Lexington mayor says weekend’s nonviolent protests are a ‘call to action’
After three days of demonstrations resulted in no arrests and minimal property damage, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton praised city officers and organizers of police brutality protests.
“We had people expressing their opinions, but the organizers reminded everyone that violence helps no one and that was very important,” Gorton said Monday.
Gorton also lauded the officers.
“Our police were incredible,” Gorton said. “It was a pressure-packed situation and they maintained their professionalism. They are well trained and it showed. “
But Gorton said the protests also showed the city must do more to address racial injustice. Gorton said she will convene a group of people from multiple disciplines and backgrounds to dig deeper and make recommendations.
Gorton and Police Chief Lawrence Weathers spoke with multiple protesters on Sunday.
“I went downtown to listen to our citizens,” Gorton said. “That’s the first step.”
People feel like they have not been heard, she said. People who do not feel heard do not feel valued, she said.
“This is a rare opportunity for our city, a call to action,” Gorton said. “We need to use this momentum for the good.”
At a Monday press conference, Weathers said police decided not to deploy tear gas or pepper spray to manage the crowd. Many Lexington police were yelled at and taunted by protesters but did not react.
“They understood that the people in this protest are allowed to have a voice and allowed to say what they need to say. As long as they aren’t hurting anybody or damaging any property, our job was to let them do that,” Weathers said. People’s anger over the recent deaths of unarmed black people was justified, he said.
“People have to have an outlet. We need to listen,” Weathers said.
Sunday night’s protest and march through downtown drew thousands. Organizers of the protest repeatedly cautioned protesters not to throw objects at police and encouraged the crowd to disperse after the protest was over.
Protests have been happening for days in cities across the country in response to violence by police, specifically the recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Taylor was shot and killed by police inside her Louisville apartment while officers were executing a ‘”no-knock” warrant. Floyd died when a police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Both Floyd and Taylor were black and unarmed.
Many of those protests, including those in nearby Louisville, have turned violent. Seven people were shot during Louisville protests on Thursday. Early Monday, another man was shot in an exchange of gunfire as police and National Guard were trying to clear protesters and impose a curfew.
Other cities have also seen widespread destruction of property caused by the unrest.
In Lexington, there were minimal reports of property damage over the three days.
A rock was thrown through a window at 271 West Main Street and the front ticket office at the Kentucky Theatre was damaged after something was thrown at it, Lexington Police Lt. Jeremy Tuttle said.
Weathers said they are not aware of any more planned protests for Lexington.
Weathers said leaders are looking at Lexington’s no-knock search warrant policies. After Taylor’s death, Louisville suspended no-knock warrants, which allows officers to enter a home without knocking or identifying themselves. Lexington has very stringent guidelines, including several levels of review, before it uses no-knock warrants. Lexington has not used a no-knock warrant in the past 12 months.
But Weathers said the department is looking at those procedures to determine if they could be improved and if training around no-knock warrants should be increased. The department’s Emergency Response Unit, which has specialized training, is the only unit allowed to execute no-knock warrants, police have previously said.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
