FRANKFORT, Ky. — Hundreds gathered at the state capitol on Thursday with one message — Justice for Breonna Taylor.
“We are here for because every government level has failed us from Attorney General Daniel Cameron to Governor Andy Beshear,” Rep. Attica Scott, D-Louisville, told the crowd.
The rally organized by Until Freedom and Black Lives Matter Louisville featured dozens of local and national speakers including Breonna Taylor’s mother, attorney Ben Crump, and celebrities including Jada Pinkett Smith and Common.
The rally was organized to draw attention and demand justice for 26-year old EMT Breonna Taylor who was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police on March 13 while sleeping at home.
“Know that Breonna's life mattered and ya’ll being out here showing support shows that her life matters,” Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother said to the crowd. “And we are not done until they know that her life matters. We are not done until we get justice.”
The crowd could be heard chanting Breonna’s name and “no justice no peace” and for many, the firing of LMPD Detective Brett Hankison for the shooting was not enough. They want to see the three officers involved in the shooting to be charged with murder.
“That’s not enough, that's a slap in the face to everybody, “ said Marvin Young, who came from Lexington to attend the rally. “It should be a slap in the face of white Americans, Black Americans because we are all protected under the constitution.”
Attendees vowed to continue to make their voices heard until the other two officers, Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, are fired and all three are charged.
“We’re not being heard if we were being heard those cops would be arrested,” said Olivia Turner, a Frankfort resident who attended the protest. “People would feel safe in America, especially black people would feel safe America, and for me, it’s just important for me to be out here and use my voice because silence is violence.”
“As American citizens, if we can’t feel protected in our bed, you know safe in our beds, safe in our homes then where can we feel protected?” added Young. "And that is the duty of our country of our elected officials to make sure that we are part of the American dream.”
The rally last found several hours.