Imagine that you and your girlfriend have just had a good night. Maybe, you watched a movie together while you ate dinner after she got home from work. You shared some laughs and now, you’re both tired.
You may share a kiss then you both lay down in your bed because you’re exhausted from a long day.
Then, at midnight, you hear a loud banging at your door.
It’s unusual for anyone to bang on your door in the middle of the night. You wipe the sleep from your eyes, grab your phone and turn it over while trying to focus on the screen in the dark. You assume you must have missed a call from someone in trouble.
The knocking is growing louder and with urgency and now you realize this couldn’t be a friend. Your girlfriend sits up and even in the dark, you can see the panic and worry on her face.
You grab your registered gun from the bedside table. She’s pleading with you not to go out there, but even though your heart is beating in your ears and fear is pumping adrenaline through your veins, you want to keep her safe.
You walk slowly towards the door and yell, “Who is it?”
There is no response, the knocking grows louder. Then, you realize it’s not hands, but something is banging against the door and then suddenly the door is wide open and you make out the silhouettes of the bodies of men and guns pointed at you.
Everything moves in slow motion.
Your wrist feels heavy as you lift your weapon and fire a shot. You hear your girlfriend behind you, she is frantically yelling trying to figure out what is happening.
Suddenly, there are popping sounds everywhere.
When you turn around, you see your girlfriend crumple to the ground. Before you can run to her, you are tackled to the ground. The gun is ripped from your hands and men are laying on top of you. You can barely take a breath.
Then, the moonlight bounces off a pair of handcuffs and you understand it’s the police that has flooded your apartment. You located your girlfriend, but you can tell she’s not moving.
This is my depiction of the events that led to the death of Breonna Taylor.
On March 13th, Louisville police executed a no-knock warrant shortly after midnight at 26 year-old Taylor’s apartment. They used a battering ram to open her front door. Her boyfriend fired his registered gun at police, who didn’t identify themselves, and the police returned fire striking Breonna eight times and killing her.
The no-knock warrant gave police the right to enter the residence without warning. They were searching for two men they believed were selling drugs. Those men were found far from the apartment before the police went to Taylor’s apartment. The police said they believed she was receiving packages for one of the men. There was no proof of her receiving any packages. There were no drugs found in her apartment.
Breonna Taylor was an EMT who was planning to train to be a Nurse. Her boyfriend was arrested because the bullet he shot in self-defense hit an officer. The charges were later dropped.
The officers involved in the shooting were put on administrative leave. But, no charges have been filed which has sparked protests in Louisville and other cities.
The police put in their police report that Ms. Taylor suffered no injuries when she died of her injuries due to their shooting into the apartment with a disregard for human life.
The only significant action so far was the banning of “no-knock” warrants.
As time progresses, the call for action for justice for Breonna Taylor is quieting. It must compete with news about Coronavirus and continued coverage of everything else in the world.
It’s common for violence against women to fall by the wayside with no real resolution. Breonna Taylor is not the first black woman to be killed due to police brutal force. You can find multiple stories from Sandra Bland, who died suspiciously in police custody to Atatiana Jefferson, who was killed in her home during a wellness check called in by a concerned neighbor.
It’s one more thing that you cannot do while being black, sleep in your own home. Yet, if a homeowner were to protect their home against an intruder then it would be called justifiable homicide. Why doesn’t a homeowner killed in her own home due to police negligence and excessive force not deserve justice?
—