Mandy McLaren, Darcy Costello, Cameron Teague Robinson, Bailey Loosemore and Sarah Ladd
Louisville Courier Journal
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A photo has gone viral showing a group of mostly black men linked arms to protect a lone Louisville Metro police officer who was separated from his unit when protests turned violent in the city last week in response to the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
The white officer, shown wearing a helmet, face shield, and bulletproof vest, stood in front of Bearno’s By-the-Bridge, a pizza chain restaurant near the Second Street Bridge and the Yum Center.
A group of men, reportedly the initial protest organizers, wore face masks and linked arms to prevent other members of the crowd from reaching the officer while he waited for his squad to return.
“Last night in Louisville. Protesters protected an officer separated from his squad,” one Louisville native, Nancy Duncan, tweeted, sharing the newspaper’s photos. “I hope the news covers this.”
https://twitter.com/ndduncan59/status/1266760811474751493
The photos shared in Duncan’s tweet were taken Thursday, the same day between 500 and 600 people marched through downtown Louisville chanting Breonna Taylor’s name and demanding the officers involved in her death be charged.