Latest news with #BreonnaTaylor
Time Magazine
3 hours ago
- Time Magazine
'Code Switch' Is on The 100 Best Podcasts of All Time
Society In the spring of 2020, in the aftermath of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, co-hosts Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby noticed their podcast Code Switch rocketing up the Apple charts. The tragedies had encouraged many white Americans in particular to find literature and media that could provide context and interrogate the intersection of race and identity in America—and Code Switch quickly stood out. Though it launched in 2016, the show's impressive episode archive demonstrates how much its hosts were ahead of the discourse, dissecting the landscape of race-related shootings and grappling with the push to remove Confederate statues and memorials. The podcast began as an offshoot of NPR's Code Switch blog, but Meraji and Demby understood early on that their reporting could resonate more powerfully in people's ears. Once they had the backing, they built something that could hold nuance and urgency at the same time. Soon, the show evolved into a kind of cultural compass—never preachy, always curious—using the news of the moment to trace the roots of inequality and identity without flattening anyone's experience.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Ex-officer who shot Breonna Taylor gets 3 years — but DOJ asked for zero?
I have reported on injustice for years now. And every so often, a case cuts deeper — not just as a journalist, but as a Black woman. Last night, that moment came again. A former Kentucky police officer, Brett Hankison, was sentenced to just under three years in prison for firing blindly into Breonna Taylor's apartment during the botched 2020 raid that ended her life. Here's what activist and Attorney Benjamin Crump had to say about the sentencing: 'And even though it's not what we wanted — we thought that he should have gotten more time — we are grateful to Kristen Clark, Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice who had the courage for the first time in history to bring federal charges against a police officer for killing a Black woman in America/ And we are thankful that he is at least going to prison and has to think about Breonna Taylor and that her life mattered.' The 33 month sentence came down after the judge outright rejected the Justice Department's recommendation that former officer Hankison should serve no prison time. Imagine that: the Justice Department, the department that we — Black communities and all Americans — are told to trust for justice, suggested this officer's crime was worth zero time behind bars. I sat with that, because that's not just a legal decision. That's a message. Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old Black woman. An EMT. Someone whose literal job was to save lives. She could have been any of us. She was any of us. She had plans. She had love in her life. She had a future. And all of that ended on March 13, 2020, because of a 'no-knock' warrant tied to someone who didn't even live at her address — because police fired without care or confirmation. She was killed because Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend, thought intruders were breaking in, and because our system didn't value her enough to get it right. They didn't find drugs that they were supposedly looking for. They didn't find evidence. What they found were lives destroyed. What hurts, in this moment, is not just the injustice — it's the pattern. It's the normalization. And what's more exhausting is having to explain why we're still yelling Breonna's name in 2025. We're not chanting her name out of rage. We're chanting it because we're begging people to see Black women not as strong Black women, not as superhuman, not as invisible victims, but as whole human beings who deserve to live freely and safely, just like everyone else. Too often, America doesn't. This country has always been a place where Black women's contributions are celebrated, but our lives are discounted. I have watched us hailed as 'backbones' and 'trailblazers,' while our disappearances go uncovered, our murders go unresolved, and our voices in the delivery room go unheard. We are either heroic or irrelevant — rarely human. Even in Breonna's death, that played out. There wasn't outrage in every corner. There wasn't unanimous support. There was division. There were justifications. There were quiet dismissals. 'She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.' But no — she was in her own home. And still, it wasn't safe. I think about how different that night could have been if a little bit of care had been shown — if due diligence had been done, if police had simply knocked, announced themselves, and handed her a warrant addressed to someone else. She and Kenneth could have gone back to bed. She would still be here today, probably working a shift, saving lives. Instead, her mother had to bury her child. I don't want to stand here, five years later, explaining this to our audience. But I have to, because the same country that tells me it's too 'divisive' to teach Black history in schools now tells me that Breonna's life didn't warrant accountability. That's the message when federal agencies scrub the word 'oppression' from websites. That's the message when museums are criticized for acknowledging racism. That's the message when an officer who fired recklessly gets a recommended sentence of nothing. And yet we're told to move on. I can't. We can't. This isn't about anger. This is about humanity. Calling out Breonna Taylor's name today isn't a protest. It's a reminder that Black women are human beings — complex, vulnerable, powerful, flawed, loving, dreaming human beings. Not afterthoughts, not martyrs, but people who deserve to be protected, remembered. And most importantly, who deserve to live like everybody else. That's why I keep saying her name: 'Breonna Taylor.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Judge gives ex-officer nearly 3 years in Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffs DOJ call for no prison time
A federal judge on Monday sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffing a US Department of Justice recommendation of no prison time for the defendant. Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn't hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the Black woman's death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality that year. US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, in sentencing Hankison, said no prison time 'is not appropriate' and would minimize the jury's verdict from November. Jennings said she was 'startled' there weren't more people injured in the raid from Hankison's blind shots. She sentenced Hankison, 49, to 33 months in prison for the conviction of use of excessive force with three years of supervised probation to follow the prison term. He will not report directly to prison. The US Bureau of Prisons will determine where and when he starts his sentence, Jennings said. The judge, who presided over two of Hankison's trials, expressed disappointment with a sentencing recommendation by federal prosecutors last week, saying the Justice Department was treating Hankison's actions as 'an inconsequential crime' and said some of its arguments were 'incongruous and inappropriate.' Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who helped Taylor's family secure a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the city of Louisville, had called the department's recommendation 'an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury's decision.' Crump was at Monday's hearing and said he had hoped for a longer sentence but was 'grateful that (Hankison) is at least going to prison and has to think for those 3 years about Breonna Taylor and that her life mattered.' Afterward, before a crowd outside the courthouse, Crump sounded a familiar chant: 'Say Her name.' The crowd yelled back: 'Breonna Taylor!' And he and other members of Taylor family's legal team issued a subsequent statement criticizing the Justice Department. 'While today's sentence is not what we had hoped for –– nor does it fully reflect the severity of the harm caused –– it is more than what the Department of Justice sought. That, in itself, is a statement,' the statement said. Hankison's 10 shots the night of the March 2020 botched drug raid flew through the walls of Taylor's apartment into a neighboring apartment, narrowly missing a neighboring family. The 26-year-old's death, along with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice and police brutality protests nationwide that year. But the Justice Department, under new leadership since President Donald Trump took office in January, sought no prison time for Hankison, in an abrupt about-face by federal prosecutors after the department spent years prosecuting the former detective. They suggested time already served, which amounted to one day, and three years of supervised probation. Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, said she was disappointed that the new federal prosecutors assigned to the case were not pushing for a tougher sentence. On many occasions inside the courtroom Monday, lead federal prosecutor Rob Keenan agreed with Hankison's defense attorneys on factors that would decrease Hankison's punishment. 'There was no prosecution in there for us,' Palmer said afterward. 'Brett had his own defense team, I didn't know he got a second one.' Taylor was shot in her hallway by two officers after her boyfriend fired from inside the apartment, striking an officer in the leg. Neither of the other officers was charged in state or federal court after prosecutors deemed they were justified in returning fire into the apartment. Louisville police used a drug warrant to enter Taylor's apartment, but found no drugs or cash inside. A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison in 2023, and he was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022. In their recent sentencing memo, federal prosecutors wrote that though Hankison's 'response in these fraught circumstances was unreasonable given the benefit of hindsight, that unreasonable response did not kill or wound Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, her neighbors, defendant's fellow officers, or anyone else.' Jennings acknowledged Monday that officers were provoked by Taylor's boyfriend's gunshot, but said 'that does not allow officers to then do what they want and then be excused.' While the hearing was going on, Louisville police arrested four people in front of the courthouse who it said were 'creating confrontation, kicking vehicles, or otherwise creating an unsafe environment.' Authorities didn't list charges against them. Federal prosecutors had argued that multiple factors — including that Hankison's two other trials ended with no convictions — should greatly reduce the potential punishment. They also argued he would be susceptible to abuse in prison and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The sentencing memorandum was submitted by Harmeet Dhillon, chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and a Trump political appointee who in May moved to cancel settlements with Louisville and Minneapolis that had called for overhauling their police departments. In the Taylor case, three other ex-Louisville police officers have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant, but have not gone to trial. None were at the scene when Taylor was shot. The warrant used to enter her apartment was one of five issued that night in search of evidence on an alleged drug dealer that Taylor once had an association with.
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Breonna Taylor's aunt arrested outside courthouse as cop in deadly raid gets 33 months
Breonna Taylor's aunt was arrested outside a Louisville courthouse Monday, just hours before a fired cop convicted in the botched no-knock raid leading to Taylor's shooting death was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Bianca Austin was one of four people taken into custody as protesters jumped on cars outside the Gene Snyder Federal Building ahead of Monday's sentencing of ex-Louisville cop Brett Hankison, who was found guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights last year, according to USA Today. Louisville police responded to reports of protesters causing problems in the street — and when they arrived, found Austin in the middle of the intersection 'clapping her hands' and blocking vehicles, according to a police report obtained by the outlet. They said Austin approached them while 'clapping and yelling in their face,' the report stated. 5 Taylor, a Black woman, was killed by police in 2020 after they executed a no-knock warrant during a botched raid of her home. Courtesy of Family of Breonna Taylor Other protesters were filmed jumping on cars, video from the scene shows. 'What we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal,' Lousivlle Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Matthew Sanders said in a statement. 'Creating confrontation, kicking vehicles or otherwise creating an unsafe environment will not be tolerated.' Austin was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway, according to court records. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday. Hankison, who was fired from the Louisville Police Department after Taylor was killed, was found guilty last year of violating Taylor's civil rights after he blindly fired 10 rounds into Taylor's apartment while police executed a no-knock warrant raid — none of which actually struck Taylor. 5 The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge to sentence former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, who was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights, to serve just one day in prison. via REUTERS He was sentenced to 33 months in prison — even though the Justice Department recommended he just get one day in prison. 'It wasn't justice, but I got essentially what I started out for, which was jail time,' Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, told CNN after the sentencing, adding that she found the Trump administration's suggestion insulting. 'Breonna never stood a chance in that courtroom,' Palmer added. 5 Taylor's death, as well as the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked mass racial justice protests around the country. Facebook 5 According to the court filing, the one-day sentence would amount to time served since Hankison would 'get credit for the day he was booked and made his initial appearance.' Louisville PD 5 Crime scene pictures taken by Louisville Metro Police investigators. Louisville Metro Police Hankison was not immediately taken into custody and will remain free until the federal Bureau of Prisons decides where he will serve time. Taylor was killed by police in 2020 after they executed a no-knock warrant while conducting a raid on her boyfriend's home. Her boyfriend, who was carrying a legally owned firearm and thought the couple were being robbed, shot at police, prompting them to fire back 22 times into the apartment.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Their killings sparked a racial reckoning. Here's what happened since.
Five years ago, the high-profile killings of three Black Americans sparked a national reckoning over racial inequality and police conduct. In the spring and summer of 2020, protesters flooded the streets demanding justice for the victims. Two of the deaths were caused by police officers, prompting calls for accountability and an end to police brutality and practices that protesters said were abusive. To many Americans, the three unrelated cases were symptomatic of the unique threats and risks that face Black Americans. Ahmaud Arbery was chased by three armed White men in pickup trucks while jogging through a Georgia neighborhood in February and was shot to death. Breonna Taylor was killed by a White police officer in March while in her bed in Louisville during a botched police raid. And George Floyd died in May in Minneapolis after being pinned to the ground under the knee of a White police officer as he gasped for air. On Monday, former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was sentenced to 33 months in prison for violating Taylor's civil rights during the raid. The Trump administration had sought only a one-day sentence, suggesting he should not have faced civil rights charges. Hankison is one of nine people who have been convicted of at least some charges in connection with the three deaths. Many jurisdictions passed police-accountability laws after the killings of Floyd and Taylor, both of whose families sued and received large financial settlements. But some of those accountability measures have been rolled back, and the Justice Department under President Donald Trump has moved away from federal investigations of police. Here's a rundown of what has happened in the aftermath of all three killings: Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael, and their neighbor William 'Roddie' Bryan were convicted on multiple charges in Arbery's death, including state felony murder and federal hate crimes, and sentenced to life in prison. The McMichaels' sentences included no possibility of parole. A separate grand jury indicted former district attorney Jackie Johnson after she was accused of obstructing the investigation into Arbery's death. A judge tossed the oath of office charge against Johnson and ordered her acquitted of the obstruction charge in February 2025, ending the trial before it went to the jury. Georgia lawmakers passed hate crimes legislation and repealed the citizen's arrest law, which had been used to justify the 25-year-old's shooting death. Two former Louisville police officers have been convicted in connection with the botched police raid that led to Taylor's death on March 13, 2020. Hankison was found guilty in November of violating Taylor's civil rights. Jurors found he used excessive force by firing 10 shots through Taylor's apartment window and door, both covered with shades and curtains. He was acquitted on a second charge of violating the rights of three neighbors. Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in August 2022, admitting that she helped falsify the search warrant used in the raid and lied to investigators to cover up the act. She is awaiting sentencing and is expected to testify against fellow Louisville officers Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, who were also charged with falsifying the search warrant affidavit. Their trial date has not yet been set. Goodlett faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison; it's not clear whether the Justice Department will change its posture in her, Jaynes's or Meany's cases, as it did for Hankinson's. Louisville police detective Myles Cosgrove and officer John Mattingly, who fired a combined 22 shots during the raid, with Cosgrove firing the shot that killed Taylor, have not been charged. Kentucky's then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the two men were justified in opening fire after Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker shot at them. Louisville city officials have reached a $12 million settlement with Taylor's family, agreed to pay $2 million to Walker, and approved 'Breonna's Law,' which bans local police from using no-knock warrants. In 2021, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed a bill into law limiting their use. Four former Minneapolis officers have been convicted in connection with Floyd's May 25, 2020, death. Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, was sentenced to 22½ years for a state murder charge and 20 years on a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights. He is serving the sentences concurrently as part of a federal plea deal and is in a federal prison in Texas, according to federal inmate records. Former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao, who were present at Floyd's death, were convicted on state charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights. They also were allowed to serve their sentences concurrently. Lane was released from federal prison in August and Keung in January. Both are under supervised release, according to court documents. Thao is set to be released Nov. 3, according to federal inmate records. The city of Minneapolis in 2021 agreed to pay $27 million to Floyd's family to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit. The city in 2023 reached a nearly $9 million settlement with two people who filed suits accusing Chauvin of pressing his knee into their necks during arrests years Floyd's death. After Floyd's killing, lawmakers across the country passed hundreds of ordinances, including bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, although some were rolled back amid fear of increased crime. A national police reform bill failed in Congress. In Minneapolis, city officials funded alternatives to policing, such as behavioral crisis response teams, a community safety center and a community commission on police oversight. City officials also entered a consent agreement with the Justice Department, under President Joe Biden, in an effort to curb excessive force and racial discrimination. However, the agency dropped its support for the consent decree after Trump took office.
