Breonna Taylor Did Not Deserve What Happened To Her

Officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department entered the home of Breonna Taylor using a “no-knock warrant" on March 13. This warrant allows police officers to enter private property with no immediate prior notification of the owner.

There was an altercation in her apartment and Taylor was shot eight times. Her injuries resulted in her death. I am ultimately disgusted with how the Louisville police handled their “no-knock warrant."

They obtained this warrant under Richards vs. Wisconsin, a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that is blatantly unconstitutional. It bothers me that the officers involved with Breonna Taylor’s death were only put on administrative reassignment. As with many other cases involving police brutality, the police are not given enough punishment for the damage that they cause.

In light of the current protests that are in response to recurring instances of police brutality, I, as a black woman, feel angry and disheartened. I cannot help but wonder if my family or another black family will soon be in the same situation as Breonna Taylor's loved ones.

It is clear that the Black Lives Matter movement is needed now more than ever. I am tired of seeing my people killed at the hands of under-trained and hostile police officers at a disproportionate rate than that of white citizens. Police officers are the ones who took an oath to protect us, so why do they keep failing the black community?

As a country, we have to come together and protect the lives of our black and brown citizens. Through all the turmoil, there is a silver lining in regards to Breonna Taylor’s case. The Metro Council Committee has unanimously passed Breonna’s Law, which would monitor and restrict “no-knock warrants" in the Louisville area.

I feel relieved knowing that Breonna Taylor’s death is less likely to reoccur in that area, however, I cannot help but think about other areas that do not have specific forms of protection for their citizens.

I am hopeful that with new legislation, police interactions with the black community will not always be this way. The mere fact that we have to create such laws to protect us from our supposed protectors is truly and utterly disturbing.