'Absolutely Heartbreaking' Ruling in Breonna Taylor Shooting Sparks New Wave of National Protests for Justice, Racial Equality |
Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=56369"><span class="small">Jordan Culver and Grace Hauck, USA Today</span></a> |
Thursday, 24 September 2020 08:29 |
Excerpt: "The announcement of a grand jury's decision to indict one of the three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor - and that the indictment wasn't related to her death - sparked another wave of protests for justice and racial equality around the nation." ALSO SEE: Democrats Decry Kentucky Attorney General's Decision 'Absolutely Heartbreaking' Ruling in Breonna Taylor Shooting Sparks New Wave of National Protests for Justice, Racial Equality24 September 20
he announcement of a grand jury's decision to indict one of the three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor — and that the indictment wasn't related to her death — sparked another wave of protests for justice and racial equality around the nation. Protesters took to the streets in Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle and Washington, D.C, among other places, following Wednesday's announcement from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, which also spurred demonstrations that turned violent in Taylor's home city of Louisville. Two Louisville police officers were shot during protests, one in the abdomen and another in the thigh, according to The Courier-Journal of the USA TODAY network. Both are expected to recover, interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder said. In Chicago, where the mayor called for a citywide moment of silence, hundreds of people gathered at peaceful protests across the city. In the South Side Auburn Gresham neighborhood, dozens of people led by anti-violence activist and pastor Michael Pfleger blocked an intersection, chanting “Say her name, Breonna Taylor!”
Others gathered downtown at Millenium Park and marched for hours through downtown Chicago, trailed by dozens of officers on bikes and marked and unmarked cars. The group observed a moment of silence for Taylor at one point, holding fists in the air. There were also protests in the South Side Bronzeville neighborhood and through the city’s North Side. “This ruling is absolutely heartbreaking, and it leaves more questions than it answers,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, adding, “This is a profoundly disturbing reality.” To the north in Milwaukee, a group of protesters marched along Interstate 94, temporarily blocking traffic while chanting, "The whole damn system is guilty as hell." "Say her name," a leader chanted. "Breonna Taylor," the group responded. In Atlanta, the Georgia State Patrol, Atlanta police and Fulton County deputies were called in to arrest protesters, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Tear gas was used to disperse crowds near the Capitol, according to the newspaper. Late Wednesday night, Seattle police reported deploying pepper spray after protesters threw fireworks "nearly striking officers in the process" and cut security cameras at one precinct, the department said on Twitter. Elsewhere:
Former Louisville officer Brett Hankison, who was fired in June, is facing three felony counts of wanton endangerment for firing into the apartment next door to Taylor's. Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, two other officers involved in the raid, were not charged. Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who represents the Taylor family, called the decision "outrageous and offensive to Breonna Taylor’s memory." He added the news "falls far short of what constitutes justice." After Cameron's announcement, Beshear called for non-violent protests. He added he'd already seen "militia groups" walking through Louisville. "So, be safe and the eyes of the world are on Louisville," he said. "People will hear. There are more cameras broadcasting to more places, and so I’d be mindful that they’re here so that you’re heard, and let’s try to do this in a way that makes positive change and is not used to prevent change." |