Criminal Justice

Pandemic Poses Unique Challenges For Protesters

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89.3 WFPL News Louisville · Pandemic Poses Unique Challenges for Protesters
On Thursday afternoon, not long before the rain started, a crowd gathered in Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville. They’ve been here every afternoon, protesting the police killing of Breonna Taylor. 

As people come up to give speeches and lead chants, Rosie Henderson sits at the ready. 

“I’m wiping down the mics with disinfecting wipes,” said Henderson. “We’ve been as safe as we can, so nobody can say that we just out here protesting and not trying to be safe.”

Henderson has been out at the protests every evening, and she’s appointed herself chief safety stickler. She’s making sure everyone has masks and hand sanitizer. 

“If we’re going to be out here, we’ve got to be safe,” she said. “Because the coronavirus is real and it is going up every day.”

For nearly two months, downtown Louisville was a ghost town, as businesses and restaurants closed in an attempt to combat the spread of coronavirus.

coronavirus

Workers Say UPS Not Doing Enough To Protect Them From Coronavirus

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UPS employees say one of Louisville’s largest private employers is violating city and state rules intended to prevent the spread of coronavirus by not enforcing social distancing. They also say the company is not providing adequate protective gear. Concerns are heightened after an employee at the UPS Worldport, the Louisville-based global shipping hub, died over the weekend. 

WDRB first reported the employee’s death on Monday, and said several employees and a family member confirmed he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. UPS said it would not confirm cases of coronavirus due to “medical privacy laws” — and employees say they haven’t been given any information, either. Three employees who work at two different UPS facilities said they first heard about the death on the news. 

“I don’t even know what my risk is, because I’m not being told anything,” said one Worldport employee, who asked not to be named to protect her job. 

This employee said her whole job is done from a computer, and she has asked to work from home, but has been told that is not possible.