CLEVELAND — For many, the decision in the Breonna Taylor case was no surprise, but it’s still crushing.
Black people are trying to cope with what many have called, a broken justice system.
News 5 sat down with a local psychologist who explained more on how black people should be handling this latest blow.
“I think that we’re tired. Black people are emotionally drained,” says Dr. Tyffani Dent, Cleveland Psychologist.
More than 200 days have gone by since 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was gunned down by Louisville police, in her own apartment.
Wednesday, news that none of the three officers involved are being charged with her death, was a gut- punch to black people everywhere.
“Trying to hold on to some level of hope that justice will happen and then realize that it’s not. It’s exhausting,” says Dent.
After a year of dealing with the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.
Even dating back to the police shootings of Botham Jean and Tamir Rice— Dent says black people keep reliving this trauma.
“Imagine having to have these feelings of helplessness, and hopelessness, and rage, and anxiety and traumatic stress and exist on a daily basis like this. I am seeing people acknowledge more that this is very difficult, this is stressful. They’re not sleeping, they’re not eating. They’re angry.”
As protestors hit the streets Wednesday night, in cities all across the country, Dent encourages black people to do what’s necessary to deal with their emotions. Maybe that means expressing your feelings to your friends or through a social media post.
“I think a lot of times protest is the language of the unheard, unfortunately we don’t even begin to have these conversations, and we won’t want to have these conversations until protests happen.”
Dent says these emotions should propel action on the part of black people.
"Go vote. Help others register to vote. Run for office. Be more involved in your local school board and government, to help make those changes happen."
