No justice, no peace. In an open letter to Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, Beyoncé urged him to use his power to bring criminal charges against the officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her Louisville apartment earlier this year. The letter, posted on Beyoncé’s official website on June 14, also urged the attorney general to “commit to transparency in the investigation and prosecution of these officers’ criminal conduct†and investigate the police department’s response to Taylor’s murder, which occurred after the officers received a “no-knock†warrant.
“Your office has both the power and the responsibility to bring justice to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the value of a Black woman’s life,†she wrote in the letter. “Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy. With every death of a Black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: The death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it. This is your chance to end that pattern. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers. The next months cannot look like the last three.†Beyoncé urged her fans to sign a coinciding petition, located at the bottom of the letter, to demand further justice for Taylor.
Last month, Bey also demanded justice for George Floyd’s death by a Minneapolis police officer, which spurred nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted,†she said in a video. “We cannot normalize this pain. I’m not only speaking to people of color. If you’re white, black, brown, or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless about the racism going on in America right now. No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of color as less than human. We can no longer look away.â€
Update, June 16: The office of Kentucky’s attorney general confirmed to CNN that Beyoncé’s letter has been received, but offered no further insight into the case. “We are aware of the letter,†a statement from the office’s communications director read. “As the letter makes requests related to the ongoing investigation involving the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor, we have no further comment.†No further comment? To Beyoncé? That’s new.