Beyoncé pens open letter demanding justice for Breonna Taylor
As Black Lives Matter protests continue around the country, people are demanding that the police responsible for the murder of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor face criminal charges. Taylor was killed in March when plainclothes officers with a no-knock warrant entered her residence in the middle of the night. As support for the movement builds, an increasingly large number of celebrities are speaking out. Most recently, global superstar Beyoncé wrote an open letter to Kentucky’s Attorney General demanding justice.
Since Taylor’s death, Louisville passed “Breonna’s Law” legislation that bans no-knock warrants, but the police involved in the incident remain employed, receiving pay during their administrative leave. Beyoncé acknowledges that legal progress like this is part of some, “small steps in the right direction,” but she voices three more specific demands in her open letter. She demands that the three officers involved face criminal charges, that the Attorney General will, “commit to transparency in the investigation,” and that he will, “investigate the LMPD’s response to Breonna Taylor’s death, as well as the pervasive practices that result in the repeated deaths of unarmed Black citizens.”
Read Beyoncé’s full letter below:
Make no mistake—dance music is born from black culture. Without black creators, innovators, selectors, and communities, the electronic dance music we hold so dear would simply not exist. In short, dance music is deeply indebted to the global black community and we need to be doing more. Black artists and artists of color have played a profound role in shaping the sound and culture of dance music and now more than ever, it is necessary for everyone in the music community to stand up for the people that have given us so much. Dancing Astronaut pledges to make every effort to be a better ally, a stronger resource, and a more accountable member of the global dance music community. Black Lives Matter—get involved here:
National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Program
Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Legal Defense Initiative
Committee to Protect Journalists
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