Right now: as a sort of street convention called #BreonnaCon for #BreonnaTaylor takes place in Louisville, KY, III% militia groups are gathering in the area.
I’ll be doing my best to document them throughout the day, particularly their interactions with BLM and law enforcement.
They just had a prayer and it seems like they’re going to march shortly. I’ll be livestreaming soon.
I count 24 of them, but something interesting: they tell me that actually another “Patriot” Militia will be showing up that they disavow and consider to be racist. It’s unclear to me how many that might draw.
But first, the militia has to pay to park.
So for the past couple hours, the militia group basically stayed in the parking lot. At first, they tried to block it off so only militia could use it.
Local PD told them they couldn’t do that.
They spent the time so far guarding their cars and talking to a handful of media.
At this point it’s started to rain, so some of them are getting into their cars.
One interesting development is that the group has a new name and no longer identifies with III%.
They are now the “National Patriotic Defense Team.”
So the competing militia rally got cancelled, so there’s basically a handful of those guys standing under a bridge near their rally point telling people to leave if they show up.
Meanwhile, the militia I started the day covering - which calls itself the “National Patriotic Defense Team” was just about to leave.
I asked their leader Tara "Hoggirl" Brandau whether they considered the day a success, and they said yes, opposing groups didn’t show.
The militia switched parking lots and ordered pizza.
They say that they’re “on standby” in case violence breaks out elsewhere, they’d drive to that location.
In the meantime, rifles are away and they’re just hanging out.
The “National Patriotic Defense Team” stuck around tonight, listening to a police radio.
Their plan was basically to go anywhere a situation formed that they thought police would be overwhelmed at.
None ever came, and it seems they’re wrapping up.
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