Community Corner
Wayne Activists Will Host Vigil For Breonna Taylor
A vigil is scheduled in Wayne a day after an indictment in the Breonna Taylor case left local activists disappointed, but unsurprised.
WAYNE, NJ — A grand jury indicted former Louisville police detective Brett Hankison with wanton endangerment for shooting into neighboring apartments during the raid in which Breonna Taylor was killed on Wednesday.
However, none of the three officers involved — Hankison, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly or Detective Myles Cosgrove — were charged in connection to her death.
Last night, activists in Teaneck quickly scheduled a candlelight vigil in Taylor's memory, and activists in Wayne will follow suit Thursday.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Marisa Budnick, who planned the rally, shared with Patch Wednesday shortly after the grand jury decision was announced that she was "heartbroken, but sadly not surprised."
"This system is incredibly broken and the system in Kentucky apparently does not care about Black lives. We just need to do all we can to keep her name and memory alive," she said.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Wayne Municipal Building, the event organizers ask that anyone planning to attend wear a mask and bring a candle.
A flyer posted to social media, according to a follow-up post on the Wayne for Change Instagram page, caught the attention of police Thursday.
In the flyer, Budnick urged demonstrators to bring "posters, flowers, rocks, whatever you need to properly mourn her."
According to her follow-up post, Wayne police contacted her after hearing concern about the idea of bringing rocks, seemingly due to concern that they would be used for property damage, something Budnick clarified is not, and was not, the intention.
Read the full clarification below:
View this post on InstagramHi all, Chief McNiff called me saying there were residents concerned about us encouraging you to “bring rocks” to the memorial because they can be used to damage property. That was not my intention at all. Placing rocks down in a memorial is a Jewish tradition and I wanted to include that but I guess I didn’t think it would be misinterpreted. My apologizes if it scared anyone, but it IS tradition and I felt like it needed to be included. And I recognize that I could’ve explained it more in the graphic. But please don’t let it stop you from coming. This is going to be a peaceful, meaningful memorial for a Black woman wrongfully murdered and we intend for it to stay that way. I want to add.. what if this memorial was for RBG? A Jewish woman? Would people be up in arms about bringing rocks then? Or is it because this memorial is for a Black woman and people automatically thought we were going to insinuate violence by throwing rocks. Just posing that thought.
A post shared by Wayne NJ Activism (@wayneforchange) on Sep 24, 2020 at 8:00am PDT
Wayne isn't the only community with scheduled vigils over the course of the next few days, as a vigil in Paterson is slated for 8 p.m. at the Underground Railroad Memorial.
In Jersey City, the Kemet Music and Arts Festival is scheduled for Sunday beginning with a rally at 10 a.m., with a march scheduled at 11 a.m., making way for the festival to start at noon.
This is the first Kemet Festival, and features local Jersey City artists, speakers, and black owned vendors.
Hankison, who was fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department, is charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, a felony that is less serious than murder or manslaughter.
If convicted, he could spend up to five years in prison for each charge.
Read more: Ex-Louisville Cop Indicted In Breonna Taylor Case
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