Breonna Taylor’s mother wants action, not political lip service

While President-elect Joe Biden is hard at work fulfilling promises he’s made to America by bringing diversity to his cabinet, Breonna Taylor’s mother is asking him to not forget a promise he made to families like hers.

Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by Louisville police in a botched raid in March, and her death has been front and center in the calls for racial justice and on the campaign trail.

Her mother, Tamika Palmer, penned an open letter to Biden asking him to hold police accountable once he is sworn into office.

The touching letter reads……..

Dear President-elect Joe Biden,

By now, most people in this country know my daughter Breonna Taylor’s name. Police barged into her home, unannounced, in the middle of the night, gunned her down, and killed her. Her murder sparked protests across America and inspired activists to demand accountability in policing across the nation. So far, we have seen none.

Your campaign’s stated commitments to prioritize police accountability prompted so many of us to vote this year.

For many Americans, a vote for you was a vote for Breonna, Jacob Blake, Casey Goodson and so many others who have been failed repeatedly by the criminal justice system under the current administration.  These victims could not vote for you – so millions of us did so on their behalf. Now, we need you to fight for Breonna and for the other families that have joined the sad sisterhood and brotherhood of people who have lost loved ones to police violence. Actions speak louder than words. We need your actions to show that you are different than those who pay lip service to our losses while doing nothing to show that our loved ones’ lives mattered.

This means holding true to your promises:

• Appointing people to the Department of Justice with a proven record of holding police accountable.
• Ordering the DOJ to reopen investigations into police violence not properly completed before the Obama administration ended.
• Ordering large-scale federal investigations into police shootings like that of Jacob Blake, Casey Goodson, and of course, my daughter.
• Stopping police brutality before it happens by ordering robust pattern and practice investigations into police departments known to cause harm across the country.

Earlier this year you spoke with me as a grieving mother. You assured me that you were committed to justice for Breonna. That call inspired me and gave me hope during a very dark time. Nothing can bring back my daughter, or the other individuals whose lives were senselessly harmed or lost to police violence.  We can, however, honor their legacies by holding police accountable and bringing deep change to a truly unjust system.  We fought for you. It is now your turn to fight for us.

Tamika Palmer