Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/author/jacobryan/)
Jacob Ryan joined the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting in December 2017. For three years prior, he worked as a WFPL News reporter. Ryan is originally from Eddyville, Kentucky.
The green house at the corner of 29th and St. Xavier streets is still scarred with bullet holes. Larry Jordan points them out one-by-one as a crowd gathers on the sidewalk. Nearly everyone comes wearing a red t-shirt with a picture of Jordan’s son, Demonjhea, emblazoned on the front. Demonjhea Jordan was killed by Louisville Metro Police in a hail of gunfire that erupted shortly after noon on April 24, 2018.
In a surprise move late last month, the state’s high court changed its plan and began allowing eviction filings a month early.
During a week when thousands have taken to Louisville’s streets in protest, many have pressed a demand on Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and police leaders — fire the officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor. But Fischer and others have pointed to due process requirements for officers — some set in state law, others in a union contract — in saying there is no quick or easy action they can take to discipline the officers without a thorough investigation. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed by plainclothes Louisville Metro police detectives in March, who burst into her home to serve a search warrant. Taylor’s boyfriend has said he thought the home was getting broken into when he fired a shot and struck an officer in the leg; the officers’ return shots killed Taylor.
Her death sparked national outrage and was a catalyst for the recent protests that have erupted in Louisville and across the rest of the nation. But so far, city officials have said firing the officers involved in her killing isn’t an option, at least for now.
The decision to start a phased reopening took place amid a confluence of economic worry, social distancing exhaustion and political pressure.
The tenant told KyCIR she was unable to pay her rent due to the pandemic.
We’ll discuss what resources are available, what the pandemic means for the criminal justice system and how you can help people who may be struggling.
The spending data offers a glimpse into local officials’ response to the pandemic: personnel costs are ballooning, and city leaders are tapping an array of companies for supplies.
The COVID-19 pandemic lays bare the quandary of life in public housing: staying home means dealing with a crowded, antiquated high rise, plagued with maintenance issues and infestations.
When the first of the month came, Katrice Gill couldn’t make rent. The part-time, in-home health aide and single mother usually has no trouble paying the $200 monthly contribution to her Section 8 subsidized rent, plus utilities. But with schools closed, she’s home with her four young kids, and the grocery bill has ballooned.
Gill, 32, said she tried to call her landlord, but didn’t get a call back. Then, on April 7, the landlord sent an email with the subject line in all caps: PAST DUE NOTICE.
With the message came an added charge: she was assessed a late fee of $91, nearly 45 percent of what she usually pays in rent. “I’m just really stressed out,” she said.
City officials said fulfilling the request for about three weeks of spending records would create an “unreasonable burden” on the government agency.