Protesters calling for the arrest of the Louisville Metro Police officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor left the confines of downtown to march on the satellite office of Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Friday.
For over 100 days, crowds have gathered at Jefferson Square Park, usually marching through downtown as the day progresses. Friday marked a change in setting, as a group of over 100 made their way east to Hurstbourne, where Cameron has an office.
Mysonne Linen, a co-founder of Until Freedom, said that protesters wanted to take their demands directly to Cameron. He also said it was important to spread the group’s message to people outside of downtown, specifically white people and those in different socioeconomic situations.
“We wanted to come to the communities where people have a lighter hue or people are more well-off, who don't feel bothered by the fact that a young Black woman died in her home,” Linen said. “Because they're not seeing it, they're not hearing it. We want to come and scream at your windows and let you know the pain that we have so that you can identify and see that it's not just something on TV. It’s not something that's far removed. We don't want you to feel far removed from the pain and the struggle that the people are really dealing with in this community.”
Protesters started in the parking lot directly in front of Cameron’s office, later making their way to the entrance of the building. There, multiple representatives of Until Freedom, Taylor’s mother Tamika Palmer, and artist and poet Hannah Drake addressed the crowd.
Drake said that protesters are seeking far-reaching change in Louisville, and that calls for justice for Taylor are just the beginning of the fight.
“Don’t let them say this is the end,” she said. “I don’t give a damn what Daniel Cameron says next week. I don’t care what he says the week after. We still have so much work to do, and I’m going to tell you where it starts -- with 26 people sitting in Metro Council.”
The group eventually moved towards Shelbyville Road, where they were met by a line of LMPD officers at the intersection with Hurstbourne Parkway. They then walked past the barricade and back towards Cameron’s office without incident, though a sizable group of officers and police vehicles trailed them along the way.
Linen said the $12 million settlement announced by city officials earlier this week does not change protesters’ objective. He said they will continue to march until the three officers who shot Taylor while serving a no-knock warrant on March 13 are criminally charged.
“If we don't get what we have to get, if we say it’s no justice, it won't be no peace, then we have to continue with that strategy,” Linen said. “But God willing, these people will do the right thing. God willing, Daniel Cameron will look and understand that a woman was murdered at the hands of the police and those police officers need to be charged. God willing, we’ll get justice. But if we don't, then it can’t be no peace.”
Cameron’s announcement on whether or not those charges will come is expected soon. Federal buildings in downtown Louisville are closed next week, presumably in anticipation of that announcement and protests to follow.