John,

I went to Louisville, KY, last summer and felt the violence of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department firsthand. Three of my friends were arrested while we protested for justice in Breonna Taylor’s name, and I was sent to the hospital after police shot us with rubber bullets.
 
Luckily, they weren’t real bullets, and I wasn’t another Black woman murdered by police.

One year ago today, Louisville police officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor. She was a young, Black woman like me, only a little older. Despite Breonna Taylor’s murder receiving intense press coverage and her name becoming known worldwide, we still don’t have justice. Her murder sparked a nationwide outcry – I was on the streets of Washington, D.C., nearly every day this summer alongside hundreds of peaceful protesters, demanding justice for Black lives, including Breonna Taylor and her family.

Police violence is gun violence. Breonna Taylor was one of the many Black women who was unfairly and unnecessarily stolen by America’s racist gun violence epidemic. And it’s not something unique to my generation: Black people have faced deadly bias and racial profiling from police for decades and are twice as likely to be killed by them. We must take action to protect Black lives, John. Right now, the Senate has the chance to pass sweeping police accountability policies that would potentially save Black lives and chip away at the racist institution that took Breonna Taylor’s life.
 
The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act this month and if it passes the Senate, it could prevent unjustified murders by police. This bill would ban the use of chokeholds, like in the murder of George Floyd, and ban no-knock warrants — like the one that police used to enter Breonna Taylor’s home. This is a critical step in drastically overhauling the racist policing tactics that are taking the lives of far too many Black Americans.
 
Since the moment I had to use my classmate’s lifeless body to protect myself from being shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, I have been putting my own body on the line to fight against the gun violence that is predominantly killing Black and Brown young people. Today, one year after Breonna Taylor was murdered by police, I am asking you to fight with me and take action against racist gun violence perpetrated by police. I am asking you to fight as hard as I do for Black lives.
 
In honor of Breonna Taylor, will you sign our petition urging the Senate to pass this critical legislation to address policing? We cannot end gun violence without ending police violence, John.
 
I am remembering Breonna Taylor today. I am thinking of all the Black women who I am lucky to know and work with every day. And I will keep fighting for Black women until we finally address gun violence in this country.
 
Thank you for fighting for justice for Breonna Taylor and Black lives.
 
Aalayah Eastmond

Gun Violence Survivor
Team ENOUGH Executive Council Member
Founder, Concerned Citizens DC

.

Brady
840 First Street, NE
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20002
United States

Thank you for supporting Brady and our work to prevent gun violence and save lives. We rely heavily on the generosity of activists like you to fund our work to create a safer America. If you're in this fight, join Brady today by making a gift.