UPDATE:
This mosaic now belongs to Tamika Palmer, Breonna’s mom. I hope it brings her some small solace. As the mother of a daughter, I cannot imagine the pain of this loss.
I felt compelled to make this mosaic, depicting Breonna Taylor, in response to her unnecessary death due to a major misstep by police in Louisville, KY. I will leave it to you to google the story, if you are not familiar with her. The details are extremely disturbing. There is a history of this kind of police misconduct, and the victims are disproportionately black. (It has been said that more white people are killed by police, but to be clear: there are far more white people in the U.S. per capita, people of color are far more likely to be targeted.)
I chose Breonna Taylor, of the (far too) many people who have become a hashtag because her story moved me. This girl was so young, and she was working to be proactive about her future at the time of her tragic death. A lot of misinformation is being spread by people who have not actually read the reports, but Breonna had extracted herself from a dysfunctional relationship with the actual suspect (who was in custody when the police invaded her apartment.) She was an EMT in a committed relationship with her partner, thinking about a bright future, when the police broke down the door of her apartment. Her partner used his gun, believing intruders had forced their way in, and when the police fired back, Breonna was killed. There is much more information, and I urge readers to read further. The case continues to be litigated, and the police have yet to be held accountable. (The only officer charged in the case is the one who missed.)
As months have passed, I have followed the #BreonnaTaylor and #SayHerName hashtags, and I’ve been dismayed to see people using these to draw attention to themselves. I became reluctant to use it, except to keep sharing information, because I do not want to make this about me. Even sharing this mosaic, I worry that it could be interpreted as a way to co-opt the story, and that is not my goal. My intent is to keep the focus on Breonna Taylor, keep pointing people to her story and keep the pressure on the Louisville police to accept responsibility and come up with a plan to make sure nothing like this happens again.
