'Angry Vikings' pro police group gathers on Derby day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Armed with guns and American flags, a crowd of nearly 300 gathered at Cox Park early Saturday to say they have had enough.
They refer to themselves as “patriots.”
“We’re out here to keep people safe, and it’s not about force, it’s about being out and showing up,” a Louisville man who asked to be called Phoenix with the Bear Militia, said.
Some members of the crowd were from Kentucky, and others from different parts of the country, but all said they were here to protect people after the leader of the NFAC, a black militia group, threatened to burn the city in July.
“This is our city and it’s not going to be taken over by people who want to destroy it, Phoenix said.
The American Patriot Pride rally was led by Dylan Steven who calls himself “The Angry Viking.”
“Americans, what they do is they scare you into thinking you’re a racist, for standing up for this right here, for standing up for Louisville. And I tell these people all the time sometimes you got to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” said the Angry Viking. “100 days, come on. When are we going to say ‘okay, we’re done with this, we’re done with threats, we’re done with people saying they’re going to burn our city down, and when are we actually going to fix the problem’?”
The group marched from River Road to Jefferson Street in the heart of downtown where they were met with protesters chanting "Justice for Breonna Taylor" more than 100 days after her death at the hands of police.
"If somebody would drop a firecracker or something, it could be a catastrophe out here,” Derrick Dennis, a Louisville resident said.
Dennis wonders if or how the city can move forward.
“There’s a lot of built up stress and anxiety, so it’s not overflowing and spilling out right now,” he said.
Louisville Metro Police did show up and tensions de-escalated quickly.
Within two hours, the mood at Jefferson Square Park was calm.
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