Restaurant, ex-LMPD officer apologize to unwitting attendees of Breonna Taylor book event
Restaurant owners and a former Louisville Metro Police officer involved in the 2020 raid at Breonna Taylor's apartment who hosted an event in Kentucky last week have apologized for holding the presentation while people who had not signed up to attend were in the crowd.
In a video statement this week, ex-LMPD officer Jonathan Mattingly defended the event's subject matter, which concerned the aftermath of Taylor's killing at the hands of police in Louisville, but said it should have been held at a "totally secure location." And ownership of Anna's Greek Restaurant, the Bowling Green establishment where the presentation took place, said in a statement that it apologized to attendees and "anyone else who has been emotionally or negatively impacted by this controversial incident."
Mattingly was a guest at a Jan. 17 event hosted by the Republican Women of South Central Kentucky to promote his new book, which discusses the March 2020 LMPD raid that left Taylor dead and the aftermath of the incident, a key factor behind a local and national protest movement that took place that summer. The dinner was initially scheduled to take place at the Bowling Green Country Club alongside state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, a gubernatorial candidate in the Republican primary, but both parties backed out after news of Mattingly's presence sparked a backlash.
In his video, Mattingly said the dinner, which included a loud video presentation with audio of gunshots, was aimed at GOP donors in the crowd who "wanted to know the truth so they had some ammunition in their pocket on who they knew who to support and who to vote for."
However, while the private event with about 80 guests took place on the second floor of Anna's Greek Restaurant, some patrons who had reserved seats that evening to dine on the first floor said they were not aware the presentation was set to take place upstairs and were unwittingly exposed to the controversial event during their meal.
Mattingly apologized to those crowd members in his video – "I know if I were in your shoes and there was something that I disagreed with being played over a place I brought my patronage to and paid for I'd be very upset as well" – and to the restaurant, which he described as "victim in this because they didn't know what was going on." The event was moved from the country club because "naysayers and haters" threatened the venue when they learned he would be there, Mattingly said, which put the restaurant that took the dinner "in a rough situation, right in the middle of crossfire that they didn't belong."
In a separate statement published on its website, Anna's Greek Restaurant said the accommodation for the group was made on a notice of two hours and owners were "unaware of the content to be presented."
"We now have recognized the need to be exceedingly diligent in reviewing any content to be presented when blending restaurant patrons with private events," the restaurant's statement said. "... It is our deepest desire to meet the needs of all people who visit our restaurant, regardless of race, religion, culture, and opinions."
Cayce Johnson, a patron in attendance that night who has spoken out about the event, previously said everyone in the restaurant could hear what was taking place. She said Mattingly was introduced to "raucous applause" and at one point, loud video footage from the night of the raid was played.
In his video, Mattingly said the audio of gunshots in the footage that aired that night was not taken during the raid at her apartment, as no video footage of the incident exists. Instead, he said, the footage used video and audio of subsequent protests, including a shooting that left seven people injured on the first night of the demonstrations and a shooting that injured two officers after Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced just one LMPD officer, Brett Hankison, would face charges over the raid.
Mattingly, who was shot in the leg the night officers attempted to serve the no-knock warrant at Taylor's apartment, is currently promoting his book "12 Seconds In The Dark: A Police Officer’s Firsthand Account of the Breonna Taylor Raid."
Reach Ana Alvarez Briñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter @SoyAnaAlvarez.
More:Militia leader sentenced to prison for pointing rifle at police in Louisville
More:'A game changing decision': Why Louisville Trader Joe's employees voted to unionize
More:'Says a whole lot more about him': Elaine Chao speaks out about Trump's racist comments
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jonathan Mattingly, restaurant apologize for Breonna Taylor book event
