Police not amused by elderly protest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Police charged seven people with criminal trespassing and arrested one of them during a Thursday morning sit-in on the front lawn of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s Louisville home.

The group were participating in a sit-in to demand justice for Breonna Taylor when a number of police officers responded to the scene.

Those charged had a combined age of 514 years, according to one of the organizers. That’s an average of 73 years old per person.

Dotti Lockhart, 78, said they arrived at 10 a.m. and had committed to staying for an hour in honor of Taylor. Several others who were charged were also in their 70s.

“We were threatened with arrest at 10:01, and we were told to leave immediately,” Lockhart said.

Just before 10:50 a.m., police approached protesters sitting on Cameron’s lawn in chairs and handed them citations.

John Mills, deputy chief for the Graymoor-devondale Police Department, confirmed six people received citations for criminal trespassing and moved off of the lawn. The seventh person “decided they wanted to be arrested,” he said.

Mary Holden, 68, appeared to be knitting while sitting on the lawn before she was arrested.

The protesters carried signs in support of justice for Taylor, with messages such as “Grannies for justice for Breonna.” Additional protesters sat on the road so as not to be arrested, citing health concerns.

It is the second such protest at Cameron’s home as the public awaits his decision regarding charges against officers connected to Taylor’s death.

On the night Taylor was killed, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired one shot in self-defense, believing the police officers entering Taylor’s apartment were intruders, according to his attorney. Officers then returned more than 20 bullets, including the five that killed Taylor.