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Lawmakers Call For Solutions To West Louisville Crime After Bevin’s Prayer Ask

lrc.state.ky.us

In response to an uptick in violent crime, last week Gov. Matt Bevin asked church leaders to organize prayer walks through the streets of West Louisville. Some are criticizing the proposal as too simple, demanding policy solutions.

Rep. Attica Scott, a Democrat from West Louisville, said the governor needed to talk about economic solutions—like increasing employment in the area and raising wages.

“West Louisville is not some godless place who needed this savior who lives in Anchorage to come in and say ‘we’re going to pray on it,’ that’s already been happening," Scott said. "What we needed was for him to come in and say we have a policy agenda to address these issues.”

Bevin encouraged religious groups to “adopt” parts of the West End and schedule prayer walks several times per week for a year.

State Rep. Phil Moffett, a Republican from Louisville, said that Bevin’s prayer proposal “won’t hurt,” but said the larger problem is citizens not reporting perpetrators to the police.

“We need to get more focused on turning those folks in so we can get them off the streets," Moffett said. "If enough inertia comes together, the West End can become a much safer place.”

Last week’s meeting was scheduled after the killing of a seven-year-old boy, who was shot by a stray bullet while sitting at his kitchen table in West Louisville. There were 41 murders in Louisville by the end of April this year.

There were 118 murders in Louisville last year, the most ever for the city.

Ryland Barton is the Managing Editor for Collaboratives for Kentucky Public Radio, a group of public radio stations including WKMS, WFPL in Louisville, WEKU in Richmond and WKYU in Bowling Green. A native of Lexington, Ryland most recently served as the Capitol Reporter for Kentucky Public Radio. He has covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin.
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