GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Doves were flying in the air over Rosa Parks Circle late Wednesday afternoon. Breonna Taylor's sister calls them a symbol of the love and beauty she showed to everyone she met.
"They represent something so peaceful, that I thought it was just the best way to represent what we all wanted to do today," said Dee Dee Taylor.
Every year since Breonna's death, her family has tried to do something special to honor her memory.
"We're okay," said Dee Dee. "I will say that we're not good. We, again, are going on four years with no justice."
Breonna was killed in Louisville, Kentucky after police used what is called a "no-knock" search warrant at the apartment where she was sleeping on March 13, 2020.
While there have been multiple federal civil rights violations in Breonna's shooting, no police officer has been charged directly with shooting her.
"When you let things like this go on without justice, then you allow people to think that they can continue to do this or that it's okay," said Dee Dee. "So we have to have accountability in everything that we do."
And while Breonna died in Louisville, her roots are in Grand Rapids. She moved from Grand Rapids when she was 15.
"She did great things," said Dee Dee. "And it's really sad that she lost her life in unfamiliar city, when, of course, Grand Rapids, we would have done her great here."
Among those at Rosa Parks Circle was Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom who even released a dove of his own.
"If anyone has a reason to be resentful of police, I would say family members of Breonna, but they're taking the opposite," said Chief Winstrom. "They're taking a tragedy and turning into a positive and you know, showing love to not only the regular people in Grand Rapids, the police, this is a really great event."
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.