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Friday, 29 March 2024

all protests stories

Credit: WTVQ Lexington, KY
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all protests stories
all protests stories
Governor, Calipari, teacher, racism

Jean seltzer.

And i'm tom kenny.

More protests and more violence overnight in cities across the country.

In louisville... the protests turned deadly.

Our affiliate there w-h-a-s t-v reporting mayor greg fischer has fired police chief steve conrad after announcing officers involved in a deadly shooting during protests last night were not wearing or did not activate their body cameras, meaning there was no footage of the shooting.

Conrad announced recently he planned to retire at the end of the month...that has been moved up with his firing.

An interim chief has already been appointed.

Before he was fired...conrad said officers and national guard soldiers were called to break up a large crowd that had gathered past curfew around 12:15 this morning... when someone in the crowd started shooting at them.

Conrad says officers and soldiers fired back.... killing a man in the crowd.

Protesters in louisville and lexington have been protesting for days... demanding justice for breonna taylor..

Who was shot eight times in her apartment by louisville officers who were executing a no-knock warrant.

Governor beshear says both national guard members who fired their weapons have been pulled off duty.

He did not say what... if any action... was taken against the louisville police officers.

This afternoon mayor linda gorton thanking protestors for organizing peacefully this weekend.

Three days of people in lexington calling for racial justice following the recent deaths of two african americans at the hands of police...george floyd and breonna taylor... lexington police says no one was arrested this weekend at the protests.

Boxes:1x1 abc 36 studio downtown lexington location three location four abc 36's monica harkins spoke with the mayor and police chief lawrence weathers at a press conference today.

Monica, both were grateful for a peaceful weekend?

### yes, i'm live outside the lexington police department where things got tense last night and could have easily escalated....but instead it a officers and protestors shared a powerful moment instead.

I want you to see this.

It was this moment police officers guarding the police department joined in...kneeling with protestors...showi ng a sign of unity against the police brutality we've recently seen in louisville and minneapolis.

Chief weathers says he understands people's frustration and wanted to show people police officers in lexington are with them.

"i saw the line and i got up and i was chief it's my job and to let the officers know what's appropriate and what's not and i went down the line and i said if you want to kneel, kneel, it's your choice so they did and i think that was that was their way of showing them they don't agree with what happened either."

Reflecting on this weekend...chief weathers says he believes the reason we didnt see any violence or looting is because of organizers self patrolling the crowd and for a disciplined police force... live in lexington monica harkins abc 36 news.

### what will it take to truly address racial injustice?...an old problem that still hasn't been solved.

Talking about it...and listening is a start so we sent abc 36's christy bollinger to get the conversation going with lexington activist and hip-hop artist devine carama.

L3: top story white what will it take to address racial injustice?

L3: top story white devine carama activist/hip-hop artist l3: top story white what will it take to address racial injustice?

### 1960...or 2020?

Some say in decades of fighting...little to no progress has been made on fixing racial injustice in the united states.

"there's been a tone for african americans for the last you know couple hundred years that we need to kind of move on and get over this.

I think there you know is, is a white guilt that exists."

Just like racism still exists.

Lexington hip hop artist devine carama tries explaining to me what years of systemic oppression feel like.

"small things like sensing somebody of another race feel uncomfortable, just walking by me in the grocery store.

To being pulled over for no reason.

All the way to have my car vandalized when people spray painting all lives matter."

Today's protests aren't new.

"...they're not seeing justice, they're filled with anger and rage and they don't really know what to do with it.

So i think that's what leads to a lot of the violence and the angry protesting because they're angry they're hurt they're in pain they've been dealing with this for years, and they just don't know where to direct that anger."

What has to change?

Carama says we have to get to the root of the issue..

And be more organized with real solutions, not temporary fixes.

He says elected officials have to take action.

I think we just got to come together and heal the divide.

We got to stop silencing people and we actually got to deal with what the issue is."

He says the uncomfortable conversations..

Need to be had.

He calls silence...violence.

"that is why you're you're you're seeing this kind of amplification of people saying i don't normally speak out about stuff like this but i got to speak because it's no longer about politics.

It's about right or wrong."

No matter the color of your skin...he asks you use your voice...demand change...go vote.

Christy bollinger, abc 36 news.

An online petition calling for justice for breonna taylor has hit over a million signatures.

The petition was started by a law student and urges governor beshear to arrest all of the officers involved in taylor's death.

It also calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the louisville police department and an end to "no-knock" warrants through federal legislation.

The petition also says the louisville metro police department should be made to pay taylor's family for quote: "wrongful death and negligence."

Coach john calipari says he's temporarily suspending his coffee with cal show on facebook to focus on ways to open a dialog about racial injustice in the country.

The u-k men's basketball coach launched his weekly show last month to raise funds for covid-19 relief.

Former president bill clinton, n-b-a hall of famer charles barkley and dallas mavericks owner mark cuban have been among the guests.

But last night, calipari posted on twitter that the deaths of george floyd, breonna taylor and ahmaud arbery made him... like many other americans... sick.

He says he now wants to explore a way to discuss race in america.

It's wrong, it's unacceptable, and we have to do better.

We have to demand better.

What i will say is i want to be part of the answer in any way i can.

It might be a small part, but i can't stand on the sidelines while my players, my staff, their sons and daughters our fans and so many others live with fear and injustices calipari says he wants to find the right platform to bring leaders together and generate real discussion abut race and social injustice in the country.

Kentucky's 2020 high school teacher of the year was among the protesters arrested in louisville on sunday.

According to louisville affiliate w-h-a-s..

Matthew kaufmann was participating in the protest over the fatal shooting of breonna taylor when he was arrested for a misdemeanor.

Jefferson county public schools confirmed the arrest of its teacher... saying the district quote - "supports the right of our employees to peacefully protest"- unquote.

Forcht bank sky

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