>>> 176, THAT’S HOW MANY DAYS
>>> 176, THAT’S HOW MANY DAYS
HAVE PASSED SINCE BREONNA TAYLOR
WAS KILLED BY LOUISVILLE,
KENTUCKY, POLICE.
ACTIVISTS ARE UNDETERRED.
THEY CONTINUE TO DO THEIR LEVEL
BEST TO GET JUSTICE FOR THE LATE
26-YEAR-OLD.
PROTESTERS WILL DECENT ON THE
CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK TODAY,
THE SITE OF THIS WEEKEND’S
KENTUCKY DERBY AND ALSO THE SITE
WHERE THEIR CAUSE WILL GET THE
MOST NOTICE.
MEANWHILE, THE CASE HAS
DEVELOPED ON MULTIPLE FRONTS.
THIS WEEK, KENTUCKY’S ATTORNEY
GENERAL ANNOUNCED THAT HE
RECEIVED THE BALLISTICS REPORT
FROM THE SHOOTING BUT HE HAS NOT
YET REVEALED ITS FINDINGS OR
WHAT THEY MAY MEAN FOR THE
INVESTIGATION.
VICE NEWS ALSO REPORTING THAT
NEW PHOTOS SHOW AT LEAST ONE OF
THE OFFICERS WHO BURST INTO
TAYLOR’S HOME THAT NIGHT WAS
WEARING A BODY CAMERA
CONTRADICTING STATEMENTS FROM
LOUISVILLE POLICE WHO SAID
NARCOTICS OFFICER DON’T WEAR
THEM ON THE JOB.
THIS ALSO COMES AS A FORMER
BOYFRIEND TELLS THE LOUISVILLE
COURIER ZWLAURNL POLICE
COURIER THAT POLICE TRIED TO GET
HIM TO SIGN A WAIVER TO
IMPLICATE HER IN A CRIME
SYNDICATE.
HE POSTED A PHOTO ON SOCIAL
MEDIA OF WHAT HE SAYS WAS THE
PLEA DEAL THAT HAD THE POLICE
TRIED TO SMEAR HER PAINTING HER
AS A FELON AFTER HER DEATH.
IT’S UNBELIEVABLE.
THEY TRIED TO USE HER AS A
SCAPEGOAT FOR HER OWN DEATH.
TAYLOR’S CASEnd AT ENSUING
CONTROVERSY IS A NEW DOCUMENTARY
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" PRESENT THE
KILLING OF BREONNA TAYLOR.
IT SHEDS EVEN MORE LIGHT ON THE
EGREGIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES OF HER
DEATH.
HERE’S A SNIP.
>> WELL WHERE’S BREONNA?
I NEED TO SEE BREONNA?
>> I TOLD THEM HOLD ON ONE
SECOND, I’M NOT AT LIBERTY TO
SAY ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED.
THEN I WENT TO GO GET I
DETECTIVE AND THEY WENT AND
SPOKE TO BREONNA’S FAMILY AT
THAT POINT IN TIME.
>> IT WAS ABOUT 11:00 IN THE
MORNING WHEN HE COMES BACK OVER
AND SAYS THEY WERE ALMOST DONE.
AND I SAID, OKAY, THAT’S FINE,
BUT WHERE IS BREONNA?
AND THAT’S WHEN HE SAID, WELL,
MA’AM, SHE’S STILL IN THE APARTMENT.
SO, I KNEW THEN WHAT THAT MEANT.
>> JOINING ME NOW, THE AWARD
WINNING DOCUMENTTARIAN WHO
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED THE BREE
OLYMPIANA TAYLOR DOCUMENTARY AND
NICOLE JONES "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" MAGAZINES AND COFOUNDER
OF THE 1619 PROJECT.
WHAT, IN THAT DOCUMENTARY, WE
HAVE A PROBLEM SAYING
HER NAME.
WOMEN WHO GET SHOT, WOMEN OF
COLOR IN PARTICULAR GET
FORGOTTEN.
WE CERTAINLY DON’T KNOW
COLLECTIVELY THE STORY OF THE
KILLING OF BREONNA TAYLOR.
WHAT IS IN THERE THAT YOU WANT
MOST AMERICANS TO UNDERSTAND.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME,
VELSHI.
WHAT I WANT AMERICANS TO
UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE KILLING,
THE LOSS OF THIS YOUNG WOMAN IS
NOT JUST THE LOSS TO HER FAMILY,
BUT WAS THE LOSS TO A WHOLE
COMMUNITY.
SHE WAS A DAUGHTER, SHE WAS THE
BELOVED DAUGHTER OF PALMER WHO
WE SAW IN THAT CLIP.
SHE WAS A SISTER WHO LIVED WITH
HER WHO ALSO WAS PUT IN
HARM’S -- SHE HAPPENED TO BE OUT
OF TOWN BUT SHE COULD HAVE BEEN
KILLED BECAUSE OF ALL THE
BULLETS THAT WERE IN THE
APARTMENT.
SHE WAS THE GIRLFRIEND OF KENNY
WALKER AND SO THE LOSS OF HER
WAS A LOSS OF THE -- TO THE
COMMUNITY, TO THE -- AND TO THE
CITY AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE
SEEING THESE UPRISINGS BECAUSE
IT’S NOT JUST THE LOSS OF THIS
YOUNG WOMAN AT 26 YEARS OLD BUT
WHAT SHE MEANT TO ALL THE PEOPLE
AROUND HER.
AND THAT’S WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO
UNDERSTAND.
>> AND NICOLE, IT’S SORT OF A
POINT THAT YOU’VE MADE A LOT OF
TIMES WHETHER IT’S ABOUT SAYING
HER NAME OR SAYING THEIR NAME
THAT THESE ARE PEOPLE AND OUR
SOCIETY DOESN’T NECESSARILY
REGISTER THEM AS PEOPLE.
THEY ARE STATISTICS, THEY ARE
ANOTHER INSTALLMENT IN A SERIES
WE’VE SEEN AND ONLY UNTIL WE SEE
THESE VICTIMS OF POLICE VIOLENCE
AS PEOPLE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT
WITH FAMILIES AND WITH
ASPIRATIONS AND WITH POTENTIAL
AND WITH A FUTURE WILL WE
REALIZE WHAT’S GOING WRONG.
>> YES, THANK YOU FOR THAT
DOCUMENTARY.
I JUST THINK IT’S SO BEAUTIFULLY
ILLUSTRATES THAT POINT.
AT THE SAME TIME, THESE SHOULD
BE UNNECESSARY.
THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO PROVE
THE HUMANITY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
KILLED BY ARMED AGENTS OF THE
STATE SPEAKS TO THE FUNDAMENTAL
ISSUE.
THE "WASHINGTON POST" JUST
RECENTLY DID AN ARTICLE THAT
SHOWED ABOUT 20% OF ALL OF THE
WOMEN WHO ARE KILLED BY POLICE
ARE BLACK WOMEN AND ABOUT 28% OF
UNARMED WOMEN WHO ARE KILLED BY
POLICE ARE BLACK WOMEN.
AND WE’VE SEEN THESE EFFORTS TO
SMEAR BREONNA TAYLOR, TO SOMEHOW
JUSTIFY HER DEATH WHICH OCCURS
AGAIN AND AGAIN, SO ONE I THINK
SHOULD BE CLEAR THAT EVEN IF YOU
HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME OR EVEN
IF YOU ARE ACCUSED OF COMMITTING
A CRIME YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE
EXECUTED BY THE POLICE IN A
COUNTRY THAT SAYS IT BELIEVES IN
DUE PROCESS, BUT WE OFTEN SEE
THIS KIND OF RETROACTIVE TRYING
TO JUSTIFY POLICE VIOLENCE BY
DRAGGING THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO
ARE KILLED THROUGH THE MUD.
SO THIS DOCUMENTARY IS A PUSHING
BACK ON THAT AND TELLING A STORY
THAT THESE LOSSES ONCE WE’VE ALL
MOVED ON, THESE FAMILIES AND
COMMUNITIES ARE STILL HAVING TO
DEAL WITH THESE LOSSES AND ON
TOP OF THAT HAVING TO DEAL WITH
THE LOSS AND DEVASTATION OF
ACHIEVING NO JUSTICE FOR THE
KILLING OF THEIR LOVED ONES.
>> CAN I JUST ADD --
>> PLEASE, GO AHEAD.
>> I JUST WANT TO ADD THE WORD
THAT WE HAVEN’T SAID YET AND THE
WORD THAT KEPT COMING BACK TO ME
IN MAKING THIS FILM IS THE
TRAUMA.
THE TRAUMA TO THE FRIENDS AND
FAMILY, TO THE CITY AND TO US AS
A PEOPLE AND I THINK AGAIN,
THAT’S WHY YOU’RE SEEING THESE
UPRISINGS BECAUSE THESE ARE
TRAUMATIC EVENTS EVEN, YOU KNOW,
WE SEE IT -- PEOPLE SEE IT ON
THE NEWS, IT FLIES BY, BUT THE
PAIN AND SUFFERING IS REALLY,
YOU KNOW, UNCAL CUE LABL.
>> DO YOU FIND THAT’S CHANGING?
THE PROTESTS ARE INDICATING THAT
AMERICANS AT LARGE, BLACK AND
WHITE, YOUNG AND OLD ARE FEELING
THIS AS THEIR TRAUMA.
THEY’RE FINALLY REGISTERING
SOMETHING THAT NICOLE TWEETED
THE OTHER DAY ON SEPTEMBER 3rd
IN WHICH SHE SAID GUILTY OR NOT,
IN A SYSTEM IF WHICH DUE PROCESS
IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FOUNDATION
THE POLICE ARE NOT JUDGE, JURY
OR EXECUTIONER, THAT WE NEED TO
NOT WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND
FIND MORE STORIES LIKE THIS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, I DO FEEL THAT THERE IS
A SHIFT IN THE FACT THAT -- I
MEAN, THESE POLICE KILLINGS HAVE
BEEN GOING ON ALL MY LIFE, ALL
MY PARENTS’ LIFE.
THIS IS NOTHING NEW AS WE KNOW.
BUT WE ARE FINDING A SHIFT IN
HOW IT IS MOTIVATING AND PEOPLE
AND HOW PEOPLE ARE
UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, WHITE
PEOPLE FOR, YOU KNOW, AND OTHER
PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS PART
OF, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PART OF
OUR REALITY AND HAS BEEN FOR A
LONG TIME AND I THINK THESE
SUSTAINED PROTESTS SHOW THAT.
NOW THE QUESTION IS WILL WE GET
REAL REFORM BECAUSE AS NICOLE
SAID, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE
ARE -- THE POLICE CAN’T BE
JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER.
EVEN IF A PERSON IS ACCUSED OF A
CRIME WHICH BREONNA WAS NOT AND
NO DRUGS OR MONEY WERE FOUND IN
HER APARTMENT EVEN THOUGH SHE,
YOU KNOW, THEY HAD THEIR REASONS
WHICH WE LAY OUT IN THE FILM FOR
GETTING THE AFFIDAVIT, WHICH IS,
YOU KNOW, CONTENDED BY -- YOU
KNOW, WHICH IS HER FAMILY, YOU
KNOW, HAS ISSUES WITH, BUT EVEN
IF THAT’S THE CASE, THERE IS A
PROCESS IN THIS COUNTRY AND THEN
YOU LOOK AT THE BIGGER ISSUE
WHICH WE TALK ABOUT TOO, THE WAR
ON DRUGS.
THIS WAS ALL IN PURSUIT OF SOME
DRUGS.
I MEAN, HOW IS A POLICY, A WAR
ON DRUG POLICY WHICH HAS
TARGETED AFRICAN AMERICANS, NOT
JUST, BUT DISPROPORTIONATELY,
HOW CAN THIS WAR ON DRUGS
POLICY, HOW CAN WE ALLOW THIS
PURSUIT OF DRUGS TO END UP IN
THE LOSS OF AN INNOCENT PERSON.
THAT MAKES NO SENSE.
>> I WISH WE HAD MORE TIME FOR
THIS CONVERSATION BUT WE WILL
MAKE MORE TIME FOR THE
CONVERSATION IN SHOWS TO COME.
THANK YOU.
THE BRUCER AND DIRECTOR OF THE
KILLING OF BREONNA TAYLOR.
