Today (June 5) would have been the 30th birthdays of Breonna Taylor and Tyre Nichols. Instead, social media users continue to grieve after both were killed at the hands of police.
As previously reported by REVOLT, on March 13, 2020, Taylor was asleep in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment when she was shot and killed by officers during a botched no-knock raid. At just 26 years old, the young woman dedicated her life to helping others and worked as a full-time emergency room technician. On Jan. 7, Nichols, 29, stopped at a park near his parents’ Memphis home to take photos of the sunset. As he left, he was ambushed and beaten by a group of police officers during a traffic stop and later died as a result of his injuries.
The community is making sure their lives are remembered and their deaths were not in vain. “Today, Breonna Taylor would’ve turned 30 years old. Breonna was unjustly killed in her home, and her death sparked a movement for racial justice. Breonna will forever be remembered for emboldening our community to fight for the justice she deserves. Rest in power, Bre,” civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump tweeted. In a separate post, he wrote, “Tyre Nichols would’ve turned 30 years old today. Instead, this young father was beaten to death by police. The death of Tyre should serve as a wake-up call for everyone in this country. We will NOT accept the unfair treatment of Black men by police anymore. Justice for Tyre.”
“It is absolutely crazy that these poor souls share a birthday. I pray for [their] families today and hope we will one day value Black lives,” one user tweeted. Until Freedom, a national social justice organization, will hold a conference today to honor Taylor in Jefferson Square Park. Memphis officials will host a citywide bash in memory of Nichols. According to WREG 3, in addition to live music, food trucks, poetry, and more, Front Street will be blocked off and turned into a skate park to pay tribute to one of his favorite hobbies. The event starts at 6 p.m. local time.
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