Breonna Taylor’s Family to Receive $12 Million Settlement From City of Louisville

[Morrison71]

Breonna Taylor’s Family to Receive $12 Million Settlement From City of Louisville (Published 2020)

In the aftermath of the botched police raid in which Ms. Taylor was killed, the city also agreed to institute changes aimed at preventing future deaths by officers.

www.nytimes.com

Besides the multimillion-dollar settlement, among the highest to be awarded in a police killing in recent years, the city has also agreed to institute a number of changes in policing. They will impose more scrutiny on officers during the execution of search warrants, like the one that precipitated the death of Ms. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, and make mandatory safeguards that were common practice in the department but were not followed the night of the March 13 raid.

Ms. Taylor died after her boyfriend said he mistook police officers for an intruder, as they rammed in the door of her apartment after midnight to execute a search warrant. He fired his handgun, striking one of the officers, setting off a response in which a torrent of bullets sliced through Ms. Taylor’s apartment and two adjoining ones, leaving her bleeding in her hallway. There was no effort to render her aid, as the officers outside scrambled to get an ambulance for the wounded officer.

 

[Dr. Spaceman]

I don't understand not rendering aid.

 

[Nipigu]

I don't understand not rendering aid.

Breonna Taylor was briefly alive after police shot her. But no one tried to treat her

For several minutes after police shot her, Breonna Taylor was coughing before she died, according to her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker.

www.courier-journal.com

 

[lucas80]

I don't understand not rendering aid.

Had to huddle up and coordinate their testimony.

 

[Urohawk]

This is a terrible tragedy but I don't think Breonna Taylor as has anything to do with the BLM movement, systemic racism, or police racism. At best it's a case against no knock warrants, serving them after midnight, and the over militarization of police.

They were going after her boyfriend for the warrant and he opened fire when they barged through the door. When a cop got hit in a hail of bullets, they returned fire, and she was hit in the crossfire. That scenario could play out in any home in the US.

 

[Urohawk]

I don't understand not rendering aid.

I imagine they secured the suspect. Then made sure there were no other threats in the house. Then they tended to their downed officer. Finally, she would be left and perhaps she was already dead.

 

[B1GDeal]

I imagine they secured the suspect. Then made sure there were no other threats in the house. Then they tended to their downed officer. Finally, she would be left and perhaps she was already dead.

uhh... except her boyfriend had a permit for his weapon and wasn't the person they were searching for. He simply fired at the people kicking in their door in the middle of the night unannounced. The guy they were actually looking for was actually already in custody.

 

[Fluffles]

The subsequent coverup is one of the most egregious displays of police corruption and protectionism, in recent memory. Without public outcry, absolutely nothing would have been addressed, much less compensation given to the family. Unfortunately, the tax payers are paying for the misconduct.

 

[lr1007]

This is a terrible tragedy but I don't think Breonna Taylor as has anything to do with the BLM movement, systemic racism, or police racism. At best it's a case against no knock warrants, serving them after midnight, and the over militarization of police.

They were going after her boyfriend for the warrant and he opened fire when they barged through the door. When a cop got hit in a hail of bullets, they returned fire, and she was hit in the crossfire. That scenario could play out in any home in the US.

I'm not sure about some of what you wrote, but I could be wrong.

I think the boyfriend they were after was elsewhere.

The one who fired the shot was another boyfriend.

A terrible tragedy and I'm glad her family was compensated, although money does not replace a loved one

 

[z_ape]

The subsequent coverup is one of the most egregious displays of police corruption and protectionism, in recent memory. Without public outcry, absolutely nothing would have been addressed, much less compensation given to the family. Unfortunately, the tax payers are paying for the misconduct.

Nevermind Taylor and her family...

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

This is a terrible tragedy but I don't think Breonna Taylor as has anything to do with the BLM movement, systemic racism, or police racism. At best it's a case against no knock warrants, serving them after midnight, and the over militarization of police.

They were going after her boyfriend for the warrant and he opened fire when they barged through the door. When a cop got hit in a hail of bullets, they returned fire, and she was hit in the crossfire. That scenario could play out in any home in the US.

Agreed. ^ No knock raids need to be EXTREMELY rare and reserved only for suspected criminals that are an imminent danger to others...not petty drug dealers. Even then, they need to have clear approval from more than one authority. There are plenty of ways to apprehend bad guys...busting into their homes armed to the teeth is just asking for such an outcome.

 

[Urohawk]

I'm not sure about some of what you wrote, but I could be wrong.

I think the boyfriend they were after was elsewhere.

The one who fired the shot was another boyfriend.

A terrible tragedy and I'm glad her family was compensated, although money does not replace a loved one

You might be right. My point is that I am just sick of it being used as an example of racial injustice. My point if anyone opens fire and hits a cop they are going to have a hail of bullets fired back at them. Unfortunately she was an innocent bystander.

 

[Urohawk]

Agreed. ^ No knock raids need to be EXTREMELY rare and reserved only for suspected criminals that are an imminent danger to others...not petty drug dealers. Even then, they need to have clear approval from more than one authority. There are plenty of ways to apprehend bad guys...busting into their homes armed to the teeth is just asking for such an outcome.

Can't disagree with this one bit.

 

[lucas80]

This is a terrible tragedy but I don't think Breonna Taylor as has anything to do with the BLM movement, systemic racism, or police racism. At best it's a case against no knock warrants, serving them after midnight, and the over militarization of police.

They were going after her boyfriend for the warrant and he opened fire when they barged through the door. When a cop got hit in a hail of bullets, they returned fire, and she was hit in the crossfire. That scenario could play out in any home in the US.

Taylor's name has been at the top of the BLM movement, and there has been a lot of push to keep this story going to prevent her death from being swept under the rug. I would argue that Taylor is far more likely to have been the victim of a no knock warrant gone awry than you or I. That's where the racism and class distinctions come into play.

 

[Morrison71]

You might be right. My point is that I am just sick of it being used as an example of racial injustice. My point if anyone opens fire and hits a cop they are going to have a hail of bullets fired back at them. Unfortunately she was an innocent bystander.

I’m just sick of cops getting away with murder and never being charged and convicted.

 

[West Duval Nole]

So is justice served with the payout or were some police officers supposed to be arrested?

 

[Nipigu]

I imagine they secured the suspect. Then made sure there were no other threats in the house. Then they tended to their downed officer. Finally, she would be left and perhaps she was already dead.

I’d say so. A team can attend the downed officer while the main team continues to secure the house then render aid to casualties. Nothing shocking about that.

Apparently she was dead within a minute or two. While tragic I agree it was not race related.

 

[Fijimn]

You might be right. My point is that I am just sick of it being used as an example of racial injustice. My point if anyone opens fire and hits a cop they are going to have a hail of bullets fired back at them. Unfortunately she was an innocent bystander.

I think one could argue, successfully, the subsequent actions of the LPD suggest systemic racism by the department. For example, the inaccuracies in the report, the lack of information in the internal report. Further, the lack of an explanation of why the warrant was executed in the first place when, I believe, Glover (the accused) had been arrested earlier that evening. Of course, the counter is that the purported cover-up was not race based but evidence of protecting the "blue line."

 

[TJ8869]

Agreed. ^ No knock raids need to be EXTREMELY rare and reserved only for suspected criminals that are an imminent danger to others...not petty drug dealers. Even then, they need to have clear approval from more than one authority. There are plenty of ways to apprehend bad guys...busting into their homes armed to the teeth is just asking for such an outcome.

I don’t understand no-knock warrants either. If I was a police officer I wouldn’t want to enter a potentially violent suspect’s house anyway. Do a little bit of detective work and learn their movement patterns, then arrest them on neutral territory instead of walking into a death trap in the middle of the night.

 

[Nipigu]

uhh... except her boyfriend had a permit for his weapon and wasn't the person they were searching for. He simply fired at the people kicking in their door in the middle of the night unannounced. The guy they were actually looking for was actually already in custody.

While true your reply is relevant to what you quoted.

 

[Fijimn]

So is justice served with the payout or were some police officers supposed to be arrested?

I don't believe that, thus far, the only charges that have been filed were against Walker for attempted murder on a police officer. However, at least one office was dismissed and others placed on administrative leave.

 

[JMNSHO]

No knock warrants, the militarization of the police, the drug war, they cannot be separated from systemic racism, because systemic racism is how they came about. They ARE there because they were invented as apparatuses of systemic racism.

Nixon’s war on drugs was initiated to oppress political protesters and blacks. There are Nixon administration top dogs on record stating as such.

The police have been pawns in this game for decades, they have been continuouused as footsoldiers in the culture wars, for political purposes. If we want to provide them with a safer workplace, which I do, we should give them a mission not so steeped in a racist and politically motivated project to marginalize huge portions of the populace they are there to ostensibly protect and serve.

 

[Nipigu]

No knock warrants, the militarization of the police, the drug war, they cannot be separated from systemic racism, because systemic racism is how they came about. They ARE there because they were invented as apparatuses of systemic racism.

🤪

 

[JMNSHO]

🤪

Stunning takedown of my first paragraph. I take it you don’t believe my second paragraph then?

 

[Nipigu]

Stunning takedown of my first paragraph. I take it you don’t believe my second paragraph then?

I was too dizzy to read past the first paragraph.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

This is a terrible tragedy but I don't think Breonna Taylor as has anything to do with the BLM movement, systemic racism, or police racism. At best it's a case against no knock warrants, serving them after midnight, and the over militarization of police.

They were going after her boyfriend for the warrant and he opened fire when they barged through the door. When a cop got hit in a hail of bullets, they returned fire, and she was hit in the crossfire. That scenario could play out in any home in the US.

You have your facts wrong. The boyfriend they were after had been out of the picture for two years. The drug house he was suspected of using was over ten miles away. They smashed in Taylor's door in the middle of the night because they had seen his car parked there a few times and he had previously listed it as his home address. Kenneth Walker - the boyfriend who used a legal weapon to defend himself and his girlfriend - had no record and absolutely no connection to the former boyfriend.

And I'll guarantee you they don't use middle of the night, no knock warrants in the pricey part of town.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

I don’t understand no-knock warrants either. If I was a police officer I wouldn’t want to enter a potentially violent suspect’s house anyway. Do a little bit of detective work and learn their movement patterns, then arrest then on neutral territory instead of walking into a death trap in the middle of the night.

I attended the funeral of an officer killed while executing a no-knock warrant. They smashed to door down and he was, I believe, the second one through. Took a bullet right through the forehead.

 

[Urohawk]

You have your facts wrong. The boyfriend they were after had been out of the picture for two years. The drug house he was suspected of using was over ten miles away. They smashed in Taylor's door in the middle of the night because they had seen his car parked there a few times and he had previously listed it as his home address. Kenneth Walker - the boyfriend who used a legal weapon to defend himself and his girlfriend - had no record and absolutely no connection to the former boyfriend.

And I'll guarantee you they don't use middle of the night, no knock warrants in the pricey part of town.

Thanks for the information (I seriously mean that). However, that still doesn't make this racially motivated. Poor policing, issues with no-knock warrants, etc are all up for grabs. I'm just not seeing the race issue playing a major factor here.

 

[Urohawk]

Taylor's name has been at the top of the BLM movement, and there has been a lot of push to keep this story going to prevent her death from being swept under the rug. I would argue that Taylor is far more likely to have been the victim of a no knock warrant gone awry than you or I. That's where the racism and class distinctions come into play.

Is it racism or class distinctions? I don't see this much different than looking for a white meth dealer in MO. Same tactics in poor areas. Now you have a legit argument that AA make up a higher number of poor due to systemic racism, but I'm not sure she belongs in BLM.

 

[Randy Marsh]

If my family got $12M, I’d probably get shredded by bullets. That’s probably a good woodja.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Thanks for the information (I seriously mean that). However, that still doesn't make this racially motivated. Poor policing, issues with no-knock warrants, etc are all up for grabs. I'm just not seeing the race issue playing a major factor here.

It's not necessarily racial on an individual officer basis but imagine the childhood home of some drug dealer who's from a wealthy 'hood. His car has been spotted there on multiple occasions even though he now lives more then ten miles away. They suspect he's picking up packages he's having shipped to mummy's and daddy's house. Now imagine them kicking THAT door open in the middle of the night. It's the system that's at fault. And it might be more about poor vs wealthy but THAT is due to deeply entrenched systemic racism that has over decades denied minorities the same paths to building wealth that were available to white families.

 

[hexumhawk]

No knock warrants, the militarization of the police, the drug war, they cannot be separated from systemic racism, because systemic racism is how they came about. They ARE there because they were invented as apparatuses of systemic racism.

Nixon’s war on drugs was initiated to oppress political protesters and blacks. There are Nixon administration top dogs on record stating as such.

The police have been pawns in this game for decades, they have been continuouused as footsoldiers in the culture wars, for political purposes. If we want to provide them with a safer workplace, which I do, we should give them a mission not so steeped in a racist and politically motivated project to marginalize huge portions of the populace they are there to ostensibly protect and serve.

Wowzer

 

[hexumhawk]

It's not necessarily racial on an individual officer basis but imagine the childhood home of some drug dealer who's from a wealthy 'hood. His car has been spotted there on multiple occasions even though he now lives more then ten miles away. They suspect he's picking up packages he's having shipped to mummy's and daddy's house. Now imagine them kicking THAT door open in the middle of the night. It's the system that's at fault. And it might be more about poor vs wealthy but THAT is due to deeply entrenched systemic racism that has over decades denied minorities the same paths to building wealth that were available to white families.

I get what you are saying about generational wealth but I think it is used more as a crutch than a reality. Yes, the black race was put in an economic tough spot generations ago but that doesnt translate to modern day America. As we know, 99.8 percent of the country is in the same economic boat with the same opportunities as all of the wealth lies with less than half of a percent of the population. There are a ton of white people that are poor just like black people. Look at the national average for debt and savings for the last 40-50 years of the majority of Americans.

 

[JMNSHO]

Wowzer

Do you deny the fact that Nixon selected drug law enforcement as a weapon against “hippies and blacks”? (His words)

Do you deny the fact that no knock warrants, SWAT teams, etc proliferated largely as a feature of drug law enforcement?

Do you deny the fact that police do not make the laws, they simply enforce them?

 

[NoleATL]

This is a terrible tragedy but I don't think Breonna Taylor as has anything to do with the BLM movement, systemic racism, or police racism. At best it's a case against no knock warrants, serving them after midnight, and the over militarization of police.

They were going after her boyfriend for the warrant and he opened fire when they barged through the door. When a cop got hit in a hail of bullets, they returned fire, and she was hit in the crossfire. That scenario could play out in any home in the US.

Here's an old article where both cases are presented... against no knock warrants and the fact that minorities are disproportionately impacted.

 

[Legend12]

uhh... except her boyfriend had a permit for his weapon and wasn't the person they were searching for. He simply fired at the people kicking in their door in the middle of the night unannounced. The guy they were actually looking for was actually already in custody.

Jamarcus Glover was not already in custody at the time of the incident, he was arrested during the series of warrants being executed that morning.

 

[seminole97]

I don't understand not rendering aid.

A cop was shot.
I remember years ago when those guys dressed up in Kevlar body suits and robbed a bank. Shot lots of cops (none died), and the cops let the one who survived the shoot out bleed to death in the street while holding an ambulance a block away.
Not saying it’s right, but they tend to not bring cop shooters into custody.

 

[Legend12]

You have your facts wrong. The boyfriend they were after had been out of the picture for two years. The drug house he was suspected of using was over ten miles away. They smashed in Taylor's door in the middle of the night because they had seen his car parked there a few times and he had previously listed it as his home address. Kenneth Walker - the boyfriend who used a legal weapon to defend himself and his girlfriend - had no record and absolutely no connection to the former boyfriend.

And I'll guarantee you they don't use middle of the night, no knock warrants in the pricey part of town.

Breonna Taylor's family attorney stated they had dated up until mid-February of this year.

 

[lucas80]

Random thoughts.
1. We have been slightly overwhelmed by cases this summer, but I think the Taylor case involves the possibility of missing body cam footage. In a picture it appears that one of the officers is wearing a body camera, yet the police chief immediately said there was no footage. Why would you put on a piece of equipment like that and not use it?
2. A staggering percentage of these no knock warrants end in nothing being found. Something like 70 percent.j
3. As to not rendering aide to Taylor, and to helping the cop first. Go to the person who needs it the most, first.
4. I don't know how well it's been discussed, but the cops shot the f*** up out of that apartment. There were bullet casings all over the place, and bullets went through walls into other apartments, and also out into common areas of the apartment complex. Yes, there was gunfire coming from the boyfriend, but there needs to be a transparent review into the tactical decisions those officers made. Edit: It still hasn't been released as to who shot the officer. The initial report was the boyfriend, but I won't believe it until the full report with ballistics is released.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

I get what you are saying about generational wealth but I think it is used more as a crutch than a reality. Yes, the black race was put in an economic tough spot generations ago but that doesnt translate to modern day America. As we know, 99.8 percent of the country is in the same economic boat with the same opportunities as all of the wealth lies with less than half of a percent of the population. There are a ton of white people that are poor just like black people. Look at the national average for debt and savings for the last 40-50 years of the majority of Americans.

No...not "generations ago". Forty and fifty years ago black Americans were being denied access to federal loans based on their race. Explicitly. Seventy years ago, if you bought a house in Levitttown after WWII it cost you, perhaps, $8K. Easily within reach for anyone with a middle class job and especially if you were a veteran with GI Bill benefits. Those benefits were denied to millions of black veterans. Period. The educational benefits of the GI Bill were similarly denied. That's the parents and grandparents of this generation. Those avenues to wealth were explicitly absent if you were black.

Those $8K houses are, today, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The wealth they generated has paid for the education of and has been passed down to their children and grandchildren creating a racial wealth gap that is enormous. Black families have less than 5% of the wealth of white families thanks, primarily, to the actions of the govt.