Colin Kaepernick wants the police abolished after a grand jury decided to bring no criminal charges against the officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor back in March. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback went to Twitter to express his frustration with the decision. He has been one of the top figures in protesting police brutality for the last four years.
“The white supremacist institution of policing that stole Breonna Taylor’s life from us must be abolished for the safety and well being of our people,” Kaepernick wrote on Twitter. On Wednesday, the grand jury indicted one of the three Kentucky police officers involved in the shooting. Former Louisville Metro Police Detective Brett Hankison has been indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment in the death of Taylor. The other two officers – Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and officer Myles Cosgrove – were not charged.
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The three officers were serving a no-knock warrant at Taylor’s home. However, they had the wrong residence as they were at Taylor’s house with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, and neither one of them were suspected criminals. When Walker heard the officers attempting to break down the door, he got his licensed gun and fired one shot. That led to Hankison shooting 10 rounds in the house, hitting Taylor eight times while sleeping. She was 25 years old.
The incident led to protests across the country. And when Wednesday’s decision came down, Kaepernick wasn’t the only notable figure to express disappointment. Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney, a Kentucky native, said he’s “ashamed” over the grand jury’s decision.
“I was born and raised in Kentucky. Cut tobacco on the farms of Kentucky. Both my parents and my sister live in Kentucky. I own a home in Kentucky, and I was there last month,” he said to the Hollywood Reporter. “The justice system I was raised to believe in holds people responsible for their actions. Her name was Breonna Taylor and she was shot to death in her bed by three white police officers, who will not be charged with any crime for her death.”
Kaepernick is known for protesting social injustice and police brutality during the national anthem while he was a member of the 49ers in 2016. At the time, Kaepernick said: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
