Protesters took to the streets throughout New York City Wednesday in the hours after the grand jury indictment in the Breonna Taylor case, in which none of the three officers were charged directly in her death.
Small groups of demonstrators started marching along streets in Soho early in the evening, making their way down Broadway. Chanting “Say her name, Breonna Taylor," another crowd marched in the street in downtown Brooklyn, past onlookers and honking cars. They were accompanied by musicians, setting a steady drum beat.
Organizers initially were not sure where the protests would wind up, but said that it would remain peaceful. The group said the size of the demonstration didn’t matter, but more importantly that their message is clear.
One protester told NBC New York that she wasn't surprised that no officers were held accountable for Taylor's killing.
"I would have been surprised if justice was served," she said. "We can march and we can sing and we can shout and we can pray, but unless those changes don't happen where they need to happen, and unless the climate of this country doesn't change and it's not going anywhere, we're just going to see more Breonna Taylors unfortunately."
Different groups of protesters eventually met up in lower Manhattan and formed a larger crowd. They were marching across the Brooklyn Bridge back towards the Barclays Center later in the evening.
According to police, there hadn’t been any reports of damage or arrests made. NYPD vehicles were seen tailing a group of protesters for hours and the protests remained peaceful through the night.
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The grand jury indicted one Louisville officer in connection to the March 13 killing, but for shooting into a home next to Taylor’s that had people in it. No charges were brought against the two officers who fired their weapon at Taylor, in her home. Prosecutors said they were justified in using force to protect themselves after they were shot at.
Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home on a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.
Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment. The decision sparked protests not only in Louisville, which has enacted a curfew, and New York City but throughout the country.
At least two police officers were shot during a night of unrest in the Kentucky city.
