Beyoncé wants justice for Breonna Taylor, and she’s tired of waiting for officials to offer it in the case of the 26-year-old Louisville resident’s March 13 killing. So, on Sunday evening, the Grammy winner penned a powerful open letter to Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron. Her requests? Action and accountability, starting with criminal charges filed against the members of the Louisville Metro Police Department responsible for Taylor’s death.
“Three months have passed.” These words serve as a refrain in the letter, a reminder of how much time has passed since Taylor died in her apartment after being shot by plainclothes officers of the LMPD issuing a “no-knock” warrant. Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was unarmed and asleep at the time. “Three months have passed — and the LMPD’s investigations have created more questions than answers. Their incident report states that Ms. Taylor suffered no injuries — yet we know she was shot at least eight times,” writes Beyoncé.
“The LMPD officers claim they announced themselves before forcing their way into Ms. Taylor’s apartment — but her boyfriend who was with her, as well as several neighbors, all say that this is untrue,” she continued. “Three months have passed — and zero arrests have been made, and no officers have been fired.”
After pointing out that “three months have passed and Breonna Taylor’s family still waits for justice,” Beyoncé issued her call to action. Urging the attorney general’s office to “demonstrate the value of a black woman’s life,” she asked that criminal charges be brought against the officers involved. She also requested that Kentucky officials commit themselves to be fully transparent in the investigation of these officers and the department’s delayed response to Taylor’s killing, as well as the killing of other unarmed Black citizens.
“Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after such a terrible tragedy,” she implored. “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. 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.”
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