Today makes 3 years since the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville Kentucky. How has the city of Philadelphia responded to this senseless killing to protect its people, its women, its black women?
When I think about Breonna’s story I am devastated at the carelessness of law enforcement. History has proved that law enforcement doesn’t care about preserving human life. With respect to their level of training you would think they were conditioned to be able to do their job without innocent people dying in the process. Cases like these are the reason why people start and continue to distrust law enforcement. Especially when NO ONE HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR THE DEATH OF AN INNOCENT HUMAN BEING. Breonna didn’t deserve what happened to her and no one should have to live in fear of that ever happening to them.
Its been 3 years since Breonna Taylor was murdered by police after a failed attempt to serve a no-knock warrant to her residence. I want to know how the city of Philadelphia has responded to this controversial and tragic death as it pertains to its residents. She was a daughter, a friend, a normal resident of her community. IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANYONE OF US AND THAT IS FRIGHTENING!
By September 1st of 2020, the Philadelphia Police Department has completely banned the use of no knock warrants. (place citation here). Below is a look at other ways the police department has reformed their policies.
The Philadelphia Police Departments “Use of Force” reforms include:
- A ban on sitting or kneeling on a person’s neck, face or head
- A ban on the use of tear gas for all non-violent demonstrations
- SWAT are the only law enforcement personnel allowed to serve warrants
- A ban on “no-knock warrant” entries (cbs news)
Unfortunately, while the city of Philadelphia has made reforms, the state of Pennsylvania has NOT. This means that other cities and jurisdictions throughout the state have the liberty to use no knock warrants. So there is still progress to be made to ensure the safety of all PA residents.
The following states have prohibited the use of no knock warrants:
- Florida
- Oregon
- Virginia
- Connecticut
As you can see very few states have banned the use of no knock warrants which still keeps a lot of people at risk. Stay informed about your local and state law makers and candidates. Participate in your local elections and encourage anyone who isn’t voting to do so. Sign petitions to help support these causes. During Trumps’ re-election I have never seen people rally together with one goal in mind. If we used that same energy for all the elections we could be making real change. There really is power in numbers.
Thanks for reading!
Sources
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/12/us/no-knock-warrants-policy-bans-states/index.html
- https://www.npr.org/local/305/2020/10/29/929108657/virginia-becomes-third-state-to-ban-no-knock-search-warrants
- https://www.insider.com/states-that-allow-no-knock-police-raids-breonna-taylor-2020-9
- https://time.com/6156590/breonna-taylor-no-knock-warrants/
Holesinthefacee 