Statement on Police Shooting of Ta'Kiya Young

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute released the following statement from Executive Director Dr. Sydney McKinney responding to Blendon Township (Ohio) police shooting and killing 21-year-old Black woman Ta’Kiya Young:

The police shooting and killing of 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young is appalling. We are once again faced with the consequences of overzealous policing and unnecessary police violence that all too frequently take the life of Black women.

This should have never happened, and Ta’Kiya should be with us today. Instead, children lost their mother, a family lost a daughter and granddaughter, and a community is scarred. The impact of the loss of Ta’Kiya and the repercussions of police actions will last a lifetime.

Police do not protect or keep our communities safe; they inflict serious harm, and their presence creates a culture of fear.

Racial and gender inequities are embedded throughout U.S. systems and institutions and make it more likely that Black women & girls will come into contact with law enforcement and the U.S. criminal-legal system. This is why we must dismantle this racist & sexist system that denies Black women and girls access to safety, well-being, economic prosperity, and life. And in its place, we must build pathways to opportunity and healing for those who have been neglected and harmed for so long.

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The National Black Women’s Justice Institute's mission is to research, elevate, and educate the public about innovative, community-driven solutions to address the criminalization of Black women and girls. We aim to dismantle the racist and sexist U.S. criminal-legal system and build, in its place, pathways to opportunity and healing. We envision a society that respects, values, and honors the humanity of Black women and girls, takes accountability for the harm it has inflicted, and recognizes that justice is healing.