Lina Francis, lina.francis@sierraclub.org
Oakland, CA -- Today, a Kentucky grand jury indicted only Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor, on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree.
In response to the grand jury’s decision, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Justice delayed is justice denied. It has been 194 days since Kentucky police officers trespassed on Breonna Taylor’s property, illegally barged into her home, and murdered her. Her family, her friends and her community have been denied justice for 194 days as Attorney General Daniel Cameron refused to prosecute the officers or answer any calls for action. Anti-Black racism and white supremacy are killing the planet and it is up to us all to be actively anti-racist and to forcefully call out racism when we see it.
“The struggles for environmental justice and racial justice are inextricable: we will only have one when we have the other. The effects of the climate crisis, environmental pollution, and access to clean energy benefits are not shared equally across racial and socioeconomic divides. This is true in Louisville, and across our country. We cannot have a healthy, sustainable and safe planet while anti-Blackness continues to rob Black people of their humanity. Whatever our race, background or zip code, we all deserve to exist without fearing for our lives or the lives of our loved ones.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.