Thousands expected to rally for “No Kings” in Lexington Saturday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — “Peaceful protest is legal and is American as America is and those engaged in peaceful protests ought to be able to do it safely,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.

That was the message coming from Beshear earlier this week ahead of this weekend’s “No Kings” Day rallies scheduled for at least six cities within the state.

“We are monitoring these events,” Beshear said. “We will be operating our emergency operations center so that we have as much information as we need.”

Kelly Smith, a board member of Bluegrass Activist Alliance, said the group’s intention of hitting the streets is to get the message out peacefully.

“This is a non-violent protest and we’re getting our voices out there,” Smith said.

Smith said their goal is to be heard by politicians, both state and national, under the Trump administration.

“Essentially, at this time we are trying to save democracy,” Smith said.

She said they don’t anticipate counter protestors; however, they are willing to engage with people who do not share their opinions on the direction of the country.

“If people come to the protest with different points of view and are not violent, they’re welcome to their points of view,” Smith said.

The rally is expected to be wrapped up by the afternoon and Beshear hopes that’s the case because he said rallies can sometimes get out of hand as night falls.

“Violence is unacceptable whether it is connected to a protest or not. Vandalism is unacceptable. The destruction of property is unacceptable and those who break the law doing those things should be prosecuted,” Bashear said.

Lexington Police sent a statement out about Saturday’s protests that said in part, “The Lexington Police Department is aware of events happening in other parts of the country and is monitoring here in Lexington.”

The rally is scheduled for Saturday from noon until 3:00 p.m. at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse in Downtown Lexington.

ABC36 will have full coverage of the rally Saturday night.

For more information on the event: https://linktr.ee/ky_activist_coalition