In honor of the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death, on Thursday over 50 radio stations paused their programming for 10 minutes, playing one of the 26-year-old's favorite songs and a message from her family instead.
It has been five months since Taylor was shot to death by three Louisville police officers who forced their way into her home on March 13. To commemorate the day, between 2 p.m. and 2:10 pm EST, radio stations in states across the country — and even Austria — took time to play one of Taylor's favorite songs, "Everything" by Mary J. Blige, and to share a message from her family, reports USA Today.
The effort was pulled together by WXOX Louisville, which worked with Taylor’s family on the event.
"On this day, we will pause our broadcast to recognize the women who were stolen from their families and loved ones far too soon. Together we will celebrate the lives of these unique individuals — recognize the pain their loss has caused their communities and use our voices to demand the justice they deserve," the Facebook event page for the commemoration said.
"In the words of Breonna’s aunt Bianca Austin, 'Justice for Breonna means an end to police brutality and social injustice. We will not tolerate this any longer. The time is NOW! So please be a part of the change and get involved,'" the statement on Facebook added.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron met with family members of Taylor on Wednesday and provided them with details about the progress of the case and the FBI's investigation.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Cameron told the family that he would notify them before anyone else about whether the state would be charging the three officers who shot Taylor to death.
As Blavity has previously reported, the public and some of the biggest stars on the planet have called for the arrest of Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and detectives Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove. But Cameron has largely sidelined the case for five months, recently battling Kentucky's Democratic governor over a statewide mask mandate.
But Taylor's family came out of the meeting on Wednesday thankful for the update and positive about Cameron's openness.
"We let him know how important it was for their office to get all the facts, to get the truth and to get justice for Breonna. We all deserve to know the whole truth behind what happened to my daughter. The attorney general committed to getting us the truth. We're going to hold him up to that commitment," said Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother.
Cameron defended the slow-moving investigation by telling Palmer and lawyers for the family that the state was waiting on the results of an FBI ballistics test and other reports that would provide more clarity on the incident.
He added that the state still needed to reinterview some of the witnesses, which lawyer Sam Aguiar said was frustrating considering the length of time since Taylor's death and the in-depth news coverage of the case.
"To the extent that those are ones the police didn't do a good job on — while I wish they'd already been done — I was pleased to hear they're getting their own versions," Aguiar told the Courier-Journal.
The FBI confirmed to the newspaper that it was doing ballistics tests and had reconstructed the shooting in its Quantico, Virginia office.
In a statement on Twitter, Cameron's office said he was "grateful today to meet with the family of Ms. Breonna Taylor, including Ms. Tamika Palmer, Ms. Juniyah Palmer, Ms. Bianca Austin, and the family's attorneys, as well as Christopher 2X from the Game Changers organization."
"The meeting provided an opportunity for Attorney General Cameron to personally express his condolences to the family. The investigation remains ongoing, and our office of Special Prosecutions continues to review all the facts in the case to determine the truth," the statement said.
The meeting provided an opportunity for Attorney General Cameron to personally express his condolences to the family. The investigation remains ongoing, and our office of Special Prosecutions continues to review all the facts in the case to determine the truth.
(2/2)
— Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) August 12, 2020
Palmer and others who attended the 45-minute meeting left feeling positive about the direction of the case.
"At the end of the day, we have to … bridge the community and the police. That starts with truth and justice," Palmer said.
At a press conference on Thursday, family lawyers spoke more about what was said during the meeting, according to CNN.
"He did not give a timeline, however, it is our position that we're not going to wait forever," she said. "We do want this resolved quickly and accurately so that Ms. Palmer and the family can get some answers as it relates to the murder of Breonna Taylor," attorney Lonita Baker said.
According to CNN, lawyers for the family also met with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and the city attorney on Wednesday, discussing the need for the three officers to be fired regardless of charges filed by the state. Hankison is the only officer who has been fired, as Blavity previously reported, and he is currently appealing the decision.
"At this point, it's bigger than Breonna. It's bigger than just Black lives. It's about bridging the gaps between us and the police. It's about bringing back the communities. It's about just being able to stand up for each other. There definitely shouldn't be another Breonna Taylor. Anywhere," Palmer said on Thursday.