Demonstrators protesting racial injustice and police brutality clashed with armed supporters of law enforcement outside the Kentucky Derby Saturday, multiple outlets have reported.
A group of anti-racism protesters marched down Churchill Downs track chanting “No Justice, No Derby” and “End the war on us.” They were joined by the Not F—ing Around Coalition (NFAC), a Black militia group that has protested police killings of African Americans.
Earlier in the day the protesters clashed with members of the Angry Viking, an armed group that intended to show support for law enforcement.
The #BLM protest has begun marching to Churchill Downs, about a half mile away from the Kentucky derby. #BlackLivesMatter #TenDemandsNow pic.twitter.com/WIcLNwK1BP
— Terrence Daniels (Captain Planet) (@Terrence_STR) September 5, 2020
Watch @FordFischer‘s broadcast: NFAC militia gathers in Louisville amidst Kentucky Derbyhttps://t.co/TtsROeEavJ
— Michael Murray (@guardia72014383) September 5, 2020
The race took place in Louisville, where Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician, was killed in a police raid in her home in March.
“It has been six months, and there has been no arrests,” Tiffanie Morris, an attendee of the rally, told NBC News. “It’s time for us to take to the streets and peacefully protest, just like we have been doing all summer. This has been the freedom summer 2020.”
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been investigating Taylor’s death for months. Cameron said on Twitter Saturday that his office remains “cognizant of the community’s desire for answers in the investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor.”
Today, while we honor a KY tradition with the running of the Derby, we remain cognizant of the community’s desire for answers in the investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor. We continue to move forward with our investigation, reviewing each fact to reach the truth.
— Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) September 5, 2020
