Thread by @DrugPolicyOrg

On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor was killed in her home by police officers during a no-knock raid.

The drug war is the primary reason for Breonna’s tragic death.

Read the timeline and how the drug war caused it 👇(THREAD) 1/
drugpolicy.medium.com/e931d33c6728

In early 2020, Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover was under investigation for drug trafficking & Louisville police officers had been building a case for months.

This was due to The Controlled Substances Act, enacted in 1970, launching the drug war in the U.S. 2/

March 12, 2020: A “no-knock” search warrant was issued for Breonna Taylor’s address because law enforcement claimed to have evidence that ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover received packages there. 3/

This no-knock provision was allowed because the detective who submitted the warrant application said “these traffickers have a history of attempting to destroy evidence & fleeing”

This warrant was 1 of 27 no-knock warrants granted to Louisville Metro Police from 2018-2020. 4/

The police claimed they announced themselves and forced entry into Taylor’s apartment after they heard no response - however, when the police entered, Breonna Taylor’s current boyfriend Kenneth Walker shot a warning shot with his licensed gun. 5/

Police often get weapons from the military because of the 1033 program. It is estimated that law enforcement has been transferred over $7.4 billion worth of property since the program began. 6/

One officer, Hankison, shot into the apartment from the outside while the others returned fire from the doorway and inside the apartment, fatally injuring Taylor with 6 shots.

Walker uninjured, frantically called 911 for medical assistance, but Taylor died. 7/

The drug war made no-knock and quick-knock search warrants like the one that brought police to Breonna’s door legal. They are used in far too many parts of the country — and have resulted in the deaths of a number of Black women and girls. 8/

Breonna Taylor should be alive today. If we want to honor her life, we must begin by ending the drug war, investing in communities and repairing racist and classist policies.

Learn more about how to disrupt harmful policing practices here 👇
drugpolicy.org/issues/policing