Chauvin Verdict “Disappointing Reminder” Of Louisville's Breonna Taylor Case

Public News Service

April 23, 2021

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In what's being described as a landmark verdict this week, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder for the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

Kate Miller, advocacy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky sees the Chauvin verdict as a positive step toward police accountability nationwide, but notes that Kentuckians have yet to see justice for Breonna Taylor - the 26-year-old emergency medical technician killed by police in her Louisville home last year.

"But as Kentuckian," said Miller, "it was a disappointing reminder of the absence of accountability for law enforcement officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor."

None of the officers - who fired more than two dozen rounds into Taylor's home during a botched drug raid - have been charged. Last fall, the City of Louisville announced a $12 million wrongful death settlement with Taylor's family, as well as a local ban on no-knock warrants.

Miller said justice advocacy groups will continue to seek accountability for the three officers involved in Taylor's death.

"But I can confidently say that Louisvillians and Kentuckians are not done fighting," said Miller, "and that we are committed to continue our campaign to make sure that communities are made safer through alternatives to policing and incarceration."

In a series of tweets following the Chauvin verdict, Breonna Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, said while justice has been served, advocates are not done fighting for justice for all the victims and families who feel they haven't received theirs.

Groups including the ACLU of Kentucky are still pursing the case of Breonna Taylor

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