Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

87 People Face Felony Charges for a Sit-In for Breonna Taylor While Her Killers Remain Free

On Tuesday, 87 protesters in Louisville, Kentucky were arrested after a demonstration outside the Kentucky Attorney General’s house to demand justice for Breonna Taylor. Meanwhile, none of the cops who murdered Taylor have been arrested.

Otto Fors

July 16, 2020
Facebook Twitter Share

On Tuesday, protesters in Louisville, Kentucky demonstrated outside Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home to demand justice for Breonna Taylor. Although the police officers who murdered Breonna Taylor have not been arrested, 87 protesters were detained and charged with trespassing and intimidation. These are felony charges, punishable with up to five years in prison. Officials are eager to detain and repress protesters, but refuse to hold the killer cops accountable.

On March 13, police officers used a battering ram to enter the apartment of Breonna Taylor, a 26 year-old EMT. They were executing a no-knock search warrant as part of a drug investigation, and entered her apartment without warning and without announcing themselves as police officers — the officers were dressed in plainclothes. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, called 911 and used his licensed firearm to shoot at the intruders. The police then fired more than 20 rounds, shooting Taylor eight times.

Interviews later revealed that the suspect in the drug investigation was already in custody when officers entered her apartment. The Louisiana Metro Police Department (LMPD) also released a baffling report — the report is mostly blank, lists her injuries as “none,” says that there was “no” forced entry, and does not describe the events that occurred. 

As the Black Lives Matter movement returned to center stage with the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor also also became an important figure as a Black woman killed by police brutality. Around the country, and especially in Kentucky, people are demanding the arrest of the police who perpetrated this act of police terror. In the past months of mobilization, 437 people have been arrested for protesting against Taylor’s murder. No one has been arrested for murdering her. 

The demonstration on Tuesday was organized by Until Freedom, a social justice group founded by activist Linda Sarsour, among others. Over 100 protesters marched to Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s house from a local high school to demand the arrest of the cops who murdered Taylor. A video posted on Twitter shows protesters chanting, “Say her name: Breonna Taylor!” while sitting on his front lawn. 

Cameron and the police requested that protesters leave his property. After refusing to do so, according to the LMPD, “in total 87 people were arrested… due to their refusal to leave the property and their attempts to influence the decision of the Attorney General.” By Wednesday evening, all 87 protesters had been released, but now face charges of intimidating a participant in a legal process, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespassing. 

Cameron released a statement criticizing the protest, claiming that his office is continuing to investigate Taylor’s death, and that the protests were an unacceptable attempt at escalation. “[Justice is] achieved by examining the facts in an impartial and unbiased manner,” he wrote, though his office has so far failed to provide justice for Breonna Taylor and refused to hold the police accountable.  

None of the officers have been arrested — instead, authorities have repeatedly protected them. All three cops were initially placed on administrative leave, and after more than three months, just one officer was fired. In other words, zero people have been charged with murdering Breonna Taylor, while 87 have received felony charges for protesting her murder. 

The murder of Breonna Taylor demonstrates that the so-called criminal justice system does not provide any justice at all, but rather upholds white supremacy and protects police. While cops act with impunity, Black people are brutalized and murdered, and those that demand justice are arrested. The killer cops should be jailed, and we must continue to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and other Black people whom police have murdered. 

Facebook Twitter Share

Otto Fors

Otto is a college professor in the New York area.

United States

Image: Joshua Briz/AP

All Eyes on Columbia: We Must Build a National Campaign to Defend the Right to Protest for Palestine

After suspending and evicting students and ordering the repression of a student occupation, Columbia University has become the ground zero for attacks against the pro-Palestine movement. What happens at Columbia in the coming days has implications for our basic democratic rights, such as the right to protest.

Maryam Alaniz

April 19, 2024
NYPD officers load Pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia onto police buses

Student Workers of Columbia Union Call for Solidarity Against Repression and in Defense of the Right to Protest

In response to the suspensions and arrests of students at Columbia, the Student Workers of Columbia is circulating a call for solidarity against the repression. We re-publish their statement here and urge organizations, unions, and intellectuals to sign.

Several police officers surrounded a car caravan

Detroit Police Escalate Repression of Pro-Palestinian Protests

On April 15, Detroit Police cracked down on a pro-Palestine car caravan. This show of force was a message to protestors and an attempt to slow the momentum of the movement by intimidating people off the street and tying them up in court.

Brian H. Silverstein

April 18, 2024

The Movement for Palestine Is Facing Repression. We Need a Campaign to Stop It.

In recent weeks, the movement in solidarity with Palestine has faced a new round of repression across the U.S. We need a united campaign to combat this repression, one that raises strategic debates about the movement’s next steps.

Tristan Taylor

April 17, 2024

MOST RECENT

A mash-up of Macron over a palestinian flag and articles detailing the rising repression

Against the Criminalization of Opinion and in Defense of Our Right to Support Palestine: We Must Stand Up!

In France, the repression of Palestine supporters is escalating. A conference by La France Insoumise (LFI) has been banned; a union leader has been arrested and charged for speaking out for Palestine; court cases have increased against those who “condone terrorism”; and the state has stepped up its “anti-terrorism” efforts. In the face of all this, we must stand together.

Nathan Deas

April 23, 2024
SEIU Local 500 marching for Palestine in Washington DC. (Photo: Purple Up for Palestine)

Dispatches from Labor Notes: Labor Activists are Uniting for Palestine. Democrats Want to Divide Them

On the first day of the Labor Notes conference, conference attendees held a pro-Palestine rally that was repressed by the local police. As attendees were arrested outside, Chicago Mayor — and Top Chicago Cop — Brandon Johnson spoke inside.

Left Voice

April 20, 2024
A tent encampment at Columbia University decorated with two signs that say "Liberated Zone" and "Gaza Solidarity Encampment"

Dispatches from Labor Notes 2024: Solidarity with Columbia Students Against Repression

The Labor Notes Conference this year takes place right after over 100 students were arrested at Columbia for protesting for Palestine. We must use this conference to build a strong campaign against the repression which will impact us all if it is allowed to stand.

Olivia Wood

April 20, 2024

Occupy Against the Occupation: Protest Camp in Front of Germany’s Parliament

Since Monday, April 8, pro-Palestinian activists have been braving Germany's bleak climate — both meteorological and political — to protest the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and the unconditional German support for it. 

Erik de Jong

April 20, 2024