The president of Edgewood College in Madison recently shared a reflection on Breonna Taylor and the importance of every life. 

Andrew Manion noted that on Sept. 23 one of the police officers who was part of the killing of Taylor was charged with wanton endangerment. 

“Regardless of the outcome of the officer’s trial, from what I have read, it seems like there are laws in place that together produce situations very likely to produce violence,” Manion said in a release on the college's website. 

Kentucky is home to a number of laws that— in certain situations— have the potential to damage the lives of those who live there. While citizens are allowed to have guns and stand their ground in their homes, police officers are also allowed to enter homes without announcing that they are law enforcement. 

“Regardless of the grand jury’s decision to indict the officers, or the outcome of the trial, that result [Taylor's death] cannot be undone," Manion said. "An innocent woman was taken from the world for having done nothing worse than being in the place at the time when two potentially deadly laws came together."

The job of the grand jury was not to determine if something good or bad transpired, but rather to determine if there is sufficient evidence to charge the suspects with a crime. 

“We are all hurt by the injustice of Ms. Taylor’s death," Manion said. "This community will continue to protest this injustice and to mourn the death of Ms. Taylor. The system has to change. Breonna Taylor’s tragic, avoidable and senseless killing will be a moment marked by history as the breaking point for a justice system that is too often unjust." 

While we cannot rewrite history or bring Ms. Taylor back, we can work together to ensure that the same tragedy does not occur again. By praying, protesting, voting and reaching out to elected officials, we can make a difference.