I’m sure everybody has heard the disappointing news about the recent update of Breonna Taylor’s case, and I’m sure everybody is as angry as I am. On March 13th, 2020, a 26-year-old woman named Breonna Taylor was unfortunately shot after three officers forcingly entered her apartment, and she was caught in the crossfire between her boyfriend and the police officers. Taylor’s boyfriend believed the officers were intruders, so he fired his gun for protection. Some witnesses claim the police officers announced themselves before entering the apartment, and some witnesses say the police did not announce themselves. After many months, the officers were finally presented in front of a grand jury, and a decision was made about whether the officers should be charged. A grand jury decided not to directly charge the police officers for the killing of Breonna Taylor, and the former Louisville officer known as Brett Hankinson was instead charged with three felony accounts of first-degree wanton endangerment. Wanton endangerment essentially means that Brett Hankinson rammed Breonna Taylor’s door down in a deliberate and unprovoked manner, but none of the other officers involved in the shooting were indicted along with there being no homicide charges.
It was disappointing for me to wake up and discover this news. This year has been particularly heavier than the rest, but this news is disheartening in more ways than one. Protests erupted all over the country, petitions signed, money donated, and justice still could not have been given to Breonna Taylor. I am not a part of the Black community, but I continue to support them, and I will continue to fight for them. They do not deserve to hear of another person in their community not receiving justice due to an unjustified shooting. The privilege I have even as a Southasian woman is not something that can go unnoticed, and I will continue to use my privilege to help those who are underrepresented. I see Breonna Taylor’s case as a representation of another frustration for the Black community, another victim who was used for promotion and social media coverage, and another person of color who deserved better. People have the right to be angry, and people deserve to flood the streets to continue to demand justice. However, I just cannot even imagine how tired the Black community feels right now, how tired they are of being unnoticed and unheard.
The Black community’s frustration is something that is justified, and people should not take that away from them. This case represents a fight that will go on for who knows how many years, but it will continue to go on until those who go unheard are listened to. I will stand by such people’s sides, and I will scream with them and continue to make sure they are heard in this world filled to the brim with injustice. People should not fear for their lives, and police officers should not keep getting away with the crimes they committed. After the grand jury’s decision was released, more and more protests erupted throughout the country and the people organizing and attending these protests have my utmost respect for sustaining the fight against racial injustice. Breonna Taylor’s case just illustrates how the public will not stand down, and those in charge should be prepared to hear over and over again that Black Lives Matter.