LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Kentucky politicians from both major political parties spoke out against an effigy of Gov. Andy Beshear that was hung in a tree at the Capitol in Frankfort during a protest.
The Patriot Day 2nd Amendment Rally was held Sunday afternoon at the Capitol with the aim of getting people to "be more like the original American Patriots who would not stand for their God-given right to protect themselves and their loved ones to be taken away by tyrants," according to a Facebook group created for the event.
Pictures and videos taken during the protest by the Courier-Journal and others show an effigy of Beshear that was hung in a tree along with a sign that read "Sic Semper Tyrannis."
"The act that was displayed on Capitol grounds today, near where the governor and his young children live, was wrong and offensive," Crystal Staley, a spokeswoman for Beshear's office, said in a statement. "This type of behavior must be condemned. As Kentuckians we should be able to voice our opinions without turning to hate and threats of violence.
"Put simply -- we are and should be better than this."
State Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey (D-Louisville), was among the first to speak out Sunday.
"This is a new low and it is disgusting and wrong," McGarvey said on Twitter. "I wish I were more surprised but this vitriol comes from the top. I hope Republican leaders join me in condemning violent threats against any elected official."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Whitney Westerfield (R-Hopkinsville) echoed McGarvey's sentiment on Twitter Sunday.
"This awfulness has no place in civil society," Westerfield said in the tweet.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael G. Adams, a Republican, also spoke out against the effigy.
"This is disgusting and I condemn it wholeheartedly," Adams said on Twitter. "The words of John Wilkes Booth have no place in the Party of Lincoln."
House Democratic leadership also released a statement Sunday calling on elected officials to condemn the effigy and work to end "dangerous hateful speech."
"Hanging Governor Beshear in effigy is beyond reprehensible, and yet it is also the logical conclusion of the hateful rhetoric we saw touted on the Capitol grounds earlier this month that was implicitly condoned by elected representatives from the legislature's majority party," House Democratic leadership said in the statement. "Doing this in front of our Capitol, just a short walk from where the Governor, First Lady, and their two young children live, is an act that reeks of hate and intimidation and does nothing but undermine our leading work to battle this deadly disease and restore our economy safely."
Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) also weighed in Sunday night.
"The actions of the individuals at the Capitol today were completely reprehensible. I disagree with Governor Andy Beshear on many issues," Stivers said. "However, this is not the way to disagree on policy or personalities. The General Assembly will continue to work on behalf of Kentuckians, to guide us through this difficult era, but in no way will we endorse this type of conduct."
T.J. Roberts, who was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Beshear calling for the reopening of churches, said he left the protest Sunday soon after seeing the effigy. Churches have since reopened for in-person services after judges' rulings in Roberts' case and another lawsuit filed over measures Beshear took to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Roberts saw the effigy being put up by a small group of people about three hours into the protest, which he said was "overwhelmingly peaceful" up to that point.
"If you look into what's happening, the people who are winning on reopening are winning on the grounds of peace," Roberts said. "These calls for violence are not what I believe, not what a lot of the people there believe."
Roberts said he made the decision to leave when protesters began marching toward the Governor's Mansion. Some of the protesters ended up standing on the front balcony of the mansion. Roberts said he believes that the majority of the protesters who followed the march to the mansion probably didn't know how far up they were going to go.
Roberts said he agreed to speak at the rally Sunday because he wanted to comment on issues in the state, and most of the speakers there spoke about their "desire for their rights to be respected."
The people who hung the effigy did not represent the beliefs of the majority of the protesters, Roberts said.
"A few bad actors came in and made what I would call a direct call for violence against the duly elected governor," Roberts said. "I am not okay with that."
U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) criticized those involved and said it was especially bad behavior on Memorial Day weekend.
"On a weekend when we should be honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice putting country before themselves, we have this despicable behavior," he said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon. "These people are dangerous and selfish and need to stop."
U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, a Republican from Eastern Kentucky, had a similar message Monday morning.
"The hatred on display in Frankfort this weekend was appalling, especially on Memorial Day weekend when we remember the honorable men and women who fought to protect all Kentuckians and all Americans _ regardless of creed or color," he said on Facebook.
Kentucky State Police could not comment Monday on whether or not there was an active investigation into effigy.
