LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The summer of 2020 is when many voices told us they'd had enough.
But those voices, those people, were raising concerns about injustice long before it became a movement for more than 180 days.
They were ignored. The long-simmering discrimination in our city only got worse.
Those of us who have lived here all of our lives had heard the stories about our police department.
But then again, Louisville is big-small town, and if you knew a police officer personally, you may have said, "no way, it can't be."
The Department of Justice today confirmed the worst of it; a pattern and practice. But also noted the officers in the department had no support from superiors and very little accountability. Good cops were screaming for it but were ignored and then demoted.
The flashpoint for change should have happened with the LMPD youth explorer sex scandal. Instead, Greg Fischer stood by the chief. The chief again, stayed in the job, after Breonna Taylor was killed.
The protestors were right. The activists were right.
And now at this moment, we still need a strong police department. This is the pivotal time of understanding for all of us who want safety and a fair city.
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