September 23, 2020, New York – In response to today’s announcement that only one of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor was indicted, and on a wanton endangerment charge that had nothing to do with her murder, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

The sole indictment announced today – not for the murder of Breonna Taylor, but for shots into a neighbor’s apartment  – falls dramatically short of any semblance of accountability for the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department. While no charges for the three officers involved in her killing could ever begin to address systemic deadly state violence against Black people, today’s announcement serves as a reminder that law enforcement and the state are deeply invested in the denial of justice to survivors of such violence. The meager charges announced today illuminate the urgent need to uproot systems of anti-Black racism, colonialism, and misogynoir that killed Breonna Taylor and denied her and so many others the possibility of justice. 

Over the past several months, a rising movement has again made clear that half-measures will no longer suffice, that reform is not possible, and that those in power cannot and will not hold themselves accountable. Today’s heart-wrenching announcement affirms that justice for Breonna Taylor can only come through social transformation and an end to the carceral state. We follow the guidance of Black communities around the country who have taken to the streets in defense of Black lives to call for not only defunding the police, but a total dismantling of the criminal legal system. Our solidarity is with Breonna Taylor’s family and community today.