LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A judge has dismissed all charges against Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott, community organizer Shameka Parrish-Wright and 16 other protesters who were arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges during Breonna Taylor protests Sept. 24.
Scott and the protesters, including her 19-year-old daughter Ashanti, were steps away from First Unitarian Church — a place offering sanctuary for protesters after curfew — when they were arrested. Police said someone threw a flare into the Louisville Free Public Library's main branch.
The protesters faced felony rioting charges for the damage, however video posted to Scott's Instagram showed she was on the opposite side of the building. The representative called the charges "bogus," talking about her work to fully fund Louisville's libraries.
"The absurdity of trying to claim that I would burn down the library in district 41 that Black people so desperately need is something that we all need to fight against," Scott said.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell later said there was no evidence to show Scott and the other protesters were guilty of the felonies, dropping the charge but keeping two misdemeanors for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse.
O'Connell's office said that following a review of evidence, they amended the charges of failure to disperse and unlawful assembly to curfew violation, and then moved to dismiss the curfew violation.
"County Attorney O’Connell determined that this was the fair and just disposition for these individuals and for the community," the office said in a statement. "Judges dismissed charges against 17 individuals today, with one case docketed for next week on our motion to dismiss."
A large crowd awaited Scott and fellow protesters after the judge's dismissal, with the state representative and Parrish-Wright thanking supporters.
"Folks showed up with us on October 6 and then again today because they know that justice has to prevail," Scott said. "That's how we keep hope alive, that's how we keep moving how we keep pushing.
Parrish-Wright and Scott both said they will continue fighting for justice for Breonna Taylor, pushing Breonna's Law in Kentucky.
"We already have cities who have mirrored Breonna's Law," Parrish-Wright said. "Why are we behind Kentucky? It is our time to move forward as a state."
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