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Oakland reacts to Kentucky indictment in Breonna Taylor case

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Updated  September 23, 2020 6:49pm PDT
Equity and Inclusion
KTVU FOX 2

Local reaction to Kentucky indictment in Breonna Taylor case

When George Floyd died the hands of Minnesota Police, the protests that followed pushed Breonna Taylor's case into the national spotlight. In Oakland, murals with her likeness appear in the downtown section of the city.

OAKLAND, Calif. - When George Floyd died the hands of Minnesota Police, the protests that followed pushed Breonna Taylor's case into the national spotlight.

In Oakland, murals with her likeness appear in the downtown section of the city.

The Bay Area Mural Project is behind many of the murals around the city that those behind it say carries a deeper meaning that images that grace plywood to protect buildings against damage.

“These have become the faces of the struggle for whatever reason, where they were the most brutal, whether the media has taken it and just made them the poster child. This story has been happening since the days of Emmitt Till,” said Andre "Natty Rebel" Jones, executive director of the Bay Area Mural Project.

Jones tells KTVU that he was not the least bit surprised that no officers were directly charged with Taylor's death.

Neither of Nenna Joiner, owner of Feelmore Adult Gallery on Telegraph Avenue and 17th Street, who has witnessed several protests in front of her business since they began in May.

“Hopefully, what came out of that particular situation with Breonna Taylor, that it actually gets sprinkled back down here in the form of laws and policies,” Joiner said Wednesday.

One of the officers involved in the failed raid on Taylor’s apartment was charged with first-degree endangerment tied to bullets that pierced a neighborhood apartment.

Bay Area Civil right attorney, John Burris, called the decision to not charge the officer with Taylor’s death is insulting.

“They created this confrontational situation and ultimately you can call it negligence for their failure to do due diligence, but they should be responsible because it was their activity, their negligence, their failure to exercise due diligence that ultimately resulted in this homicide taking place,” said Burris.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr chimed in and said, "It's a matter of humanity. These are human beings with families. It's devastating to think of the emotional toll that these peeople are feeling."