Around 200 protesters gathered at Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh’s Hill District on Wednesday night, calling for justice for Breonna Taylor and for protecting Black women.
Pittsburgh protesters joined protests across the country late Wednesday in response to news that a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police officers for the killing of Breonna Taylor, who was shot multiple times by officers who entered her home on a no-knock warrant.
Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at a news conference that the officers acted in self-defense, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Cameron said according to Kentucky law, the use of force by the officers was "justified to protect themselves," and stated the "justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges" in the death of Ms. Taylor.
Ms. Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, told police he heard knocking but didn't know who was coming into the house and fired in self-defense, the Associated Press reported.
Dannielle Brown — the mother of Marquis Jaylen “J.B.” Brown, a student from University of Duquesne who police say fell to his death from a campus apartment in 2018 — joined Wednesday’s protest that weaved from the Hill District through Downtown. Ms. Brown has been standing at Freedom Corner and in front of Duquesne University’s campus to call for more answers in her son’s death and educate students about her story.
Ms. Brown said Ms. Taylor was “a casualty of war.”
“Because the police officers that went in there, they used combative force. Why?” Ms. Brown said to the crowd. “They already knew Black people were in [Ms. Taylor’s apartment]. I promise you they had to profile. So why go in there with that much force?”
Ms. Brown said in order to address injustice, supporters of the movement need to go beyond attending marches and speak on the issues, donate, and use their privileges to help protect Black people and especially Black women.
“Black women carry the weight because it’s easy to blame,” Ms. Brown said.
Protest organizer Nique Craft told the group the protest is to protect Black women and share their stories.
While protesters walked through Downtown, they chanted, “Say Her Name, Breonna Taylor” — a chant they have been using during protests over the past months. Protesters also held signs that called for Justice for Breonna Taylor and to protect Black lives.
Around 9:15 p.m., protesters gathered in front of the Allegheny Courthouse, where organizers took turns discussing how protesters need to protect Black women.
“We are here because Black women have been murdered in this city, who haven’t found justice,” one protester said to the group. “So when we say Breonna Taylor’s name, we know the heartbreaking that her mother is going through because we feel it.”
Another protester spoke to the crowd, discussing how she disappointed in Wednesday’s news of the cops not being directly charged in Ms. Taylor’s death — but not surprised.
“This system that we ask justice from has no intention of giving us anything close to that,” she said.
After listening to around two hours of speeches made by protest leaders in front of the Allegheny County courthouse, protesters dispersed at 11 p.m.
First Published: September 24, 2020, 2:59 a.m.
