US City To Pay $12 Million To Breonna Taylor’s Family And Reform Police
Breonna Taylor’s family has reached a settlement in the 26-year-old’s wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Louisville, Kentucky, after she was shot and killed in her own home in March when city police executed a late-night, “no-knock” warrant for a narcotics investigation.
“[The] family is pleased that the city was willing to collaborate on meaningful reform,” Sam Aguiar, attorney for the Taylor family, told HuffPost. “Now, we’re counting on the AG and DOJ to do the right thing and hold all responsible officers accountable.”
During a Tuesday press conference, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced that the city agreed to pay Taylor’s family $12 million, which will be the largest sum paid out by the city of Louisville in a police misconduct case.
The settlement also includes key police reforms, such as establishing a housing credit program for officers to live in certain low-income areas. It also requires that the Louisville police department hire social workers to work with officers in handling social service issues like mental health, homelessness and addiction. Fischer added that multiple policies will be implemented to help create more transparency and accountability for police.
The wrongful death suit, which accuses the Louisville police of wrongful death, excessive force and gross negligence, alleges that the cops fired more than 20 rounds of ammunition at Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was also in the apartment that night.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, spoke briefly at the conference, acknowledging that the day was significant but that she hopes for more.
“We must not lose focus on what the real drive is,” she said. “With that being said, it’s time to move forward with the criminal charges because she deserves that and much more.”
Her beautiful spirit and personality is working through all of us on the ground. So please continue to say her name: Breonna Taylor.Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor
“Her...