Alicia Keys has said it is “outrageous and completely unacceptable” that the police officers connected to the death of Breonna Taylor in the US have not been held accountable.
Ms Taylor, a 26-year-old hospital worker, was shot and killed by police in Louisville on March 13 after they burst into her home and fired multiple bullets.
Her death has become a rallying cry for activists – including celebrities such as George Clooney, Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright – demanding charges against the officers involved.
Earlier this month, Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron announced a grand jury had indicted an officer, Brett Hankison, for shooting into neighbouring apartments, but did not move forward with charges against any officers for their role in Ms Taylor’s death.
Keys, 39, told GQ Hype: “There is no justice, there is no regard for the life of a black woman who had an incredibly great future.
“Breonna was essential to the workforce in Louisville and was a bright, shining star, ready to go higher.
“She deserves to be alive. She deserves to be able to sleep in her bed and wake up the next morning and continue on with her life.
“And she deserves for the people who ended her life to be held accountable.
“So how do I think that they handled it? They didn’t handle it! And that is outrageous and completely unacceptable.”
Keys, who recently released her seventh studio album ALICIA, said the Black Lives Matter movement had highlighted a “sickness” in the US.
She said: “There’s a sickness, a deeply rooted sickness and disregard for black lives, especially in positions that could terminate one’s life.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s literally been the backbone of this country. It’s been OK since day one.
“And it’s OK today! I mean, obviously it’s not OK, but nobody gets punished. Everybody just gets to go on when our families have to be torn apart. It’s just f***ed, man.”
Her album features the song Perfect Way To Die, written following protests against racial inequality sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd.
The track is written from the perspective of a mother whose son has been killed.
Read the full feature online at GQ Hype.