Protect Black Women

Protect+Black+Women

Erin Slaughter, Student Writer

In March of 2020 Breonna Taylor was shot and fatally killed in her apartment after a botched police raid. 16 rounds were fired into her apartment, and the warrant that was being served during the incident was obtained under false pretenses.

No officer has been charged for the unfortunate death of Ms. Taylor however, several federal civil rights violations have been brought against the officers involved.

Twenty-seven months after one of the officers in the case was fired, he is back on the job. Myles Cosgrove was recently hired on for another law enforcement job in Carroll County.

This is about an hour away from where he first was employed when he was involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor. The Carroll County chief deputy has defended the hiring of Myles Cosgrove by stating he was cleared of any criminal charges.

The hiring of this officer has without a doubt spilt the public. Some call for a second chance while others stand firm in their belief he was not punished severely enough.

Breonna Taylor’s sister made a statement and shared her thoughts.

“It’s like instead of them getting a consequence, their reward … their consequence is a new job or being able to move on to a new community, still holding a gun, still interacting with the community, without any consequence,” she told NBC affiliate WOOD of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Those who share the feelings that he should have not been hired support their stance by pointing out that no rehabilitation or training has been mentioned when the conversation about this particular officer is mentioned.

His efforts have been praised by his new employers and they are confident that he is the man for the job.  “We felt like he was a good candidate to help us in our county.” In short, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office wanted to “give him a chance,” the deputy has been quoted saying.

Unfortunately, Breonna Taylor’s case is not the only time where an innocent woman’s life was taken and the consequences for her murder seemed way too lenient.

Geraldine Townsend, 72, was asleep in her son’s home in Oklahoma when officers mistook Her bb gun for a real one and fatally shot her. Aiyana Jones, 7, was sleeping beside her grandmother when a SWAT team stormed into their Detroit home.

She was killed when an officer mistakenly shot in her the neck. Just as the officers in the Breonna Taylor case, these officers were cleared of all criminal charges.

Second chances for some, are not second chances for all, especially if they are no longer alive.