LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
This afternoon, protesters rallied outside a Fraternal Order of Police building in Louisville, saying it’s time for more accountable policing.
“We will continue to see these problems," said Timothy Findley, a pastor at Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center in Louisville.
Findley said there are problems with the way police departments operate that have lasted for too long and have resulted in too many deaths.
“Accountability, that’s what we want to see," he said.
It’s why he and about 75 other protesters walked about half a mile together to rally outside a Fraternal Order of Police building on Price Lane Road in Louisville, demanding an overhaul of police department resources.
“And those resources can be better allocated to different places," Findley said.
He said he wants more funding to go into education, housing and healthcare. In terms of training officers, he said he wants a greater focus on mental health to prevent senseless deaths. Earlier in the protest, Mayor Greg Fischer announced the firing of Brett Hankison, one of the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor.
“It’s a great first baby step but that means absolutely nothing if you have a culture of violence in the LMPD," said Findley.
Instead, Fidley wants to see a culture among law enforcement that promotes community involvement, conversation, and de-escalation. It’s a future James-Etta Goodloe wants to see for her 17-year-old daughter.
“This is truly the next generation of leadership," said Reed.
Her daughter’s message: we’re all in this together.
“People who aren’t African American, they need to start speaking up because their voice matters just as much as ours," said Cierra Goodloe.
The protesters have formed what they’re calling a “Justice and Freedom Coalition.” They said they’ll be in constant contact with police, through peaceful rallies and letters, highlighting their demands until they see changes at every level of LMPD. The Justice and Freedom Coalition supports defunding police. Findley, who helped organize the coalition, said it means redirecting and reallocating LMPD’s budget.
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