Beyonce Takes a Stand on Breonna Taylor

Singer writes open letter to Kentucky attorney general calling for cops to be charged
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 15, 2020 12:01 AM CDT
Beyonce: Arrest Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor
In this June 26, 2016, file photo, Beyonce performs "Freedom" at the BET Awards in Los Angeles. Beyonce released a surprise single Sept. 28, 2017, on which she sings in Spanish, English and French to raise relief money for those affected by hurricanes in the Caribbean and earthquakes in Mexico.   (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

Beyonce has joined the legions of people demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, the Louisville woman shot and killed by police who entered her home on a no-knock warrant while she was asleep. In a letter to Kentucky's attorney general, the singer notes that three months after Taylor's death March 13, no arrests have been made and none of the officers involved have been terminated, Variety reports. In fact, the singer writes, "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. 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."

The police department's investigation was turned over to the AG's office, Beyonce writes, yet no criminal charges have been brought against the officers involved. That needs to change, she says. “Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy,” she writes. “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 it. 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.” Louisville's city council has voted to ban no-knock warrants following Taylor's death, and Sen. Rand Paul has introduced legislation that would do the same in the rest of the country. The Guardian notes that Beyonce, long an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, also addressed the recent killings of Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery in a virtual commencement ceremony for 2020 graduates last week. (More Breonna Taylor stories.)

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