Protesters were outside Hempstead Town Hall Friday to
demand police reforms and an end to racism in the wake of the grand jury’s
decision not to indict three Kentucky police officers in the death of Breonna
Taylor.
Organized on Instagram by the grassroots organization Voices of Uniondale, one dozen people gathered to talk.
"What we're trying to do is foster a sense of community solidarity and action," said Raynor Robinson.
The grand jury decided Wednesday to charge only one of the
three officers with endangerment for bullets that entered a neighboring
apartment during the botched drug raid. No drugs were found in Taylor’s
apartment.
On Friday, Taylor's aunt Bianca Austin read a statement
from Taylor’s mother, which blamed the Kentucky attorney general for the
decision:
“I never had faith in Daniel Cameron to begin with. I knew
he was too inexperienced to deal with a job of this caliber. I knew he had
already chosen to be on the wrong side of the law the moment he wanted the
grand jury to make the decision.”
The family is demanding the release of the grand jury
transcripts in the case.
There were demonstrations for a second night in Kentucky,
which remained mostly peaceful. There were other protests in places like
Seattle where small fires were set and someone drove into a protester in
Hollywood.
There were two peaceful gatherings Thursday night – one in
East Islip and another in Mineola.