Fortune - Still no justice for Breonna Taylor

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September 24, 2020

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! A Walmart policy intended to promote women may have had unintended consequences, mourners honor RBG, and a grand jury declines to indict officers for killing Breonna Taylor. Have a reflective Wednesday.

– No justice, no peace. Over the past few months one of the most common rallying cries at protests against racism and police brutality has been: “Justice for Breonna Taylor!”

Those words again sprung to mind last night, as we learned that a grand jury declined to charge any of the officers involved in Taylor’s shooting with her death. Instead, the jurors indicted former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison with “wanton endangerment.” Hankison—the only officer to lose his job over the raid where Taylor was killed—fired ten bullets into the shade-covered windows and glass door of her apartment (some of which traveled into the next door apartment of a pregnant woman, her husband, and their 5-year-old. None were injured).

According to the FBI crime lab, the bullet that killed Taylor—who was struck six times— was fired by Detective Myles Cosgrove. (She was also shot by Sargent Jonathan Mattingly.) The grand jury ruled that the officers’ use of force was justified because Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot first; Walker says he mistook the police for intruders.

As anyone who has been following the story knows, Walker has disputed some aspects of the police version of events. What’s more, conflicting reports from witnesses and an absence of body camera footage (the police involved in the raid were not wearing the devices) has blurred some important facts about exactly what happened the night of March 13. (I strongly recommend the two-part episode of the New York Times’ The Daily podcast for a deeper dive into the facts on the ground.)

While many legal experts had been predicting this outcome, it didn’t stop people from taking to the streets to express their sadness and anger. Americans raised their voices in protest in Louisville (where two officers were shot), New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, and many, many other cities and towns last night.

Their agony is not surprising. Do any of us want to live in society where it’s legal for the police to enter the home of an unarmed woman accused of no crime in the middle of the night, shoot her six times, and face no consequences?

The grand jury may have followed the guidelines set out by the law. But the beauty of laws is that they can be changed. And until we make it clear that we will not accept that what happened in Taylor’s home was, as Mattingly has described it “legal, moral and ethical,” we know it could happen again.

This is not justice for Breonna Taylor.

Kristen Bellstrom
kristen.bellstrom@fortune.com
@kayelbee

Today’s Broadsheet was curated by Emma Hinchliffe.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

- Retail ranks. A decade ago, Walmart turned its attention to helping women rise through its executive ranks. But Black professionals and managers at the company say that that singular focus led the retailer to fall behind on promoting Black talent, as mostly white women benefitted. Bloomberg

- May her memory be a revolution. Services laying to rest Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg began yesterday with a small ceremony in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. Mourners, former clerks, lawmakers, and Ginsburg's fellow justices all paid their respects. New York Times

- Opposition op-ed. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya ran as the opposition candidate in Belarus, igniting nationwide protests when Belarusians suspected the true results of the race were suppressed. In this piece, Tikhanovskaya examines her rise from "stay-at-home mom" to leader of a revolution. New York Times

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Former Lyft VP of talent acquisition and inclusion Nilka Thomas , who left to become chief people officer at SeatGeek, is returning to the ride-sharing company as chief people officer. The Washington Post promoted deputy director of strategic initiatives Elite Truong to director of strategic initiatives. Publicis Sapient promoted Kameshwari Rao to global chief people officer.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

- Executive order. President Trump said yesterday, while speaking to Catholic leaders, that he would sign a "Born Alive" executive order. The announcement is seen as an appeal to the religious right, building off of concern about "abortions even after children are born." Bloomberg

- Grand slam. Glamour has an ace cover star this month: Billie Jean King. The tennis legend reflects on her role fighting for equal pay in sports over the decades, and she has an important reason why: "Money helps women have power." Glamour

- Investigative interviews. The Mexican government is interviewing women over the allegations that women detained in the U.S. were subjected to hysterectomies against their will. "If confirmed, this is a major issue and not only punishable but also other measures would be taken," said Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. CNN

ON MY RADAR

Brené Brown inks exclusive Spotify podcast deal Variety

As a crucial election looms, an iconic TV anchor reinvents herself Vogue

'He never quit’: Nick Cordero’s widow Amanda Kloots on grief, God and perseverance New York Times