Dozens of windows were smashed in downtown Louisville in the aftermath of a second night of protests calling for justice for Breonna Taylor. On Saturday morning, volunteers spontaneously arrived in downtown to clean up the city.
With glass from broken windows still littering sidewalks and streets, Mayor Greg Fischer announced a dusk to dawn curfew in Louisville beginning Saturday night.
Facing the prospect of more protests on Saturday, both the day and evening, Gov. Andy Beshear called in the Kentucky National Guard to try to keep the peace.
In a video statement released Saturday morning, Besher says the hope is they’ll help keep peace in the city.
“I hope everybody knows that this is a big step and a tough step and it’s not one intended to silence any voice…but I want to make sure at the end of the day we are all safe,” he said.
Broken glass, paint cans and empty bottles littered Louisville streets Saturday morning. But volunteers were already out cleaning up as the sun rose over downtown.
Denzel Carter and his partner Kanisha Roberts came out with brooms this morning to help sweep up the glass and talk about the previous night’s protests.
Roberts said that as a Black woman, she understands the cause, but she does not support the destruction of property of small business owners.
“It’s just sad so this is kind of the best thing I could do being peaceful, trying to promote that we are still a community, we want peace but we want justice,” Roberts said.
Protesters scrawled anti-police graffiti with slogans including “the only good cop is a dead one,” as well as calls for justice, “I can’t breathe” and “Breonna Taylor.” A wheat-pasted flyer on a pole on Second Street reads “Death to Amerikka.”
Over at the Louisville Tourism Bureau beside the convention center, a pair of volunteers swept up glass as an alarm rang out. Volunteer Daniel Harris said he works in the tourism industry and came out to help. He said protesters stole the Colonel Sanders figure from inside the bureau.
“I feel everybody has a right to protest. It’s a tragedy what happened to [Taylor] and her family. What happened to her was wrong but there is no excuse for what happened last night,” Harris said.
