The petition is second to one started for activists seeking justice in the Memorial Day 2020 death of George Floyd. That petition, “Justice for George Floyd,” has over 19 million signatures.
A Change.org petition named in honor of Breonna Taylor now has more than 10 million signatures and is the second most signed petition in the website’s history.
The petition titled “Justice For Breonna Taylor,” was crafted by Loralei HoJay and calls on Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, President Donald Trump and other officials to bring about justice in the Taylor case.
"Breonna Taylor was an award-winning EMT and model citizen. She loved her family and community, working at two hospitals as an essential worker during the pandemic," the petition reads.
The site's most signed petition was created by activists seeking justice in the Memorial Day 2020 death of George Floyd. That petition, “Justice for George Floyd,” has over 19 million signatures.
The news of the traction the petitions have gained comes as felony charges were dropped against 87 demonstrators arrested during a Breonna Taylor protest Tuesday.
On Friday, prosecutors said that the peaceful protesters who were arrested while on Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's front yard had their cases dropped. The protesters said they had congregated there to demand justice for Taylor.
"While we do believe the LMPD had probable cause for the charge, in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas, we will dismiss that charge for each protester arrested this past Tuesday," Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said in a statement.
Following the dismissal of the charges, Cameron spoke to the Associated Press about the incident.
"It certainly was surreal to see folks sitting in my front yard with the express purpose of escalating the situation," Cameron told the AP Friday. "At the end of the day, we're not going to be deterred from doing the responsible thing, which is to undertake a thorough investigation to make sure that we get to the truth of this matter.”
In documentation previously obtained by the Louisville Courier-Journal, police were authorized to carry out a “no-knock” warrant on Taylor’s home on March 13 as part of a narcotics investigation on a home ten miles away. Neither Taylor nor her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were the investigation's target. Police had suspected, though, that Taylor’s home was used to receive drugs.
Authorities initially said they identified themselves despite the “no-knock” warrant. Police said the officers were “immediately” met by gunfire when they entered Taylor and Walker's home, at which point they returned fire.
Walker called 911 during the ordeal and he was informed him he’d shot an officer. He was initially charged with attempted murder, but his charges were later dropped after he said he shot in self-defense thinking he and Taylor were victims of a home invasion.
In the wake of Taylor's death, the city has banned "no-knock" warrants.
In June, Officer Brett Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department. Officer Myles Cosgrove and John Mattingly have been reassigned. None of the officers have been arrested or charged in Taylor’s death.
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