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Kentucky Governor To Have Mansion Surrounded With Fence After Protests

(John Sommers II/Getty Images)

Marlo Safi Culture Reporter
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Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will have a fence constructed around his mansion after protesters in May gathered outside his home, a spokesperson says.

“Recently, a group of armed demonstrators crossed over barriers to stand on the front porch of the mansion, just a window pane away from where the Governor and First Lady raise their two young children, and chanted for him to come outside,” Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley told WDRB.

There was also an effigy of the governor hanging from a tree outside the State Capitol in Frankfort in May, which prompted the Kentucky State Police executive security team to request the fence be put up. (RELATED: CNN Puts Up Fence Outside Atlanta Headquarters Amid Ongoing Protests)

The protest the governor’s office refers to is the Second Amendment rally, which brought a crowd of more than 100 people outside the State Capitol and eventually turned into a protest against the Democratic governor and his coronavirus restrictions.

The protesters chanted “Come out Andy” and “Resign Andy,” according to the Courier Journal.

There is no mention of the anti-police protests that turned violent in May and June in parts of Kentucky having any influence on the decision.

The fence is expected to be completed in late summer or fall, and the state is soliciting bids from contractors to build the fence. 

“The initial cost of the installation will be paid out of the Department for Facilities and Support Services budget,” Finance Cabinet spokeswoman Jill Midkiff said in an email according to WDRB.

 “The private Kentucky Executive Mansion Foundation indicates they plan to vote on the possible reimbursement of this expenditure. It is believed that Kentucky’s Governor’s Mansion may be the only Executive Mansion in the United States that does not currently have security fencing.”