Story at a glance:
- Two white men, one a diner and the other an ally to Black Lives Matter, pointed guns at each other.
- At least five protest-related arrests were made.
- BLM protesters were arrested for blocking the road.
On May 1, the day of the Kentucky Derby, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters were marching to Churchill Downs to bring awareness to Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old first responder who was shot and killed in March 2020 by police carrying out a no-knock warrant.
A group of protesters walked towards La Chasse, an outdoor Louisville restaurant, unaware that one of the patrons there was armed, The New York Post reported.
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A video on Twitter shows a standoff between two opposing white men – one who appears to be a diner at the restaurant and the other is a BLM ally.
Confrontation between patrons at La Chasse and protesters. pic.twitter.com/iUFKA9zWvY
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) May 2, 2021
Fellow protesters, most of whom are Black, were telling both sides to de-escalate and withdraw their weapons.
“During the encounter both patrons and protesters brandished firearms,” police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said.
A restaurant employee said that “multiple armed protesters entered the restaurant property, which included outdoor dining space.”
According to Fox News, no one was harmed in the process, but five people, including the BLM ally, were arrested for not following signs that ordered them to remain on the sidewalk.
While it is legal to carry a handgun in Kentucky, one person was charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
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