Man on the Street x Kentucky COVID-19 Protest Rallies
As anti-quarantine protests have dominated the news cycle across the country over the past few weeks, I have been in a unique position to observe the genesis of Kentucky’s movement as a resident of South Frankfort, the neighborhood surrounding Kentucky’s capitol. My first response as an individual with a multimedia journalism background to the scene unfolding literally right in my backyard was to provide coverage. This effort has turned into a multimedia journalism project that a few of my friends have coined “Man on the Street” because of my Facebook Live broadcasts & Q&As at the various protest rallies. Maybe there was naivety on my part, but when protests started happening in other states like Ohio and Michigan, I never thought similar events would start in Kentucky and felt frustrated (I will get to why later) by them. However I thought what if I could put my personal feelings aside and strive to understand the perspectives of the protestors?
Protestors use a megaphone to pump their chants into the press room at the Kentucky state capitol during one of Governor Beshear’s daily COVID-19 media conferences.
I haven’t had many complaints about our state’s response to the pandemic. Since early March, the conversation in Kentucky has been about aggressively "flattening the curve." Governor Andy Beshear and his leadership team closed most public places and businesses early on, opened up unemployment benefits to include the self-employed and contractors, expanded healthcare access, developed field hospitals, and created a Team Kentucky COVID-19 relief fund. Prisoners with non-violent offenses who are near to the end of their sentences have started to be released from the correctional system. Our distilleries, both large and small, have shifted gears and are producing hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizers. Companies started donating PPE to the state to redistribute to medical facilities. On the ground level, Kentuckians have found ways to support each other – whether it is by shopping for the elderly and vulnerable, volunteering at food banks, creating chalk art to lift spirits, or installing green porch lights to honor the fallen.
A woman holds a handwritten sign showcasing a quote from Benjamin Franklin during one of the April protest at the state capitol.
As an African-American and someone who works with rural populations, I have been especially impressed with our efforts. State leadership addressed racial inequities when it comes to healthcare access, and the disproportionate toll the virus is having on black/brown communities. In addition to talking about these disparities additional testing sites have been placed in those communities. Extensive resources have also been dedicated to serving our rural communities, which make up a significant portion of our state, and represent some of the most vulnerable places in America.
A man wearing an N95 mask holds up a protest sign.
So with all this in mind, it seemed Kentuckians had bought into flattening the curve and I was encouraged to see the unity across our state. We had even had a viral meme group spring up as support for our state’s efforts grew, with Beshear’s phrases; “We can’t be doing that” and “Kenneth, Get the Slides” transcending into pop culture in Kentucky. However, this bipartisan utopia version of Kentucky started to erode towards the end of March. State legislators like Savannah Maddox began speaking out against Governor Beshear, online rhetoric started brewing revolving around Beshear being a tyrant, and then there was an evolution with a small protest rally being held in early April, incubated by a few small business owners. This all finally peaked into a full-blown political rally attended by around 300-400 people this past weekend complete with Confederate flags on full display and security provided by armed militia members outfitted in tactical gear. There were messages against Beshear, talks about tyranny, the restriction of healthy people, the stifling of the economy, and oppression of the church.
Marcus, a member of the Kentucky chapter of the Three Percenters provides security at the Drive for Freedom Rally that was hosted this past weekend.
A group of self proclaimed “liberty minded” friends play with a dog after providing security for a rally at the state capitol.
From the onset of this type of rhetoric, as I stated earlier there were significant biases on my part. I felt there was a denial of science, partisan political motivation, and a feeling that this was faux oppression. I observed various people on my Facebook timeline champion the re-open protests as supporting liberty, justice, freedom, and standing against tyranny. Memes starting being distributed that compared the governmental response to being like the Holocaust. The language created by leaders of various social justice movements was co-opted. Many of the individuals who supported these efforts I recall also admonished the Black Lives Matter movement and the efforts of Colin Kaepernick as anti-American, lazy, divisive, anti-police, and didn’t understand the value nor the need for African Americans to speak out against their actual oppression. There was also a moment while covering Saturday’s rally and noting the squad of militia members providing security when I thought about white privilege coming into play. Could a group of black/brown individuals do the same?
Man walks through crowd at the Drive for Freedom Rally displaying a Confederate flag.
My time spent on the capitol grounds, or what I call my backyard, has given me access to initiate dialogues about economic insecurity, the “deep state” and New World Order, the purpose behind the creation of the impeach Andy Beshear petition, the use of armed citizen militia groups at rallies, and also about criminal justice reform and the plight of prisoners (which is its own separate protest movement) during the pandemic. My goal is to present my research and conversations through a series of photo essays, videos, and social media posts.
Stay tuned!
