Protesters for racial justice and counterprotesters from armed white militia groups confronted each other in Louisville on Saturday ahead of the Kentucky Derby.
The confrontation at Jefferson Square Park in the Kentucky city came amid a large police presence, including by the state National Guard and state police.
Some protesters at the scene chanted “Breonna Taylor,” the name of a 26-year-old emergency medical technician fatally shot during a police raid, while counterprotesters repeated, “USA.”
The confrontation appeared tense but was mostly peaceful. It was broken up with the arrival of police in riot gear.
Thousands of demonstrators have been expected to stage a peaceful march outside of Churchill Downs during the the Kentucky Derby to demand justice for Taylor, who was killed during the police raid in her home in March.
In addition, a group called the Not F***ing Around Coalition (NFAC), an armed Black militia, said it also plans a protest.
The armed white Angry Viking group had also said it will demonstrate to show support for the police.
Louisville Metro Police Department Deputy Chief LaVita Chavous said, “We are prepared for others to express their First Amendment rights. We don’t know how large these crowds will be, but we do intend to not intervene with lawful protests that are not violent.”
She also said fencing around the Churchill Downs is something that is done every year for crowd management.
But some residents criticized law enforcement’s preparation for the demonstrations as excessive.
“To come out here and see armored vehicles, to see all the way around miles of fencing is ridiculous,” Pastor Timothy Findley Jr said Friday.
Tension has remained high in Louisville for months as the state attorney general continues to investigate Taylor’s death, and some residents have said that holding the Kentucky Derby is insensitive and a distraction from the ongoing demand for justice. (NBC televises the derby every year.)
Some protesters calling for justice for Breonna Taylor have called for the cancellation of the Kentucky Derby this year.
Churchill Downs issued a statement Thursday that defended its decision to move forward with the race, but acknowledged the concerns about injustice.
“Churchill Downs is committed to engaging in the hard conversations in our city, our sport and within our own organization,” the statement read. “We are committed to taking real, concrete action to address institutional roadblocks to progress and playing our part in advancing the changes America so desperately needs.”
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said Wednesday, “Racial justice is a goal we all support. And we support First Amendment rights. We just have to balance the right to protest with our essential duty to preserve public safety.”