A group of Black Lives Matter protesters in Louisville, Kentucky, were caught on camera in a standoff with an outdoor diner who produced his firearm during the tense exchange.
Black Lives Matter protesters, some of whom were armed, were in the area of Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman fatally shot by Louisville police in March 2020. The group eventually descended on an outdoor dining area, where one man was seen producing his firearm in response to the harassment from the protesters.
One woman can be seen on video telling the mob to move away from the man with the gun.
“No, no, no,” she is heard yelling. “Go!”
“For those who have asked, yes this man appeared to be armed, as were a few protesters. It was a tense few minutes,” said Courier-Journal reporter Hayes Gardner on Twitter.
For those who have asked, yes this man appeared to be armed, as were a few protesters. It was a tense few minutes. #Louisville pic.twitter.com/BAw7r99KMf
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) May 2, 2021
Black Lives Matter organizers continued to demand justice for Taylor during the famous horse race, commissioning a plane to fly around Churchill Downs with the message, “Protect Black Women. Divest from Police.”
Protesters could also be heard throughout the day chanting, “No Justice, No Derby!”
The story comes after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Department of Justice is opening an investigation into the Louisville Police Department as a result of Taylor’s death.
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“The investigation will assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory policing, and also whether it conducts unreasonable stops, searches, seizures, and arrests, both during patrol activities and in obtaining and executing search warrants for private homes,” the DOJ said in a press release.
Despite the protests and a heavy police presence, the Kentucky Derby went on without incident.
