Sons of Thunder to lead “Walk on Freedom” downtown Saturday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- Saturday about 250 people are expected to meet here at the Fayette District Courthouse at 1:30pm for a “Walk on Freedom.” Organizers say this walk isn’t just about stopping police violence but about ending all violence in the community in general.

Pastor Damon Davenport says the March was in the works before the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, and Philando Castile in Minneapolis. But he says those tragedies at the hands of white police officers added fuel to the fire.

Davenport led a rally after a “Stop the Violence Walk” in January. Tomorrow he will do the same once again, leading the Sons of Thunder and their supporters from the courthouse down Limestone and right onto Martin Luther King Boulevard towards the mayor’s office.

Davenport says, “To me it’s all lives matter. And the message I’m trying to get across is that there has to be someone willing to take a stand.”

In about 2 1/2 weeks from now on the 27th Black Lives Matter will also be holding a march of their own starting from the courthouse in response to the death of sterling with a campaign called “We Move.”

Event organizer Diamond Roberts says, “When the officer was holding him down he told him you better now effing move. He cussed at him and he told him that you better not move. So it’s like one of those things like we move I, move, you move. we move.”

Black Lives Matter organizers say they will be walking arm and arm with police officers at their event in solidarity because they don’t want to generalize the actions of all cops. Of course, they will also be rallying to stop the violence at the “Walk on Freedom” Saturday. Organizers say they will be marching and holding up their signs high rain or shine. After the walk community activists will address their concerns in front of the mayor’s office.