Reality Check, Courtesy of Breonna Taylor

Posted on October 3, 2020 By Paula Parisi Law

These days, when I start to feel sorry for myself, I invoke the memory of Breonna Taylor and her family, and realize I have nothing to complain about. Whatever concerns of unfair play, injustice and random displays of inequitably applied brute force melt to insignificance when I contemplate the 26-year-old emergency medical technician awakened from bed at approximately 12:40 a.m. to be shot to death by three strangers who forcibly invaded her home.

The strangers, three police officers, apparently felt their badges entitled them to engage in reckless violence, and it seems the community agrees. It is an outrage that of the trio that trespassed into this woman’s home, only one faces charges:  three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment of neighbors. Excuse my outrage, but how the %#@& does that make sense? Don’t bother trying to answer, because under any circumstances, it does not.

Some of my white friends have commented derisively on my support of Black Lives Matter. African Americans are treated fairly, they argue. Look at the success of so many Black performers. The gist of their argument seems to be this is about a race wanting to be coddled. It’s hard to fathom the human capacity for denial.  I make no apologies. For those who don’t like my POV (or masked profile pic) I suggest finding new friends.

Apparently racism — not just the garden-variety type, but virulent racism — is alive and well. Commenting as to my shock an outrage over the (current, though hopefully not perpetual) lack of justice for Breonna Taylor. “Kentucky is very racist,” commented an associate who owned property in neighboring Ohio, where the Cincinnati Airport serves Louisville. “I got a ride to the airport from a cab driver who was open about being KKK, and seemed to want to recruit me.” Ugh! How can this exist in the 21st century?

Releasing the Grand Jury audio is a good first step toward uncovering who is covering up for whom. Because somebody must pay. It’s inconceivable that Ms. Taylor’s family must simply suck it up for an insufficient civil settlement that doesn’t actually hold anyone accountable for the atrocity that took place.

Ben Crump, an attorney for Taylor’s family, slammed the grand jury’s decision, saying all three officers should face murder charges. I agree, and  if not them, someone. Whoever architected the framework under which these three officers felt justified to behave so savagely — the person or persons in charge — are urged to fall on their sword. There must be accountability. Power unchecked is a dangerous thing, as we see, and have seen throughout history.

Are we a moral society? Or just a slightly prettied-up version of Lord of the Flies? I’m an Old Testament gal, an eye for an eye. I also like to look to Shakespeare for justice. It’s too bad in real life the endings aren’t quite so tidy. Of course I don’t condone the random killing of police whose only offense is wearing the uniform. But make no mistake, whoever is protecting the corrupt system that prevents justice from being done in the murder of Breonna Taylor has the blood of every assassinated officer on their hands as surely as they do Taylor’s.  No justice, no peace.

I used to fend off pity-parties by thinking of the citizens of Syria, and telling myself no matter what else may be going wrong, at least I don’t live in a country where the government barrel bombs the populace with chemical weapons. I mean, things may be crappy, but c’mon, they’re not that bad. Now, it seems they kind of are. The insidious government-sanctioned violence that has crept into American society seems a less obvious but in its way equal threat.

Well, Breonna Taylor, thank you for helping me put my problems in perspective. Thank you for your work as an EMT. Thank you for helping to open people’s eyes. The last emergency you’ve tended is a huge one and will have lasting impact. Thank you, Breonna Taylor. RIP.

Breonna Taylor, Kentucky, social justice