It’s been 150 days since Breonna Taylor’s death, and there still has been no justice for her family. Taylor was fatally shot in March in her Louisville, Kentucky, home when police officers attempted to execute a nighttime no-knock warrant for drugs to a person who lived across town. One of three officers has been fired, but none has been charged in Taylor’s death.
Stachelle Bussey, a community activist and leader of the nonprofit The Hope Buss, has been demonstrating for over 70 consecutive days. She said she will continue to apply pressure to expedite Breonna Taylor’s death investigation. She also encourages people to join the movement.
“The only thing that moved history is when everybody began to catch on and join the fight,” said Bussey. “It’s not just a moment, it’s a movement. It’s not too late to get involved with the movement. A movement takes time. Doesn’t matter when you get on the bandwagon; it just matters that you get on the bandwagon.”
A spokesperson for the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Davon Taylor has been demonstrating for over two months as well. He plans to continue until justice is served.
“I’ve been out here circling and protesting, walking up the streets, letting the police know this is something that is serious and we really want our justice,” said Taylor.
Rep. Charles Booker, D-Ky., revealed Taylor was a good friend of his family. He recalled the loss of Taylor as devastating. He said her death represents something so much bigger, and is a rallying cry for our future.
“The whole world is watching and looking at what Kentucky does in this moment, what Louisville does in this moment. And it’s being defined by how we honor Breonna Taylor,” said Booker.
Taylor, who worked as an emergency room technician, is making history posthumously as her face graces the cover of the September edition of Oprah’s O Magazine. Under bittersweet circumstances, some felt her feature was monumental. Oprah broke the news of the cover feature to the family of Taylor in June, the month she would have turned 27. Her uncle, Deon Ellis, was moved by the gesture.
Ellis said the family was not expecting “anything like that.” He went on to say, “To have her on a national magazine like that, it really made it, you know; a lot of emotion, but at the same time it was tears of joy.”
When Rep. Booker saw the announcement, he immediately shared the news of the cover feature on social media.
“As soon as I saw it, I shared it. I shared it with pride. I shared it with a lot of emotion. This has been a tough and yet inspiring time and I think that cover just captures a lot of that.”
Though the magazine cover was a positive step forward, Ellis said it’s still a hard time for the family right now.
“It’s still like we can’t believe it. That’s the main thing. We just can’t believe it.”
Davon Taylor cannot imagine what Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor’s mother, is going through as justice still has not been served. Her family is still grappling with her loss. Her uncle said he expects Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, and FBI investigators to “do their job.”
“With everything people are doing we appreciate that and we love that with our deepest. But at the same time there’s one agenda we are looking for, and that’s justice.”