Now that the grand jury has cleared 2 officers and charged a 3rd with wanton endangerment charge in connected to the Breonna Taylor fatal shooting, emotions are again running very high in my “village” of family and friends (especially the young people). The lack of significant criminal charges probably means even more protests and the possibility of riots. This summer of unrest over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery reminds me of a MLK quote on the subject that still has relevance today:
“Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”
I was not surprised by the grand jury’s decision as the laws as I understood them were always in favor of the officers, but I hope the shooting of an innocent Black woman in her own home by the police is the last tragedy tied to Breonna Taylor’s name. Please stay safe out in the streets tonight if you are protesting.