Beyoncé Wrote A Letter To The Attorney General Demanding Justice For Breonna Taylor
On March 13, Breonna Taylor was killed in her home when Louisville Metro Police shot her while executing a no-knock warrant. After her family brought Taylor's case to public attention, the Louisville Metro Council unanimously voted to pass Breonna's Law, banning no-knock search warrants and ordering police use body cameras before, during, and after they execute warrants. Sen. Rand Paul also introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act to bring the legislation to the rest of the country. While progress has been made, the three officers involved in Taylor's killing have yet to be criminally charged. Beyoncé's open letter demanding justice for Breonna Taylor urges the Louisville Metro Police Department to take action and hold their officers accountable.
On Sunday, June 14, Beyoncé published an open letter to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on her website demanding he take action.
"While 'Breonna's Law' passed in Louisville and federal legislation has been introduced that will also ban no-knock search warrants, these small steps in the right direction are painful reminders that there has still been no justice for Breonna Taylor or her family," Beyoncé wrote.
The singer drew attention to the fact there have been conflicting reports regarding Taylor's case. "Three months have passed — and 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," she continued. "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."
Beyoncé demanded Cameron take three actions: bring criminal charges against all three officers involved in Taylor's killing, show transparency in the investigation of her death, and investigate the LMPD's response to the incident as well as "the pervasive practices that result in the repeated deaths of unarmed Black citizens."
"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," Beyoncé concluded her letter.
On June 5 — the day Taylor would have celebrated her 27th birthday — many celebrities, including Beyoncé, paid tribute to her on social media.
"SAY HER NAME. DEMAND JUSTICE ON HER BIRTHDAY. NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE," Lizzo wrote.
"#SayHerName Know her story. She should be here. So many Black women have met the same fate. We must not forget Black women when we are fighting," Gabrielle Union told her followers.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron has yet to respond to Beyoncé's open letter.
