A Few Reflections on the Death of Breonna Taylor

“Yes, racism does exist. Yes, Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy. However, Breonna Taylor’s tragic death is not rooted in racism.”

A grand jury decision was made concerning the death of Breonna Taylor. Before the decision was even released on September 23rd, many already anticipated what the decision would be, and Louisville, Kentucky mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency. Ever since the death of Taylor, many have cried out for justice. Yet justice—at least, legally—has taken place, and now there are new protests that have erupted, and more chaos has ensued in what has already been an incredibly tumultuous year. What I have noticed in incidents involving officers firing shots and black Americans is that the mainstream media and celebrities (from LeBron James on down) continue to push a narrative that black Americans should (and do) live in fear of being killed by police simply due to the color of our skin. Buzzwords like “police officer,” “shot,” and “black person” are thrown around, and many on the Left eat up this narrative insatiably. Look at the recent incidents of Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Daniel Prude, Deon Kay, and Ricardo Munoz. The necessity to prove truth and facts has decreased, and the importance of feelings has readily taken its place.

With the death of Taylor, many all over the political spectrum sincerely believe that her loss is a tragedy. It is. Conservative political pundit Ben Shapiro, as well as conservative comedian and YouTuber Steven Crowder have stated this. But as Shapiro indicated in his video, “Not all tragedies are crimes, and not all crimes have to do with racism.” While this is no profound statement, this is a fundamental truth that must be accepted by all sides. Yes, racism does exist. Yes, Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy. However, Breonna Taylor’s tragic death is not rooted in racism.

A search warrant was being executed on Taylor’s apartment in connection with a drug case. Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, fired first on police after the officers announced themselves. It was previously believed by many—including myself—at one point that a “no-knock” warrant was executed. However, the warrant was not executed as such, and police did announce themselves, a point that has been corroborated by a civilian witness. Walker claimed that he did not hear any announcement, and that was his reason for firing his legally-owned weapon. The man that police were looking was named Jamarcus Glover, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend and a convicted drug trafficker. So why were they at Taylor’s address?

Glover had close ties with Taylor in the years and months leading up to her death, including mail addressed to Glover being at Taylor’s apartment; Glover using Taylor’s phone number and home address; Taylor allegedly handling Glover’s money; Taylor allowing Glover to drive her rental car (which had a dead body in it); and exchanging “I Love You’s” over the telephone. Would Taylor still be alive had she not maintained that relationship with Glover? I would say “Yes,” but I digress.