Protesters began gathering in Louisville, Kentucky, after the announcement that no officers had been charged with killing Breonna Taylor.
The Wednesday demonstrations began almost instantly, grabbing pre-prepared signs, shields, and supplies out of a U-Haul.
A parked U-Haul was waiting for the crowd up the street. It contains supplies such as signs, shields, water etc. I’m not sure how people knew what it contained. Police are up ahead pic.twitter.com/qObHK3E83y
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Some demonstrators surrounded and yelled at officers in their vehicles. As some protesters passed people standing on their balconies, observing those marching below, one woman shouted, “Get out y’all motherf—-n’ houses, this shit ain’t for spectating, this shit ain’t for show!”
People from the crowd shout at those standing outside their homes but not actively participating in the march.
“Get out y’all motherfuckin’ houses, this shit ain’t for spectating, this shit ain’t for show!” One woman says. pic.twitter.com/Yxvb8sZdEX
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
One protester yelled, “We didn’t get it,” and others responded, “Burn it down!”
Some have already begun smashing in windows.
One man reportedly attempted to pull a gun before a crowd moved in to stop him.
The mayor of Louisville announced a curfew, which will begin at 9 p.m. local time. Additionally, the National Guard has been sent to the city, and roads have been blocked off in the city’s downtown.
One officer, former Detective Brett Hankinson, was charged on Wednesday but with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment against Taylor’s neighbors, not Taylor herself.
Taylor died on March 13 after officers raided her home on a “no-knock” warrant to search for drugs. Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, claims the officers did not identify themselves, and therefore, he thought they were home intruders. Walker fired at the officers, and they fired back. Taylor was shot multiple times, and the state’s attorney general claims that only one of those shots was fatal.
Hankinson has been accused of “blindly” firing 10 shots into the apartment through a sliding glass door. Authorities say he did not have a line of sight and was therefore putting Taylor’s neighbors in danger.
Protests over Taylor’s death were widespread and coincided with protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in May after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
