Demonstrators took to the streets of New York City on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor, a woman whose name became a rallying cry in the country's reckoning with racial inequality.
Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old Black medical worker who was shot and killed by Louisville police officers during a botched no-knock raid at her apartment. Her death was one of the drivers of wide-scale demonstrations last year over policing.
Thousands gathered in cities across the U.S. on Saturday to honor Taylor and call for increased police accountability. In New York City, hundreds met at Cadman Plaza to mark the anniversary. Dozens held roses to the sky in her memory.
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"We're all out here because we all agree that people shouldn't die in innocent situations," said Mayteana Morales, one of hundreds gathered in Cadman Plaza Saturday. "It's frustrating, I mean the fact that there was no one convicted in the murder of Breonna Taylor, I think it's insulting."
Another massive demonstration, hundreds large, collected in Times Square where demonstrators called out Taylor's named and participated in a die-in in the typically tourist-trafficked center.
The city's Brooklyn Bridge was also shutdown in the early evening when hundreds marched across carrying signs and chanting Taylor's name. "No justice, no peace" cries were heard from New York City to Louisville.
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In her hometown, hundreds gathered near an outdoor memorial that includes a mural, posters, artwork and other mementos honoring Taylor's life.
No officers were charged in Taylor's death. The state's attorney general saying the officers were justified after her boyfriend first opened fire. Kenneth Walker says he thought the raid was a home invasion. On Monday, a judge dismissed his charges with prejudice, meaning he could not be recharged.
"So many people who never even met her, but they learned of her and they — they came to stand for her because what happened to her wasn't right. I could never say thank you enough," Taylor's mother, Tamika Parker, said earlier this week.
Taylor's death has sparked calls to ban no-knock warrants and led to police reforms nationwide. A federal investigation into Taylor's death remains ongoing
No one has ever been charged in her death.
