Creator of Breonna Taylor petition feels 10 million signatures are being ignored

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- She's a law student in New York City and has never been to Kentucky, but Loralei HoJay is making waves in Louisville.

"I'm just a student, so I never thought that something that I did on my own could have this kind of an impact," she said.

A Change.org petition demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, created by HoJay, has surpassed 10 million signatures, which makes it the second-most signed petition in the website's history. HoJay's petition for Taylor trails only a Change.org petition for George Floyd, a Black man killed May 25 by police in Minneapolis.

"Honestly, originally, I didn't think that it was going to gain this much support," said HoJay, who created the petition in May after learning about the raid that killed Taylor. "A lot (of the signers) are from Kentucky, but you do see support from all 50 states, which I think is so — I don't want to use the word cool — but it's definitely surprising to see that it's not just Kentucky. It's not just more liberal states."

HoJay's petition demands charges be brought against the LMPD officers involved in a March 13 raid on Taylor's apartment that ended with the 26-year-old Black woman shot multiple times and killed.

Taylor was in her apartment with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison arrived at the residence just before 1 a.m. March 13 to serve a search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation.

LMPD Detective Joshua Jaynes obtained a no-knock warrant, signed by Jefferson Circuit Judge Mary Shaw, for Taylor's apartment, claiming suspected drug dealer Jamarcus Glover was "keeping narcotics and/or proceeds from the sale of narcotics" at the residence.

In an interview with investigators, Mattingly said officers knocked and announced their presence at Taylor's apartment before using a battering ram to burst into the residence. Walker, when speaking to investigators, said he heard banging on Taylor's door but did not hear officers announce themselves before the door flew open.

Walker fired a shot that hit Mattingly in the leg, and officers returned fire, striking and killing Taylor in her hallway.

Police found nothing illegal in Taylor's apartment after her death. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers involved.

Taylor's death has sparked more than a month of protests in Louisville, with demonstrators most recently staging a sit-in Tuesday on the lawn of Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home to demand action in the case. The day before, Cameron declined again to provide a timeline for when his office's investigation would be completed.

LMPD fired Hankison in June, but the officer is appealing the decision.

HoJay's petition demands Mattingly, Cosgrove, Jaynes and any other officer involved in Taylor's death be "fired, charged, and arrested immediately" and have their pensions revoked. The petition also calls for Taylor's family to receive damages in the wrongful death suit, an independent investigation into LMPD and federal legislation banning no-warrants nationwide.

Louisville Metro Council passed "Breonna's Law," banning no-knock warrants in the city, in June. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has filed the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act," which would ban the use of the warrants around the country.

Just days ago, HoJay and Change.org also launched a new advocacy tool to help petitioners communicate their demands: an off-shoot website called CallForBreonna.com that allows anyone to quickly call Kentucky lawmakers, the governor and attorney general.

"I think people absolutely can make a difference," said HoJay. "I mean, I think that when you're an individual it doesn't feel like much, but once all of our voices come together, the impact that can be made is huge."

However, HoJay isn't satisfied with the results the petition has produced so far and feels the ten million signatures have largely been ignored.

"I know that I definitely intend to continue until there is some sort of justice and accountability for Breonna," she said.

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