Police investigate after bust of Breonna Taylor was smashed into pieces

Police in Oakland, Calif., are investigating after a bust of Breonna Taylor was found smashed into pieces on Saturday, two weeks after it had been installed. 

The ceramic sculpture of the emergency room technician, who was killed by police earlier this year, was featured in downtown Oakland with the phrase “Say Her Name Breonna Taylor.”

The Oakland Police Department said it is “aware of the incident regarding the vandalism of a bust honoring Breonna Taylor,” adding that a police report was filed, according to Bay Area public media outlet KQED.

Disappointing to see the #BreonnaTaylor statue in downtown Oakland vandalized. It was installed just 2 weeks ago. @oaklandpoliceca are aware & are investigating. pic.twitter.com/0rNPiPLTSI

— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) December 27, 2020

The bust’s artist, Leo Carson, told local affiliate ABC7 that he plans to repair the sculpture and cast it in bronze, adding that he set up a GoFundMe page to help fund the fix. 

“This vandalism is an act of racist aggression, and it shows why sculpture and art matters,” Carson told KQED. “I made this sculpture to support the Black Lives Matter movement and while I’m overcome with rage and sadness at their cowardly act, their vandalism will make her even more potent.”

Taylor’s death was one of several police killings that sparked Black Lives Matter protests calling for racial justice over the summer. The 26-year-old was shot and killed inside her apartment in March by police acting on a “no-knock” warrant in Louisville, Ky.

In September, a grand jury indicted one of the officers with wanton endangerment for shots that went into a neighbor’s apartment. None of the three officers were charged directly with Taylor’s death, leading to more protests in Louisville and across the country.