We are not in the “breaking news” business of journalism, yet publishing our scheduled “guide to throws 101” is not what we want to read ourselves. We’ve tried blog escapism and NEWS FLASH: IT DOESN’T WORK. Yesterday’s announcement, after 6 months of protesting not to mention 400 years of racial injustice oppression was shocking and yet for many not surprising. I had more hope for us (and her) and thought that at some point there would be arrests and charges, but I also suffer from an almost toxic positivity of which I’m learning to shake quickly in 2020.
Instead of me trying to say something poignant so immediately and quickly (I have so much to say about this that can’t be written overnight), we have collected thoughts from those who we follow who said it quickly and better than we ever could and we will add to them throughout the day.
To help continue the fight against systemic racism EHD will match every donation from readers up to $5k towards Louisville Community Bail Fund. Email us your receipt to giveback@emilyhendersondesign.com and we’ll collate them together and match the donation. Update: thank you to all those that donated. WE want it to be very clear that myself and the EHD team supports peaceful protests and our hope for supporting bail funds to help those arrested who can’t afford to make bail, make bail.
Let us know any other ways to help in the comments so we can help promote and get the word out. Racism – systemic racism – is not the Black and brown community’s problem to solve and it’s even more clear many leaders in our government aren’t interested in solving this either. Use your voice even if you say it wrong or in a wrong way – lord knows I have and it’s OK, we are all learning. Just speak up LOUDLY, VOTE, and remember, always say Black Lives Matter.
Opening Illustration Credit: Design by Arlyn García
thank you for sharing and using your platform for this important issue. it’s disgusting and devastating, and my heart goes out to Breonna Taylor’s loved ones especially.
Thank you for using your voice and platform to share this.
This post is better than talking about a room full of stuff. Humanity is the greatest design!
Our country is so broken, in so many ways. As a privileged white woman, I was so blind. I mean, in my heart – IN MY HEART – I am pro-equality of all walks of life. But that’s not enough. And it’s never been enough. And didn’t know that – my ignorance does not exempt me. For now, I mourn – for the Americans who are treated less than American (Land of the Free?!), for the Americans who drown under the guise of our country’s “justice system”, for the Americans who work tirelessly and still can’t make ends meet, for the Americans who are now functioning as the entire village that pre-pandemic cultivated our families (as teachers, childcare providers, social outlets, house cleaners/line cooks, 9-5ers/gig-hustlers, pandemic healthcare/safety decision-makers because our government is not functioning), for the Americans who fear tomorrow after dragging through today, for ALL us Americans who have to live under the shadows of a President who is a maniacal racist liar, incapable of leading our country towards the light of a better day. So today, I mourn.
“Privileged white woman”?? What does that mean?
I am white, I am upper middle-class, I’m a homeowner, my parents paid in-full for my college ivy league education, my father sold me his lucrative business (generational wealth passed down), I stand to inherit wealth (property and cash), I was taught to invest in the stock market since age 18 (and have done so), should I continue? That is privilege on a plate. I work hard, I’m a go-getter, but some things have been handed to me.
Well my goodness BE PROUD of your accomplishments and bravo to your family raising a great child….but DO NOT give into this ridiculous made-up political talking point the media is ramming down your throat! Disregard all that mess!!
Wow. What an ignorant statement. The fact that you even needed to ASK what a privileged white woman means is a testament to the need for education. In every way, white Americans are privileged because the system makes it so. Karen understanding her privilege is not the same as being ashamed of her accomplishments. The fact that she stands to gain generational wealth when practices like redlining neighborhoods and denying black families bank/real estate loans have been and continue to be practiced is just one example of privilege. There are hundreds practiced daily. Everything Karen said is truth and I applaud her for understanding it. My close friend is white and he did not come from a family with a lot of money, so he erroneously thought he was not privileged. Privilege is not just about what you have or get in the world, it’s also about how you aren’t treated in the world. I asked him if his son has ever been pulled over for driving a luxury car, with the assumption that it must be a “drug” car. Has he worried that a police officer will shoot his young child as she/he plays in front of his home?… Read more »
I meant to ask it that way Todra. I am not an ignorant woman. These phrases like “white privilege”, right up there with the BS “political correct”
construct that is designed to get people to shut up and think they are guilty of doing things they have not even done. EVERYONE has the RIGHT TO PURSUE HAPPINESS in this country, so either pursue it or not.
Equality will allow ‘all boats to rise’ and make us all greater.
Everyone, really? Did Breonna have the right to pursue happiness?
Equality will allow ‘all boats to rise’ and make us all greater.
So you feel bad because you’re wealthy and don’t feel deserving of what you have. Keep your neurotic self hatred to yourself and stop smearing white people by associating yourself with them via such idiocy as “white privilege”. You’re a mediocrity, we get it.
Equality will allow ‘all boats to rise’ and make us all greater.
Actually NO. I’m not mediocre, nor is my family lineage. And you can be damn straight I’m PROUD of what my family has earned and we appreciate it ALL. White privilege has nothing to do with whether or not I feel I DESERVE it, it’s about my understanding that some of what we have/earned came easier for us than it did for others – because of skin color. I didn’t create that fXcked-up-ness, and now, because of the BLM movement, I’m aware of it. My privilege as outlined above to some extent stems from my family being white, there’s no doubt. In 1984 when my father needed a loan for his business, he had no problem obtaining one. When my parents bought their first home, they were given money from their parents for the down-payment, and were easily able to buy in their neighborhood of choice in our city. My mom had to work hard to be in her industry (insurance) for her career – back in the early 80s, she had to attend a seminar that taught employees “how to work with women and black people”. So mediocre I am not (far from that, actually), and deserving of what… Read more »
It means she could “not know.”
You sound like a good person who is trying to do the right thing, live the right way. Don’t let the hysterics shame you into believing you are someone you are not. You have a conscience and integrity. You are making your world a better place for whomever is within your circle of influence. Don’t let someone else’s hype tell you who you are.
Sounds like someone needs to self-flagellate.
Might want to go through the deprogramming of anti-racism and unconscious bias training to be remade as a new politically correct woman, spouting the slogans of the day.
Your attitude contributes to keeping someone like me “out of the circle” – as if, my whiteness automatically negates me from being part of the conversation. You’re telling me to whip myself? Had my statement been made without the acknowledgment of my skin color, would you have degraded it? I think not. Shame on you for knocking down someone else’s pain and acknowledgement of suffering.
Bravo. Karen! x
Karen by name. . . . Karen by nature !!
I am growing weary of the inability to have grounded, mature conversations about what is going on. The does not mean that emotion does not matter – it does. I understand that both individuals and groups of people are reacting out of grief, anger, trauma, wounds… and all of this plays a part in their experiences. However, we must learn to respond and not react. The mob mentality/mob violence is not an answer to injustice. We must be sober-minded, quick to listen and generous with those who have different opinions. Someone has to go first to lower the temperature and make ground work. The personal insults and demeaning comments will only incite more divide. And I believe real ground work begins with being present in your community. Get to know your neighbors. Learn about their experiences. Seek out pockets of your town, city or community that are disadvantaged, hear their stories and be the hands and feet of change. No one person speaks for an entire group of people, an entire race, or political party. We must let nuance and generosity back into the conversation. As for the trial and convictions regarding Breonna Taylor’s death, I find that the circumstances… Read more »
Will pray for you Julie.
The thing is there is a growing number of black conservatives deeply offended by the term “white privilege”. It says they’re “black unprivileged” and they don’t feel that way. Anything they have wanted to accomplish in their lives in USA has been possible by hard work and staying clear of trouble. They don’t feel oppressed.
Regarding the term “white privilege” being offensive to some black conservatives, that’s good to know. And I get that perspective. Phrases will come, and phrases will go; they’ll be appropriate one day, and deemed inappropriate the next. It’s always changing, and I appreciate the new perspective on that one. Also, on that note, there’s this overwhelming urge to ying/yang everything (white privilege to black unprivileged) – we are starting to pivot all things against the ENTIRE SPECTRUM of EVERYTHING. I’ll see female bloggers post about their bad week, only to quickly follow it with “but I know there are people worse off than me, and I am so thankful for all I have…”. Why? Can’t I just BE in my crap-week for a quick second and someone feel sorry for me, empathize a smidge? I’ll be honest too, when “white privilege” surfaced (to me) this spring, I had trouble with it myself. Yes, my upbringing has been somewhat plushy, but my mom and dad WORKED FOR IT, they earned it. My dad is self-made, and my mom was a full-time career woman during the 80s, when women were “supposed” to stay home with their babies. And today, based on the… Read more »
They’re certainly entitled to feel however they want, but that in no way negates this country’s long history of racist zoning, lending, and legislating that explicitly targeted Black people.
They’re not paying attention. Stockholm Syndrome.
I have to disagree with the Stockholm Syndrome. Black conservatives believe they are free. They believe they are equals and have every opportunity. They also believe they can think and vote individually and not as part of a larger group.
Black cops are targeted as being race traitors, as are black conservatives.
So much bullying going on if black people don’t think or do what is expected of them as part of a larger identity group. It’s like a form of enslavement.
Bravo Karen.
Equality will allow ‘all boats to rise’ and make us all greater.
thank you, Karen.
This is not the time for despair! Switch yourself to action. Talk to neighbors, family, young people- make sure that they are registered, have a plan to vote, and get people you know to stop wallowing and take action! They will not win again without a fight. In the words of AOC, we leave it all on the field this time, this is survival.
Thank you for posting this and matching donations!
Thank you. I knee jerked to a “stay in your design lane” comment on a post somewhere on here last week. Staying in our lanes is the very thing that keeps status quo in place. Speak out of turn in defense of those who aren’t ever given the mic. Thank you. This means a lot. Especially the financial partnership.
Agreed!!!
The Ibram X. Kendi post legit breaks my heart. It is soooooooo true. I don’t know how I would be able to carry on with this kind of injustice. I’m disgusted and horrified on the daily about the injustice and cruelty here and all over the world, but to have that be your own personal day-to-day and family history….it really is a testament to the strength of Black people to continue to carry on and survive and thrive throughout it all. It makes me sad to think about. And their causes for justice will always have my support.
Also. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY is skin color such a cause of hatred and injustice. SERIOUSLY. it is just melanin. we are all the same. we are all human. we all want love and happiness. i just do not understand why it has to be this way.
Me neither! 🥵
In South Africa under apartheid, families had different ID Cards.
ID Cards were based on skin colour, so, say a Portuguese background family tried to stay out of the sun, but 3 out of 5 kids were “too dark skinned” and had “coloured” ID Cards, while the parents and 2 kids were so-called “white.”
Whiskey….Tango…..Foxtrot!!??!!
What is with that?!?!?
Without motivation, nothing changes.
People like Ibram Kendi now think it’s helpful to make everything about race. The White Fragility book says all whites are racist and privileged. I think it’s arrogant to say whites are privileged (saying blacks are not privileged?!) and it’s also very racist to judge a group of people on their lack of melanin. Basically these authors both offer no solutions, just self-loathing and hatred. They both see the concept of racism differently and even try to change the definitions. I read both books hoping to grow and instead feel they are just going to add to the divide, which in Kendi’s case may be his goal since he thinks the assimilation concept is racist. How can the idea of America be a country if all immigrants don’t assimilate to form one country because that would be racist?
Germany has taken a different approach after the holocaust and doesn’t even keep racial categories since it takes away from their country’s unity.
White privilege doesn’t mean that you haven’t had hard times. It just means that the color of your skin isn’t making them harder. All white people have benefitted at some point in their lives from that privilege of not being born black or brown, and I say this as a white woman. I have had some hard, bad, low times full of struggle – but they would have been exponentially harder had I been a black woman in this country.
Thank you for understanding that. No one is saying all white people are sipping cognac on their yachts while black people toil. As I explained to Melissa above, privilege is also when you AREN’T treated a certain way because of your skin color.
I know exactly what white privilege is. I completely disagree with the concept. It’s a bad fad.
It’s not helpful, it’s hurtful to blacks. It disempowers them.
There are black people that are born rich and privileged. Does it makes sense that their life was harder because of their skin color than the white crack baby born to a single mother? No.
Karrie, are you Black? If not, I suggest not opining about what’s “hurtful to blacks”! You know what’s hurtful? An innocent woman being murdered by cops who walk free!
Molly
If the innocent black woman didn’t associate herself with drugs, she would most likely be alive today. Drugs are known to be dangerous. They’ve caused a lot of death over money in America. Her innocent name was somehow on the warrant.
And yes believing whites have an advantage in life is not helpful to anyone of any race. Nigerians somehow come here and are at the top of their fields and earn very high incomes. It isn’t a fluke either. Hard work and black skin can and does equal success!
Asians earn highest test scores, if the system is rigged for whites, then why do Asians do better in all categories?? If people can explain all that perhaps I will begin to buy in
White privilege is not a fad. It disempowers no one. In fact, it recognizes that to gain success certain people have had to work HARDER. It’s a view of history with a critical eye toward what has REALLY happened in this country with respect to race. I’m not sure why critical thought is such a hot button topic, but it saddens me that it is. And your example is so very wrong. That white baby will never be targeted by police for his skin color, will never be denied services for his skin color, will never fail to be promoted for his skin color, etc. etc. etc. YES, wealth gets you privilege and access. But in this country, wealth does not remove the racism that consistently devalues the lives and work of Black men and women. Plus, you are ignoring all of the things that have made and still make it SO MUCH harder for Black families to accumulate wealth in this country in the first place. Your imaginary white baby might have a hard life. But it won’t be hard BECAUSE of his skin color. It may be hard DESPITE it. Besides, your analogy compares apples to oranges, and… Read more »
Oprah reframed it in a way that helped me understand. She said if you weren’t raised with money then thinking you are “privileged” can feel inaccurate. She reframed it to be “white advantage” which I think is across the board more accurate, especially for those of us not raised with money. It’s just semantics, but it did help me.
Oprah is a billionaire. She lectured poor whites on their ‘privilege’.
There are majority black pro athletes and musicians. Majority of millionaires are from talents such as those that are majority black. Seems to me that they take black privilege for granted. Why can’t everyone be good at talents like sports or music like blacks seem to disproportionally be?
Rachel Dolezel pretended to be black bc of the advantages. If you’re white in a liberal public school, you get no say on any issue. Only thing that matters is skin tone and being a part of a bigger victim group. My kids wish they were black so they could have an opinion at school.
Karrie, J, K, L, Mae – please choose an alias and stick to it. I can see your IP address. I can’t find the words to respond to some of your comments without being unprofessional, but I will tell you to cool it with the name changes.
It’s tied with economics and financial opportunities.
Thank you for sharing.
Once again, Emily, you disappoint. Have you bothered to read the Grand Jury report? Do you completely dismiss the facts as “typical systematic racism “? If our country, yes, YOUR country, Emily, whose bounty and world position you have inherited by virtue of your birth, (and a country that has provided you with amazing wealth and influence); if our country is to ever heal, instead of hysterically denouncing racism, so typically American, you tell us, we must begin to want the truth, and “not just a truth that fits our narrative.” That quote was taken from Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron, a Black man who deals in truth. Or perhaps you dismiss him as “skinfolk” not “kinfolk” because as a Black person, he must agree with you and your view of the world or he’s an Uncle Tom. Do your readers a favor. Come away from your narrow lenses, Emily. Open your eyes to the rest of the world.
Well, I don’t think anyone needs to take the various baits in here, but I would like to respond that I found this post the opposite of disappointing. I appreciate the pause from design content, I appreciate the encouragement to engage in difficult conversations even if we mess up, and I appreciate that EHD is amplifying others’ voices.
It would be more productive for you to state what you consider to be the real truth and why you disagree with this post, rather than resort to name-calling and throwing around a “But he’s Black” defense. He’s Black and so what? This post is about a system, not a person. A single Black AG has no power to influence a system that is rotten at its core. I would suggest you re-visit your communication style as you seem incapable of engaging productively with people with whom you disagree. Whatever positive intent you may have had with your comment is entirely lost in your fit of rage. You’re the one who should open your eyes, or better yet listen to yourself first.
Yep, facts matter. If people would investigate and read a little bit further instead of only listening to the echo chambers that surround this sort of hysteria, then maybe they could understand better. In the Taylor incident, a mistake was made with an officer shooting through a window, but the boyfriend did shoot first. The warrant was legit and the officers did announce themselves. Above all, this was not an act of racism.
If this were the only case, in a vacuum, then sure I’v read the reports and I know the details of it (although there are many disrepancies still). There is a much larger insidious disease at play that incites your comments and defenses. At some point we can no longer nit pick the details like ‘well he reached for a gun’ (wallet) or he was resisting arrest’ (jogging) and realize the larger problem is Racism and the inherent devaluation of the human lives of our Black and Brown communities. It happens too frequently with NO consequences, because the state lets it get covered up and essentially sanctions it. And yes police men and women get shot, too, but there aren’t protests because their killers usually get arrested and there is a form of justice. What we are protesting is that there is no JUSTICE, no consequences for yet another killing of a Black person and Black woman. It’s like they can legally just get killed for doing nothing and nothing happens to the killers. This case is bigger than the details, and I wish it weren’t. Please try to look at the bigger picture, the history. This happens over and… Read more »
It seems like you’re not willing to look at the facts of this particular case, the Breonna Taylor incident. You want to instead look at the whole picture of racism and apply it to this case. It just doesn’t fit and you should stop trying to make it fit because it’s creating hysteria unfairly.
Do I think racism exists? Yes. Does it seem to be the reason that Breonna was killed? No. So many problems like this could be solved if we ended the war on drugs. Then we wouldn’t have the police serving warrants on suspected drug dealers.
We’ve all read the report. Nobody is saying that the officers were like oh there’s a black woman, let’s kill her because we don’t like black women. The point is that every time an innocent black person is killed by the government without consequence, the permission structure that allows for this kind of carelessness is reinforced. If you can read the report and come away with the impression that any of this, from the warrant to the grand jury, has anything to do with justice, you just value human life a whole lot less than I do.
The officer who was wantonly shooting through the window IS going to be prosecuted. So there is that consequence. It sounds like you want consequence for the other two who returned fire after being shot at first. What should those two officers have done after they were shot at? I’m curious to know about other ideas for this scenario. Perhaps there are people on a design blog who might be able to help our police departments.
Oh, cool dig Dee! You think that we’re unqualified to have this conversation because we’re interested in design! You, on the other hand, a regular criminal justice expert, are only here to help explain this important real world stuff to the silly gals who have waded in over their heads, right?
Thanks for explaining that in the case of the damaged window, justice has been served. That’s what the design community has been rooting for.
You take for granted that the officers, who demonstrably lied about multiple other factors, are telling the truth about their claim that they announced themselves after they broke down the door. Putting that aside, they could retreat and call for backup.
Again, you are all over the place crowing about the justice of the state sanctioned murder of an innocent woman asleep in her bed. Fine, I guess, if that’s where your passions lie, but it certainly doesn’t grant you either the moral or the intellectual high ground you’re pretending to.
You clearly have not educated yourself to the facts of this case.
The reponse to the facts in this case is that people want recognition of the value of Breonna Taylor’s life and the mistake that the officers made in killing her. Yes her boyfriend shot first, but is it acceptable that Ms. Taylor is now dead at the hands of the police? It isn’t just the duty of the police to “shoot when fired upon” it’s to analyze the situation and not make mistakes. Especially not make mistakes that end a person’s life. In this case, the Louisville gov’t is saying “No mistakes were made by the two officers who shot Ms. Taylor, but we’re sorry Ms. Taylor died.” –That is not good enough if we’re to treat Breonna Taylor’s life with value.
FYI Susan, police are trained to shoot back when they are fired upon. This is because they want to live through the end of their shift to go home to their families. Breonna Taylor died as a consequence of circumstances she had chosen to place herself in.
Love your comment Dee. As the wife of a police officer, I’m am quite sure my husband would welcome more suggestions from the public on how to do his job. His Masters degree and continuous mandatory training are not near as beneficial as all of the tips he and his fellow officers have received from the know it all public critics. For those that have this all figured out, go on a ride along with a police officer one evening. I would love to hear if you have the same perspective on the legal system after doing so.
I was married to a police officer too. It’s sadly laughable the response to my question….they could have “retreated and asked for backup”.
Share that insightful tidbit with your local police dept, I’m sure they’d love it.
The war on drugs is racist at its core. So yes, racism is at play, even if you see the only issue with this particular case being the war on drugs.
Those are quite the statements Emily. Details and facts matter- not only narrative. Can you give some data on the frequency of police officers killing unarmed, innocent black people? How many have been killed? Is this trending up or down? Can we say all of these killings are do to racism? What about the hundreds of black and brown children killed by gang violence every year? Where is Black Lives Matter? Where is the outrage? This isn’t about black lives, it is about political power.
We ABSOLUTELY still see the impact of historical, systematic racism at play in so many outcomes for African-Americans and that is devastating and sad. Something I want to listen to and be part of the solution. But no, I don’t believe that our current systems and country are racist. I’ d like to see data otherwise.
Why are you asking someone else for facts instead of educating yourself? But here you go. Keep in mind Black people only make up 12% of the population, but 32% of police killings. “Victims were majority white (52%) but disproportionately black (32%) with a fatality rate 2.8 times higher among blacks than whites. Most victims were reported to be armed (83%); however, black victims were more likely to be unarmed (14.8%) than white (9.4%) or Hispanic (5.8%) victims. ” Deaths Due to Use of Lethal Force by Law Enforcement Findings From the National Violent Death Reporting System, 17 U.S. States, 2009–2012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080222/ Can I ask why “black on black” crime is such a topic of conversation, but no one talks about “white on white” crime? Statistically you’re most likely to be killed by someone of your own race. And if we do want to talk about crime levels, can we talk about what leads to crime? Namely, poverty, like journalist Troy Smith outlines below: “According to the Bureau for Justice Statistics, People living in households with income below the federal poverty threshold are twice as likely to commit a violent crime than people in high-income households, regardless of race. We… Read more »
Appreciate the data for sure! So of the 812 people killed by cops, 259 were black, and 44 were black and unarmed according to your data. Over 4 years, that comes down to 11 unarmed black people killed per year. This is without understanding the individual circumstances, threat level, crime alleged, etc.
Does this necessarily represent a systematic racism problem in the police departments? There were thousands of arrests made today in this country. I wish that none of these 812, 259, or 44 died, but I am not seeing the link to certain systematic racism or racist killer cops from the data you provided.
Poverty is certainly linked to crime- I would love to be a part of serving the poor and thinking of solutions to help them.
An issue is when the cops who killed these 44 unarmed black people (obviously I can’t say what should have happened in the cases where the black victim was armed without knowing the details of all of those cases) aren’t held accountable for their actions in a timely manner without people having to protest before action is taken. I’ve seen people posting about the death of a 5 year old young white child at the hands of a black person and to ‘say his name” (to counter the Say Her Name aspect of the Breonna Taylor killing). That child’s death was a tragedy but the difference is that the child’s killer was arrested the next day and is currently in jail awaiting trial. The system is working to bring justice for that child and his family.
Is it wrong to want the system to work the same way to bring justice to black people murdered by police? Justice delivered in a timely manner, without people needing to protest before any action is taken and with consequences that are comparable to what a black person would feel if they were the murderer?
Kristin
Yes it is.
They do not care when innocent black children are shot and killed in Chicago every. single. weekend by other blacks. They do not care about black lives. They care about an agenda of hating cops.
It only matters when a cop kills an unarmed black person. It never gets reported if it’s a white person killed by police. They play on emotion and white guilt because their agenda is to get rid of police!
Read the book “War on Cops.”
Mallory Agree that poverty is a huge factor, which is why jobs and education access are the answer and the solutions. Both things 45 is doing well at remedying and black America has taken notice. Black communities are plagued by higher serious crimes. Blacks commit over half the murders in the country (mainly vs other blacks) and only make up 12% of population. That is why black v black crime is a pressing issue. Whites are not killing each other as much as blacks are. Examples: Chicago and Baltimore. It’s proportionate to have more encounters with police when there is a higher serious crime. Take the police out of the areas, homicide goes up and more black innocent people die like what happened in Ferguson. “The Ferguson effect”. The blame needs to go back to the source: quit murdering one another and cops won’t need to patrol the neighborhood. That is why the talk gets put on black v black crime and not white v white crime. It’s part of the solution to educate by school choice, give job opportunities and be lifted out of poverty so the poverty rate and crime rate will go down. 45 is focused on… Read more »
Some documents that might help in fact checking https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/63943132/breonna-taylor-summary-redacted1
The problem with that is police also kill unarmed whites and it doesn’t ever make news.
Fbi stats say Blacks commit 40% more murders than whites commit and they only make up 12% of the population, so police patrol those dangerous areas more to protect those black communities from criminals.
The media’s narrative against police is a lie. Stats on murders do not lie.
I read the report. And I agree that simply charging an officer for her murder would do little to solve the bigger problem of racism, though it would provide a short term sense of justice. Because yes, this was an act of racism, though not one contained in one police officer. It’s much bigger than that. The whole war on drugs which begets warrants like these, which has created conditions where breaking down someone’s door in the middle of the night is considered a legit approach, is exactly what systemic racism looks like. Put yourself in the position of having someone break down your door while you are sleeping – maybe you heard them announce themselves, maybe you didn’t – you were fast asleep. Is this a world that you think is OK?
Thanks, Lia. It’s an upstream problem that is so much bigger than this case.
Police break down the doors when they announce themselves and there is no answer. The warrant was for suspected drug dealing. They do this other races too. It’s absurd that you think this is an example of systemic racism.
The whole point of systemic racism is that they can get away with something like this and say it was legal.
They didn’t “get away” with anything. They were following police protocol. When police are fired at, they fire back. The grand jury understood that, thank goodness.
The war on drugs is itself an explicitly racist policy apparatus!
The 1994 crime bill aka the war on drugs was racist. And Biden took credit for it
Following “protocol” that harms and kills innocent people is not a protocol we should be in support of. That is the other aspect of the larger issue here. The rules are imbalanced and disproportionately target people of color and when people of color are killed in accidents of “protocol” the system doesn’t change.
They actually didn’t follow protocol, Dee. Witnesses say they didn’t sufficiently identify themselves as police before smashing Breonna’s door off its hinges with a battering ram. Under KY’s “Stand Your Ground,” law, it was legal for Mr. Walker to fire at what he thought were intruders. The police did such shoddy surveillance that night leading up to the raid that they didn’t even know Mr. Walker was with Breonna, and they even sent away the ambulance typically required to be on site for these kinds of raids an hour before the raid started. In the aftermath of the shooting, during which officers fired 22 rounds into her apartment, they didn’t even *notice* Breonna needed medical assistance until her boyfriend called 911. Their incompetence and sheer disregard for her life IS a symptom of systemic racism. She could’ve easily been peacefully served and had her apartment searched, but no. They treated her like a criminal, and served as judge, jury, and executioner.
So Dee, you seem convinced that police were just doing their job. How do you know for a fact that their mistake, breaking down the WRONG door, wasn’t because they felt entitled to violence in that neighborhood or apartment building? Racist acts are not all conscious. Many are rooted in emotion, unconsciously, then rationalized later. Kind of like listening to someone persist with a conclusion that these policeman did no wrong, even when they don’t have all the facts.
@DEE So what I’m gathering from your response is the following: The police followed the rules, they were completely justified in killing Breonna the way they did, justice for her murder is not necessary, and the police are not at fault whatsoever. I got you. But perhaps if we “look at the facts” we can also see that these murders of Black people (whether or not they commit crimes) are happening too frequently for race not to be factor in why their murderers where not charged. We never said that Breonna was killed BECAUSE she was Black. Breonna was recklessly killed, and her murderer GOT AWAY WITH IT because was Black. Also police have protections in place that absolve them of any wrongdoing in most of the situations involving the murders of Black people. And while we’re at it, let me just say that the whole “All Lives Matter” retort does not extend to Black lives like Breonna’s that were lost. Yes, you did not say it in your comment, but I’m going to address it anyway just in case anyone else joins this feed, and happens to have a problem with being a compassionate human being today. If her… Read more »
I absolutely feel her death is tragic, her life mattered as much as anyones and I absolutely feel no one should die by a gun. As I said elsewhere, I think the bigger problem is the war on drugs and the proliferation of guns in society.
I use reason and facts to draw conclusions. The 16+ people on the gj did also. That’s what I’m saying. A sad case, yes.
How many? What’s the data? Are these killings trending up or down? What qualifies as systematic racism? What’s you’re solutions?
*your*…just one of the many things you got badly wrong in this discussion.
Ita cultural thjng!
That’s how the rest of the world sees it. Reality.
Australia has kangaroos hopping down the streets…..nope!
America has racial equality…..nope!
Simples.
#1 “Mistake”, are you kidding me? He ran around to the patio door that was covered with blinds and fired 10 rounds blindly, some going into the surrounding apartments, then he disappeared for 4 hours when everyone was being questioned. He was fired and indicted, (on a bs charge of endangering the white neighbors and not Breonna or Kenneth), but looks like he made more than a mistake to most people. Also, the same cop is accused of sexually assaulting multiple women here in Louisville. #2 How do you know the warrant is legit? The AG has yet to release the full Grand Jury report and the FBI is still investigating the warrant. In addition, they found no drugs or money in her apartment and the ex boyfriend, (who the warrants were for), was arrested across town 45 min. before they got to her apartment. #3 They interviewed 12 people who live in close proximity to Breonna, and only one witness said the police announced themselves and AG went with the one person’s statement. How do they know that person’s telling the truth? Then they used that one person’s statement to prove they had the right to defend themselves against… Read more »
Dee – Since you have clearly done investigation on this case. On what evidence do you base your statement that the officers announced themselves? their statements? these are the same officers that stated in their official report that no force was used to break down the door (even though they used a battering ram) AND that their shots did not harm anyone in the incident (um, someone was literally shot 5 times). They have less than zero credibility. You must have some other reliable evidence. I’m genuinely curious as to what it is.
About the “legit” warrant – a key piece of information in that warrant was completely fabricated by the officer that swore to the warrant. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/05/16/breonna-taylor-attorneys-say-police-supplied-false-information/5205334002/
a) there is zero evidence that the warrant was legit; b) 10 out of 11 people said that they didn’t hear police announce; and c) three people called the police including her boyfriend so obviously they didn’t know it was the police. There is also d, e, and f. all saying it was an act of racism.
I can’t help but question everything the Louisville officials present as evidence after the official incident report released in June listed Brionna Taylor’s injuries as ‘none’.
There is no such thing as a “grand jury report.” It’s an indictment that lists the charges, that’s it. It doesn’t have any information about the facts of the case that were presented, or more importantly, the facts the prosecutors decided not to present. Makes me curious what you read to get your information.
You can read the transcript of what the kentucky attorney general said about the facts of the case. Google it.
I live in Louisville and have been living this case and its aftermath, I don’t need Google. For anyone else reading this who is genuinely interested in the facts on this case, the local paper – the Courier Journal – has done some incredible reporting. Dee – I would also suggest you Google, starting with Monique Melton. She has an incredible amount of trainings and resources to educate yourself on systemic racism.
If those police followed the rules then the rules need to change. And the fact that SO MANY other police are following the rules when this happens to Black people means THE RULES NEED TO CHANGE NOW. I don’t care to nitpick about who grabbed for what, when.
Thank you for the break in design content! We have to make this conversation part of our day to day lives and we have to join together (remotely) in solidarity to stay strong.
As a black woman who has left America and actually lived under the “typical systemic racism”, I 100% agree with Emily. And as a reader of her blog, I’m not at all disappointed with her taking a stand. There is no defending police officers entering the WRONG home and MURDERING a woman in her sleep. Sorry. I don’t care how “affluent” America is. That’s simply wrong. I have lived all over the world now and have collected conversations with people about America (I’m writing a book on it) and believe me, the rest of the world isn’t enamored with America. They see the injustice, which is why there are BLM marches all over the world – from London to Asia. Instead of being defensing and scolding someone who’s speaking up for justice, why don’t you simply stop reading her blog if you’re so disappointed?
You do know it wasn’t the wrong home and she wasn’t asleep, right? I guess the first story sticks even when it’s a lie. That is how propaganda works. Kind of like how everyone still says “hands up, don’t shoot” in regards to Michael Brown. The facts are important.
More importantly, it’s sad and grievous that she died. My heart breaks for her family.
So if Breonna was awake at 2am, she deserved to die? And to another poster – If Breonna was in the hallway, not the bedroom, she deserved to die? No, she was in her home when armed intruders gunned her down and left her to die. The intruders just happened to be on the government payroll and have a license to kill. Literally – police officers have immunity, so they can kill with impunity.
I wasn’t disappointed. It was a heartfelt post by Emily that many people can relate to. Save the hate and if you’re disappointed, go find another blog. Those cops had no business even being there that night. If they had done their homework this whole tragedy would have not occurred.
You can point to all the evidence, but you can’t make them think because they “feel” justice is needed. Facts don’t matter at all. The lives of the 2 officers that were shot. Matters not.
Elizabeth Wood
Yes!
For some reason if black people don’t feel oppressed and embrace victimhood they’re not embraced by the left. If they have their own opinions of empowerment, no matter how brilliant they are (Dr. Thomas Sowell, Dr. Ben Carson, Condoleeza Rice), they’re labeled Uncle Tom’s. It’s so twisted.
The left continually ridicules brilliant black minds. It’s so racist
Hi, there everyone, it’s my first visit at this website, and post is truly fruitful designed for me, keep up posting these types of posts.
Hey Emily, So I just wanted to give a quick explanation as to why there were no charges against Taylor. I am in DEFINETLEY not saying that she deserved to die in the police raid; her death is such a tragic event. However, I was reading into the actual report of what happened that night, and the facts that are being presented are murky. There is an open confession from the boyfriend (Jamarcus Glover) saying that they were awake when the police came in the night, which means that he definitely did hear them knock and say that they were there. The reason for the warrant in the first place was there were claims of drugs and guns being sold out of their home, orchestrated by her boyfriend. Both Taylor and her boyfriend have a long history of dealing with drugs and guns, and there was suspicion that they were selling again. Also, there was a victim of a homicide found in a car rented under Breonna Taylor’s name that barred her from working for the city. Glover was also in the house alone for ten minutes before the search was conducted, giving him ample time to hide anything paraphernalia,… Read more »
Sorry, I made a mistake, the boyfriend’s name is Kenneth Walked not Jamarcus Gover.
The fact that you confused Walker and Glover is very concerning here. Her EXBOYFRIEND Glover was involved in drugs. Everything you read about the brief transcripts of their conversations, the fact that Glover was using her home address and phone number for financial situations, and even the body in the trunk of a car rented under her name (which hasn’t been verified in any valid news source I’ve read, but what I have read implies there was no evidence she knew this person and it was likely Glover who was using the car) — it all very clearly sounds like Glover took advantage of her all the time — that he asked her for favors, she let him use her phone and address because he wouldn’t be able to get credit otherwise — in short, it all sounds like a situation a girl gets into when she’s in a toxic relationship with a bad guy and she’s too soft-hearted and/or naive to break off all contact completely. Now — How many white girls do you know who do this? Imagine a WHITE GIRL dated a small-time drug dealer — maybe he kept promising her he would go straight, but kept… Read more »
I understand the murkiness, I do. And it’s not that I don’t care about the details of this case it’s just that the larger problem looms and every time these cases go with no consequences, it reinforces a system. And i’m also curious about the makeup of the jury as there is often jury suppression and lack of BIPOC in juries. Racism is insidious and no “system” in our country is currently immune to it. thanks for your comment.
Yes. It’s the BIGGER PICTURE that is the issue.
The bigger problem here is not racism but police tactics and the war on drugs. This is what we should be fighting in these cases. Along with the proliferation of guns in this country. Police wouldn’t have to so quickly resort to shooting people (in this case, the officer was shot FIRST) if there wasn’t such a high gun ownership rate.
The War on Drugs is now Trump’s “Law and Order,” racism’s most recent policy iteration.
AB
I disagree. His law and order has reformed and released blacks incarcerated for drugs.
He wants to restore trust and respect for police through community policing.
Biden takes credit for authoring the 1994 crime bill that locked blacks up disproportionality.
So what you’re saying is that for the good of the “cause” officers should be punished. Not for what THEY actually did but because the “the system” is purportedly broken. Those officers should maybe be sacrificed for the greater good? Is that what you are saying? Every time something doesn’t go your way you scream racism and oppression and pivot to “the overall problem” instead of looking at the actual facts of the case. The mythology of the men that are held up as “heroes” in some of these cases is disgusting. Michael Brown did not have his hands up. Jacob Blake was harassing someone he had formerly sexually abused and was reaching for a knife. Rayshard Brooks stole a taser and used it against an officer. None of these men should be held up as “heroes” and pushing a narrative that they were somehow martyred victims of racism is actually doing more harm than good to the cause.
Yes, that’s exactly what she and others are saying. They want racism to go away, like we all do, and so blindly they jump on these bandwagons and blame the police for doing their jobs. It’s frankly bizarre.
It’s not jumping on the bandwagon as much as you are using that to brush off the issues being raised above: people are blaming the police for “doing their jobs” when their jobs have shown they take no accountability for shooting a woman who was unarmed and not shooting them.
Despite this being currently allowed by law (they were shot at, so whoever they shot in reaction is “ok” in the eyes of the law) it is not acceptable and the officers do deserve to be charged with manslaughter or misuse of force. As long as we support these rules and the systems that empower them, we are supporting a broken system, and in this case, the police force and Louisville gov’t have stated that they feel that these rules are acceptable.
So yes, you can point to people “doing their job” but the point is, we can see that if doing your job allows you to kill someone and go back to work, the job needs fixing.
Her boyfriend shot a gun at the officers. They shot back at him. She was near him in the hallway! She should have been more selective about who she associated with. It’s very sad she lost her life, but drugs and guns are dangerous. Her lifestyle choice was dangerous. It’s that simple.
In 2016, there was a dead body in her rental car. She had a history of dating dangerous men.
This is sad, but it’s true.
Can I please add a legal point nobody else seems to be talking about ??? Just because you bring charges against the officers doesn’t mean they’re going to be convicted. Bringing charges means there will be an investigation and both sides will plead their case and evidence will have to be disclosed. That’s it. The AG should have requested charges to be brought simply because that’s what normally happens in a murder case. It’s standard procedure. If the officers had a good case to make with evidence on their side, they would not be convicted. It’s the fact that charges weren’t even brought in a murder case that just sickens and horrifies me.
Can we think about the drug dealing and gun selling going on with the boyfriend and in that apartment? Opioids are rampant and overdoses sadly too common in Kentucky. We need the police to get the drugs off the street.
They had a warrant; they knocked and announced themselves; the dealer shot first; Breonna had a dead body in car she rented(!).
If Brian were an officer on the call and he was shot at, would you want him to wait and be shot again?
And here is something uncomfortable to say–Breonna was with a suspected drug dealer and weapons seller. What the heck! Did she think it would never have any consequences for her life? Not just the police but other drug dealers?
Is that racist of me to say?
To the white privileged, Ivy educated women who posted above: sell your stuff or leave your homes and let the people you believe to be systemically oppressed have what you think was given to you by privilege. It would go much further than the virtue signaling on a design blog.
Jeebus. 1) Only one witness says the police announced themselves; the rest only heard the commotion. 2) “The dealer”? Are you inhuman? It was her current boyfriend. Yes her ex-bf was linked to drugs… her current boyfriend was not. 3) The body in the car thing, I can only find it listed in that police memo that went out incomplete, unproven, and was widely condemned. 4) Breonna was not a suspected drug dealer, she did favors for an ex-bf. There were no drugs at the house. 5) I’m hesitant to call you a racist because I don’t know you in person, but I will go so far as to say your post is racist and misinformed. It reads like someone who has been seeking out “facts” to justify this case so you can sleep at night pretending you’re on the right side of history.
SB
If you’re white, according to the White Fragility book, you’re always going to be a racist. She offers no solutions, just to be aware a white person is a privileged racist. Do you think this new way of thinking is helpful or in essence racist in itself?
Just to be clear, her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had zero involvement with drugs and was not a drug dealer. Her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus, was the one dragged Brianna dragged onto the police’s radar, with no role in any of his criminality other than being his on and off girlfriend. Kenneth Walker was defending himself from what he feared was a robbery or god knows what by her ex or his associates. This whole case is horrible. Kenneth was acting reasonably by shooting at the police – he was terrified and had no idea who the heck they were. As much as I hate to say it, because I think systemic racism is totally real, the police were justified in returning fire as they were being shot at (by someone who had reason to shoot at them). That said, the police NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE. You should not be able to enter a US citizen’s house because they are the ex girlfriend of a drug dealer. But the cops didn’t write or approve that warrant. Someone else did. Change the laws that allowed them to do that. This goes so much deeper than convicting these police officers, and this is a… Read more »
Hilary, I think this is the best comment I have read about this all day. This case is about racism, and it is tragic, but in a different and more complex way than the George Floyd case for example. I think you summed it up well.
You actually have your facts wrong, which is leading to an unfortunate recap of the events. Here are some corrections to help you see it more clearly. It was Breonna Taylor’s EX-boyfriend (Jamarcus Glover) under suspicion of dealing narcotics by police. He did not live with her and was NOT in the home when police raided and killed Breonna Taylor. Kenneth Walker, Breonna’s current boyfriend (whom you label a “dealer”) was at home with her that night and did react to the forced entry at his door with gunshots. The claims are disputed but he said he did not hear the announcement that it was the police and thought intruders were breaking in so he fired his firearm. The issue is around why so much force was needed for Ms. Taylor when it was known and observed by police that she was not an active threat. And the issue about the police being shot upon is unfortunate, but it’s also hard to blame a person defending their home under the 2nd Amendment as that is still legal and supported. Hopefully this brings you some clarity of the case and you are willing to change your statements above so you don’t… Read more »
I believe the war on drugs was racist policy instated by both parties and it did horrible things to the black community and it needs fully reformed.
I hate that any unarmed person is ever killed, any skin color.
The fact is:
Police are killed 18x more than unarmed blacks are.
The media’s narrative of unarmed blacks being hunted down by police is not based on verifiable FBI data.
What is the system? Where is the data on systems that are racist? Do you know racists? Are people you work with racist? Why do you assume it exist? Is this racism trending up or down? How do you tell?
SH: What is the system? It’s called oppression and power. Where is the data? Goes back to at least the Wickersham Commission in the 1920s. Do I know racists? Yes, tons of them. Our culture is steeped in racism. Are the people I work with racist? Yes. Why do I assume it exists? It’s not necessary to assume so I don’t – I read and study and observe. It’s all around us. Is it trending up or down? Right now, it’s trending UP, or at least it’s trending visible. Racists used to hide under rocks, but they’ve come crawling back out. How do I tell? Talk to black people, they’ll tell you. Or observe: at my office, there were two white women talking to a black woman. A man came in with a package that he said was for ‘Emily’ – – the two white women pointed to Emily, who was black. He pointedly, deliberately, handed it to one of the white women. Micro-aggression, played out in real life.
How about you TRY a little bit. Start with reading.
Please share data to back this up. I don’t know or work with any racists? Do you? How are the systems racists?
For the second time in this post, since this is becoming a trend: Elizabeth H., Sterling H., Elizabeth, or SH – please choose a name and stick with it. I’m not interested in silencing or stopping the discussion of multiple viewpoints, but I *do* want to be clear that this is ONE person here stating their opinion. Again, we can see your IP addresses.
I’m from Louisville and there is so much information that is not being reported about her and this whole situation. Please do not base your feelings on how extreme groups tell you to feel. There are facts that are not being reported, which may also have to do with the 12 million dollar settlement to her family paid by the city of Louisville in the civil suit recently. But this tragic situation should be a reminder to some that may need it, to not get involved with drug dealers and assist them with trafficking etc.. Bad things can happen when you’re involved with bad people and doing things you shouldn’t be doing.
The “war on drugs” disproportionately targets black people. Incidents like this are extremely rare in the areas where white people are addicted to and dealing in opiates.
The whole war on drugs is racist.
exactly, Lia. it’s an upstream problem that leads to situations like this. One that was very much exacerbated by democrats (I didn’t know that til I watched the doc 13th).
Are you implying that “getting involved with drug dealers” is license for the police to shoot you 8 times in your own home? For a police officer to blindly shoot into the windows of your neighbors and endanger their lives, too? For the police to only treat the wounded police officer on the scene and leave you to bleed out? Because those are the things that happened. I am SO goddamn tired of this line of thought that implies that because Breonna dated a drug dealer (who she had, by the way, broken up with well before the police came to her home) it’s kinda her fault that she was shot and killed.
Call me crazy but it sounds like decriminalizing drugs and providing robust systems of support for people with addiction is the answer, not gunning down people in their homes.
With that said, I know several white people who have been caught moving drugs out of their homes and the worst thing that happened was that one got expelled from college. The fact is that white people don’t run the risk of being executed even when exhibiting the same behaviors of the “bad people” you describe.
Just replying here so that you all know that Tracey does not speak for all Louisvillians, because as one myself, I do not believe that having a bad ex boyfriend is a death sentence. I do not believe actually trafficking drugs should be a death sentence (even though the evidence does not point that Breonna had any involvement in trafficking whatsoever), and I definitely believe NO ONE should be murdered by the police in the middle of the night in their own homes. Appalled at the lack of compassion in this post. This is why Louisville has had over 100 days of straight protests, the system is broken and needs replaced.
So your contribution to this conversation is a bunch of innuendo-laden nonsense. You claim to have exculpatory evidence by virtue of living in Louisville, but you won’t say what it is. You mention the settlement with the Taylor family as though this had any bearing on the process whereby their daughter was murdered in her bed, and then insinuate that Breonna Taylor deserved to be murdered by the state for “get[ting] involved with drug dealers.” Very chill racism, Tracey (from KY).
Thank you, Emily and team. This was gutting, but, as you say, not surprising. Thank you for speaking to it, for doing something tangible with the bail fund, for asking for ideas of more ways to help, and for owning racism as a white problem to solve.
I don’t agree with Government at all, increasing Government regulation and intrusion into our lives has created a bloated bureaucracy constantly growing and never shrinking.
I am not pro-police and I admire other systems that are successful such as Dale Brown who runs the Detroit Threat Management Center.
What is needed is a broader conversation sparked by an innocent woman’s death into police training and why this happened and how it can be prevented from happening again.
For instance, why are police in the USA trained for a significantly shorter amount of time than other countries?
Can they be trained to use other weapons such as pepper spray, tasers, rubber bullets, dogs, hand to hand combat alongside reaching for the gun first and foremost?
If all the victims of unnecessary brutality at the hands of Government (also known as Democide – roughly 242 million dead of it in the 20th century) then we need to extract actionable solutions that don’t always end with voting one way or another.
After all, the system itself, if broken, isn’t going to be magically fixed, whichever party is in charge.
The rest of the western world abhorred by the US guns laws.
It’s making crazy having guns everywhere!
If the US could take a step back….and see the way other countries see what’s happening….Y I K E S !!!
I think generally most Americans want the same thing, peace and happiness for all, but have a hard time agreeing on the solutions. People keep looking at outcomes and not at the what leads to them. Do your research. A place to start, read Thomas Sowell’s book Discrimination and Disparities or watch any of his you tube interviews. He is an extremely intelligent economist who has written a ton of books that are enlightening. If you really want to get to the root of the probably look at the facts and figures. America is not an anomaly.
I haven’t read that book yet. I think so many people have forgotten or are in denial of our the history of the united states and once people make themselves of the undeniable and very uncomfortable truths, we learn and can start rebuilding the systems. Excited to read this. thank you for sharing.
Ashlee and Emily –
I haven’t heard of that one and want to read it. Thank you.
May I suggest to also read Heather MacDonald’s War on Cops .
I like to read books from all sides to eliminate any blind spots.
Here are others I have also read: Stamped, White Fragility, White Guilt, Blackout, How to be an Antiracist. Also watched 13th.
You are doing the right thing. Do not let the negativity by loud racists drown out your moral obligation. I am so happy to see you using your platform this way.
Again, Emily…THIS is BEING a Human Being!
Thank you. x
Yes, design content is great. Chatting about beautiful, comfortable, cgarming, fun, dappled light, oh yes.
BUT … without freedom, there is no true living.
Without justice, there is no safety.
Without equality, there is needless suffering.
Thank you for not burying your head in the murky depths.
Thank you for BEING an influencer , for good, better and best.
Hugz,
Rusty xx
You do realize she was complicit in her boyfriend’s drug trafficking ring right? The jailhouse phone conversations have been released Nd she allowed him to keep money there, use her address and her car for his “business”. Does that mean she deserved to die? Absolutely not. You also realize they did knock and her boyfriend fired first at unknown persons outside of their door. In the jailhouse transcripts he was described as saying “they was banging on the door” and he shot them. What if that was a drunk friend banging on the door? No I will not mourn her. When you play with fire you have to expect to get burned. Is it sad and tragic? Yes. Because if HE wouldn’t have fired FIRST then she might still be alive. Turn off your liberal news because you’re being lied to yet again.
Men in plain clothes barged into their home at 2 in the morning and did not announce they were police officers – the boyfriend shooting first was in self-defense and he shot once. They responded by unleashing so many rounds of bullets, they went through the ceiling and into the neighbors’ homes. And then they let her die. They didn’t even call an ambulance.
We should all mourn Breonna Taylor and the fact that you do not says a lot about your empathy.
Wow, your lack of humanity is appalling to me. You say it’s “sad and tragic” but you can’t be bothered to mourn Breonna’s life because, what, she wasn’t perfect according to your standards? Maybe ask yourself why her life wasn’t perfect. Why she had a drug-dealing boyfriend? Might be the generations of racism that kept her stuck when clearly this young woman was striving for more. Turn off your conservative Christian radio that’s telling you this is “#sad” but not sad enough to mourn her life and her unfortunate circumstances.
That’s heartless.
“No I will not mourn her.” Was there ever a drop of humanity inside you? I can’t believe people are born this heartless. For my part, I genuinely hope that none of the “fire” you’ve ever played with ever “burns” (murders) you.
Thanks for this post and for using this platform to raise up injustices!
I just finished reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. (Highly recommend) She examines the commonalities between the systems in India, the US, and in Germany under the Nazi regime. The connections are horrifyingly clear. Nazis studied our laws and techniques used IN THE 30s and set up their system of terror in imitation of the south and it’s laws. People in the South at that time were sending so many lynching postcards the Postmaster General banned them. WTF?!! Please VOTE. Check in with relatives and friends that might need to check their registration or get a buddy system going. Get your young adult children to register and remind their friends. Our Democratic ship is sinking because 45 (and a percentage of our country) think violence is fine when used righteously. Say her name! Breonna Taylor.
Anarchy is not the answer. As seen in the cities burning. People don’t want lawlessness and crime.
45 is the first president to do prison reform to help blacks.
Love to see you using your platform!! Thank you for speaking up – pillows can wait!!
This article fact checks the case. Read it and you will see that evidence relating to the execution of the warrants was tampered with by officers. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2020/06/16/breonna-taylor-fact-check-7-rumors-wrong/5326938002/
I hope you keep posting as you see fit. Silence is complicity.
It is sad to see some people contort themselves to see this as acceptable. Death by gunfire is not the proper punishment for using/dealing drugs. Why didn’t anyone call an ambulance for Breonna? A gross lapse in plain humanity, almost like they didn’t care if she died. Why the settlement for millions of dollars and an NDA if the officers did nothing wrong? Why are the indictments/evidence still sealed if everything was handled properly? You can admit that you’re racist or classist or whatever, but please do not think any of this is okay, proper, acceptable….whatever. Thank you Team EHD for using your platform in this way. I appreciate you.
Agreed. At the end of the day, we (theoretically) have a “justice” system for a reason. It’s not a police officer’s job to decide who lives and who dies, and nobody should be dying for drug-related charges regardless. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what Breonna or her boyfriend did or didn’t do, because none of it is an excuse for murder and this is not an isolated incident – not by a long shot.
I am an interior designer and live in Louisville, KY. I read your blog everyday and deeply appreciate you speaking out for Breonna. Here are some other ways to help:
– My friend is the Louisville manager of the Bail Project and they’ve been set up outside of the courthouse since day 1 of protests. They’ve also gotten several people released along with Lou Bail fund. Here is their site to donate: https://bailproject.org/?form=donate She says to put #louisville in the notes field with your donation.
– If you know any citizens of Kentucky, ask them to call their state rep and co-sponsor Rep. Attica Scott’s Breonna’s Law.
– Make a donation to the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression: http://kentuckyalliance.org/ They’ve been supporting the protestors and do incredible and important work in our city.
-Hood to the Holler is helping people get registered to vote and working to “Remove Barriers to Democratic Participation, Strive to Empower a More Reflective Democracy, Engage Kentuckians of all stripes- from the Hood to the Holler, and Break Down Barriers Surrounding the Topics of Racial Justice, Generational Poverty and more.” Donate here: https://hoodtotheholler.org/
Thank you so much, Marie!
Thank you, EHD!
Thank you for this post.
Ok Emily and team. This was it for me. Bye bye. I know you won’t miss me and it is fine, the feeling is mutual. Plenty of other designer blogs out there that are not divisive. Take care.
Go woke go broke as they say. Had to say farewell to Remodelista when they banned the words Master Bedroom and said how they’d be repenting for perpetuating whatever wokism of the day . . . it’s like Communist Russia in the 20’s. Can’t have different opinions anymore.
Please consider your anti-divisive values when you vote for our next leader. Bye bye.
THANK YOU for posting about LCBF. They are doing incredible work in the city. Next time, may I please encourage you to search for quotes from local activists? The local Black organizers doing the work here for the last six months (and much longer) are regularly getting erased from this narrative, even though they are the ones directly influencing the change here in Louisville and the ones that got Breonna’s name out there in the first place. Hannah Drake, Keturrah Herron, Talesha Wilson, just to name a few.
People who are impoverished or have been excluded from participation in the approved economic activities (systemic racism) are more likely to engage in crime for obvious reasons, and therefore more likely to have interactions with police. Because of this, police often are THE LAST POINT on a trail of failures. Those failures are especially prevalent in our public school systems in large Democratic cities. Failure to teach children to read, to do math, to learn about career options. Failure by our society as a whole to teach financial education, make a pathway for jobs, or to make the American Dream seem possible to marginalized people. But it’s the police who are always the face of those failures and it’s unfair. The police aren’t charged for these killings because police work is very dangerous and their actions are justified by the law. But they’re the easiest to blame for the failure of society. Anyone who wants to criticize the police should take some time to watch videos of police being shot or stabbed. Take time to understand both perspectives. They should also take time to look at their city’s school district – and the historical outcomes based on race. If we’re… Read more »
I’m sorry but I can’t let this one stand. We must demand accountability from our public schools. But 90+% of us were educated in public schools and are doing pretty darn well. Public schools don’t get to choose which kids they serve, whether they offer special education (like private and charter schools), whether they have “volunteer requirements” (which filter out low income families), whether they provide busing (which charter schools mostly do not and hence privilege families with a parent who can drive their kid), whether they “counsel” students out when they’re not “meeting the mark” (as many “high expectation” charter schools do). Public education in this country has work to do. But it does not deserve to be torn down. Our public school teachers and leaders are, by the large, the most selfless, service-oriented, child-focused humans in our country. Vouchers and unfettered “school choice” tear apart our public school systems and will leave us with a system of haves and have nots. Let’s focus on efforts on equitable funding, community engagement, and ending all the ways our schools can sometimes be symptoms of a racist and unequal country.
How long is too long?
My public school district has been failing students for decades. From Cleveland.com
“Cleveland scored worse than every district but Detroit on fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math tests, with about half of the students failing to show even basic skills.”
I’m sure people from the suburbs who went to public schools are doing great. But it is not fair to any child to be stuck in this monstrosity of a school district.
Trust parents to make the right decision for their child’s education.
Sad that because of poverty they’re forced to send their children to the second worst school district in America. Sad that people think it’s okay to sacrifice children’s education for the sake of preserving a public institution that is failing them. If you lived here you wouldn’t send your kids to these schools.
Giving parents a choice is a ticket to a better education and a better future. One that many privileged white people can afford but prefer to deny to the less fortunate.
Sounds great but it is not quick enough for some children. I helped two black children get into a Lutheran school because they were having trouble at the public school. My own children and now my grandchildren attend public school, but these children would have never succeeded so quickly if they stayed in the poor public school. The children (perhaps because it was a religious school) were accepted and treated in such a kind manner that their mother cried. They no longer heard foul language and were not bullied. The vouchers (and scholarships like these children received) were a godsend and it happened over night. Your answers could take years. These two children couldn’t wait for their school to improve.
The hard reality is for years white supremacist groups have been deliberately joining police departments because they know that police get immunity if they kill someone. Think about that for a second. They have and want a license to kill. And remember – it’s ten to one. Police kill ten times as many citizens – – vs the reverse, of citizens killing police.
This comment is completely unrelated to this thread… and anyone can make ridiculous statements unsupported by facts.
For example:
“The reason so many minority children in the Cleveland public school district failed basic reading and math tests is white supremacist groups have been joining the teachers union and taking jobs to prevent communities of color from becoming successful.”
Anyone who knows police officers or teachers can tell you both statements are lies and these people care passionately for their communities but are working in a broken world and in broken systems.
THANK YOU, EHD, so much.
This is all so heartbreaking. And the fact that charges for the one officer was for shooting a wall is like pouring salt in the wound.
SO so sad about about Breonna’s passing and the pain her family must be feeling. I am also disappointed by the continued “us versus them” mentality in our country and embedded in this article. Can we not mourn a tragedy without inciting violence and unlawful arrests of police officers. Why was the decision “horrifying”? On what legal basis did these police officers commit murder? What is the definition of murder you are using and what degree? I understand that these officers had a lawful warrant to search the house and according to the Kentucky AG, knocked and announced, entered the home and were fired at. Breonna Taylor was TRAGICALLY killed by officer (s) who fired back. Are these facts incorrect?’ “Our reaction to the truth today says what kind of society we want to be. Do we really want the truth, or do we want a truth that fits our narrative?”- Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron What does justice look like in this situation? What kind of society do we want? Breonna’s death is a tragedy. It is sad and probably even evidence of changes that need to be had in police practices/ drug warrants, etc. It is not murder.… Read more »
Thank you Emily and team for posting this. I rarely comment but I always want to make sure to speak up when I know you will be getting aggressive comments from people who oppose these posts. To those people I just want to say, why are you still reading this blog? It is Emily and her team’s personal blog and they do not owe you ‘only design’ topics or posts that ‘show both sides’. Emily can use it for whatever she wants and you don’t have to read it. Or, when you see a post with this sort of topic, you can just skip it. Your hatred and poorly argued explanations are not going to suddenly convince anyone that this woman’s death was justified. Saying “the raid was legal” does not make you sound reasonable or informed, it makes you sound heartless and like the people who supported even more explicitly racist policies in the 1960s, or the 1920s, or the 1850s. Legal does not make something right. Actually be the pro-life person you claim to be when you’re arguing about the Supreme Court and recognize that a life was lost for no justified reason. I know, I’m not going… Read more »
Well said. Just go vote… on every possible level.
Since 45 has done so much for blacks (prison reform, record job creation Pre -COVID-19) His policies are Antiracist.
We will vote.
THANK YOU!!!!!
I guess you need to study up on the facts. Her boyfriend fired the first shot. The officers knocked on the door first before they entered. The officers were not even required to knock as they had a “no knock warrant”. If he did not fire the first shot, she would still be alive today. Place the proper blame on him. It’s tragic that she was killed for being at the wrong place, wrong time. Did she know her boyfriend was a wanted man? The Kentucky DA has assessed and charged the officers properly.
Her boyfriend was not a wanted man – he was/is an innocent man. Her EX boyfriend, who was nowhere near her home that night, was the one with law enforcement involvement. Important to get your facts straight – this man was protecting the person he loved from what he believed to be a break in.
And the ex cut a plea deal – so a drug dealer points the finger at his ex, saying whatever he might need to say to get his deal – – and she pays with her life.
i’m sorry, but WHAT? You are actually the one that needs to study up on the facts. Let me explain why based on your own comments. Yes, the officers knocked before entering. But they entered with a battering ram. If someone knocked on your door and then broke down your door with a battering ram, would you be cool with it because they knocked first? Also, as far as her boyfriend firing the first shot, Kentucky has a “stand your ground” law, which makes this legal. This law has worked to defend white people that have killed black children (Trayvon Martin), but for some reason is not a legal defense for a black man that is shooting at unknown plain clothes officers BREAKING IN in the middle of the night. Also, her boyfriend was not a wanted man. Her EX boyfriend was, and was already in police custody when all of this happened. If your family member was killed because of the crimes of their ex, would that be justifiable? Also, how could she be in the wrong place at the wrong time? She was in her OWN apartment sleeping in the middle of the night. How was any of… Read more »
THANK YOU – that’s all I can say.
Thank you for using your space to address this injustice. I have followed you, Emily, for many, many years but never or only very rarely been moved to comment. I had to today. This is so important.
I’m glad that the discussion about racial injustice in America continues, but I wish that after learning the facts about Breonna Taylor’s death that we could understand that charging a police officer that returned fire on an unknown assailant is also not just. The system tragically and horrifically failed Breonna, but that doesn’t mean the best response is to arrest a police officer or violently protest destroying private homes or small businesses. Lets support, get involved, and set expectations for police, legal, educational, etc reforms in America; the conversation must continue, but insisting on the arrest of a police officer who was shot in the leg and returned fire isn’t the best focus of this nation….lets use this frustration for good and not a witch hunt.
Holding police legally responsible for profoundly stupid and lethal conduct is far from a “witch hunt.” They should never have been there in the first place!
Perhaps I wasn’t clear or used inappropriate language that indicated dissent, but my true point is that a lack of police arrest isn’t a failure of a good necessary and important movement, because an arrest isn’t true justice, but sweeping legal and police reform is. Preventing those cops from ever showing up on another doorstep like Breonna’s again is the justice I am fighting for with my votes and money and am asking others to join.
This will probably be an unpopular comment, but I feel it’s important to get out the truth.
The problem behind the Breonna Taylor issue isn’t police officers shooting an innocent woman. The problem is that police officers are allowed, under the law, to obtain “no-knock warrants.” Because the law gave them permission to enter the apartment, they entered the apartment. You realize this had nothing to do with her being black or white, or guilty or innocent? This could happen to anyone.
If you really want to make a difference to avoid this type of incident in the future–black, white, gay, straight, whatever–petition to change the law.
Did you seriously just write that “the problem” isn’t that they shot an “innocent woman”?
I just googled “no knock warrants” and read about them. Otherwise, the person suspected has time to destroy all of the evidence. One time I drove a little girl home who was sick. There was a big pit bull right in front of her house. People told me it was so if the police came, he would bark and they would have time to get rid of drugs. I didn’t think much about it and we left. But a few months later, her family was arrested for selling drugs. I certainly don’t have all of the answers, but neither do you.
Perhaps the time has come to re-evaluate the ‘war on drugs’ – – maybe if we didn’t permit our own government to wage a war on our own citizens, we wouldn’t need no knock warrants. Here’s a thought: maybe if there were strong public schools and true economic opportunity for everyone, it wouldn’t be necessary to turn to dealing (or taking) drugs. Maybe if the US were not outspending every other industrialized country on military spending, we’d have some money for healthcare, so people wouldn’t self-medicate with illicit drugs? Maybe we need to stop accepting that the way we’ve always done things is OK. Because it’s not.
Are you also mourning the police who have died, the innocents killed by gangs? Please stick to what you do best, decorating. Stay out of politics.
That’s super rude. I’m assuming your job doesn’t involve the criminal justice system. Based on that, do you stay out of politics or any other thing that doesn’t involve you. Should people only share their opinions if their job is involved? Emily is a designer with opinions and passions that extend outside that box. Like all human beings.
As far as the first part of your comments, when those police officers are killed, do their killers get off scot free? If so, please go start a protest immediately. But only if it is related to your career field.
You’re a demeaning little biddy Debbie, aren’t you.
1. The knock on the door was at 2am. If they were asleep, they may not have heard it. 2. If someone comes crashing through your door at 2am raising a ruckus, your first thought is ‘intruder’ followed by ‘danger’ followed by, ‘where’s my gun?’ 3. In our culture, everyone and their brother is allowed to own a gun for self defense of their home. That’s what the boyfriend was doing, protecting his loved ones. Did he shoot first – maybe, maybe not. But if he did it was justified. 4. What you don’t expect is for the intruder to be the police. 5. Breonna may or may not have known that her ex was using her address. We’ll never know because she’s dead. And if the ex was doing so, that was largely out of her control. After all, I can put any address I want on any form I want. 6. Police are for law-enforcement. We have other entities that are in charge of trying cases and executing the guilty. But all too often police are judge, jury and executioner. 7. We have militarized the local police. They get hand me down military gear, SWAT teams are in… Read more »
Emily & team,
I have followed your blog for some time now, & until today have never posted..
Today I simply want to say thank you to all of you for sharing yourselves so completely & openly, not just in the arena of creating beauty, but in the ongoing hard work of becoming a better human!
It takes immense courage to share with others when we feel unsure, are feeling vulnerable or are parsing great concerns, and you have chosen to invite the world along on your journey.
It takes even greater courage to create space to hear what others have to say..so thank you!
Your honesty, humility & grace is truly beautiful!
PS. Privilege does not mean wealth. If you are white, by virtue of the color of your skin, you have not faced the constant drip-drip-drip of daily injustice, daily racism etc that people of color experience routinely. Here’s an example: when I get pulled over for speeding, all I wonder is how much the ticket is going to cost me. When a black person gets pulled over for speeding, it’s a good outcome when nobody dies.
Thank you, Sally!
Donated, did lots of listening, made calls today. Thanks for helping me channel my feelings productively today.
Thank you, Emily and co, for using your voices to support Black lives.
Your comments seem so biased to me. You do not know the facts any more than me and seem so sure that these policemen should be arrested and that the investigation is tainted. The one policeman who was shot said something like this yesterday, “We do not care what race they are….we are after the bad guys.” Breanna Taylor once lived with a drug dealer for some time. She once had a body in a car that she rented. The police have photos of her standing in front of the believed drug site and looking around. Her ex-boyfriend said in a recorded phone call from jail that she was “handling his money.” He was seen picking up a package at her house and then heading to what they believe was his drug site. He sent packages to her house even recently. She talked regularly to the drug dealer while he was in jail. A witness in another apartment heard the police announce that they were there. No, she didn’t deserve to die because of her association with him, but the police had a reason to go to her house. How many of you would be brave enough to go to… Read more »
I am so used to being able to edit and I noticed I should have “anymore than I.”
Considering the drug dealer they were concerned about did not live there and had already been arrested, the police officers put themselves in unnecessary danger. They come off more as hotheaded then brave. Putting yourself and other in unnecessary danger is not laudable, it’s despicable and should not be accepted in a police force.
Thank you Emily. Such an awful, tragic situation. Thank you for speaking to it.
I have tried to read all of the comments. I see some important points made by both sides of the discussion. The public will probably never know all of the information provided to the grand jury that helped them make their decision. I am a bit surprised at why so many people didn’t see this coming. When a city makes a settlement prior to the grand jury’s decision that often means they knew what the facts were to be presented. When a city starts boarding up and blocking entrances to government buildings prior to the announcement you have to assume they know what is coming. The one thing I haven’t seen in this discussion is how you can really find out what is going on out there in public safety. Find out what you have to do to be able to do a ride out with your local police department. Ask if they allow people to visit and observe what goes on in a dispatch center when trying to obtain information from callers. When you do a ride out ask if you can ride with a black police officer and preferably a female. Listen to their hearts and what they… Read more »
Breonna Taylor’s death is a tragedy. I live in Louisville where her death has rocked our city for 6 months. But let me add a different perspective not tied just to race. Emily, you are extremely conscientious as a mother trying to guide your young children onto a successful life path. Breonna had an excellent job with a top medical center. She had so much potential. Yet she continued contact with a convicted drug dealer, a former boyfriend she had bailed out of jail on several occasions. Her apartment was under police surveillance for several weeks because she had accepted suspicious packages that belonged to that former boyfriend. Her kind heart put her in the wrong place at the wrong time. Race didn’t put her there. We need to do more to give future Breonnas the courage to make the right choices involving male relationships. That’s the story we need to tell, not the simple racial narrative that is destroying our cities and adding to the polarization of our
My opinion of you before April 2020: your mid-century modern taste is stale and your design advice mediocre at best. My opinion after your third complete trash political rant crapping on this great country that has allowed such a mediocre person as yourself to prosper: utterly unimpressive, snorer. Do you have anything of value to add? Do you mindlessly follow the drum of BLM? Here’s some good advice: (1) stick to throw pillows, (2) work on an internal monologue that doesn’t revolve around postmodern critical race theory, and (3) get your facts straight before you lose anyone who could afford to pay for your services. When your butt is sore from sitting on your high horse and going nowhere, try googling “Breonna Taylor” warrant, go past The NY Times, The Atlantic, USA Today, until you get to a source that talks about real evidence, like leaked documents and the actual warrant. Then maybe, just maybe, if you do 2-3 above you will start to see that EVERYTHING BLM tells you is a lie! (1) the police executed a warrant at the wrong location for the wrong person. Lie! Breonna’s name and apartment were on the warrant because after lengthy surveillance… Read more »
Wow. The beginning of your comment was so rude. If you don’t like her design, why are you even reading her blog?
Aw, bless your heart, Leticia Owens. It really says something about you that you read and give advice to a blog you describe as stale, mediocre and utterly unimpressive. The fact that you show concern for EHD losing income from “anyone who could afford to pay for your services” is something else. My favorite part of your post was the all-important question “Do you have anything of value to add?” You should ask that a LOT, out loud, and to yourself.
Very well said. I am so tired of “influencers” and celebrities fanning the flames of social injustice, only to return to their gated communities and their 150K kitchens equipped with pebble ice makers. Your hypocrisy is galling. Donating to BLM bail fund is irresponsible and lacking in compassion for business owners who are losing everything due to rioting, not to mention those who are getting hurt or killed. And this is your response to racial injustice? How about you and your staff get out there and protest? Protest with your expensive ruffled shirts and three-hundred dollar shoes and see how works with the crowd. The ONLY point I do not agree with in the above comment is for you to stay in California. I live in Lake Arrowhead and we have an onslaught of people moving here from L.A. to escape the chaos. Chaos created by a drunk on power democratic mayor and a governor who thinks he is God. Good luck in selling your multi-million dollar “beloved” L.A. home. What a joke. One would have to be a fool to move there right now. Lastly, I started reading your blog when I googled mountain house and Lake Arrowhead. I… Read more »
Wow – so much vitriol. It is truly baffling why some folks choose to spend their time reading through (and responding to!) a blog with content they don’t value authored by designers they don’t agree with or respect. You know better? Start your own blog.