More People in Louisville Seeking Mental Health Help After Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Decision
The Grand Jury decision not to charge any of the officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor triggered many Louisville residents in ways that may affect residents for months to come. The 26-year old EMT’s death is compounded by no one held accountable for her killing and those facts are apparently leading to a larger increase of people seeking mental health help in the city.
According to TMZ, Joe Nalley, CEO of Kentucky Mental Health Care, says the day after the grand jury decision announcement, his office saw 30 new clients, a third of which have cited Taylor not receiving justice as the reason for seeking assistance.
Millicent Cahoon, founder of Therapists for Protester Wellness, also told TMZ their crisis hotline, which provides people with psychological help, has seen a rise in participants since the announcement last week. They've reportedly needed a minimum of 10 therapists to handle the volume of calls. The organization has also provided booths around the city offering free mental health services.
Tiffany Farmer, owner Best Life Mental Health Services in Louisville, told TMZ that she received five referrals for new clients the morning after the decision who also specifically cited Taylor’s case.
At Kentucky Mental Health Care, according to the celebrity news outlet, 90 percent of new clients mention Taylor’s case to their therapists. There has also been a heavy increase in prescriptions for anti-anxiety medication.
A grand jury returned three counts of “wanton endangerment” in the first degree against former officer Brett Hankinson for firing into another apartment. A $15,000 cash bond was also attached to the charges. The other two officers, Sgt. John Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove, were not charged and while on administrative leave, remain on the force. Hankinson was fired in July.
The attorneys for Taylor’s family are demanding Attorney General Daniel Cameron to release the transcript of the grand jury.
After midnight on March 13, Hankison, Cosgrove and Mattingly executed a botched “no-knock” warrant at Taylor's apartment (although the Kentucky Attorney General claimed the warrant was not a no-knock warrant and the police did announce their presence prior to barging into the apartment) which she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Believing they were intruders, Walker fired his weapon and gunfire from the officers ensued. Taylor was struck six times and died.
