Breonna Taylor petition draws 10M signatures, second-highest in Change.org history
Taylor's death in a police raid on March 13 has generated protests for months
Breonna Taylor’s death has been the impetus for demonstrations worldwide along with the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, all of which happened within the span of four months this year.
Taylor was killed in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment when police conducted a no-knock raid to search for drugs. It was alleged she was receiving packages for an ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, who was a suspected drug dealer.
Taylor was shot and killed when police came to her home she shared with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. He thought the couple was being robbed, shot at the undercover officers, wounding one. Walker had a legally registered weapon and called 911 to report the intrusion.
As reported by NBC News, the Change.org petition created to seek justice in her case was signed by 10 million people, the second-highest in the site’s history. Started by law student Lorelei HoJay, the petition, entitled “Justice for Breonna Taylor” sought an investigation four months after her death.
The petition was directed to President Donald Trump, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and state Attorney General Daniel Cameron among others.
Ten million signatures are the site’s second-highest after the 19 million who signed a petition for justice in George Floyd’s death. It’s believed that the 2 million who signed a Change.org for Colorado man Elijah McClain, who died after being placed in a carotid hold by Aurora police, helped bring new attention to his death which is now under investigation.
Read More: Ex-Justice Department lawyer will lead Elijah McClain probe
One of the officers involved in Taylor’s death, Brett Hankison, who fired the fatal shots has been terminated for misconduct. Two others, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, remain on the force on administrative duty.
The petition called for the firing and arrest of the officers and said that their pensions should be revoked.
Those demonstrations helped raise awareness about the case which was initially little known outside of Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor was the subject, although not the target, of a no-knock raid executed by the Louisville police department.
The raid was approved as it was believed that Taylor was accepting packages for Glover. As is turns out, the U.S. postal inspector in Louisville said no packages of interest were delivered to Taylor’s address.
Read More: Officer Brett Hankison fired for misconduct during Breonna Taylor shooting
Unbeknownst to the responding officers, the target of the investigation had already been arrested and Taylor, according to postal authorities, had not received anything illegal.
No drugs were found at Taylor’s home. Her family is currently suing the Louisville police department officers involved for wrongful death. After public pressure, Cameron is now investigating the case.
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