FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky State Capitol grounds were closed Sunday because of an FBI bulletin reported earlier in the week that armed protests were being planned at all 50 state capitols starting over the weekend until inauguration on Jan. 20.

Over a dozen people, many visibly armed, showed up at Kentucky’s State Capitol in the afternoon but those that Spectrum News 1 spoke to said they were not there protesting the election or in support of Trump. 

Self-described “Boogaloo Boy” Chris Ceawolf of Lexington arrived armed with an AR-15. He said he was not at the Kentucky State Capitol because of what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Ceawolf said he is part of a group that was planning this protest before the election. However, only three, including him, showed up.

“We are out here extending our first and second amendment rights against what we feel is a severe overreach and a series of [inaudible] that’s being done by our armed governing body,” Ceawolf said.

He then referenced the restrictions put in place during the pandemic, and said the mass shutdowns are destroying the nation due to job loss and small businesses closing. 

Kentucky State Police (KSP) and Kentucky National Guard blocked vehicles from accessing Kentucky’s Capitol grounds Sunday. Sergeant Billy Gregory, KSP’s Public Affairs Commander, said peaceful protesters were allowed up to the roundabout driveway in front of the Kentucky State Capitol, but no one could go up the Capitol steps or up the roads next to it, which lead to the Governor’s Mansion and the Capitol Annex building.  

Ceawolf said he didn’t have a problem getting up to that point.

“I spoke to the police; let them know, ‘Hey look we are going to be here. We are not here to cause problems, but we are going to be here extending our first and second amendment rights,’ and they are like, ‘That’s OK as long as you’re not here doing anything illegal. As long as you are being a law abiding citizen and following within your constitutional rights, you are not doing anything wrong,’" Ceawolf told Spectrum News 1.

By 2 p.m., a group of over a dozen showed up — many visibly armed and wearing purple duct tape that looked like an armband. One of the people in that group, Dylan O’Donoghue, said they came from Louisville.

He also said while they were and still are involved with the Breonna Taylor protests, that those protests are not the reason why the group was at the Kentucky State Capitol on Sunday. He also said the group was not affiliated with any organization.  

“Today has nothing to do Black Lives Matter and has nothing to do with the Breonna Taylor movement, and that’s why I’m a bit averse to speak with the media because I don’t want the points to be confused. This is about people protecting people. This is about people protecting people from police and our government, which has had such a heavy hand of course for the last 70 years. We are here to protect people,” O’Donoghue said. 

O’Donoghue came visibly armed but wouldn’t specify what he was carrying.

“This is about us protecting people against a heavy-handed government,” O’Donoghue said. “I am not anti-government. I am not here to hurt anybody. I am here to make sure that people don’t get hurt.”

Another person with the purple duct tape armband who didn’t want to give his real name, but called himself Bravo Redacted, said he is part of the "United Pharaoh’s Guard" and was at the Kentucky State Capitol Sunday for second and first amendment rights. He said the mission is to protect people peacefully protesting and their second amendment right. 

“We’re here just to do right by the people and protect the people,” Redacted said.

“We condemn [those] actions by those Trumpers, but we just out here making sure everything went peacefully,” Redacted also told Spectrum News 1. 

Redacted also said he was involved with the Breonna Taylor protests throughout the summer, but he said being at the Kentucky State Capitol Sunday didn’t have anything to do with that. 

“We have been out all summer. We protected the people all summer. We marched with the people all summer, and you know we are just here to protect everyone,” Redacted explained.

When asked what the group he was with would do if violence had broken out at the Kentucky State Capitol Sunday, which it didn’t, Redacted said, “We’ll do our best to protect the people. We’ll leave it at that.”

From the Kentucky State Capitol, at least two law enforcement officers could be seen from a window watching the crowd. Sergeant Gregory said told media earlier in the day Kentucky State Police felt prepared for anything.

“I feel like we’ve done our due diligence in being prepared and hopefully over prepared for anything that might happen, but we’re also hopeful that nothing happens,” Sergeant Gregory said.

By 3:30 p.m. there were no more armed protesters in front of the Kentucky State Capitol. At dusk, law enforcement were still seen blocking access to any vehicles trying to enter the Capitol grounds, and it appeared they had left once it was dark.