Singer John Legend is piling on the pressure on Kentucky lawmakers to arrest the police officers responsible for the murder of Breonna Taylor on what would have been her 27th birthday.
Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was fatally shot eight times in her own home in March (20) after police in Louisville stormed the property as part of an attempted drug sting - even though she was not the person under investigation.
It has since emerged the "no-knock warrant" granted to officers by a judge was illegally obtained, and although the three cops directly involved in her murder have been placed on administrative leave, no charges have been filed.
Taylor would have turned 27 on Friday (05Jun20), and to mark the occasion, Legend penned an op-ed for Entertainment Weekly, repeating calls for justice as he vowed to continue to honour the black women who have lost their lives to police brutality and systematic racism alongside their male counterparts.
In the article, titled, "We need to #SayHerName: Happy birthday, Breonna Taylor", Legend writes, "Now is the time for us to join together and emphatically SAY HER NAME.
"Black women created this call to action because we continue to wrongly talk about the generations-long crisis of police and vigilante violence in a gendered way, as if it only happens to Black men."
"I'm sending more than my thoughts and love and prayers to Breonna Taylor's family," he continues. "Today I use my platform to demand justice for this essential person, this woman, daughter, sister, and friend. While her loved ones need to be indeed in our prayers on this hard day, we also must commit to never stop fighting for justice in her name."
Legend goes on to condemn Louisville Metro Police Department bosses and District Attorney Thomas B. Wine, claiming they "closed ranks to protect their misconduct", failing to do right by Taylor and hold their own cops accountable for her senseless killing.
Now he wants other state and city officials to step in: "As we continue to work towards systemic change, I join Breonna's community in the immediate demand for justice: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer should finally arrest the three officers who killed Breonna and charge them with second-degree murder," he declares. "Until elected officials create consequences for egregious and fatal police misconduct, they will continue to kill us with impunity."
Legend isn't the only celebrity using his voice to demand justice for Taylor - Selena Gomez, Solange Knowles, Demi Lovato, Janelle Monae, and Billie Eilish also took to social media to call attention to the issue, while Kim Kardashian posted, "Today would have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday. She was shot and killed while sleeping in her bed. The officers have yet to be charged for her murder. Honor this #BirthdayForBreonna by visiting https://justiceforbreonna.org on more ways to help her case #SayHerName".
