Showing posts with label Louisville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Louisville. Show all posts

Friday, July 21, 2023

Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel named chief of Louisville Metro Police

Mayor Craig Greenberg announced Thursday that his choice for Louisville's police chief position would be the person who's already filling the role: interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.

Greenberg said he relied on "an enormous amount of public input before making this decision," with focus groups and virtual town halls along with a virtual survey calling for feedback. In the end, he said at a press conference, he found "the best person to do this work is already on the job."

Gwinn-Villaroel, who came to Louisville Metro Police from Atlanta to serve as a deputy under former Chief Erika Shields, expressed her gratitude for being selected − and for Greenberg conducting a search.

"I want to acknowledge you (Greenberg) for taking a leap of faith on this individual - me - that came here that you knew nothing about, but you took a leap of faith to allow me to lead, and you saw my leadership abilities, and you said, 'Go forth, Jackie.'"

She said it was her "calling to serve and protect those who cannot take care of themselves and who need my service."

Gwinn-Villaroel will remain head of a department that will almost definitely be operating under a court-monitored consent decree.

[SOURCE: COURIER JOURNAL]

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Judge who signed Breonna Taylor warrant loses reelection

A Kentucky judge who signed off on the police raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor lost her reelection bid on Tuesday.

Judge Mary Shaw lost to Tracy Evette Davis for the Circuit Court Judge - 5th Division seat by 2,367 votes as of Wednesday morning.

She faced criticism in the past for signing the falsified warrant in March 2020 for the raid of Taylor's apartment.

Tracy Davis is a native Louisvillian, mother, grandmother and practicing attorney.

She said while practicing, she saw instances of unconscious bias. She was sometimes the only woman or person of color in a courtroom, and saw ways to make the system more accessible.

Davis felt switching spots, running for a seat, was a way to have a broader impact.

Her aim is to bring transparency to the court. She also values the use of technology to make things easier on lawyers and litigants.

"I do want change," Davis said. "I do want the city to heal, I do want people to trust the judicial system and to have faith that when they come seeking justice, justice is what they will get regardless of where they come from or who they are."

Responding to questions of how the race was impacted by the attention on the Breonna Taylor race and Judge Shaw, Davis said she felt after the pandemic, people started paying more attention to the decisions made in the judiciary and by lawmakers.

Davis said in this race, she felt people researched more than they may have before and paid attention to the votes they cast in judicial contests.

“Who are the people on the judiciary, what are their thoughts, what are their approaches to things, what are their thoughts on bond and bail," she said. “I can honestly say the people went through the races and selected who they thought was the best fit for the judicial system.”

[SOURCE: MSN]

Friday, August 07, 2020

Oprah's puts up 26 billboards asking for justice for Breonna Taylor around Louisville

Oprah Winfrey is spearheading a high-profile campaign to bring attention to Breonna Taylor's case. Winfrey featured Taylor on the cover of September's issue of her magazine and set up 26 billboards in Louisville, Kentucky, demanding charges against the officers involved in her death.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Sen. Kamala Harris calls for Dept. of Justice to investigate Breonna Taylor's death

During an appearance on MSNBC Sen. Kamala Harris called for the Dept. of Justice to investigate Breonna Taylor's death at the hands of Louisville police officers.

Taylor was a woman who was shot and killed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by police executing a "botched" search warrant who forced their way in, surprising the woman and her boyfriend who thought the officers were burglars. To make matters worse police were at the wrong address. Records show that the police investigation was centered around a "trap house" more than 10 miles from Taylor's apartment.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Louisville is renaming its airport after Muhammad Ali

Louisville city officials announced Wednesday that Louisville International Airport will be renamed after the boxer and humanitarian often called "the Greatest."

The new name: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

"Muhammad Ali belonged to the world, but he only had one hometown, and fortunately, that is our great city of Louisville," Mayor Greg Fischer said. "Muhammad became one of the most well-known people to ever walk the Earth and has left a legacy of humanitarianism and athleticism that has inspired billions of people.

"It is important that we, as a city, further champion The Champ's legacy," Fischer continued. "And the airport renaming is a wonderful next step."

The Louisville Regional Airport Authority board approved Fischer's motion that the airport be renamed. But the SDF code will not change, officials said.

Read more: Louisville is renaming its airport after Muhammad Ali

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Kentucky judge rules Louisville can remove Confederate monument

The city of Louisville, Kentucky can remove a 121-year-old monument to Confederate soldiers that critics have objected to as an emblem of slavery, a state judge ruled on Wednesday.

In a ruling from the bench, Jefferson Circuit Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman dissolved her temporary order from three weeks ago that had blocked the city and a local university from taking down the monument.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he would work on relocating the 70-foot-high monument after getting the judge's written order, according to a statement from his office.

Some local residents and descendants of Confederate soldiers sued to keep the monument at its location near the University of Louisville, calling it a symbol of the South's history and culture.

Mayor Fischer and University of Louisville President James Ramsey said in April they would move the monument commemorating Kentuckians who died serving the Confederacy, the slave states that declared their secession from the United States, leading to the American Civil War in the 1860s.

[SOURCE]