As many Kentuckians are planning to recognize the one-year mark of the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of Louisville Metro Police Department officers, a group of Murray State University students are also working to honor her memory.
The MSU College Democrats will host a candlelight vigil Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Elizabeth Hall Amphitheater on Murray State’s campus. The group’s president, Ryan Ackermann, told WKMS the members of the College Democrats felt called to keep the spotlight on Taylor one year after her killing.
“We decided that it would be a very good thing to have a vigil for her in her memory, and honor her life,” Ackermann said.
Ackermann said he is disappointed with the perceived lack of accountability for the officers involved in Taylor’s death, especially with the actions of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. He said the miscarriage of justice makes events like the vigil even more important.
“Regarding the state government, I definitely do not believe they addressed the situation at all or addressed the outcry from their citizens across the state,” he said.
He identified Breonna’s Law as a specific example of a lack of progress. Louisville Representative Attica Scott proposed a bill banning no-knock search warrants in the commonwealth as a tribute to Taylor, who died as a result of a no-knock warrant issued by a Louisville judge to search her apartment.
Despite receiving a committee hearing, Scott’s measure was prevented from advancing to a full vote in the House chamber. A bill from Senate President Robert Stivers that would limit the practice without an outright ban is advancing through the House of Representatives after a unanimous approval vote in the Senate. Scott has criticized Stivers’s bill as not going far enough, but still voted for passage.
Other events throughout the state memorializing Taylor will include a protest at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville and a memorial caravan in Bowling Green. Ackermann said the event in Murray will take place rain or shine, and attendees are required to wear a mask.
