Breonna Taylor: Divesting from Policing in Louisville, Kentucky - Advancement Project - Advancement Project

Breonna Taylor: Divesting from Policing in Louisville, Kentucky

Breonna Taylor was killed by Louisville, Kentucky, police when they shot her 8 times in her own house while she was asleep. Cops broke into her house in the middle of the night to do it. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, called 911 to report an intruder had killed Breonna. What gave police the right to enter her home with a SWAT team without warning? A no-knock raid.

There's an uprising in this country because of police violence against Black men and women. All over the nation, hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets demanding cities defund the police. We know that police don't keep us safe. As a nation, we spend almost $200 billion on police and jails. The only way to stop the racial profiling, harassment, and terrorizing of Black and Brown communities is to defund the police.

Public safety agencies in Louisville comprise 52% of its budget. By comparison, Louisville spends only 8% of its budget on public services. On one side, we have cops, courts, and jails. On the other, we have affordable housing, job training, and social services.

Sign the petition demanding no-knock raids and that the city of Louisville defund its police department.

Resources

Divesting from Policing: Advancement Project National Office’s List of Demands

June 9, 2020

Advancement Project National Office is committed to supporting grassroots organizations across the country to build the power that will end this system. Our legal, communications and organizing teams were developed for this moment. Through collective action, we are confident that we can build a new society where communities of color can be free and safe. […]

The Price of “Public Safety”

March 12, 2020

What really makes up a city’s public safety budget? Advancement Project National Office examined the budgets of five cities during Week Against Mass Incarceration last week and found exuberant figures that keep residents criminalized.

The Genius of Ordinary People: How the Ferguson Collaborative Became the Voice of the Community

August 8, 2019

                                                      As the nation marks five years since the police killing of teenager Mike Brown and the series of protests known as the Ferguson Uprisings, a group of residents […]

News

It’s time for us to move forward.

November 7, 2020

This week’s election was a reminder to never underestimate the power of the Black vote. Despite the pandemic and deliberate barriers, voters have done their job, turned out in record numbers, and selected new leaders to ensure that we can care for our families and move us forward to a better future. Now that the […]

It Ain’t Over Until It’s Over

November 4, 2020

By Jorge Vasquez, Program Director of Power & Democracy When we woke up this morning, we knew not to expect the results of the presidential election. With a record number of people casting their ballot at the polls early, in drop boxes, and by mail, we anticipated that it would take longer than usual to […]

Activism is Survival, Disinterest is a Luxury

November 3, 2020

By Faith Carter-Nottage, Member of Advancement Project National Office’s Young Voter of Color Advisory Committee   It has been exactly 219 days since I last hugged my best friend. It’s been less than a year but it feels like a memory from a different era. As a senior attending the University of Maryland Baltimore County, […]

We sued to extend Virginia’s voter registration deadline. Now voters must use it!

October 15, 2020

The 2020 election will be one of the most important elections of our lifetime, and it is important that every Virginia voter who wants to cast a ballot register by 11:59 pm tonight, October 15.

Those Who Inspire Us—Honoring Loved Ones for Latinx Heritage Month

October 13, 2020

By Jorge Vasquez, Power & Democracy Director As we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, I reflect on my Abuelita Cookie, her strength, her wisdom, her resilience and the lessons she instilled in family, my community and me. There is no question in my mind that, if Abuelita Cookie were alive today, she would be marching with […]

Advancement Project National Office Issues Statement Condemning U.S. Customs and Enforcement (ICE)’s Billboard Campaign Exploiting Immigrants Formerly in ICE Custody

October 8, 2020

This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a “WANTED BY I.C.E”  billboard campaign in Pennsylvania, encouraging the public to turn in immigrants, if found, back to ICE. The billboards exploit immigrants formerly in ICE custody, who have been released in order to comply with federal constitutional protections. Broadcast in six different locations across the […]

Continuing the Fight for Equality Through Latinx Heritage Month

October 8, 2020

During Latinx Heritage Month, Advancement Project National Office is reflecting on the Latinx community and continuing our fight to strengthen policies that impact members of this community. This fight includes a path towards immigrant justice. The U.S immigration policy has historically been rooted in racism with entry restrictions and exploitation based on race. Advancement Project […]

Let’s Get You Ready to Vote! Join us today, tonight and next week!

October 7, 2020

We’re another week closer to Election Day, and this week we’re watching the vice presidential debate, uplifting messaging around young voters of color, and teaming up with the Washington Football Team to encourage people to register to vote. Check out what we have going on this week: Tonight, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will face […]

What you won’t hear at tonight’s Presidential debate

September 29, 2020

One topic that will likely be framed incorrectly during the Presidential debates? The murder of Black people and the subsequent uprisings this summer.

Six Months of Saying Her Name, Still No Justice for Breonna Taylor

September 24, 2020

Six months, 27 weeks, 194 days, have passed since Louisville police murdered 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in her home on March 13, 2020. After months of nationwide protest and uprisings, and both local and national demands to defund the police, Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced today that only one of the three officers involved in the murder of Breonna […]

KEEP READING

Advancement Project National Office Responds to First 2020 Presidential Debate

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden faced off in the first of three 2020 presidential debates. On the topic of national protests resulting from the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others, Advancement Project National Office released the following statement.

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Responds to Breonna Taylor Decision

Six months have passed since Louisville police murdered 26-year-old Breonna Taylor in her home on March 13, 2020. After months of nationwide protest and uprisings, and both local and national demands to defund the police, a Louisville Grand Jury’s decision was announced today. Attorney General Daniel Cameron today made an announcement regarding the investigation into Taylor’s murder, stating that it was not up to him to decide if the loss of Breonna’s life was a tragedy and that, “the answer to that question was unequivocally yes.” However, the Grand Jury’s decision to indict only one of…

Read More
Civil Rights Organizations Debunk Myths of No COVID-19 Cases in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison

Impacted people behind bars share harrowing stories of coronavirus outbreaks, unsanitary conditions Baton Rouge, LA – Last night, several civil rights and racial justice organizations pushed back on efforts by the Sheriff and Warden of the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison to silence the detainees trapped inside the facility and to hide from community members and taxpayers what the organizations say is really happening in the jail.  The Sheriff and Warden, defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by the advocates, claim that the jail has the coronavirus pandemic under control, but the plaintiffs and…

Read More
Webinar on the Power of Sheriffs in Florida – August 10, 2020 at 2pET/11aPT

On Monday, August 10, 2020, at 2p ET/11a PT, join Advancement Project National Office, Dream Defenders and New Florida Majority for a webinar on the power and role of sheriffs in Florida, and how sheriffs impact the school-to-prison pipeline. Learn about organizing efforts to defund policing budgets and address harm throughout Florida, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Receive political education about the history of policing and what communities are doing to build power to build a world without police. Register today!  …

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Supports New Counseling Not Criminalization Bill

Lawmakers today introduced a bill to help schools cut ties with police. Under the Counseling Not Criminalization Act, Federal funding would be prohibited from being used to hire, train, or keep law enforcement in schools. In addition, the bill would create a $2.5 billion grant program to replace police in schools with school psychologists, social workers, and other staff who are suited to help support mental health and provide trauma-informed services to young people.  The Senate version of the Counseling Not Criminalization Act was introduced by Senators Chris Murphy and Elizabeth…

Read More
The Power of Prosecutors – Video and Infographic

Prosecutors (also known as state attorneys or district attorneys) have enormous power in shaping justice in our communities. You have the power to elect prosecutors committed to ending mass incarceration. Watch our town hall “The Power of Prosecutors: Know Before You Vote,” and share our infographic. It’s time for people of color to be #FreeAndSafe…

Read More
Advancement Project National Office Celebrates National Cousin’s Day!

Did you know July 24 is a national holiday? Advancement Project National Office uplifts National Cousins Day today, which celebrates the extended family members we know and love – our cousins. During this sustained moment of protest and unrest across the country, as well as calls for truth, racial justice and reconciliation, it’s time to lean into the honest perspectives our cousins often provide. When it comes to race, our family can harbor views and beliefs that are ill-informed, ignorant, and damaging.  Because of this, conversations around race can…

Read More
Players Coalition, National and Local Organizations to Host Virtual Town Hall

With upcoming prosecutorial elections, discussion will highlight the power of local prosecutors and empower voters to improve their legal landscapes   Tomorrow, July 22 at 6 p.m. ET, Players Coalition Charitable Foundation, Advancement Project National Office, and local organizations will host “Power of Prosecutors: Know Before You Vote,” a virtual town hall to discuss the power of local prosecutors and to empower voters to fight mass incarceration by holding prosecutors accountable by heading to the polls. Michigan’s two…

Read More
Huge Win in Campaign to Close Notorious St. Louis Jail

St. Louis elected officials unanimously vote to close the medium security institute, known as 'the Workhouse,' after two-year campaign

Read More
We will win with supporters like you, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation & Jack Dorsey of Twitter’s #startsmall

Since mid-March, Advancement Project National Office’s team has been entrenched in advocacy, communications and litigation—fighting to make sure community members in jail are #FreeAndSafe during COVID-19 and calling for for accountability and demanding cities and counties #DefundThePolice . Our team has been working around the clock, fatigued yet energized by wins across the country,petition signatures and calls to policymakers, and the 110,000 new supporters to our campaign for #FreeAndSafe communities. As we close the month of June, we also want to thank Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation and Jack Dorsey of Twitter’s #startsmall. In response to the urgent need for police accountability, the Clara Lionel…

Read More