“Breonna’s Law,” Louisville, Kentucky’s new mandate banning “no-knock” warrants; was named after 26-year-old Breonna Taylor who needlessly lost her life at the hands of the Louisville Metro Police Department because of the controversial procedure. The cops responsible for her death have yet to be charged and arrested, however, so Beyonce is calling out Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to make it right with an open letter on her site Sunday (June 14).
Per her note, Bey demands firstly that Attorney General Cameron bring criminal charges against Johnathan Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison. She also asks that the his office commits to complete transparency in the investigation, as well as an additional investigation into how the LMPD responded to Taylor’s killing and any other practices that “result in the repeated deaths of unarmed Black citizens.”
It’s been three months since officers killed Taylor in her own home, where eight bullets struck her in a case of mistaken identity, as the cops involved were reportedly at the wrong address. Beyonce continues to point out in her letter that zero action has been taken against the officers involved. Bey also points out all the inconsistencies in the police report, such as the fact that Taylor was shot at eight times but the police report states that she had no injuries. All three officers remain employed by the LMPD, seemingly protected by qualified immunity, which shields police from civil lawsuits.
“Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy,” Queen Bey concludes in her letter. “With every death of a Black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: the death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it. This is your chance to end that pattern. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers.”
As Breonna Taylor’s case is still currently being investigated by the FBI with no charges for the offending officers, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer promises to sign “Breonna’s Law” as soon as hit lands on his desk.
You can read Beyonce’s entire note here.