Yesterday, the Mayor announced the members of his Public Safety Commission, a group of 22 individuals—eight citizen representatives, seven community organizations, and seven government organizations. This “commission” has no real power, serving only in an advisory role to the administration, “providing feedback and advice” according to the city’s website. All in service to what the Mayor calls the “Community Commitment: Louisville’s Consent Decree₁.”

When asked how he intends to measure success, the Mayor stated that the commission was “part of an effort to reduce violent crime and get better engagement with the police department.” This is a misplaced goal for a Commission born out of a federally ordered consent decree.

“Reducing violent crime should be an objective of the city, but the consent decree was not handed down to reduce community violence, but to eliminate the physical, psychological, and constitutional harms LMPD has inflicted on Black people, women, the unhoused, and others for decades– harm that continues to cost this city tens of millions of dollars,” said Lyndon Pryor, President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League. “It is for those reasons that the consent decree was given. That is why an independent monitor is needed. And that should be the sole charge of this commission and any other oversight body working with LMPD.”

The Mayor’s Commitment is a vague and nonbinding list of goals to address the litany of harms found in the Department of Justice’s scathing report₂, but the document has stripped away the more robust and definitive accountability measures. The Mayor’s document is unlike the original consent decree₃ the city signed and agreed to. There are significant differences in the areas of training and engagement with diverse communities. But it is the tone and change in authority that are most concerning. Where guidance, direction, and accountability were once coming from the independent monitor and federal judge in collaboration with the community, in the Mayor’s Commitment, that direction starts with LMPD, and authority ends with the Mayor.

Again, the police are policing themselves, which has never worked and has proven time and again not to benefit the communities they serve. That is why we got a consent decree.

It is also why, absent a more significant policy, the Louisville Urban League, several other community organizations, and impacted community members still applied for a seat on the Public Safety Commission. We want to ensure that the origins and spirit of the original decree are upheld, and the voices and concerns of those most impacted are at the forefront. The Louisville Urban League–the oldest civil rights organization in the Commonwealth with a mission to serve Black and marginalized people–was not chosen. Neither were many others who have been on the front lines of the fight for a more equitable, just, and constitutional LMPD.

The DOJ found that LMPD disproportionately harmed Black people, the unhoused, and those who struggle with mental illness. Yet, those communities are underrepresented among the chosen commission members. Some voices on the commission will remember who they represent and the harms they are there to reform, but it seems they are vastly outnumbered by political friends and community members who are already connected to power and have most likely never had a bad encounter with LMPD.

“I agree with the Mayor when he says Louisville can be a leader in public safety,” said Pryor. “Like Baltimore, Birmingham, and even Chicago, Louisville has an opportunity to make transformative changes to policing and how the community is supported, invested in, and engaged. But we can’t do those things by repeating past mistakes, like excluding the voices of impacted and critical citizens, prioritizing and investing in police over people, downplaying the historic and structural harms that persist, and dismissing new ideas and ways of doing.”

The League will be unrelenting in the fight for just and equitable spaces and treatment of Black people and other marginalized communities. That is the organization’s mission. And with every critique, the League stands ready to work, to bring advice, support, and evidence-based solutions to the table. We will continue to push everyone in this city to do what is right, not what is expedient, because our neighbors deserve transparency, real accountability, a seat at the table, and so much better than they have received.

₁ Community Commitment: Louisville’s Consent Decree link

₂ Investigation of the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville Metro Government link

₃ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. LOUISVILLE METRO/JEFFERSON COUNTY GOVERNMENT, CONSENT DECREE link 

About the Louisville Urban League
The Louisville Urban League assists African Americans and those at the margins in attaining social and economic equality and stability through direct services and advocacy. For more information, go to lul.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter  (@louisvilleUL), or Instagram (@LouUrbanLeague).