It’s usually not this easy to put the sequence together. The screen capture below shows everything in one place: the supposed spark to the protest, the trending slogan “Burn Louisville” (i.e., incitement to go beyond protest), the U-Haul van in a parking lot with black-garbed “black bloc” agitators unloading riot supplies – including protest signs with Antifa’s trademark “A” on them.
“Antifa isn’t organized.” https://t.co/gVOuYlEEgy
— Brian Almon ?? (@brianalmon) September 23, 2020
More of the Uhaul riot shield transport. May be more efficient than the Black Lives Matter Snack Van, higher capacity & fewer windows at risk of being smashed #Louisville #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/3RX8PNDy1b
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
The same signs are then seen being marched through Louisville by the BLM/Antifa/black bloc demonstrators.
The large crowd — I’d estimate several hundred — are resting at an intersection. They’re regrouping and getting organized. Shields to the front, as we’ve seen before: pic.twitter.com/QX1khyLLnj
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Protesters have organized a full front line now as they move through the streets #Louisville #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/WHmiwVM2DU
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
The full thread here, from Shelby Talcott, has a nice timeline, if you look at the time hacks on the tweets.
Decent crowd and lots of media in the park ahead of the Breonna Taylor announcement.
The guy speaking is pushing for a peaceful protest. He says “white man check white man, Black man check black man.” pic.twitter.com/QOI3KN08h8
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Observe that within minutes of the “protest march” beginning, black bloc thugs are trashing and smashing the windows of small businesses along their route. It doesn’t appear to have amounted to much so far; we’ll see if the destruction can be contained as the evening wears on.
People are beginning to get more rowdy…some windows are being broken as we continue to march
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Buildings are being targeted as are people filming. The situation is getting more tense. With the first business, a man quickly walked inside and locked the door as someone confronted him: pic.twitter.com/J8O6dPvei4
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
The window smashing has begun #Louisville #LouisvilleProtest #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/KEJIBjlr7o
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
Kentucky was prepared, and the National Guard appears to have been deployed already. It looks like the Guard is being used in the same role we’ve seen before in other locations: blocking off streets to keep the “demonstrators” corralled in a confined area.
National guard vehicles driving into downtown Louisville after #BreonnaTaylor announcement pic.twitter.com/FJTi6viMDw
— Blayne Alexander (@ReporterBlayne) September 23, 2020
The National Guard is on standby in Louisville as the city braces for severe unrest in the wake of the Breonna Taylor announcement #Louisville #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/roViaqE6Lt
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
The police were also out in force, and very quickly surged to perform crowd control.
We’re back downtown and police are out en masse all over. They’ve pushed crowds back and are on various streets near Jefferson Park pic.twitter.com/zKTG3MLgY9
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Police close in on a group of protesters from two sides, cornering many in front of a parking garage downtown #Louisville #LouisvilleProtest #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/m0yL7rtis8
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
The day isn’t over yet, but it will be interesting to see what Louisville and Kentucky have achieved by preparing in advance and being ready to react quickly.
One thing they’ll be able to do is trace the U-Haul and figure out who rented it. Whether the customer information tracks to someone in-state or an entity out of state, it will help both state and federal authorities develop their case files on who’s organizing and paying for these riots.
A reminder on the pretext for the incipient riot: i.e., the grand jury decision on the three police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor. There were no charges against two of the officers. The third, Brett Hankison, was indicted on three counts of “wanton endangerment” for having fired into the house Taylor was in, after a man described in media reporting as Taylor’s boyfriend started firing at the police from it. (There is a dispute as to whether he was still Taylor’s boyfriend at the time of the shooting. It doesn’t appear to be disputed that he was the suspect sought in the warrant the police were executing.)
The limited charges returned by the grand jury would be due to circumstances that have not been emphasized to the public (and in the case of one may not have been previously reported. It seemed to surprise everyone).
Breonna Taylor’s alleged boyfriend, as mentioned, fired at the police before they fired back. The grand jury apparently agreed that the police were then firing in self-defense, even if one officer strayed over the line into wanton endangerment in the process.
A trial jury is likely to agree. Trial juries, regardless of racial make-up, have regularly affirmed that self-defense fire by the police is warranted. In general, Americans appreciate the truth that we don’t pay the police to die rather than defend themselves against gunfire, lest bystanders get hurt.
The other circumstance—the one that seemed to surprise observers – is that the police, although they had a no-knock warrant, in fact knocked and identified themselves at the outset. According to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a witness confirmed that they announced themselves clearly as police officers. So Taylor’s boyfriend had reasonable opportunity to know whom he was shooting at.
Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron says that the night #BreonnaTaylor died, police did knock and announce themselves before Breonna’s boyfriend shot at them. This fact was verified by an independent witness to the events who lived nearby. pic.twitter.com/0ipTvVYv7r
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 23, 2020
We can only deplore and grieve the death of Breonna Taylor, who surely did not deserve to die that day. But the police were shot at in the execution of a warrant, and on the face of it had a right to defend themselves. Once the boyfriend started shooting, they also had a duty to contain or neutralize him as a public safety threat. They didn’t have the option to just stand down and let go a still-armed shooter – one wanted on a criminal warrant – with the possibility of menacing the surrounding neighborhood or taking hostages.
The perpetrator in this situation was the shooter, who fired on police seeking him under a warrant. We will see how the case develops at trial. It may not be that easy to get a jury of any racial make-up to convict the police officer, even on the lesser counts he was indicted on.