FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ACLU-KY Calls on Mayor, Metro Council to Invest in Communities Following Shooting
LOUISVILLE, KY – The ACLU of Kentucky today sent a letter to Mayor Greg Fischer and members of the Louisville Metro Council soundly rejecting any proposal that includes increased use of incarceration, policing, or surveillance – especially involving children in our communities.
Violence has many causes, including poverty, guns, interpersonal conflict, unmet mental health and social needs, juvenile trauma, and more. It is no wonder that relying on a single approach — policing — has not worked in the past and is not going to work to meet the moment now.
Reducing violence is difficult, and it takes time, but the solutions are not mysterious. Neighborhoods where people have stable, well-paying jobs and access to well-funded public services experience little violence and often have a small police force. But instead of fully and equitably funding these necessities in communities of color and low-income communities, we overfund police time and time again.
“We cannot police our way out of systemic issues of violence or ignore the root causes at work in Louisville communities,” said Keturah Herron, policy strategist for the ALCU of Kentucky. “There is no documented evidence between violence and police budgets, but there are connections between increased violence and underfunded social supports.”
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You can read the letter in the PDF below.
Read more about this issue here.