Mother of deceased calls for peaceful protests in Kentucky
Demonstrations held in Louisville two months after medical tech killed
Looking to defuse anger after gunfire wounded at least seven people at a protest in Louisville, the mother of a Black woman killed by police in March urged protesters Friday to continue demanding justice but do so “without hurting each other.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear read the statement from Breonna Taylor’s mother hours after gunshots erupted during protests late Thursday outside city hall. One person was in critical condition, Louisville Metro Police said Friday.
Mayor Greg Fischer said police officers fired no shots. Instead, they provided aid to the wounded, he said. TV video showed terrified protesters fleeing as gunfire erupted.
With more rallies planned, Taylor’s mother joined the chorus of calls for protests to remain peaceful. In her statement, Tamika Palmer said her daughter, an emergency medical technician, devoted her life to others and the “last thing she’d want right now is any more violence.” “Please keep saying her name,” her statement said. “Please keep demanding justice and accountability, but let’s do it the right way without hurting each other. We can and we will make some real change here. Now is the time. Let’s make it happen, but safely.”
On Friday evening, about 100 people flooded a downtown street near city hall, briefly blocking traffic and chanting “No justice, no peace.” Protesters carried signs calling for justice for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. No police were visible at the time, and officials have said they will let protesters demonstrate as long as there is no violence.
Beshear, the Democratic governor, also called on President Donald Trump to retract a tweet in which he threatened to “assume control” in Minneapolis if necessary. The president, reacting to the torching of a Minneapolis police station by protesters outraged by the death of a Black man in police custody, warned that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
“During these times, we can condemn violence while also trying to listen, to understand, to know that there is deep frustration, rightfully so, in our country,” Beshear said. “That there has not been enough action on creating equality, of opportunity and in health care. And in a time of this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s laid bare all of that.”
“We value the right to free speech and understand this community has a lot to say right now,” Louisville police Lt.-Col. LaVita Chavous said. “We hear you.”
But she added that police were prepared to “take whatever action we must to try to ensure no one else is injured during this time of unrest. We ask the community to please voice your opinions in a peaceful way.”
Louisville’s mayor said the use of no-knock warrants by police was being suspended, the latest in a series of policy changes and others actions in response to Taylor’s death.