'It is not a riot. It is a revolt': Councilwoman responds to Breonna Taylor protest

When Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey looked at the hundreds gathering Thursday night in downtown Louisville, she saw a city that was hurt. 

"It is not a riot. It is a revolt against a system in which people have felt oppressed," said Dorsey, D-3rd District, who represents Shively and part of western Louisville.

"What I'm seeing is people who are trying their best to do something with their hurt, their pain and their frustration." 

The protest, which went on for hours in downtown Louisville, was filled with calls of "No justice, no peace" and demands to fire the officers involved in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Louisville ER tech.

At least seven people where shot Thursday night, according to police. Dorsey's comments were made prior to the shooting.

It came on the heels of protests in other cities, including Minneapolis, where an unarmed black man was killed by police who kneeled on his neck.

"What they're saying is we're tired. We want real change. We want substantive change," Dorsey said. "For a long time, we've used evidence-based approaches to find the problem. Now we know what the problem is, and we want to see action." 

Louisville mayor:'Answering violence with violence' not the answer to Breonna Taylor death

What we know:Breonna Taylor protest in downtown Louisville draws hundreds

Louisville's protest, one of the first mass gatherings since Taylor's death in March, began shortly after the 911 call made by Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was made public on Thursday afternoon by Taylor's family's attorney and, later, Mayor Greg Fischer. 

What the call contained, Dorsey said, was a reflection of anyone in fear — contrary to his previous portrayal, she said. 

Walker had faced criminal charges of attempted murder of a police officer from the night Taylor was shot and killed, after he fired a shot and struck an officer in the leg. Walker maintained it was a warning shot and he didn't know it was police who were entering the apartment. His charges were dismissed by the commonwealth's attorney last week. 

"The portrayal of this man, who was presented in one light, we're seeing something very different," said Dorsey. "Humanity was revealed in that call."

And now, she said, people are trying to do something with their hurt, their pain and their frustration. 

Read more:Protests spark in downtown Louisville over Breonna Taylor shooting

"What people are saying is this can't continue to happen," Dorsey said. "Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker brought to the spotlight what many have been experiencing for a long time."

The protest turned more violent as the night moved on, with at least one report of shots fired in the crowd. 

But Dorsey said Thursday that the protesters marching in solidarity, with one unified voice, was an attempt to say, "We will no longer accept this." 

"To me, that march is not an ask. It's a demand for change. What we're seeing tonight is people demand change," she said.

Hear the 911 call:'Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend'

This story may be updated.

Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/darcyc.