June 27th of last year is a day that I won't soon forget. It was a Saturday and some back the blue types had gotten together on the interwebs and proclaimed themselves a militia and declared that that was the day they'd march on downtown Louisville and retake the city.
As it turned out, that militia was made up mostly of keyboard warriors and the number that showed up at the square could be counted on one mutilated hand. The city on the other hand definitely turned out, with the park filled with an impressive variety of people and firearms.
With the militia a no show much of the day consisted of staring cops staring at us. LMPD had blocked intersections with city dump trucks and threw up barricades to keep the two groups separate and mostly just stood in the streets staring at us.
It was all surreal as hell, clergy lining the barricade at the edge of the park and behind them hundreds of people and guns. Media kitted out in body armor looking like they're heading into a war zone. Snipers/SWAT watching from the rooftops and helicopters circling overhead just completed the dystopian vibe.
After it became obvious that the militia was mostly internet chatter something akin to a party atmosphere prevailed in the park, a collective sigh of relief after the tension of the morning. After a while of this we took our leave and headed home for some rest and rations.
A few hours after we left tragedy struck and photographer Tyler Gerth was shot and killed in the park. LMPD then cleared the park and had city workers take everyone's belongings to the city dump. All this came as a gut punch after the relief of earlier that day.
As shock and sorrow have slowly faded they've been replaced by renewed determination. Tyler is no longer with us in this fight but we continue on to honor his memory.
RIP Tyler Gerth