LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The buildings in blocks around the immediate area of City Hall in downtown Louisville are all boarded up. Hardly any cars, besides law enforcement, are allowed inside the barricaded streets. The streets are devoid of people save for the park across the Justice Hall, creating a lesser-version of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle.
Black Lives Matter protesters once again gathered in Jefferson Square Park as the city holds its breath for Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) to announce if his office will bring charges against the Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor.
In preparation for potential unrest in response to a decision they deem not good enough, many of the businesses are closed and windows are barricaded. Concrete barriers and city dump trucks block access to a few blocks around the city government buildings, with police manning the barricades.
Townhall Media/Julio Rosas
Townhall Media/Julio Rosas
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As a result, protesters have almost free reign within the barricaded zone. The atmosphere, while slightly tense, was that of a street festival, with people gathering for food, drinks, and even street football. Some even took advantage of Kentucky's open carry laws and were armed with handguns and AR-15s.
The center of the park features a giant memorial of Taylor, complete with BLM signs, lights, and flowers. While mostly laid back, at least one fight broke out between two women, with multiple people intervening to break it up.
The main difference from the zone in Louisville to the CHAZ in Seattle is the police were in the area and protesters were not declaring their independence from the United States. This point was made when the Louisville Metro Police announced over loudspeakers the park would be closed at 11:00 pm, which brought some ire from the crowd.
Protesters stayed past the park being officially closed, but police did not make a move to clear people away. Police cars with their lights on were seen gathering down the street a few blocks away, prompting people to start leaving. Instead, the police just waited for a majority of the crowd to get tired and head home.
Protesters also told others it would not be smart to be arrested Tuesday night because if Cameron's decision is made on Wednesday, then there would be a chance those arrested would still be in jail and protesters need as many people as possible.
