A video shared widely on social media appears to show a Louisville man pointing a gun at a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who were disturbing patrons dining at a restaurant’s outdoor patio.
The moment: The incident took place on Saturday after demonstrators marching in honor of Breonna Taylor, a black woman woman shot and killed by police last year, entered the upscale dining establishment, Fox News reported.
For those who have asked, yes this man appeared to be armed, as were a few protesters. It was a tense few minutes. #Louisville pic.twitter.com/BAw7r99KMf
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) May 2, 2021
- According to a police spokeswoman who spoke to Fox News, multiple protesters who entered the restaurant’s property were armed.
- An unnamed man is seen in footage of the incident holding a gun while appearing to confront the protesters.
- “During the encounter both patrons and protesters brandished firearms,” police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said in an email to Fox News.
- Police arrested the protesters after they “repeatedly blocked the roadway despite officers giving multiple verbal requests for them to utilize the sidewalk,” Smiley said.
Context: While support for the racial justice and police reform movement Black Lives Matter spiked among Americans in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death last May, public opinion of the group has since declined.
- At-times violent racial justice demonstrations and outbreaks of widespread looting across various urban centers sparked a counter-movement among conservatives and advocates of law & order, who have largely condemned anti-police sentiment as radical and unruly.
- A USA Today/Ipsos poll released in March found that Americans’ views on Black Lives Matter and law enforcement have shifted: Last June, 60% of Americans said they trusted Black Lives Matter to promote justice and equal treatment of people, compared with 56% who trusted police to do the same.
- In March, trust in Black Lives Matter fell to 50%, while trust in police climbed to 69%.
