An explosion of outrage over the Breonna Taylor murder at the hands of police continues. Anger has spread out in a shockwave of protests from Louisville following the failure of Kentucky state prosecutors to bring murder charges against a police officer.
In a statement on Wednesday Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron read out mealy mouthed excuses for yet another police murder of a black woman.
Breonna’s mother Tamika Palmer speaks out
Breonna’s mother, Tamika Palmer, wrote a letter that was read out a press conference today, where there were calls for the release of the transcript of the grand jury’s deliberations.
The letter was read out loud by Palmer’s sister Bianca Austin:
“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.
“When I speak on it, I’m considered an angry Black woman. But know this: I am an angry Black woman. I am not angry for the reasons that you would like me to be. But angry because our Black women keep dying at the hands of police officers.”
Black attorney general won’t deliver justice but the mass movement can
The fact that a black man – Kentucky’s attorney general – delivered the statement that amounts to a heinous travesty of justice, says a lot about the situation in the US, and rubs salt into the wounds. Cameron is a Republican appointee.
Despite the presence of many black faces in high places, the police kill black people with impunity. Already this year alone they have killed 1,010 people.
As always a hugely disproportionate number of the dead are black people – averaging around 35% of the annual total from a African-American population that accounts for only 12% of the population.
Protesters in their thousands from Chicago to Los Angeles and New York and all across America are increasingly asking where this will all end.
The systemic nature of racism in the US means it is deeply embedded in police departments, courts and the prison system.
A reality is dawning that uprooting centuries-old oppression will take something akin to another revolution in America.
Trump stokes racist backlash
And as the struggle for black liberation has advanced it has always been met with a racist backlash.
Today is no different it may seem, but the breakthrough that has seen milions of white people passsively or actively participate support BLM is our new strength.
Trump is whipping up racist vigilantee violence against peaceful protesters – revelling in it as he proclaims his intention to rule for another four years, regardless of how citizens vote in the presidential election, and ram through a conservative supreme court judge that could setback civil rights and womens’ basic human rights.
Two cops were shot this week and a suspect has been arrested.
The stakes are high and getting higher and the movement is meeting the challenge. It grows stronger with every outrage as the movement fuses with wider questions about the real nature of American democracy and freedom.
Justice for Breonna Taylor and all the dead! No Justice No Peace!