BREONNA TAYLOR: AMERICA'S LEGAL SYSTEM KEEPS PROTECTING KILLER COPS

Jul 18

3 min read

Breonna Taylor was murdered in her sleep. Nearly five years later, America’s courts have reminded us that justice for her — and for all of us — is still a distant dream.

This month, a federal judge dismissed civil rights claims against the Louisville Metro Police Department officers responsible for her death, invoking qualified immunity, a legal shield that has long protected police from accountability.

Once again, the courts have made clear: the lives of Black women, Black people, are still disposable in the eyes of the law.

The Night Breonna’s Life Was Stolen

On March 13, 2020, just after midnight, Breonna Taylor was asleep when plainclothes Louisville police officers broke down her door executing a no-knock warrant. The warrant was tied to an investigation unrelated to her. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, believing intruders had entered, fired one warning shot in self-defense which is fully legal under Kentucky's Stand Your Ground law.

Police responded with a storm of 32 bullets, six of which struck Breonna.

No drugs were found.

She was never a suspect.

She was a nurse, an essential worker, and a daughter.

Not a single officer was charged for her killing.

Officer Brett Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment but not for Breonna, only for endangering neighbors. He was acquitted in 2022.

Now, a judge has ruled that officers cannot be sued for civil rights violations because of qualified immunity

This doctrine acts as a shield for law enforcement, even when they kill without cause.

Qualified Immunity: The Shield of the Unjust

Qualified immunity, created by the Supreme Court in 1967, shields officers from lawsuits unless they violated “clearly established” law which means an identical case had to have been ruled unconstitutional before.

It has protected officers who:

Stole cash during illegal searches.
Let police dogs maul surrendering suspects.
Shot unarmed people holding a cellphone.

A Reuters investigation (2020) found that qualified immunity was granted in 57% of excessive force appeals, even with overwhelming evidence of misconduct.

The Deadly Data on Police Killings

Since 2015, police in America have killed over 12,000 people, averaging 1,200 per year (Mapping Police Violence, 2025).
99% of police killings from 2013 to 2023 did not result in any officers being charged.
As of 2025, 85% of U.S. police departments still lack mandatory body camera policies.

Breonna’s Story Isn’t Rare

Breonna’s murder echoes a brutal pattern:

Tamir Rice, 12, shot within 2 seconds of police arrival.
Atatiana Jefferson, killed while babysitting in her own home.
Elijah McClain, restrained, drugged with ketamine, killed with no justice years later.

THE LIST OF NAMES GO ON AND WE MUST NOT FORGET ABOUT THEM.
Each time, the state closes ranks to protect its enforcers.

Legislative Inaction

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, passed by the House in 2021, promised to ban chokeholds, end qualified immunity, and limit no-knock warrants.

Yet it died in the Senate.

Meanwhile, since 2021, more than $9 billion has been funneled into policing. The federal 1033 Program continues to militarize local police, providing military-grade weapons to departments already steeped in abuse.

The Cost of Injustice Is Paid by Us

Since 2015, more than $3 billion in taxpayer money has gone toward police misconduct settlements . This money should have funded schools, housing, and healthcare.

Officers Who Stand for Right

We must remember officers who defy the blue wall:

Nakia Jones, who publicly condemned racist cops after the killing of Alton Sterling.
Michael Fanone, who risked his life during the January 6th insurrection and later condemned white supremacy in law enforcement.

Officers like this show that integrity is possible, but a corrupt system rarely rewards it.

We Demand Real Change

Breonna Taylor should be alive. Her life deserved justice ,not just in memory, but in law.

We demand:✅ Abolition of qualified immunity✅ A federal ban on no-knock warrants✅ Independent community oversight boards with enforcement power✅ National policing standards, transparency, and accountability✅ Investment in mental health responders and public safety alternatives

Breonna’s blood cries out from her home’s floors to the courtroom halls. We cannot, and will not, forget!

Say her name. Fight for her justice. Demand a system that protects us, not them.