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Breonna Taylor’s friends and family have paid tribute to their late loved one this week to mark what would have been her 28th birthday.
Breonna was shot dead by police in March 2020, when officers charged through her front door on a ‘no-knock’ warrant.
Her death sparked protests in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and her name became one being used alongside the likes of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery’s in country-wide Black Lives Matter demonstrations in which protestors called for justice for Black people who had been subject to police brutality and systemic racism.
On June 5, 2021, Breonna would have celebrated her 28th birthday, but due to her fatal shooting by police, she was not around to do so.
Close friends and family remembered Breonna on her birthday, with her friend Alena Battle telling People that Breonna is ‘helping to change the world’ through the protests inspired by her unjust death.
She commented, ‘It also makes me feel good that other people are coming to stand in solidarity with us and knowing that at the end of the day, right is right, wrong is wrong.’
Meanwhile, Breonna’s cousin, Trina Curry, said:
I believe her legacy is going to be known for bringing the community together. A lot of people are saying her name. Even though she’s no longer here, she’s everywhere. And to me, that just means that she’s around me every day.
Curry went on to say that she associates Breonna’s image with ‘strength’ and ‘power’, adding, ‘I see love, I see compassion. I see someone that would just go to the end of the world and fight whatever battles for her family. She was that. She was beautiful.’
In the wake of Breonna’s death, lawmakers banned ‘no-knock’ warrants in Louisville. While some of the officers involved in her death were fired, no charges have ever been filed against them.
Battle noted that while ‘good things’ have come from Breonna’s death, she expressed her belief that ‘true justice’ will not be served until ‘the people collectively will be held responsible’.
Thousands of social media users joined Breonna’s friends and family in paying tribute to Breonna, while in Louisville events including a party were scheduled to commemorate her birthday.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images
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Topics: Life, Black Lives Matter, Breonna Taylor, kentucky, Louisville, Now