LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Protests in downtown Louisville continued into the weekend and like the previous three nights Louisville Metro Police made arrests. 

What You Need To Know

  • Protests continue Saturday night

  • Marches began at 6 p.m.

  • Protesters gathered at Jefferson Square Park

  • Protesterss walked to a church at 9 p.m. and police made arrestes

Protesters marched just after 6 p.m. and returned to Jefferson Square Park before 7:30 p.m. They announced several times before the 9 p.m. curfew that they planned to stay in the park and barked warnings to those who didn't want to be arrested that they should leave.  By 9 p.m. the park was empty and large number of protesters had walked to a church on Second Street. Just before the curfew went into effect LMPD tweeted out a pair of advisories alerting people to the fact that it can declare unlawful assembly at anytime for safety reasons and those wishing to leave peacefully needed to head west on Jefferson Street. 

LMPD saw other protesters with plywood shields and other items, which it said in a press release, could be used as weapons. LMPD heard various media reports saying protesters planned to have a stand off with officers.  Following the LMPD disperse order, a large group of protesters went back to the First Unitarian Church on Fourth Street. 

The LMPD press release said a small group of protesters left the church just before midnight and started being destructive.  LMPD says they set plywood on fire in the street in front of the church, smashed windows at Presentation Academy and Spalding University. The group set fire to a car in the Spalding parking lot and threw fireworks inside setting off small explosions. More police responded to the area as did the Louisville Fire Department who put the car fire out. LMPD released this video of the incidents.

 

The protesters at the church were asked to stay inside while LMPD handled the situation in the street and at the nearby schools. 25 people were arrested Saturday night. Three of those arrested were from out of town, one from Jeffersonville, In., one from New Orleans, La., and the other was from Nashville, Tn. 

The damage wasn't limited to downtown. LMPD says several businesses around Louisville were looted Saturday. Those businesses were:

  • Louisville Truck& Auto Sales 500 block of Broadway (glass breakage)
  • Walgreens 8300 block of Watterson Trail (break-in to the pharmacy).
  • Home Center 1100 block of S. 4th St. (glass breakage)
  • Game Stop 7100 block of Raggard Rd.
  • Game Stop 8800 block of Dixie Highway (break-in)
  • Audubon Pharmacy 3500 block of Poplar Level Rd. (Break-in)
  • Mobile Cricket 5000 block of Poplar Level Rd. (Break-in). 

During the day, members of Run for Breonna Louisville ran a 3.13 mile in honor of Breonna Taylor, followed by writing letters to local politicians. Others danced in Jefferson Square Park and encouraged others to join then, while another group spent their time painting signs and banners in preparation for a march scheduled for 6 p.m. The march, which began at Jefferson Square Park, remained peaceful. Another march took place later in the evening, in addition to a sit-in.

Mayor Greg Fischer and Interim Police Chief Rob Schroeder held a press briefing earlier in the day, announcing over 20 arrests from Friday night. Both Schroeder and Fischer urged protesters to keep their demonstration lawful and peaceful while obeying officers when instructed to do so. 

See our previous protest coverage below:

To read more about what has happened since the grand jury's decision in the Breonna Taylor case here are a number of resources: