Lexington protesters occupy parking ramp next to police station, blocked by police in riot gear
Late Monday into early Tuesday, a group of protesters who had gathered in downtown Lexington for the 11th night to call for police accountability had occupied a parking ramp next to police headquarters on Main Street.
Police in riot gear had blocked the protesters from continuing further into the parking structure.
During earlier protests, Lexington police officers had gathered in front of and behind police headquarters. The police wore riot gear and formed a line in front of headquarters for the first protests and later stationed just a few officers in normal uniforms behind a barrier to listen as protesters spoke with and chanted at them.
On Monday, the barricades were still up, but no officers were visibly stationed outside headquarters when protesters passed early in the protest.
Protest organizer Sarah Williams said she felt like the change in tactics was an attempt to dismiss the protest.
“We’re going to bring it to you,” Williams said. “If these barricades only go up for us and come down when we’re gone, we’re taking down barriers, that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Williams said the protests will continue until demands for changes in the police contract are met. The protesters are asking for changes that would allow for more oversight and accountability for Lexington police.
“I don’t care if you kneel with us, I don’t care if you march with us, I don’t care if they get you to chant ‘black lives matter,’ so long as you still look at me like you hate me and like your mindset is still embedded in white supremacy, we’re going to come out here to snatch that mindset,” Williams said.
After midnight, the group of protesters on the ramp danced and sang gospel music and talked with officers. The ramp was beyond the barricade that police have had up for many of the previous protests.
Williams also said that the barriers around police headquarters and presence of officers in riot gear shows a difference in how these protests are treated.
“White people in this city get to burn couches after winning a game,” Williams said. “Black people haven’t rioted in these streets since you shot one of us dead.”
Protesters left around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday with no protest-related arrests made, police said.
“We have received positive feedback from some protesters who want to have conversations with officers because the regular uniforms appear less intimidating,” said Brenna Angel, police department spokeswoman. “The protesters’ actions determine our response.”
The barricades blocking the ramp were in place earlier in the evening.
“The barricade placement last night was also to protect property and the protesters themselves, because some were starting to hang over the edge of the ramp,” Angel said. “Storming over a barricade is not safe and not part of a peaceful protest.”
People across the country have been protesting for nearly two weeks in the wake of recent police killings of unarmed black people. Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police in March. George Floyd, 46, was killed by police in Minneapolis.
Before moving onto the ramp Monday night, protesters in Lexington marched through downtown while chanting for justice for Taylor and Floyd, and calling for more accountability for Lexington police.
The group also visited Cheapside and paused to remember people who were sold there when it was a slave auction location, then walked down Broadway and marched down 4th Street.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 1:03 AM with the headline "Lexington protesters occupy parking ramp next to police station, blocked by police in riot gear."
