While coverage of the cases of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has calmed down in recent days, people are still seeking justice for those who’ve lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement, and former NBA star Dwyane Wade is among those leading the charge.
The former athlete made a statement regarding Taylor’s case that could not be avoided during his appearance on TNT’s “The Arena” on Tuesday, July 21. The 38-year-old wore a shirt seeking justice for the 26-year-old emergency medical technician in Louisville, Kentucky, who was shot and killed in March by police officers.
Wade’s shirt featured the sentence, “Breonna Taylor’s killers are still free.” Below was the phone number 502-696-5300 with a call to action which encouraged people to call the number and demand justice.
“Zoom in on me, zoom in on me,” Wade told cameras. “This number right here, this number is the number to Kentucky’s Attorney General Daniel Cameron. So, you guys can call this number, press one, and leave a message.”
Taylor was shot five times by Louisville Metro Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove, who were carrying out a no-knock search warrant at her apartment not long after midnight on March 13. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, thought they were intruders and fired his weapon as the officers broke through the door, striking one in the leg. They returned fire with a volley of shots, hitting Taylor multiple times but somehow missing Walker. Cameron, the first Black person elected state attorney general in Kentucky history, has had jurisdiction over the investigation of Taylor’s slaying since the Louisville prosecutor recused himself from the case in May.
Wade’s informal protest comes as more celebrities seek justice for the slain EMT and many others. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry honored Taylor early this month at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament by wearing custom cleats that featured Taylor’s name, picture, “Say Her Name” and #BlackLivesMatter.
Curry recently has been very outspoken regarding the subject of race and social injustice. The 32-year-old was among several NBA players who participated in peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd, who gasped his last breaths with his neck under the knee of a white policeman in Minneapolis on May 25.
Pop star Rihanna has also called out Cameron. In a message posted to her Instagram account in late June, the “Diamonds” singer wrote, “Over 100 days after #breonnataylor was MURDERED!!” Since its posting, the picture has gained over a million likes. “Her killers are at home watching Netflix on the couch. WTF is America?!” Rihanna captioned the post, “yerrrrr @danieljaycameron, where we at with this my brother?!”
