194 days. 194 days since three officers wrongfully entered Breonna Taylor’s home and shot her while she was asleep. It took 194 days for anyone to be indicted.
After much protesting, a verdict was finally reached 194 days after the wrongful death of Breonna Taylor. Yet, it was the bare minimum. Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron announced yesterday that Brett Hankinson was charged with three counts of ‘Wanton Endangerment’. Wanton endangerment is when an individual commits a crime, in which can create a substantial danger of death or serious injury to another person (Waldrop 2020). A class D felony that carries a penalty of one to five years in prison. In this case, Hankinson is only convicted for the bullets that were shot into a neighboring apartment (Gaffney 2020). Why is this a slap in the face? Because it openly shows that walls are of higher stature than an innocent life.
No one was ACTUALLY convicted for her death. The two other officers, Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, were let off the hook. Hankison can serve up to a maximum of five years in prison (Read 2020). Five years does NOT equate to the death of a woman. 12 million dollars of civil settlement does NOT equate to the life that was stolen for a future that could’ve been.
Protesters across the country, New York, Kentucky, D.C. included, gathered yesterday to protest about the wrongful verdict. Breonna Taylor’s death was used for everything. Used to promote everything. Used to make individuals look socially conscious, her face used as a meme. Yet, her and her family did not receive the one thing she absolutely needed, justice.
We as the African American community are sick and tired of having to bury another brother and sister and having no justice. We as a community are tired of being wrongly murdered due to the color of our skin. Unknowledgeable people are always stating, “don’t provoke officers,” or, “maybe if you weren’t doing what you were not supposed to do,” as if it’s enough. Breonna Taylor was in the comfort of her own HOME and sleeping. What is the excuse for that? To be murdered in your home and STILL not be seen as a victim is truly upsetting.
Do you know what does not come as a shocker? Breonna Taylor’s and Emmett Till’s murderers were acquitted on the same day sixty five years apart. Sixty five years later we are still fighting for the same injustices in the African American community. Sixty five years later we are still being mistreated, and there is no sign of things getting better.
We are currently living in a justice system that cannot be reformed. Time and time again we are shown we are the least of its priorities. But the system did not fail us, it did EXACTLY what it was intended to do.
Justice is not going to just land on our doorstep one day, it has to be taken. Everyday we hear the same words, “Say His/Her Name,” and it’s tiring. Countless times we say, “Black Lives Matter,” and their only response is, “All Lives Matter!” Where is that response when people proclaim, “Blue Lives Matter?” Is “All Lives Matter” just a tactic to undermine “Black Lives Matter?”
The question that remains is how are the people going to stand up to this decision. What are we going to do that will permit a change within the system? Do we just vote and let the electoral college do the rest? Do we abolish the current system? The people have the right to abolish the system if it is not serving us according to the U.S. Constitution. Do we protest like we did for the past 194 days? Is violence the answer? America turns a blind eye when it comes to Black lives. Enough. Is. Enough. However people choose to deal with this, hopefully a change will commence.
Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Breonna Taylor life mattered, and from this point on we will not stop, we will not rest.