Health
Louisville Protests Bring New Attention To Racial Trauma
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Racial trauma, experienced by people of color, is getting more attention after a summer of protests over the police deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/tag/protests/)
Racial trauma, experienced by people of color, is getting more attention after a summer of protests over the police deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
As time passes, memories of these tumultuous days will fade, and lead to the perception that accountability is not a priority, according to policing experts and local leaders.
Critics say the search warrant process lacks transparency, oversight and fairness. But many Louisville judges defend the current system.
Breonna Taylor’s story highlights an issue advocates have long reckoned with: Why are Black women’s stories of police brutality not highlighted with the same intensity of Black men?
Despite weeks of daily calls from protesters to “say their name,” neither Breonna Taylor nor David McAtee is listed by name in the database of police shootings that’s also riddled with inaccuracies.
89.3 WFPL News Louisville · Pandemic Poses Unique Challenges for Protesters
On Thursday afternoon, not long before the rain started, a crowd gathered in Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville. They’ve been here every afternoon, protesting the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
As people come up to give speeches and lead chants, Rosie Henderson sits at the ready.
“I’m wiping down the mics with disinfecting wipes,” said Henderson. “We’ve been as safe as we can, so nobody can say that we just out here protesting and not trying to be safe.”
Henderson has been out at the protests every evening, and she’s appointed herself chief safety stickler. She’s making sure everyone has masks and hand sanitizer.
“If we’re going to be out here, we’ve got to be safe,” she said. “Because the coronavirus is real and it is going up every day.”
For nearly two months, downtown Louisville was a ghost town, as businesses and restaurants closed in an attempt to combat the spread of coronavirus.