attempts to influence the decision of the Attorney General with their actions, each person was charged with Intimidating a Participant in a Legal Process (Class D felony), Disorderly Conduct 2nd Degree (Class B misdemeanor), and Criminal Trespass 3rd Degree. (Violation).”
Cameron said his office will “continue with a thorough and fair investigation” into Taylor’s death and the protest “will not alter our pursuit of the truth.”
“The stated goal of today’s protest at my home was to ‘escalate,’” Cameron argued. “That is not acceptable and only serves to further division and tension within our community. Justice is not achieved by trespassing on private property, and it’s not achieved through escalation.”
Among the people protesting were “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Porsha Williams and “Love & Hip Hop” star Yandy Smith.
“Knock Knock @danieljaycameron WE AT YOUR DOOR!” Smith caption her Instagram video of the protest. “#breonnataylor can’t go home so we invited ourselves to your house attorney general @danieljaycameron Just like the cops did when they murdered her.”
Smith also posted photos of protestors getting arrested and she listed the name of other demonstrators who were in custody, including rapper YBN Cordae and Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills. Activist Tamika Mallory is another demonstrator who was arrested and charged with a felony.
KEEP CALLING
As of Wednesday morning, Mallory and other protestors notified the public that Cordae and Stills were still being held at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. They asked their followers to call and demand the release of protestors immediately. They explained that Until Freedom, a group of organizers and lawyers, as well as the Grassroots Law Project were working to get protestors free.
Taylor was killed on March 13 when officers entered her home in search of illegal drugs. The cops claimed that they knocked on the door to announce themselves and they started shooting after they were “immediately met by gunfire” from Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. However, Taylor’s family said in a lawsuit that the cops did not identify themselves, and that Walker — a licensed gun owner — believed someone was trying to break in. Taylor was only 26 years old when she died.
Following her death, Louisville passed a ban on “no-knock” warrants, which allowed police officers to enter a home without first announcing their presence. Brett Hankison, one of the cops involved in Taylor’s death, was fired on June 23, over three months since Taylor was killed. The other officers involved were placed on administrative leave. None of them have been arrested or charged for Taylor’s death.
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