LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The circle at Jefferson Square Park has already turned into a makeshift memorial for Breonna Taylor, who died after police initiated a no-knock warrant at her apartment.

What You Need To Know


  • Efforts underway for Breonna Taylor memorial

  • Possibly renaming the circle at Jefferson Square Park.

  • City leaders support the idea

The site has also turned into a meeting point for protesters upset with the circumstances surrounding her death and the lack of action taken towards the officers involved in the shooting: Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and Jonathan Mattingly.

Hankison has been fired but the other two are still employed. None have been criminally charged.

Christopher 2X, a Louisville activist and executive director of community outreach group Game Changers, wants to put a permanent marker honoring Taylor at the site.

He said some of the younger protesters gave him the idea.

“They were wanting, could we create something as a healing space or presence,” Christopher 2X said.

He said for the last two decades, Jefferson Square Park has also been a meeting place for the families of victims of gun violence to rally for change.

“It was an option. Instead of going to a crime scene where that situation occurred, we would go down to Jefferson Square Park,” Christopher 2X said. “But not only that, but it has also been a space for awareness and healing for police-involved shootings, to be quite frank with you.”

With a strong push for justice after Taylor’s death and others around the country, Christopher 2X said it’s the perfect time to honor someone who just wanted to help the community as an EMT, and eventually a nurse.

“I’ve seen a lot — I’ve never seen nothing like this,” Christopher 2X said. “It could mean a lot to move forward, as far as reflecting back on a challenging time, but also understanding that we rose to the challenge to say maybe it was the right thing to do to at least remember the first responder.”

Christopher 2X said he has been in talks with Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (Dist. 4), and others with the city, and they’re enthusiastic about the idea.

“The Mayor spoke last week with Christopher 2X about suggestions for memorializing the impact of the Breonna Taylor tragedy on our city,” spokeswoman Jean Porter said in a statement. “The Mayor agrees this is an important part of the healing process that we must work through together, as a community.”

Christopher 2X said he’s open to the marker being placed at another spot if need be, but he wants to see something official on it as soon as possible.

 

Related Stories