LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It has been five years since thousands of demonstrators hit the streets in downtown Louisville to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, and the calls for police reform continue.
"We're still looking for accountability," Summer Dickerson said.
Taylor was killed when police raided her home at 3003 Springfield Drive with a no-knock search warrant on March 13, 2020. LMPD officers shot and killed her after her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired at police as they entered the home.
Protesters packed the streets about two months later, on May 28, after the city released a recording of a 911 call from Walker, who said someone had broken into the apartment and shot Taylor.
"We were always focused on what was important which was honoring Breonna," Mathew Ballard, who protested in 2020, said. "I was shot by Pepper Balls that night for the first time. I was tear-gassed for the first time."
Seven people were shot during the first night of protests. The protests stretched more than 150 days.
While most were peaceful, some turned destructive. The evidence of the chaos left behind included water bottles that were thrown at LMPD and shrapnel from the tear gas hurled at protesters.
Jefferson Square Park at Sixth and Jefferson became the focal point for protesters, who referred to the area as the "Breewayy." The city later made the name official, posting "Breewayy" banners in the area.
"Our city has seen a lot of changes and improvements," Mayor Craig Greenberg said. "That said, we still have a lot more work to do."
Community members returned to the area on Wednesday for the fifth anniversary of the first organized protests.
"All the people of Louisville deserve accountability," Dickerson said. "They deserve protection. They deserve respect."
FILE -- in this image dated Sept. 14, 2020, a "Breeway" banner in honor of Breonna Taylor is seen on a lamp post in Jefferson Square at Sixth and Jefferson Streets in downtown Louisville, Ky. (WDRB/archive)
In the months and years since she was killed, LMPD has faced intense scrutiny from the community and the Department of Justice. The department has put major reform measures in place, and the city continues to negotiate more reform measures with the federal government, even though the U.S. Department of Justice recently dropped a lawsuit against the department that required the city to enter a consent decree.
Louisville eventually passed a ban on no-knock warrants, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill limiting the use of the warrants statewide.
"Hopefully we begin to see some kind of change soon," Dynasty Davidson, who protested in 2020, said. "Even if it's little by little. That's all we really want."
A man cleans graffiti at the Hall of Justice left behind after hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid in March staged a mostly peaceful protest in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020. The protest ended in violence and gunfire, with seven people injured, but police did not fire the shots.
A man uses a power washer to clean graffiti left behind after hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid in March staged a mostly peaceful protest in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020. The protest ended in violence and gunfire, with seven people injured, but police did not fire the shots.
Two people outside shattered windows at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 29, 2020. Hundreds of people gathered downtown on May 28 to protest the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid at her home in March. The mostly peaceful protest turned violent hours after it started, with some protesters opening fire. Seven people were hospitalized.
Pictured: shattered windows at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 29, 2020. Hundreds of people gathered downtown on May 28 to protest the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid at her home in March. The mostly peaceful protest turned violent hours after it started, with some protesters opening fire. Seven people were hospitalized.
Pictured: A shattered window in the Hiko A Mon Japanese restaurant on Muhammad Ali Blvd. in downtown Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot and thousands of dollars in property damage.
Pictured: A shattered window in the Bourbon Hall building on Jefferson Street in downtown Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot and thousands of dollars in property damage.
Pictured: A broken window in the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot.
Pictured: A broken window in the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Louisville. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot.
Pictured: A worker in the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Louisville, Ky., cleans up after protesters smashed windows. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot.
Pictured: Graffiti scrawled on a picnic table written by protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March. Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020 for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later.
Pictured: a broken window near Louisville Metro Corrections after hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March staged a mostly peaceful protest in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020, that ended in violence. Seven people were shot, but not by LMPD officers.
Pictured: shattered glass on the sidewalk outside the Hall of Justice after protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020. Seven people were shot, but not by LMPD officers.
Broken glass outside of Louisville Metro Corrections after protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown Louisville on May 28, 2020. Hundreds of people showed up for the mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later.
IMAGES | The morning after: Damage from Friday protests in downtown Louisville
A look at the overnight damage from protests that broke out across Louisville Friday night into early Saturday morning. WARNING: Some of these images contain graphic profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.
Protesters in downtown Louisville Friday burned the American flag from the Hall of Justice.
Flames erupt briefly at the Hall of Justice in downtown Louisville during May 29, 2020 protests to call for justice for the death of Breonna Taylor.
Protesters opened a jar of red paint and dumped it out down the staircase at the Hall of Justice in Louisville.
Protesters opened a jar of red paint and dumped it out down the staircase at the Hall of Justice in Louisville.
The statue of King Louis XVI that sits outside Metro Hall in downtown Louisville, Ky., had one of its hands broken off during a protest Thursday, May 28, 2020.
A man cleans graffiti at the Hall of Justice left behind after hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid in March staged a mostly peaceful protest in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020. The protest ended in violence and gunfire, with seven people injured, but police did not fire the shots.
A man uses a power washer to clean graffiti left behind after hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid in March staged a mostly peaceful protest in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020. The protest ended in violence and gunfire, with seven people injured, but police did not fire the shots.
Two people outside shattered windows at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 29, 2020. Hundreds of people gathered downtown on May 28 to protest the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid at her home in March. The mostly peaceful protest turned violent hours after it started, with some protesters opening fire. Seven people were hospitalized.
Pictured: shattered windows at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 29, 2020. Hundreds of people gathered downtown on May 28 to protest the death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid at her home in March. The mostly peaceful protest turned violent hours after it started, with some protesters opening fire. Seven people were hospitalized.
Pictured: A shattered window in the Hiko A Mon Japanese restaurant on Muhammad Ali Blvd. in downtown Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot and thousands of dollars in property damage.
Pictured: A shattered window in the Bourbon Hall building on Jefferson Street in downtown Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot and thousands of dollars in property damage.
Pictured: A broken window in the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Louisville, Ky. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot.
Pictured: A broken window in the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Louisville. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot.
Pictured: A worker in the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Louisville, Ky., cleans up after protesters smashed windows. Hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown on May 28, 2020, for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later, with seven people shot.
Pictured: Graffiti scrawled on a picnic table written by protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March. Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020 for a mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later.
Pictured: a broken window near Louisville Metro Corrections after hundreds of people upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March staged a mostly peaceful protest in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020, that ended in violence. Seven people were shot, but not by LMPD officers.
Protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March smashed windows in downtown Louisville on May 28, 2020. Seven people were shot during the protests, but not by police officers who responded to the scene.
Pictured: shattered glass on the sidewalk outside the Hall of Justice after protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown Louisville, Ky., on May 28, 2020. Seven people were shot, but not by LMPD officers.
A car with broken windows after protests in downtown Louisville on May 28, 2020. WDRB/File.
WDRB/File.
WDRB/File.
WDRB/File.
Broken glass outside of Louisville Metro Corrections after protesters upset about the death of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid in March gathered in downtown Louisville on May 28, 2020. Hundreds of people showed up for the mostly peaceful protest that turned violent hours later.
LMPD recognized the somber anniversary by releasing the following written statement reinforcing the department's commitment to reform:
Today marks five years since a pivotal moment that sparked deep reflection and change across our community. Since then, the Louisville Metro Police Department has embraced a culture of continuous transformation and community involvement, implementing more than 260 policies. We have enhanced training, accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in policing. We created the Accountability and Improvement Bureau to elevate officer training and development. We have invested in upgrading facilities to better support our personnel, such as the new LMPD headquarters and the Summit Wellness Center. The dedication from our officers and professional staff is unmatched and continues to drive progress.
"In response to the Department of Justice ending the federal consent decree, we are moving forward with our Community Commitment to continue the work LMPD has already done to invest in and support our officers while strengthening bonds with our community. We remain steadfast in our commitment to transparency, engagement, and building a safer, stronger Louisville for all."
Members of the Kentucky Alliance gathered at Jefferson Square Park Wednesday, with comments on the status of the consent decree, which the city is voluntarily adhering to without federal oversight. The department will still be subject to an independent monitor to make sure changes are implemented, Greenberg said earlier this month.
The group wants the mayor to specifically recognize the community groups and individuals who have been involved in the struggle for justice for Breonna Taylor and invite them into the process. The group also want its members to be involved in selecting the monitor.
"What we're demanding is the transparency that's lacking," Nancy Cavalcante, a member of the People's Consent Decree Coalition, said. "If the community is included at the table, not just informed of what's happening, then their voices can be heard."
Related Coverage:
Supporters advocate for consent decree during Louisville Metro Council meeting
5 years after Breonna Taylor's death, Louisville leaders vow meaningful reform
NAACP Louisville branch calling for city's inspector general to be reappointed
Louisville urges federal judge to sign consent decree to monitor police reform deal
Louisville mayor says outside supervision of police reform deal is ‘important’ however judge rules
Louisville, feds freeze effort to hire independent monitor for police reform deal
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