Name: Why weren't armed people arrested at 'Trump train' rally at school? Here's what police say
Brand: courier-journal.com
SKU: courier-journal-com-91
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Why weren't armed people arrested at 'Trump train' rally at school? Here's what police say

preview

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsBringing a firearm onto a school campus is&nbsp;a felony in Kentucky. But no one was charged over the weekend when guns came out at a "Trump train" rally that began at Eastern High School.It was a decision based on de-escalation, according to Middletown Police Chief Rob Herman. Protesters had blocked exits at Eastern's campus to keep supporters of President Donald Trump's campaign from leaving Sunday's gathering, Herman said, which caused them to drive around the group to reach the road. Intervening against either side, Herman&nbsp;said, could have thrown fuel on the fire."Our ultimate goal was to diffuse the whole situation and try to de-escalate the rising tensions that were occurring between both parties. That's when both parties produced a long gun," Herman said Monday morning. "... No one pointed any guns at anybody,&nbsp;that I know of. So when the guns did produce, it was better just to keep everybody leaving — exiting the property —&nbsp;and diffuse everything than it would have been to shut everything down and try to cause a larger skirmish."Approximately 1,000 Trump supporters gathered Sunday afternoon at Eastern for a rally that was to move to the Kentucky Exposition Center. At least one held a gun as he ushered cars around protesters who were attempting to prevent the Trump supporters&nbsp;from leaving, while a number of anti-Trump&nbsp;protesters were carrying guns as well.Background:Unlawful possession of a firearm on school property is a felony&nbsp;in Kentucky, according to state statutes, and is applicable when an individual "knowingly deposits, possesses, or carries, whether openly or concealed, for purposes other than instructional or school-sanctioned ceremonial purposes."Guns can be contained in cars on school property by adults, but they cannot be brandished or removed from the vehicle.Even before guns were pulled, Sunday's events at Eastern were controversial.Rally attendees did not contact Jefferson County Public Schools representatives before gathering at the high school, JCPS spokeswoman Renee Murphy said. Herman also said Middletown Police were&nbsp;not contacted — four officers came to the school, he said, when they drove past the scene."We discovered the Trump rally by literally seeing a traffic jam on Old Shelbyville Road," Herman said. "The officers, seeing that, went to investigate and discovered that there was a Trump rally. We did not know there was going to be any type of rally yesterday. We were kind of caught off guard."One person was arrested at Sunday's "Trump train" rally at Eastern, but she wasn't among those who brought firearms onto the Louisville public school's property.Instead, 27-year-old Kaileigh Robinson&nbsp;was taken into custody after Middletown police officers at the scene said she "was antagonizing and causing public alarm" by grabbing an American flag on a passing vehicle and standing in the street, according to her arrest citation. She's been charged with disorderly conduct, menacing and disregarding traffic regulations, court records show.Robinson on Tuesday said she'd seen police at the event mingling with Trump supporters and people running a Trump merchandise stand before 2 p.m. Robinson also said she'd spoken with JCPS officials on Thursday about the planned event and left a message at Eastern about the plans before the event took place on Sunday.More on the arrest:Robinson was the only person arrested Sunday at Eastern. Approximately&nbsp;1,000 Trump supporters at the event drove from the school to the Kentucky Exposition Center to continue the rally into the evening.&nbsp;Election Day is&nbsp;Tuesday, and the exposition center is one of the city's polling places.Where can I vote?: went viral, as a man behind the camera is shown asking a&nbsp;police&nbsp;officer why officers&nbsp;didn't intervene when he'd been hit by a motorcycle at the rally (the assault the man described is not shown in that video, but a separate video shows a man on a motorcycle repeatedly drive into the other man's foot). The officer is shown telling the man that&nbsp;school security personnel “do the policing on Eastern High School property.”Murphy on Monday told The Courier Journal that no JCPS security personnel were at Eastern on Sunday when the gathering began, but that an officer came to the scene toward the end of the event. She had seen a social media post about the event before the weekend, she added. Herman said Middletown Police were&nbsp;contacted by school board officials who said there was not enough security at the school to accommodate the event and officers remained at&nbsp;the scene&nbsp;"to make sure nothing escalated.""Traditionally the school's security&nbsp;department handles most of the incidents that occur on school property," Herman said.&nbsp;"We were in constant contact with school security relaying to them as events were unfolding."&nbsp;A request for comment sent to Eastern High was not immediately returned Monday.Murphy said JCPS has been in touch with Middletown Police since the incident occurred and that she believed Eastern officials had been in touch with officers during the event.Sunday's event in Louisville was among several "Trump train" rallies that have turned heads ahead of the election. that occurred over the weekend in Texas in which a caravan of vehicles with Trump flags surrounded a Biden campaign bus traveling down the highway in an attempt to slow it down or run it off the road. who were involved.Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter .View Comments

Louisville Courier JournalView CommentsBringing a firearm onto a school campus is&nbsp;a felony in Kentucky. But no one was charged over the weekend when guns came out at a "Trump train" rally that began at Eastern High School.It was a decision based on de-escalation, according to Middletown Police Chief Rob Herman. Protesters had blocked exits at Eastern's campus to keep supporters of President Donald Trump's campaign from leaving Sunday's gathering, Herman said, which caused them to drive around the group to reach the road. Intervening against either side, Herman&nbsp;said, could have...

Why weren't armed people arrested at 'Trump train' rally at school? Here's what police say

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS