Protesters gather on anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Louisville and other US cities on Saturday on the one-year anniversary of the killing of Breonna Taylor. Her death became a rallying point in the Black Lives Matter protest movement across the United States and the world.

Demonstrators in Louisville, led by Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, marched through the city, calling for justice and reforms to the criminal justice system. They waved signs showing Taylor's face and chanted "Black Lives Matter" and "no justice, no peace."

Several people, including the mayor of Louisville, Taylor's boyfriend and family attorney, spoke to the crowd. "We got two different Americas. We got one for Black Americans and one for white Americans," Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Taylor's family, told protesters.

"This about our power to change this world for our children, for my daughter," said Sadiqa Reynolds, president of the Louisville Urban League. "This is so we make sure that not another person dies at the hands of the police," she added.

Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said that the police had dropped charges against him, but this is "not where we finish." 

"We got to keep going. Keep going," he said.

Louisville's mayor, Greg Fisher, said that there was still "a good deal of work ahead" in making reforms in policies and priorities.

On Saturday, US President Joe Biden said he supported reforms to get justice for Taylor.  "Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, a blow to her family, her community, and America. As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress. I remain committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law."

Little to no justice, 12 months later

A year after Taylor's death in a botched raid, only one of the three police officers who shot her has been charged for endangering her neighbors by firing into a wall.

Taylor's family has pushed for pressing "homicide" charges and called the failure to do so "outrageous."

They are now looking to a probe conducted by the FBI. "Even though the Covid pandemic presented several unexpected obstacles, FBI Louisville has made significant progress in the investigation," the field office in that city said in a statement.

am/sms (AFP, Reuters)