Protests and Sentencing in Louisville Following Breonna Taylor’s Death

The day after a former police officer was sentenced for violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, protests erupted outside a Louisville courthouse. Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, was among those detained during demonstrations that involved activists blocking traffic and climbing on vehicles near the federal building.

Louisville police reported that Austin was caught in the intersection, allegedly “clapping her hands” and obstructing vehicles, before approaching officers aggressively and shouting at them. She was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway and is scheduled for arraignment.

The officer involved in Taylor’s shooting, Brett Hankison, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, although a federal review suggested a much lighter sentence of just one day. Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, expressed her disappointment, stating that justice was not served and criticizing the administrative response to her daughter’s death.

Protester sitting on a Louisville Water Co. truck during a protest. — Protests included activists jumping onto vehicles, as seen in this scene during the demonstration.

Hankison, who was dismissed from the police force after the incident, was convicted of civil rights violations but remains free pending sentencing where he will serve his time at the Bureau of Prisons. The killing of Taylor in 2020, during a no-knock raid, sparked nationwide protests over racial injustice. Taylor’s boyfriend, believing their home was being robbed, shot at officers, leading them to return fire, which resulted in Taylor’s death.