LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A various crowd of tons of marched in Louisville’s streets chanting “Black Lives Matter” on Saturday night time, the fourth night time of protests after a grand jury declined to cost officers within the deadly capturing of Breonna Taylor.
Individuals within the crowd additionally chanted “No Justice, No peace” as automobiles honked alongside a busy downtown artery on this Kentucky metropolis that has seen greater than 120 days of demonstrations over the loss of life of the 26-year-old Black lady in a police raid gone improper.
A couple of police automobiles adopted behind, with officers telling protesters to remain on the sidewalk and out of the road earlier than the march ended. Many briefly ended up again at a downtown sq. that has been a focus of protests.
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However as a 9 p.m. curfew time approached, a police loudspeaker introduced that anybody who remained within the park can be arrested for a curfew violation. The sq. emptied out as individuals departed, many dispersing although one group headed to a close-by church the place protesters had discovered refuge on earlier nights.
A earlier protest on Friday night time was peaceable although police arrested 22 individuals for curfew violations. A police spokesman mentioned some additionally have been charged with failure to disperse.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer had urged continued peaceable protests in an look at a information convention Saturday night.
“I’m conscious that many in our neighborhood are hurting and indignant in regards to the choices introduced this week,” Fischer mentioned. The mayor mentioned he helps protesters’ First Modification rights to protest although “we simply ask you to do this peacefully please.”
Taylor was shot a number of occasions March 13 after her boyfriend fired at officers who had entered her residence throughout a narcotics raid by white officers, authorities mentioned. Taylor’s boyfriend mentioned he didn’t know who was coming in and fired in self-defence, wounding one officer.
On Wednesday, Kentucky Lawyer Basic Daniel Cameron introduced a grand jury indicted one officer on wanton endangerment prices, saying he fired gunshots right into a neighbouring residence in the course of the raid that didn’t strike anybody. That officer has been fired.
Cameron mentioned the opposite officers weren’t charged with Taylor’s killing as a result of they acted to guard themselves.
Taylor’s mom, Tamika Palmer, visited a downtown park on Friday with household and her attorneys, and known as on Kentucky officers to launch all physique digital camera footage, police information and the transcripts of the grand jury proceedings. Palmer mentioned in an announcement learn by a member of the family that she felt the felony justice system had failed her. Palmer marched on the head of Friday’s protest march.
The grand jury’s ruling weighed closely on protesters like Amber Brown. A central determine within the downtown demonstrations, Brown mentioned she was indignant.
“It looks like we went backward,” she mentioned Friday night time. “I believe individuals are nonetheless in shock and we’re undecided how one can transfer ahead.”
Brown criticized the police crackdown within the downtown space that has been in impact since early within the week.
“Persons are afraid to train their First Modification proper,” she mentioned. “Since when does protest have a curfew? Since when does freedom and civil rights have a curfew?”
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Related Press author Claire Galofaro contributed to this report from Louisville.
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