Louisville is not enforcing its decades-old mask ban on people exercising their First Amendment right to protest, says Mayor Craig Greenberg.
Greenberg’s comments on how the city is choosing to enforce a ban on people concealing their identity in public came after the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched through downtown on July 5. Videos recorded by witnesses spread quickly on social media, showing dozens of people in navy tops and khaki pants waving American and Confederate flags.
All the people in the Patriot Front protest wore hats and face coverings, which prompted some residents to ask why Louisville Metro did not cite or arrest them for violating the city’s 1983 mask ban ordinance. Greenberg said last October that the city would begin enforcing the ordinance again after people wearing surgical masks shot two teenagers at a high school football game.
On Monday morning, however, Greenberg told LPM News that the city has not been using the law against protesters. A violation would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, imprisonment for up to 50 days or both.
“We have not been enforcing the mask ban ordinance on people that are exerting their First Amendment right, whether it’s this hateful, disgusting group or other groups that are wearing masks as well,” the mayor said. “We may revisit that, but for right now we haven’t done that.”
Greenberg noted that Metro Council rejected his proposal to update the ordinance last year, after residents and disability rights groups raised concerns. His proposed amendments included carve-outs for religious and health reasons, but did not provide an exemption for First Amendment protests.
Greenberg also said Monday that he was “disgusted” by this “small group of hateful individuals who briefly marched downtown in our city,” and said Patriot Front represented everything the city is working against.
“I’m so glad that the response was so negative towards them,” he said. “That just shows what a great city we have.”
“If you’re so proud of your beliefs, show your face,” Greenberg added.
The July 5 march was organized by the group Patriot Front, which has been classified as a white nationalist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.
The Texas-based group was formed following the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Patriot Front, which uses neo-Nazi slogans like “blood and soil” and “for race and nation,” according to researchers, is known for doing quick pop-up marches across the U.S., allowing participants to avoid police and counterprotesters.
Thirty-one members of the group were arrested in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2022 on charges of conspiracy to riot after they targeted an LGBTQ+ pride event. And five Patriot Front members settled a lawsuit last year after Richmond, Virginia residents accused them of defacing a statue of Arthur Ashe, the only Black man to ever win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.
In Louisville, the protest drew an immediate rebuke from public officials and community groups.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement it condemned “all attempts nationwide to promote white supremacy and the racist legacy of the Confederacy.”
“All Americans should encourage unity and mutual respect, not division and hatred,” the organization wrote.
Raymond Burse, president of the Louisville NAACP, also condemned the group and said its ideology would not be tolerated.
“For decades, the NAACP has been dedicated to fighting against racial hatred and division fomented by groups like this," Burse said. “It's unfortunate that this group felt comfortable enough to display its venom and ignorance on a Louisville city street.”
The Louisville Metro Police Department said Saturday that the protest was “understandably concerning” but it posed no threat to the public and had no impact on traffic or city operations. Police urged the public not to give the group “the coverage and attention that it is seeking.”
