70 days of protest: Breonna Taylor's death has created a much larger movement in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The mamas march on Thursdays.

The farmers and gardeners also marched, wheelbarrows and all.

There was an LGBTQ demonstration over the weekend, and, on July 24, a meticulously planned block party, which popped up in a matter of minutes and shut down Market Street downtown for hours, leading to 76 arrests.

The eclectic protests focus upon gentrification and deep-rooted oppression, on unfair enforcement of the law, and, of course, police violence. Try as you might to separate one group or strand or aspect of the Breonna Taylor movement, you’ll find it tightly fastened to everything else.

For 70 days — 10 straight weeks — protests have raged in Louisville. They began with impromptu demonstrations May 28, and over the first few days there was gunfire and injuries, looting, a curfew, and the death of beloved local barbecue operator David McAtee at the hands of the National Guard. Spurred by social media and grassroots organization, the movement became perpetual as protesters occupied downtown's Jefferson Square Park, where Tyler Gerth was shot and killed June 27.

The daily marches continued, though, joined by blocked roadways, visits to the houses of Mayor Greg Fischer and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and more than 500 arrests related to the protests.

Although some people continue to tune them out, the demonstrations have grown in scope and snowballed into a conspicuous movement that is harder and harder to ignore as it becomes more and more overt.

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Breonna Taylor’s mother said that her daughter would often tell people in her life to “apply pressure,” and for Stachelle Bussey, a protester and the founder of the Hope Buss, that message rings relevant in continued efforts from those near and far who demonstrate in Taylor’s name.

“Pressure needs to be applied,” Bussey said. “We’re doing this for Bre. The whole world is saying her name.”

She said that on July 25, as more than 300 members of the Not F****** Around Coalition, a Black militia, prepared to display its gaudy guns in downtown Louisville. It was a hot day, and some militia members, dressed head to toe in black, sought shade along Jefferson Street amid a crowd of protesters from a myriad of states, some of whom were interviewed by a national news network, present to cover the in-your-face nature of the event.

It was hard to ignore, just as the shutdown of Market Street, which was complete with massive works of art and a trampoline, had been. The militia had a visually intimidating presence and a fiery message, a partial foil to the daily marches Louisville has seen for the past 10 weeks.

An array of groups has marched, making it increasingly difficult for the uninterested to ignore. There have been marches for mothers, for ministers, for football coaches and farmers. The demonstrations are only evolving and gaining more ubiquitous steam as they force the issue.

“You got people from all walks of the community, from affluent neighborhoods to houseless, who are all singing that same message,” said Shameka Parrish-Wright, co-chair of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

“We all can’t be wrong.”

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Demonstrators have continually demanded for the police officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s death to be charged — although criminal attorneys doubt that will happen — and for systemic changes to be made to the justice system. Local protesters have led the way in what are the most persistent demonstrations in Louisville in more than 50 years, but it’s far from a local movement.

Two national entities, women’s rights group UltraViolet and civil rights organization Color of Change, teamed up with Black Lives Matter Louisville to fund a television commercial concerning Taylor’s case, and Breonna Taylor’s name and the movement’s message have become household and unavoidable thanks in part to celebrity attention.

Former University of Louisville basketball star Angel McCoughtry petitioned the WNBA to allow players to wear custom uniforms, and she elected to put “Breonna Taylor” on her jersey. Donovan Mitchell, another former U of L standout, wore “Say Her Name” on the back of his uniform, in Taylor’s honor, during the NBA’s nationally televised return to play.

At the ground level, organizations and individuals from all over the U.S. have visited Louisville and its perpetual protest.

Jiccarra N. Hollman, a protester and independent media member, flew from Minnesota to spend a couple of days in Louisville.

“Justice has no limits,” she said. “When you firmly believe in something, and you firmly believe that this sister needs justice, that her life should not go in vain, you will travel far, wide and in between.”

Recently, a group of about 40 people from Colorado trekked 1,000 miles — some by car caravan, some by plane — to spend a weekend in Louisville, protesting just as they have in their home state over the police killing of Elijah McClain.

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Shenika Carter, the event organizer, was brought to tears when she heard about the 87 arrested and initially charged with felonies for trespassing on Kentucky Attorney General Cameron’s lawn as part of a protest on July 14. That action was spurred by a group from New York, and the result prompted Carter to raise money for her trip to Louisville.

“It’s community. Even though I live in Denver, I am Louisville,” said Carter, a Black woman who wore earrings reading, “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

Bussey said that “when people come from out of town, our family just gets bigger,” and echoed the fact that a community, not only in Louisville, is being cultivated.

“This is not a poor fight, a rich fight, a Black fight. This is a humanity fight,” she said. “People are coming because Black lives have never mattered, right? And we’ve got the whole world on our side.”

However, the movement hasn’t achieved enough change, she said, noting that only one of the three LMPD officers involved in Taylor's death has been fired.

Historians say that public policy is altered not when protests demand it, but when protests sway general opinion such that the public asks for it; and so, the demonstrators — local and national, mamas and farmers — keep applying pressure.

On July 24 during the protest concerning gentrification in NuLu, police officers occupied Market Street after forcing demonstrators off of the road they had blocked. As minutes turned to hours, many protesters were arrested, but some kept airing their extensive grievances with the LMPD from a nearby business, tirelessly lobbing concerns and chants.

A passerby, walking her dog, wore a “Life is Good” hat as she strolled down Market, weaving along the sidewalk separating the police and protesters. Feet from her, the last of the 76 demonstrators were cuffed and arrested, the dissidence raging on.

Follow Hayes Gardner on Twitter: @HayesGardner

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor protesters are still applying pressure - 70 days in