Baltimore protests after no police charged for the killing of Breonna Taylor
March is one of many nationwide following the shooting of the 26-year-old Black woman while asleep in her apartment by Louisville police
Above: Demonstrators in downtown Baltimore protest the grand jury’s failure to indict the Louisville police officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor. (J.M. Giordano)
Demonstrators rallied in Baltimore to protest the decision in Louisville, Ky., not to charge officers for killing Breonna Taylor.
More than 150 activists and supporters of the slain 26-year-old Black woman – shot in her sleep in her apartment by police executing a search warrant – assembled outside Baltimore Police headquarters on Fayette Street last night.
“We have a list of demands,” said march organizer Destini Philpot, standing on a concrete planter, addressing the crowd through a megaphone.
The demands included the immediate firing of, and revoking the pensions of, the officers involved in Taylor’s fatal shooting.
“We demand immediate resignation of [Louisville] Mayor Greg Fisher, and that the Metro Council ends use of force by the LMPD,” she said. “Police shootings are gun violence.”
Protesters in Baltimore call for justice for Breonna Taylor. (J.M. Girodano)
“Say her name. Breonna Taylor!” protesters chant during a march that began outside of Baltimore Police headquarters. (J.M. Giordano)
Similar protests have taken place across the country since a grand jury’s failure Wednesday to bring homicide charges against the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officers who burst into Taylor’s apartment six months ago and shot her.
In New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and elsewhere, protesters decried the grand jury’s decision to only charge a single officer – for firing into apartments near Taylor’s.
Loud Voices, Quiet Streets
Eventually last night the protesters left their starting point outside BPD headquarters and streamed through downtown before ending up outside of City Hall.
“Show me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!” they chanted, as the march wound through a business district that has been quiet from Covid.
Although the protest briefly blocked major intersections, Baltimore police presence was minimal.
Bicycle riders block intersection during Baltimore’s Breonna Taylor protest. (J.M. Giordano)
Remembering the 26-year-old medical worker. (J.M. Giordano)