(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The city of Louisville, Kentucky has unveiled a historical marker honoring the life of Breonna Taylor and the protest movement that followed her death. The historical marker was unveiled on December 28, 2022 in a private ceremony.
“Built in 1978, Jefferson Square Park memorializes first responders killed in the line of duty. In 2020, it became a rallying place for those demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman tragically killed by Louisville Metro Police serving a search warrant. Protesters called this space ‘Injustice Square Park’ and held demonstrations that drew global attention,” the historical marker reads.
“Over 2,000 U.S. cities saw racial justice protests fueled by the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and others. Locally, these demonstrations prompted police reform and policy changes to improve racial equity in the city. Many here also mourned Louisvillians David McAtee and photographer Tyler Gerth, killed in incidents related to the protests.”
The historical marker lands in Jefferson Square Park two weeks after Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, reached a $2 million settlement with the city. Walker and Taylor were at their apartment on March 13, 2020 when officers entered and let off nearly three dozen rounds. Taylor was hit multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. It is a moment in time that attorney Steve Romines says “will haunt Kenny for the rest of his life.”
“He will live with the effects of being put in harm’s way due to a falsified warrant, to being a victim of a hailstorm of gunfire and to suffering the unimaginable and horrific death of Breonna Taylor,” Romines added, per NPR.
