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March 13 marked a year since Breonna Taylor was shot by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky.
Hundreds rallied in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, beginning at Mission High School and marching to the Mission Police Station for a vigil and open mic. They lit candles, burned sage and held signs in an effort to honor her memory and fight for justice.
“We are the people, we hold the power and we must continue to show up,” said Asmara Gebre, a midwife at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital who has been on strike to protest racism in her workplace. Gebre implored the audience to show up not just on anniversaries, “but every fucking day.”
Organizers and those in attendance said they want to continue to keep Taylor’s memory alive.
“We just keep having to add names,” Jasmine Ordonez said. She came from another vigil — one for Angelo Quinto who was allegedly killed by Antioch police in December. Ordonez says she wants justice for Taylor and for others killed by police brutality.Sponsored
While some have been demanding three officers who fired into Taylor’s home be criminally charged, others — like Ordonez — say more incarceration isn’t the solution. Instead, she wants to see police abolished.
A year after Taylor’s death, none of the officers who fired their service weapons — a total of 32 rounds — face criminal charges directly as a result of Taylor’s killing. At least three officers connected to the raid have been terminated from the force, and Louisville officials have also banned no-knock warrants.
In addressing the crowd, Gebre, the midwife, also stressed the importance of honoring Breonna Taylor’s memory by building an anti-racist society. “Are you complicit when you show up to work?” she asked, addressing the audience.
“Where do you share space with your friends, how do you intervene in those moments? … That is what we need because we need an anti-racist society,” Gebre said.
NPR contributed to this report.
Lakshmi Sarah 