Birthday For Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor would have celebrated her 27th birthday today if she had not been senselessly murdered by Louisville KY police attempting to serve a no-knock search warrant at the wrong address.   

Writer Cate Young initiated the #BirthdayForBreonna campaign as a virtual art show, political action, memorial service, and party. Everyone is invited to participate in a variety of ways, including:

ACTION ITEM #1:  SIGN THE OFFICIAL PETITION

Sign the petition calling for justice in Breonna Taylor's case. It only takes a minute.

---

ACTION ITEM #2:  DONATE THROUGH GOFUNDME

Donate directly to Breonna's family using the Gofundme link below. Any little bit helps even if you don't have much to give. Let's get them to their $500,000 goal for her birthday.

---

ACTION ITEM #3:  EMAIL KENTUCKY ADMINISTRATION

Send an email directly to the Kentucky Attorney General, the Mayor and the Governor. The link above will open a fully scripted email in your mail app, already addressed, ready for you to fill out the fields for your name and location and send! If you prefer to write your own email, send to attorney.general@ag.ky.gov, greg.fischer@louisvilleky.gov, and Robert.schroeder@louisvilleky.gov. ‎

EXAMPLE: Hello, My name is [NAME] and I am a resident of [CITY/STATE]. I am emailing because I want justice and accountability for the tragic murder of Breonna Taylor. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove each must be arrested and charged for 2nd degree murder for the wrongful death of Breonna Taylor because on March 13th they recklessly executed a raid using a no knock warrant on the wrong home. Despite almost 3 months of inaction, Breonna’s life matters and I want justice for her. Also, I urge Louisville to make a commitment to evidence based policing reforms. Sincerely, [NAME]

---

ACTION ITEM #4:  SEND BIRTHDAY CARDS

a) Send a birthday card (or letter, or postcard!) to the Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron demanding that he charge the officers who killed Breonna.

Office of the Attorney General
700 Capital Avenue, Suite 118
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-3449

b) Send a card to Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer demanding that he support charges for her killers.
Mayor Greg Fischer
527 W Jefferson Street #600
Louisville KY 40202

c) Alternatively, Postable will print, and mail a card for your for $4.00 USD, postage included. Let these men know that we haven't forgotten her, and she deserved to be alive to celebrate her birthday.

---

ACTION ITEM #5:  PRINT AND MAIL PDF BIRTHDAY CARDS

If you have access to a printer and would like to send a personalized birthday card, Ayla Sydney has made the following design free to download. Hit the link, print the card and fill it out and send it to the above addresses.

---

ACTION ITEM #6:  USE HASHTAGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Flood social media platforms with remembrances of Breonna Taylor using the hash tags #BirthdayForBreonna, #JusticeForBreonna and #SayHerName. Make art, write poetry, post music — anything that will remind people that she lived and that her life mattered. Post it to your Instagram feeds, Stories, Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok, or anything that will get the word out.

---

ACTION ITEM #7:  DOWNLOAD AND SHARE IMAGES

If you don't have original art to share, download images from the link above. The caption can be anything you'd like, but make sure to credit @arielsinhaha for artwork and @nemesomi for images when you post. Remember the hash tags, too.

---

ACTION ITEM #8:  DONATE TO BAIL FUND

Donate to the Louisville Community Bail Fund to help support the protesters who have been on the ground in Louisville fighting for Breonna. Consider making your donation recurring.

---

ACTION ITEM #9:  COPY AND SHARE THIS LINK

Add the link to this site to your social media bios so that other people can find it an participate too! 

---

ACTION ITEM #10:  SEND A NOTE TO BREONNA’S FAMILY

Send Breonna Taylor's family a loving note, and read more about where you can call and demand justice. 

---

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

• Celebrity comebacks will have you laughing out loud.
• Hasan Minhaj remarks at 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner.
• New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern explained why UN laughed at Trump. 

Daily pandemic update:  

India recorded another record single-day spike in cases with more than 9,800 infections, taking the country's toll to 226,770 while the total number of deaths surpassed 6,000. Following a public backlash, Turkey cancelled a decision to impose a new, two-day weekend curfew in 15 of the country's hardest-hit provinces and cities. Aljazeera.com timeline

5 June 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
20:01 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	6,640,158	6,789,308	389,957	396,190	3,205,413	3,304,561
US	1,911,717	1,938,998	109,620	110,804	692,544	715,511
NY	383,770	384,837	30,244	30,296	68,660	68,838
CT	43,091	43,239	3,989	4,007	7,689	7,689
NC	32,074	33,294	1,006	1,015	18,860	18,860

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 and the first 100,000 in the US.

As of today 13% of closed cases in the US resulted in death; 87% recovered.

Globally 11% of closed cases resulted in death worldwide; 89% recovered.

Currently 2% of all active cases are considered serious or critical.

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

In the news: 

• ACLU protestor rights info is helpful for anyone thinking of participating in a demonstration. Also, protestors are strongly encouraged to wear face masks, to maintain at least 6’ physical distance, and to get tested for COVID-19.  
• Asheville NC police destroyed a medic station set up to assist protestors. Mayor and police chief condemned the action. Thousands signed petition asking city leaders to discipline officers and replace supplies.  
• Athens GA medics provided first-hand account of disputed police-protest clash.
• Buffalo NY police officers were suspended for shoving 75 year old man to the ground.
• Chaos is not accurate term to describe organized peaceful protests.
• DC Mayor Muriel Bowser had Black Lives Matter painted in huge letters on street leading to White House, and renamed section of 16th street “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” She also sent a letter to Trump asking him to withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from the city.
• Defense One reported on unmarked federal law enforcement dressed in paramilitary uniforms with no identifying insignia. Some are with the Justice Department Bureau of Prisons special riot squad. DEA, FBI, DHS and other federal agencies as well as thousands of National Guard also are in DC. 
• Hong Kong demonstrators staged a mass vigil for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, despite Chinese security law.
• Hypocrisy alert: Fox's Laura Ingraham, who once told LeBron James to “shut up and dribble,” defended Saints QB Drew Brees’ stance against anthem kneelers, adding “he’s allowed to have an opinion.” Meanwhile several prominent NFL players released a video demanding the league issue a revised statement: “We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black people. We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.”  
• Justice department press conference with AG Barr condemned violence while defending use of force including tear gas against DC protestors to clear Lafayette Park for Trump photo op at burned church. 
• Lincoln NE police signed accountability pledge, then celebrated with community.
• Martin Dempsey, former chair of joint chiefs, condemned Trump's threat to use military force to suppress nationwide protests as "dangerous" and "very troubling."
• MA Rep Ayanna Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren advocate for legislation to combat police brutality.
• Minneapolis memorial service honoring George Floyd was held Thursday.
• NC COVID dashboard includes infection density maps and additional data.
• NC legislature seeks to defer road tests for young drivers, similar to GA.
• Peaceful protests were held in King and Winston Salem NC Thursday. Additional protests are planned locally, nationally and globally.  
• Rand Paul delayed popular bipartisan legislation to make lynching a federal crime.
• RNC and Charlotte NC officials met Thursday; other cities are under consideration for convention relocation.
• Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) praised former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s scathing rebuke of Trump as “true and honest and necessary” while saying she is “struggling” with whether to vote for the president.
• Trump retweeted a letter from former impeachment lawyer John Dowd to former secretary of defense Jim Mattis claiming “the peaceful protesters near Lafayette Park were not peaceful and are not real. They are terrorists using idle hate filled students to burn and destroy.”  Meanwhile several of the protesters are suing  Trump, Barr, Esper and the heads of law enforcement for violating their constitutional rights.
• UNC Greensboro employee alerted media about 36 subcontractors working on campus who tested positive for coronavirus.
• Unemployment rate fell to 13.3% as 2.7 million people furloughed due to coronavirus returned to work. Data showed the unemployment rate for black Americans increased slightly from 16.7% to 16.8%. Overall the number of permanent jobs lost increased by 295,000 to 2.3 million. Trump meanwhile said he hoped George Floyd was looking down from heaven with approval for the economy. CORRECTION was announced Saturday: adjusted May unemployment rate was 16.4% while adjusted April unemployment rate was actually 19.2%. 
• White House enhanced security by installing additional fencing, like a wall. #BabyGate trended. 

  

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

There are far more photos and videos of peaceful protests on social media than of violence. The artwork painted on boarded windows in Greensboro NC is one example of many signs of hope.

In my personal life…

Confirmed cases in NC continue to climb as more family and friends say they know someone personally who has been infected or been exposed to someone sick. I checked online and found only 15 cases have been reported in our zip code. That feels like a low number, yet the proximity is sobering. Greg and I are cautious, yet we are learning to adapt. Life goes on.

Yesterday Greg and I drove to Levering Orchard in Virginia to purchase sweet cherries for ourselves and some friends. It was a fun outing and an enjoyable ride, especially as we passed through Mt Airy, the town that inspired Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. When we arrived to the orchard dock we heard a strange sound in the distance. Locals told us it was locusts, cicadas to be more specific, during their 17 year cycle. 

Last night I pitted 5 cups of cherries by hand with a knife so Greg could make a cherry crumble recipe. Greg joked about having a Suz-chef , a play on sous-chef. This morning Greg bought a cherry pitter from Bed, Bath and Beyond. 

Yesterday we split an everything bagel with cream cheese and salmon for breakfast. I had a turkey sandwich for lunch. Greg skipped lunch. We ate steak, asparagus and roasted potatoes for dinner followed by warm cherry crumble topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert. 

My daily action for racial justice Friday was to take several actions for Breonna Taylor (see above) and to contact officials in Asheville, NC. I thanked Asheville’s mayor and police chief for denouncing the senseless act committed by police officers who destroyed a medic station set up for protestors. I also asked that they take additional steps to: 1) reimburse medic tent organizers for destroyed supplies, 2) initiate reconciliation between police and protestors, and 3) make a commitment to evidence based policing reforms.