A few weeks ago, Jon and I sat down to read the play by play of what happened the night of Breonna Taylor’s death and the background of the three officers that used their weapons against her. Two of the three officers are still working, and I wanted to understand why. Why was only one fired? Why not the others? What happened that night? What was their assignment? I wanted to read for myself before I reached out to the leaders involved in decision making again.

We read this minute-by-minute account of the whole incident (details have since changed and a fact check article is included in a hyper-link below), and this article about the three officers who fired their guns. Weeks later, I grow frustrated with how different articles say different things. I wish the reading gave me clarity and answers to why the officers weren’t (at the very least) fired, why the mistakes made during the operation aren’t a big deal to anyone in leadership, why it took so long for us to hear about Breonna’s death, or why it has taken so long for a glimpse of accountability to appear.

Our reading did however affirm the action I had already taken in calling leaders involved and caused me to reach out to leadership again. It also moved Jon to action toward justice as well.  

Here are a few new things that I learned from my most recent reading:

• No one tried to help her. Breonna was an ER Tech. An essential worker herself. 
• The paperwork did not have any record of injury or death.

Someone Jon and I have a lot of respect for was in a leadership position with a company that he had worked for his entire career (the man is now in his mid-50s). Someone under his leadership was lying about money, fudging the numbers, but for years the accounts looked in check. Our friend wasn’t involved and had no idea at the time, but it happened under his leadership. And because of his title, he was held accountable. Those supervising him said that someone would have to be held responsible and since it happened under his watch he would lose his job. It was such a bummer. He had to find an entire new job and in some ways start over as a much older adult. 

In most jobs, when you don’t act responsibly, you don’t complete the proper paperwork (especially legal documents), or your carelessness leads to deeper loss, then there is accountability. Otherwise the very thing may happen again. 

We put leaders in charge to be a voice of the people. Please reach out to leaders, send letters, and find petitions that you agree with and sign them. I’m not asking you to blindly call or sign something that you aren’t educated about. Be intentional throughout the whole process – in reading, praying, and acting.  

There is another part of this story that I also find frustrating and disturbing. It’s the lack of accountability within the reporting. I want to do better about encouraging others to take action. Not as an emotional response or as a trendy way to get likes on Instagram. I want to inform by relaying reputable resources to my readers. But, how can I do that well when reporting differs between sources and within sources? I fear in sharing this with you all that you may discount the urgency of speaking up for justice for Breonna. But my belief that these men should be fired still stands on my conviction that accountability is necessary for people with such influential jobs. And innocent life was lost without any care. But there should also be accountability for those reporting on these events. I found articles written from the same newspapers that had contradicting facts – “Breonna and Kenneth were sleeping.” They weren’t sleeping. Reporters must do a better job in researching. Be upfront if something changes and keep reporting. How can I trust and act or encourage others if the tiny, easy facts don’t align from the same reporters? Then, today, I was looking over this post again and rereading some facts. I came across another contradiction. This was written in the Los Angeles Times: “She and her boyfriend met for a steak dinner and then drove home to her southside neighborhood, where they fell into bed and turned on “Freedom Riders,” a documentary about the 1960s civil rights movement.” On the other hand, this was written in The Courier Journal: “Walker tells investigators that he and Taylor had gone to Texas Roadhouse for dinner that night, the first that she had off from work in a few days, before getting back to her apartment and watching “Freedom Writers.” Two completely different movies. Does it matter what they watched? No. Does it matter where and how you’re getting your facts? Yes. How do I know the rest of what you are saying is accurate?

It’s a tiny detail, but when we are relying on these details, they matter. You can’t just fill in the blanks. You leave it blank. You don’t report what you don’t know. It’s happened often in this story. Breonna and Kenneth were asleep when police came…then they were awake. Breonna was an EMT, but then we found out at the time of the incident she was an ER tech. None of these discredit what happened or put less need for accountability on the police department. But the media needs to be held accountable for what they report as well. It’s a disservice to Breonna and her family. Stop filling in blanks, because when you keep changing the story, it undermines the truth that needs to be told. It muddies the waters. It makes it difficult for others to advocate and makes it difficult for others to trust. And it doesn’t help the victims, Breonna or her family. 

Let’s do what we can to honor Breonna’s life, in her death, by honoring her family and other people of color who live in a world where this is too common. And, by all means, we must continue to pray for her family, the officers involved, those reporting on the events, politicians who are trying to create fair laws around policing, the leaders making decisions, and our intentions and actions in responding to convictions. Prayer and actions can and should go hand in hand. 

-k