Only moments after the expected announcement in the Breonna Taylor case, violence exploded in Louisville, Kentucky. Video footage is going viral and this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for details as they emerge.
LOUISVILLE: protesters begin to clash with riot police as tensions escalate
Report @Julio_Rosas11 confirms that here have been multiple arrests
pic.twitter.com/5ccleJW8p5— E (@ElijahSchaffer) September 23, 2020
Violence explodes in Louisville
The violence following the expected Breonna Taylor decision has already begun as rioters clash with federal police decked out in full riot gear. There are reports of people walking around with AR-15’s. On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted one of the officers, former detective Brett Hankison, with “several counts of wanton endangerment” but that didn’t appease the crowd. They’re still howling for blood. Hankison fired the shots while serving a “no-knock” warrant.
The violence is the result of the other cops being cleared. Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove “were not charged at all in an action that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said ‘was justified to protect themselves.'” The mob doesn’t like the ruling. Over 100 “protesters” have descended on Jefferson Square Park, “which has served as the home base for Louisville Black Lives Matter protests over the last 118 days.”
And it starts… let’s see what happens #Louisville #blm #riots #Breannataylor https://t.co/3zSL1gC8Op
— Nicholas Gladden (@MarylandNickG) September 23, 2020
Besides their usual chants of “No Justice, No Peace” and “Keep going,” a man “used a wooden bat to try to break a UPS storefront.” Police fired a volley of pepper balls and protesters were soon spotted sitting on a side parking lot with injuries they said stemmed from the law-enforcement onslaught. Some were taken into police custody.”
National Guard deployed and so are the militia
To help control the violence, “several National Guard humvees were seen driving into downtown Louisville, which had been largely closed down ahead of the grand-jury announcement.” In the same area, “a militia group in tactical gear was walking around—several of the members armed.”
Unloading the riot shields from the Uhaul #Louisville #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/F9KqzRB5lM
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
The mayor and the “interim police chief” have already declared a state of emergency, even before the decision came in. Expecting violence, “streets and downtown parking garages were closed, some local businesses boarded up their storefronts, and the federal courthouse was shuttered for the week.” The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, “activated the National Guard on Wednesday to quell any fallout and the mayor implemented a three-day curfew.”
Protesters storm a restaurant and begin throwing tables and chairs on the outdoor patio #Louisville #LouisvilleProtest #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/yYukW8b3FG
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020