I hadn’t really looked into the Breonna Taylor case until now. Mostly because I didn’t believe people were being honest about it, like many other cases. So I decided to check the facts. Here they are. There are more, but I’m going to stick only to those facts that are indisputable, and will include a bit of commentary:
Cops have a no-knock warrant to search Breonna Taylor’s apartment (yes, they got the right place).
This warrant is related to her ex-boyfriend who was a drug dealer (he wasn’t there — hence the accusation that they “got the wrong apartment.” This was one of five locations on the warrant).
Cops knock loudly (which they didn’t have to do, and which was confirmed by her boyfriend and a neighbor).
Cops announce themselves (this was confirmed by a neighbor).
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fear harm, and Walker gets his legally-owned gun (normal response).
Cops eventually bash the door in (which they had the right to do).
Cops see two people in the hallway (they had assumed Taylor would be alone, but she wasn’t, which would logically lead them to believe it’s possibly her ex-boyfriend).
Walker fires one shot at the cops (most likely not knowing they’re cops — again, normal response when someone breaks into your apartment at midnight, especially when you’re innocent and you know your girlfriend’s ex is a drug dealer).
Cops see gunfire, one gets hit, they return fire (normal response when shot at, especially when you assume this may be the dude you have the warrant for).
Taylor gets hit and dies. Walker doesn’t.
Walker gets charged with a crime (shooting police) and it gets dropped (because it’s reasonable to shoot someone who breaks into your house at midnight).
No-knock warrants get banned in the city (even though it wasn’t used as allowed in this case, but whatever, it’s not a hill I’d die on. It’s probably a good thing they were banned, although it potentially puts police in some bad scenarios where they will face added danger).
One cop gets indicted for shooting “wantonly” into an apartment and endangering neighbors.
City erupts and two cops are shot in the violence.
Violence and protests also erupt around the nation.
I don’t even know what to say. This was tragic. A person is dead who shouldn’t be. Walker did nothing wrong. His actions were understandable, and he was rightly acquitted. The police did nothing wrong. Their actions were understandable and the indictment should be dropped.
If there is something to point to as “wrong,” or “unjust,” it’s potentially the warrant system that led to the events. If there’s something we want to reform, let’s start there. But no, this is not “another example” of police brutality or systemic racism or whatever else is being protested. It’s an unfortunate event. It happens too often to all kinds of people. Changes should be made. But we’re looking at the wrong scapegoat. And this is why so many people find it so hard to accept what we keep being told over and over and over.
Our system needs reform. It doesn’t need to be torn down and rebuilt. The system is continually moving toward justice. It will continue. Trying to force it there via mob violence will not help. Defunding or abolishing police will not help. Stoking a race war will not help. There are reforms that will help. Let’s focus there.
Most of all, let’s let truth reign. Let’s be guided by that, and not by blind emotion or the latest biased report we heard that is only aimed at ripping us apart. We’re better than this. So let’s be better.