Police and Black Lives Matter protesters were in a tense standoff at a Louisville church on Thursday night, after the demonstrators declared the church a 'sanctuary' and demonstrated outside after a 9pm curfew went into effect.

Demonstrators massed at First Unitarian Church, where clergy allowed them to seek refuge on church grounds to avoid arrest during curfew, and a massive police cordon was established around the property.

A church leader at the scene explained that churches were exempt from the emergency curfew order, and said that the demonstrators had been invited onto the church grounds to avoid arrest.

About 200 people occupied the church grounds, where demonstrators taunted officers in riot gear who stood nearby, forming a massive cordon around the church.

It came after BLM protesters smashed the windows of a public library in downtown Louisville and threw a flare inside as authorities extended a citywide curfew into the weekend and the National Guard prepared to deploy.

About 100 demonstrators gathered in Louisville, defying a nighttime curfew and nearby police in riot gear, marking a second night of protests after Wednesday's decision not to pursue criminal charges against officers in the Breonna Taylor case.

The curfew took hold at 9pm in the Kentucky city as the protesters met up at the First Unitarian Church.

Police in riot gear could be seen blocking nearby streets.

Broken glass and flare inside library on third pic.twitter.com/J8EeDvKBLQ
One of those arrested on Thursday night was Attica Scott, a Kentucky state lawmaker and author of 'Breonna's law.'

The proposed legislation would ban the use of 'no-knock' warrants statewide
Louisville police used a 'no-knock' warrant to enter Taylor's home in the early morning hours of March 13. After Taylor's boyfriend fired a shot at the officers thinking he was being robbed, police shot back and killed Taylor.

People in the crowd chanted 'Black Lives Matter' as tensions continued for a second night in the city.

After curfew set in, the protesters took up refuge at Calvary Episcopal Church. Louisville police in riot gear blocked off all roadways leading to the church.

Video released by Louisville Metro Police Department shows protesters chanting and taunting officers in riot gear.

Police appeared to be keeping their distance from the protesters, who did not appear to be willing to disperse.

At around 11pm Eastern time, police began pulling back after apparently reaching an agreement with the protesters, who pledged to leave church grounds and continue marching on the pedestrian sidewalk.

The police asked the protesters to pledge not to vandalize property.
Before the march began, protester Shameka Parrish-Wright told the crowd to stay together and take care of each other if they were met with force.

'We want to show the country and the world what we’re about,' Parrish-Wright said.

Some protesters blocked roads as they marched. Police, meanwhile, were seen nearby and pa