Kevin C. Cox / Associated Press
The Los Angeles Lakers arrived for Tuesday’s playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers with custom hats “Make America Great Again” demanding justification for Breonna Taylor.
LeBron James and his teammates wore the hats that crossed the original message to read “Make America Arrest the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor”:
Taylor was a Black woman from Louisville, Kentucky, who was shot and killed by police in March during a hassle-free search in which her family said police did not identify themselves before breaking down the door and shooting at her apartment. Taylor’s friend, Kenneth Walker, fired one shot at police before returning, though Walker said he and Taylor did not know who was breaking into the apartment.
Taylor was shot at least eight times, and police found no evidence that Taylor was involved in the ring for drug trafficking for which the search was issued. Her family filed a misdemeanor sentence against the three officers involved, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly. Hankison was fired in June, but Cosgrove and Mattingly remain in service with the Louisville Police Department and none of the officers have been arrested or charged in the murder of Taylor.
Along with the assassination of George Floyd, the assassination of Taylor helped massive protests against police brutality around the country and the world.
The WNBA dedicated the 2020 season to Taylor, while players wore jerseys with their name on them.
NBA players have also focused on social justice in the all-new start-up of NBA, including wearing league-friendly phrases like “Black Lives Matter” on the back of jerseys. The Lakers’ statement is another example of the league pushing for justice.
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