LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday civil rights charges against two current and two former Louisville police officers for their involvement in the drug raid that led to Breonna Taylor’s death, family, lawyers and social justice activists held a press conference in downtown Louisville.
Breonna Taylor’s mother Tamika Palmer said, “Today is overdue, but it still hurts.”
Thursday was an emotional day for Tamika Palmer, who said she has waited 874 days for the DOJ’s announcement.“Every day has been March 13 for me. Tamika [Mallory] reminded me that Breonna made a post that said, ‘Take me to a place that I can’t even imagine.’ Breonna has taken us all to a place that we can’t even imagine,” Palmer said.
Surrounded by family, friends, lawyers and social justice leaders with Until Freedom, Palmer said everyone Thursday learned what she and others seeking justice for Breonna Taylor have known as the truth since day one.
“Today is overdue, but it still hurts,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Breonna Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, said the day of the DOJ’s announcement is Palmer’s Day.
“It’s a fresh start,” she told Palmer. “I always knew what a strong Black woman you was, and I’m glad that you instilled a lot of that in me, and I’m glad that the world got to see what a strong Black beautiful woman you are,” Austin added.
Ben Crump, nationally recognized civil rights and trial lawyer, acted as emcee for the press conference at Jefferson Square Park, known as “Injustice Square” by protesters. In 2020, the square served as a hub for Louisville’s social justice protests.
“Because of Breonna Taylor, we can say that this is a day that Black women saw equal justice in the United States of America. She’s looking down from heaven today,” Crump said during his remarks.
Louisville lawyers Lonita Baker and Sam Aguiar also spoke Thursday. With Crump, they served as Breonna Taylor’s family’s legal team, which settled a $12 million civil suit in 2020.
“We have been saying the officers should be held accountable for the murder of Breonna Taylor, and today is the first day toward getting that justice,” Baker, who is currently president of the National Bar Association, said.
“Let this be a message to all these other families and all these other bad cops out there, that you know, when we can unify, and use our voices, and go out and dig, and put pressure, there are tangible results, and that these cops can go behind bars,” Aguiar said.
Leaders with the New York City-based social justice group Until Freedom also flew into Louisville to attend the press conference. In 2020, members with the social justice organization moved to Louisville to help organize protesters in the city.
“As has been said, we are not crazy. There are many people who tried to tell us that we were wasting our time, but we also acknowledge that we still have a fallen soldier that will never come back in Breonna Taylor. We also know that Kenney Walker will never be the same. And so again, while today is a good day, there’s still a lot of pain that we know this family is going through, and we have to acknowledge that,” Until Freedom Co-founder Tamika Mallory said.
Breonna Taylor’s sister, Ju’Niyah Palmer, has also been very vocal in seeking justice and was at the press event Thursday, but she didn’t speak. Afterward, she told Spectrum News off camera that the announcement is “bittersweet.” The bitter part she said is that her sister is still not here.
In the spirit of the movement, Breonna Taylor’s mom and the supporters surrounding her gathered and held hands while shouting, “Say her name! Breonna Taylor,” to close their press conference, held 874 days after the death of Breonna Taylor.