Breonna Taylor, a Black healthcare worker in Louisville, Kentucky was shot and killed on March 13 by police officers who were serving a search warrant at her apartment. Her tragic death led to widespread demonstrations for Black lives across the country in the spring and summer.
On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted a former Louisville police officer for endangering the lives of Ms. Taylor’s neighbors, not for her death. The officer was dismissed from the force in June in a termination letter stating that he showed “an extreme indifference to the value of human life.” These findings leave us saddened and outraged as we reflect on the indifference given to Ms. Taylor’s life.
Justice did not serve Breonna Taylor. It failed her. The decision grievously affirms that we must continue to work toward a world that demonstrates that it values Black Lives.
We recognize that the grand jury’s findings compound ongoing pain and trauma suffered by our Black family, friends and neighbors, and that many members of campus are also deeply affected by a decision that echoes the pervasive systemic anti-Black racism in America. We ask all Tritons to continue to stand in solidarity with our Black community members, to reach out and care for one another.
