LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The police killing of Breonna Taylor has shaped Louisville in many way over the last five years.

What You Need To Know

  • Thursday, March 13 is the 5-year-anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death

  • Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by Louisville Police on March 13, 2020

  • Former state legislator Attica Scott reflected on the civil unrest of 2020

  • Community activist Christopher 2x addressed the pursuit of healing

Taylor was killed on March 13, 2020. Spectrum News spoke to former Kentucky House Representative and community activist Attica Scott and community organizer and youth mentor Christopher 2x.

“It’s still very raw and still very sensitive,” Scott said.

Scott was a central figure during the months of protesting that followed Taylor’s death by Louisville Metro Police during a botched raid. Scott, herself, was arrested on Sept. 24, 2020 for breaking an emergency curfew as she and her daughter attempted to walk to a nearby church amid an evening protest staged at Jefferson Square Park. Scott later sued the city over the incident.

Since leaving her seat in the Kentucky House, Scott has remained active in supporting numerous causes, including a consent decree between Metro Government and the Department of Justice.

“We’re talking about nearly a year of protest so for many of us it isn’t five years ago, it’s four years ago, really, because the protests lasted nearly a year, so it hasn’t been as long as maybe some people think,” Scott said.

In recent months, a federal judge has been considering whether to codify agreed upon reforms for Metro Government and LMPD.

Two years ago, a Department of Justice investigation found evidence of misconduct by Metro Government and LMPD. With respect to LMPD, the report stated it “discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.” Scott said the fight for justice and fairness continues in Louisville.

“It’s a hard place. Kentucky is a hard place, especially as a Black woman and the mother of Black children, so I don’t blame my kids for moving away and trying to go somewhere where they feel like they actually have a chance to be able to thrive. And so, while I don’t call myself someone who speaks for other folks, I do stand with people and do try to use my voice in a way that effects change,” said Scott.

Christopher 2x said Louisville is in a kind of social limbo by years later after Taylor’s death.

“For her dearest family members and deepest friendships, they got to continue to march on as it relates to the way they feel about her and if they want to be very vocal about it, that’s the way it’s going to be. And I think for the community, they will take the ebb and flow energies,” he said.

Perhaps five years is enough time for some citizens to begin a different chapter.

“Maybe there is, again, two schools of thoughts, maybe that closure is clear justice for some who feel they haven’t got it yet, totally. And in some, feel there’s a shift. I’m going to get on with my life. I feel saddened about what happened to Breonna Taylor, wholeheartedly across the board, but I’m going to get on with my life. So you still will have those kind of energies just kind of always floating around about how a person feels about an incident that happened several years ago and how they move on from it or still feel that, no, it’s not enough.”

To look back on what has happened since Taylor's death, visit the Spectrum News 1 Breonna Taylor blog for all the stories surrounding the case over the last five years.