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Beyoncé has written an open letter to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, an ER technician who was shot and killed by police officers in March.
Taylor was shot eight times by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers on March 13 after they entered her home with a no-knock warrant, which allowed the police to enter without warning or without identifying themselves as law enforcement.
Last week, the Louisville city council voted to ban no-knock warrants in a piece of legislation called Breonna’s Law, but the officers responsible for her death have not been charged.
“These small steps in the right direction are painful reminders that there has still been no justice for Breonna Taylor or her family,” Beyoncé wrote in a letter published on her website.
“Three months have passed and the LMPD’s investigations have created more questions than answers. […] Three months have passed – and zero arrests have been made, and no officers have been fired. […] Three months have passed – and Breonna Taylor’s family still waits for justice.”
“Your office has both the power and the responsibility to bring justice to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the value of a Black woman’s life,” she continued. “Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy. With every death of a Black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: The death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it.
She concluded: “This is your chance to end that pattern. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers. The next months cannot look like the last three.”
Last month, Beyoncé also demanded justice for George Floyd in an impassioned video posted to her Instagram.
Floyd, 46, was an African-American man, who was killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes as he lay on the ground during an arrest. Mass protests calling out racism have since taken place across the US and all over the world.
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