Kentuckians protested for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor last weekend. See the scenes

It wasn’t just in Lexington and Louisville where demonstrators protested and marched following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

As thousands marched in Kentucky’s two largest cities, hundreds more joined them in solidarity at their own demonstrations in the state’s more rural communities.

Paducah

Chants of “No justice, no peace” and “Black Lives Matter” were heard Sunday throughout the Paducah crowd, where nearly 1,000 people congregated, according to the Paducah Sun.

“Paducah Police Department came out and blocked the streets to make sure nobody got hurt or hit,” retired U.S. Army vet Delvonne Bevineau told the newspaper. “I couldn’t ask for nothing better. Peaceful protest is how it should be. Why go out and destroy something. It’s not making a stand.”

Dubbed “Stand for Solidarity”, there were no problems that arose from the protest, according to WPSD.

“We need to be heard,” Kyonna Parsons-Perez told the TV station. “And if everybody continues to do this, and if we take it from out here in the protest, and we take it into the ballots, then guess what. We can get this thing from the root. That’s the only way that we can eradicate racism.”

Owensboro

A Saturday protest in Owensboro lasted around seven hours, according to the Owensboro Times. More than 100 demonstrators marched through downtown streets, the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reported.

“It’s amazing — I did not think there would be this many people, so I’m really proud of it.” Emma Stovall told WFIE. “There has to be a change and my generation’s going to try and do that. So that’s why I’m here.”

“We have hundreds of years of trying to do things their way. They’re not listening,” added Dariana Nard, according to the Messenger-Inquirer.

A statement from Owensboro police officer Andrew Boggess said “Although there were a few people in the crowd who had ill intentions, the majority of our citizens represented themselves and our community well.” He added they voiced “legitimate concerns.”

Bowling Green

A 24-year-old man was arrested Friday after striking a protester with his Chevy Silverado, according to WBKO. The woman who was struck did not suffer serious injuries, the TV station reported.

A woman with a megaphone in downtown Bowling Green Friday shared her message with the demonstrators, according to WKYU.

“Not all cops are bad, not all black people are criminals and not all white people are criminals,” Yvonne Williams said, WKYU reported.

The diverse Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday was attended by more than 100 people, the Bowling Green Daily News reported.

The crowd sang “Let it Be” together and Charles Neblett, a local civil rights activist who performed at the 1963 Freedom March in Washington D.C., also spoke to the crowd, according to the Daily News.

Elizabethtown

Peaceful protests were held Saturday and Sunday in Elizabethtown, according to the News-Enterprise.

Demonstrators were given guidelines by organizers that restricted profanity and fighting, the newspaper reported.

“Our main goal is to get our message across solely through peace, not force,” organizer Cheyenne Banks Banks told the News-Enterprise.

Elsewhere

There were also protests during the weekend in Hopkinsville, Winchester and Covington, according to media reports.

“I’m not going to be silent anymore in this small town. There’s a lot of racism here,” Aurora Cahue said during the Winchester protest, the Winchester Sun reported.

The protest outside the Covington police headquarters was mostly “uneventful,” according to the River City News.

“I’m angry, you’re angry,” said Hopkinsville’s protest organizer, Amy Cox, according to the Kentucky New Era. “Let’s figure out how to come together and stop this. This is going to stop and we can do it, but we’ve got to stay together.”

Additional protests are scheduled to take place Monday in Murray and Pikeville.