How To Fight For Justice For Breonna Taylor On Her 27th Birthday

Breonna Taylor was so many things. She was a Black female essential worker, who held two jobs as an ER technician in Louisville, Kentucky amidst the COVID-19 crisis. She was a daughter, niece, and girlfriend who had dreams of buying a house and starting a family of her own. She was a 26-year-old woman with absolutely no criminal record. And, on Mar. 13, she was killed by police officers, who raided her home unannounced and fired more than 20 rounds at her and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Today, on Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday, there are nine ways to fight for her justice — all of which take a matter of minutes.

As the fight for justice for George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery have yielded early signs of progress, Taylor, who lost her life two months earlier than the two men, has yet to see the same results. The three officers responsible for Taylor's murder — Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove — have not been charged, and it's with little surprise. Even with overwhelming statistics proving that Black women in the U.S. are routinely underserved more than any other subgroup, Taylor's case has been frequently forgotten in the current wave of #BlackLivesMatter. On June 5, her 27th birthday, you can help fix that by taking the below steps to demand justice, at every level:

1. Send A Pre-Written Email

By following this link, an email draft will populate, addressed to Thomas B. Wine, Commonwealth's Attorney for the 30th Judicial Circuit of Kentucky, and Robert Schroeder, Assistant Chief of Police Robert Schroeder. The email demands justice for Taylor, all you need to do is add your name and city to the bracketed sections.

Then, follow the prompt at this link to contact Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer with the same call to action.

2. Sign The Petition

There are two main petitions right now — StandWithBre.com and JusticeForBreonna.org. Add your name, email and zip code to sign the petition. Actions like these have helped create monumental change already, most recently ensuring that all charges against Kenneth Walker, who shot his licensed firearm in an act of self-defense, be dropped — but there is still more work to be done.

3. Write A Birthday Card.

Demi Lovato is one of many who are calling the masses to send birthday cards to those presiding over this situation. Card-sending services like Postable make it super simple to send physical cards over the computer. I completed the process in under two minutes, and it cost just $4.54 for the card and postage. Also, right now, Postable is donating 100% of profits from Taylor's birthday cards to the Justice For Breonna GoFundMe.

Address #1:

Office of the Attorney General

700 Capital Avenue, Suite 118

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-3449

Address #2:

Mayor Greg Fischer

527 W Jefferson Street #600

Louisville KY 40202

4. Text

Text “ENOUGH” To 55156. You will be brought to Color of Change's landing page, which will urge you to sign their petition and record a 30-second video demanding justice for Taylor. They are currently at 99% of their 700,000-person goal — so acting now to help cross the finish line is encouraged.

5. Call

Below are a list of direct numbers to officials in Louisville and Kentucky to demand justice for Taylor.

• Mayor Greg Fischer: (502) 574-2003
• LMPD Chief Steve Conrad: (502) 574-7660
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Breshear: (502) 564-2611
• Police Public Integrity Unit: (502) 574-2136
• Louisville Metro Council: (502) 574-3902

Her family requests that you make the following demands:

• Demand the Mayor and City Council address the use of force by LMPD.
• Fire and revoke the pensions of the officers that murdered Breonna. Arrest, charge, and convict them for this crime. Ensure the newly requested special prosecutor, State AG Daniel Cameron, seeks full transparency and accountability.
• Provide all necessary information to a local, independent civilian community police accountability council #CPAC.
• Create policy for transparent investigation process due to law enforcement misconduct.

6. Post

The intent behind #BlackOutTuesday was positive, but it allowed silence to wash out the thousands of powerful messages that could've been circulated in place of black squares. To create positive change, Cate Young, a Black film and culture critic, created virtual birthday memorial for Taylor to be sure she is not erased. So, tomorrow, post art, poetry, and resources, and use the hashtags #SayHerName, #JusticeForBre and #BirthdayForBreonna to get her message out.

To tag relevant officials in your posts, use the below handles:

• Twitter: @LMPD, @LouisvilleMayor, @GovAndyBeshear
• Instagram: @LMPD.ky, @MayorGregFischer, @GovAndyBeshear

7. Send Words Of Encouragement

Visit JusticeForBreonna.org, scroll to the bottom and leave words of encouragement for her family as they continue to fight for justice while mourning the loss of Taylor.

8. Donate

For those who are in a position to donate, there are three places where your contributions are greatly appreciated:

• Justice For Breonna Taylor GoFundMe: donations go directly to Taylor's family, the members of whom are missing out on work and sleep as they continue this months-long fight.
• Louisville Community Bail Fund: donations cover bail for protestors who are on the grounds fighting for Taylor's justice IRL.
• Black Lives Matter: donations help continue the fight for racial justice, including demanding justice for Black women like Breonna who have lost their lives from police brutality.

9. Share

Share this link with friends, loved ones, and colleagues to continue the fight and ensure Taylor's needless killing sees justice.