George’s name was on everyone’s lips. Ahmaud’s story was on every timeline. Not just the right or left- but the middle. But is it just me or is it, unless Black, an Activist or a Racist- Most of the middle have little clue who #BreonnaTaylor is. /1
The combined factors of MisogyNoir mixed with the sick need for sensationalism mean that not being a man & not having footage of her death has led to invisibility. We keep saying her name but they keep NOT knowing her & not caring. THAT’S why her killers are still free! /2
So we need to make them care. We need to stop adding her as a PostScript- it’s a clever way to get her name out there but people are lazy & apathetic so most aren’t going to do the work of looking her up. So let’s do the work for them, or rather let’s do the work for Breonna! /3
She was a 26 yr old EMT & aspiring Nurse. She was asleep with her boyfriend when Police pounded at her door. They had a warrant in relation to her *EX* boyfriend who they’d already detained 10 miles away. The standby ambulance for the raid was sent away as it was called off /4
Yet somewhere along the line something changed & they proceeded.
When Breonna’s boyfriend heard no reply to his shouts of “Who is it?” He armed himself with his registered weapon prepared to protect Breonna despite having never shot outside a range. The door burst in /5
Plain clothed officer Johnathan Mattingly entered Breonna’s apartment & her boyfriend Kenneth fired a SINGLE warning shot, striking the apparent intruder in the leg.
At that point, as stated in the lawsuit of Breonna’s grieving family- the officers offloaded a hail of bullets /6
Mattingly Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison, shot 'erratically, recklessly, willfully, wantonly & maliciously from inside the home, outside the home, outside a neighbor's home, outside Breonna's patio door & outside the window to Breonna's sisters room' /7
Breonna was struck by EIGHT bullets in her own hallway where she suffered for up to 5 minutes while the injured officer had his leg wound tended to. 20 minutes passed between her murder & anyone attending to Breonna. /8
She was shot at 12.43am, dead by 12.48am but her murder was not called in until 1.10am. There’s been petitions, there’s ongoing protests from marches to hunger strikes. But still NONE of Breonna’s killers have been arrested & only one fired from duty. /9
So whilst Trump boasts about sending 75,000 agents into the states to deal with protesters. He could instead use them to expedite all these investigations & cases. Instead of filling the courts with peaceful protesters, they could be filled with the cases of police brutality /10
The courts could be filled with cases where black lives were stolen or imprisoned for the criminalisation of their skin.
Trump wants to oppress the protests away. But they won’t stop until Black Lives Matter, so deliver #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor#AndJusticeForAll
When black boys are born
We mothers kiss their faces
Twirl our fingers in their curls
Put them in carriers on our chest
Show them to the world
Our tiny black princes
/1
And when they start school
As early as 3
We mothers
Place huge back packs on their backs
And we slowly fill them with bricks
Etched with tools
Tattooed with truths
Hoping to save them
Don't talk back
Don't get angry
Say yes ma'am
Say no sir
Don't fight
/2
Even if they hit you first
Especially if they are white
Do your best
Better than best
Be still
Worker hardest
BRICK
They get a little older
And we add more
Keep your hands out of your pockets
Don't look them in the eye
Don't challenge
/3