As election looms, Black faith leaders again criticize prosecution of local protesters
As the incumbent Fayette County attorney prepares for a primary election challenger this year, Black faith leaders are again criticizing him for declining to drop charges against several Lexington racial justice protesters.
Black Faith Leaders of Lexington and Vicinity, a group of Black church leaders in Central Kentucky, said again Monday that the charges against racial justice protesters should have been dropped after several of them were arrested during demonstrations in 2020. Those protests followed Breonna Taylor’s death at the hands of Louisville police.
Approximately 20 people were charged with various offenses such as inciting a riot, disorderly conduct or resisting arrest. Fayette County Attorney Larry Roberts didn’t drop the charges despite calls to do so from advocates, and continues to defend his decision to carry out prosecution on those charged.
“Among the charges that were brought were charges for inciting a riot, even though there was no riot,” Rev. Keith Tyler said on behalf of the Black faith leaders during a press conference Monday. “Therefore, bringing these charges gives the appearance of using the judicial system as an instrument to punish people for exposing policing, inequities and inequalities.”
Most of the charged suspects have accepted guilty plea deals so they can “move on with their lives,” as Tyler described it. But Sarah Williams, one of the primary organizers of the demonstrations in 2020, is scheduled to go to trial over the incidents in July. She’s facing charges of inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and disregarding traffic regulations, according to court records.
April Taylor, Williams’ sister and another prominent protest organizer in Lexington, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a riot in February, according to court records. She was given probation.
While delivering a speech on behalf of the Black faith leaders Monday, Tyler referenced a Herald-Leader editorial from October 2021, in which Roberts said he wouldn’t listen to the Black ministers’ previous requests for the charges to be dropped.
“I don’t go by what other places do or what Black ministers tell me to do,” Roberts said previously. “These two women have no respect for the police. Many, many peaceful people were there and we didn’t do anything to them. If police charge them, I’m going to prosecute them.”
Tyler said the Black faith leaders were concerned about his comments.
“Roberts appears to be saying he will charge protesters against police actions with actions anytime that the police want him to, and that is unacceptable to anyone who truly wants racial justice in Lexington,” Tyler said.
Fayette County attorney defends decision to prosecute
Roberts told the Herald-Leader Monday he stands by his decision to prosecute the protesters arrested, saying the facts and video evidence in the cases back up the charges the protesters received.
“I treated every single case exactly the way I treat every case in Lexington for the last 15 years that I’ve been in office,” Roberts said. “We go through it just like a barking dog case up to a felony theft case. We look at it to see the facts and what happened.”
The Black faith leaders said the protesters did not incite violence, injury or property damage during the protests. The group of faith leaders also felt that the protests led to meaningful change in Lexington’s police department, including a new requirement for all officers to wear body cameras and the banishment of “no-knock” warrants.
“Protesting is the language of those who are not being heard,” Tyler said. “A group of faithful protesters led the way in making sure that cries for a better Lexington for Black people and for all people were finally heard by people in positions of power.”
Criticism of prosecutor comes before primary election challenge
Incumbent Democrat Roberts is being challenged by Democrat Angela Evans in they May 17 primary. No Republican candidates filed for the primary election.
The Black faith leaders encouraged people to attend a forum being held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre to hear directly from Roberts and Evans.
“We firmly believe that the most effective way for people to bring about the change they seek in a democracy driven society is by electing people who agree with the changes they believe need to be made,” Tyler said.
This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 1:48 PM.
