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Statement

At Last, The Prospect of Accountability for the Police Murder of Breonna Taylor

August 5, 2022
Police Reform

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the U.S. Justice Department filing federal charges against four current and former Louisville police officers who were deeply complicit in the murder of Breonna Taylor:

“In charging four current and former Louisville police officers with violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday offered hope for long-delayed accountability for her tragic, disgraceful murder by police. Taylor was the victim of an illegal, no-knock drug raid on her home. She was shot eight times while she lay in her bed. The person the police claimed to be looking for had already been arrested and did not live there. It is worth saying that Breonna was not a suspect and had not committed a crime. However, even if she had, the police are not, and should never be judge, jury, and executioner. 

“We continue to stand with Breonna Taylor’s mom and family, and all those who love her, and will not stop fighting for a world where no mother loses her children at the hands of people charged with ensuring public safety. We deserve real systems of community safety rooted in care, health, and economic opportunity, not criminalization, incarceration, and militarized police who act with impunity.” 

-Statement of Monifa Bandele, Chief Strategy Officer, MomsRising

“Today, the U.S. Department of Justice said her name, moving to hold four people who are or were police accountable for the March 2020 murder of Breonna Taylor, a young first responder murdered by police while she slept in her bed. Attorney General Merrick Garland was right when he said that ‘Breonna Taylor should still be alive.’ She is not because of police misconduct, which until now has gone without any direct steps toward criminal accountability. We hope these federal charges mean that will finally change.

“Our hearts are with Breonna Taylor’s family in the painful quest for justice, which must be realized. Until we end mass criminalization and mass incarceration and hold police officers who commit crimes accountable, none of us and none of our communities will be safe.”

-Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.