Hundreds sit on Brooklyn Bridge in Breonna Taylor protest
CBSNews
Protests continued for another night on Friday in New York – and around the country – over a grand jury's decision not to charge Louisville, Kentucky, police officers in Breonna Taylor's death.
Hundreds marched through Brooklyn from the Barclays Center to the Brooklyn Bridge, where they sat and refused to move for over an hour, CBS New York reports.
Demonstrators are angry and exhausted over the grand jury's decision.
"This is extremely traumatizing," said protester Sophie Michel. "I have been out here since June, almost every day on the streets, marching for my Black life to show people that I matter, that it could be me, it could be him, it could be him, it could be any Black face that you see in this crowd."
"America at large will not stand by and allow a Black woman to be murdered and have no consequences," protester Kimberly Bernard said.
Friday's rally was in solidarity with protests in Louisville, where even larger demonstrations are planned for the weekend. The city's police chief is urging armed militia to stay away.
"Many of them say they are coming to help us. Let me be clear: that is not help we need. That is not help we want," said Rob Schroeder, interim police chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Taylor, an EMT, was killed in March in a botched drug raid by Louisville Metro Police, in which officers entered her home with a no-knock warrant and fired off more than 30 rounds, hitting her multiple times. 
CBSNews
Protests continued for another night on Friday in New York – and around the country – over a grand jury's decision not to charge Louisville, Kentucky, police officers in Breonna Taylor's death.
Hundreds marched through Brooklyn from the Barclays Center to the Brooklyn Bridge, where they sat and refused to move for over an hour, CBS New York reports.
Demonstrators are angry and exhausted over the grand jury's decision.
"This is extremely traumatizing," said protester Sophie Michel. "I have been out here since June, almost every day on the streets, marching for my Black life to show people that I matter, that it could be me, it could be him, it could be him, it could be any Black face that you see in this crowd."
"America at large will not stand by and allow a Black woman to be murdered and have no consequences," protester Kimberly Bernard said.
Friday's rally was in solidarity with protests in Louisville, where even larger demonstrations are planned for the weekend. The city's police chief is urging armed militia to stay away.
"Many of them say they are coming to help us. Let me be clear: that is not help we need. That is not help we want," said Rob Schroeder, interim police chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Taylor, an EMT, was killed in March in a botched drug raid by Louisville Metro Police, in which officers entered her home with a no-knock warrant and fired off more than 30 rounds, hitting her multiple times.
© CBS New York brooklyn.png
A grand jury indicted one officer in relation to shooting into her neighbor's apartment — but no officers were charged for their role in Taylor's death. The decision was announced on Wednesday.
In Kentucky on Friday, a crowd surrounded Breonna Taylor's family at a press conference. Her aunt, Bianca Austin, wore Taylor's emergency medical technician jacket while reading a message from Taylor's mother, who was too distraught to speak.
"I was reassured Wednesday of why I have no faith in the legal system, in the police, in the law that are not made to protect us Black and brown people," Austin said.
Protests took place on Friday in cities from Oakland to Boston.
A grand jury indicted one officer in relation to shooting into her neighbor's apartment — but no officers were charged for their role in Taylor's death. The decision was announced on Wednesday.
In Kentucky on Friday, a crowd surrounded Breonna Taylor's family at a press conference. Her aunt, Bianca Austin, wore Taylor's emergency medical technician jacket while reading a message from Taylor's mother, who was too distraught to speak.
"I was reassured Wednesday of why I have no faith in the legal system, in the police, in the law that are not made to protect us Black and brown people," Austin said.
Protests took place on Friday in cities from Oakland to Boston.
Britni de la Cretaz
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After Wednesday’s announcement that none of the officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor would be charged with her murder, people took to the streets across the country to express their anger and demand justice for Taylor’s death.
For many, it was reinforcement that the United States justice system is only designed to grant justice to some people and not all. Only one of the three officers who fired their weapons into Taylor’s apartment the night of her death was charged at all. Former officer Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into the apartment of Taylor’s neighbors. Officers Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove have not been charged and are still employed by the Louisville Police Department.
The immediate response following the announcement was for protesters to chant and begin marching, and several other major cities followed Louisville into the streets. In New York City, Portland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., among other cities, people marched and chanted with the same demand: justice.
https://tinyurl.com/yya5l8ed
But as the masses continue to demand justice, law enforcement is already striking back. In Louisville, police arrested over 100 people related to the protests. A state of emergency had been announced prior to the charges being handed down, and police were waiting for protestors with tanks and chemical weapons, and drew their guns on the crowd.
“It’s a special kind of cruelty that more protestors in Louisville tonight will be charged than men who murdered Breonna Taylor,” tweeted writer Roxane Gay.
Protesters in Atlanta had chemical weapons deployed on them, and in Portland, Oregon, the protests were declared a “riot.” “I just couldn’t understand how a [grand] jury can come to that conclusion when she was just a sleeping civilian,” a protestor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m hoping this gets a little attention and hoping the officers get their justice because they took an innocent life. Police officers shouldn’t escalate situations as fast as they do.”
“This indictment is another clear and egregious reminder that the criminal-legal system in Louisville — and in this country — does not value Black people or see us as deserving of protection from those who’ve taken an oath to ‘protect and serve,’” the Movement For Black Lives said in a statement. “This decision, which was handed down 41 days before the most critical election in U.S. modern history, is intended to enable state-sanctioned violence against all Black communities and to obstruct people from asserting their first amendment right to protest.”
After Wednesday’s announcement that none of the officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor would be charged with her murder, people took to the streets across the country to express their anger and demand justice for Taylor’s death.
For many, it was reinforcement that the United States justice system is only designed to grant justice to some people and not all. Only one of the three officers who fired their weapons into Taylor’s apartment the night of her death was charged at all. Former officer Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into the apartment of Taylor’s neighbors. Officers Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove have not been charged and are still employed by the Louisville Police Department.
The immediate response following the announcement was for protesters to chant and begin marching, and several other major cities followed Louisville into the streets. In New York City, Portland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., among other cities, people marched and chanted with the same demand: justice.
Protestors marching across the Williamsburg bridge right now
But as the masses continue to demand justice, law enforcement is already striking back. In Louisville, police arrested over 100 people related to the protests. A state of emergency had been announced prior to the charges being handed down, and police were waiting for protestors with tanks and chemical weapons, and drew their guns on the crowd.
“It’s a special kind of cruelty that more protestors in Louisville tonight will be charged than men who murdered Breonna Taylor,” tweeted writer Roxane Gay.
Protesters in Atlanta had chemical weapons deployed on them, and in Portland, Oregon, the protests were declared a “riot.” “I just couldn’t understand how a [grand] jury can come to that conclusion when she was just a sleeping civilian,” a protestor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m hoping this gets a little attention and hoping the officers get their justice because they took an innocent life. Police officers shouldn’t escalate situations as fast as they do.”
“This indictment is another clear and egregious reminder that the criminal-legal system in Louisville — and in this country — does not value Black people or see us as deserving of protection from those who’ve taken an oath to ‘protect and serve,’” the Movement For Black Lives said in a statement. “This decision, which was handed down 41 days before the most critical election in U.S. modern history, is intended to enable state-sanctioned violence against all Black communities and to obstruct people from asserting their first amendment right to protest.”
You can donate to protestors at the Louisville Community Bail Fund.
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