Our hearts once again go out to the family and friends of Breonna Taylor. We #SayHerName today and every day.
We are not surprised that a Kentucky grand jury decided not to hold accountable any of the officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor. After all, when has the criminal justice system, which is rooted in slavery and white supremacy, ever worked for Black people?
We are, however, disgusted and angered, that the only charges levied were against an officer who ‘disturbed the peace’. The lives of Breonna’s neighbors — who are alive and well today — mattered more to this grand jury than her life. Bullets fired into walls of an apartment building were seen as more criminal and egregious than the bullets pumped into the body of a woman sleeping in her bed.
This miscarriage of justice is an offense to Breonna’s memory, and to the efforts of the countless folks who have uplifted her name in recent months. But it is not shocking.
This non-decision is yet another reminder that this system — this society — is not the center of our power. Rather, it is the center of our fight. We cannot continue to attempt to work within a system that perpetuates white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence. Instead, we must care for each other while collectively and strategically dismantling each and every institution that seeks to oppress us.
Black Lives Matter. Black Women’s Lives Matter.
