No one was charged over the weekend after dozens of members of a White nationalist group marched through downtown Louisville — a potentially enforceable violation of the city’s mask ordinance.
The reason, according to Mayor Craig Greenberg’s office, is because citations are currently only being issued in instances where violators “conceal their face during the commission of a crime.”
The mayor’s statement — issued July 7, two days after the march — noted the city’s mask ordinance, in effect since 1983 but deemphasized during the coronavirus pandemic, has been on the minds of local officials during Greenberg’s term. Last October, he said he would direct Louisville Metro Police to enforce the regulation after suspects wearing masks were involved in a fatal shooting in Pleasure Ridge Park High School’s parking lot during a Friday night football game.
At the time, Greenberg said the episode was “not an isolated incident” but part of a larger trend of shooters using masks to conceal their identities. He faced pushback over concerns enforcement of the ordinance would lead to arrests as a result of racial profiling. But while the mayor put forward a proposal to add medical and other exceptions, it was never passed by Metro Council.
In the meantime, masks have not been an uncommon sight at a number of other recent protests in Louisville, including the city’s June 14 “No Kings” rally and a June 9 march in solidarity with immigrants.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg speaks Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky about the consent decree between Louisville and the DOJ being dismissed by the federal government. May 21, 2025
The July 5 march, in broad daylight on sidewalks in downtown Louisville, made waves across the city.
A video posted on social media showed dozens of participants holding flags that included the Confederate banner and chanting to a drumbeat. Attendees appeared to be supporters of Patriot Front, a White supremacist organization formed in the aftermath of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally that is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
LMPD issued a statement that afternoon saying the department began monitoring the event as soon as officers were made aware — as plans for the rally were not announced publicly ahead of time.
“This event, although understandably concerning, posed no threat to the public and had no impact on traffic or other operations in the city,” spokesperson Matt Sanders said, requesting “nobody gives this group the coverage and attention that it is seeking.” Greenberg and other city leaders publicly denounced it throughout the weekend.
In the July 7 statement, Greenberg spokesperson Kevin Trager said it appears the group “arrived in rental trucks and was on the ground here for only about 90 minutes,” with police learning about it as participants arrived downtown.
“As much as Mayor Greenberg personally dislikes this group and what it stands for, they did not need a permit,” the statement said. “People do not need a permit to demonstrate if they remain on the sidewalk.”
In a guide advising First Amendment protections during protests, the ACLU of Kentucky notes permits are not required for marches along sidewalks “as long as marchers don’t obstruct car or pedestrian traffic,” though “blocking traffic or street closure” is not allowed without a permit, nor is “a large rally requiring the use of sound amplifying devices.” Permits cannot be denied due to “controversial or … unpopular views.”
Exceptions to Louisville’s mask ordinance include:
Individuals under the age of 16;
Traditional holiday costumes in season;
Theatrical productions, including Mardi Gras celebrations;
Wearing a mask due to trade, employment or sporting activities where masks ensure physical safety;
Wearing a gas mask in drills, exercises or emergencies;
And circumstances where wearing a mask is “protected by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky or the United States Constitution.”
This story may be updated.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Why Louisville mask ban wasn’t enforced during Patriot Front march