LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — At a community meeting attended by hundreds, Louisville leaders reaffirmed commitments on police officers' mental health response, while JCPS leaders addressed ongoing reading gaps.
Citizens of Louisville United Together (CLOUT) hosted their annual action assembly at Memorial Auditorium Monday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to address the city's most critical community problems.
Louisville leaders — Mayor Craig Greenberg, Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey, JCPS superintendent Brian Yearwood and others — were given a list of pre-approved questions to answer about their respective topics.
Each leader was given three minutes to respond to questions, but none used the full time allotted.
Greenberg and Humphrey addressed their continued pledge to reform police response to mental health crises, an issue that was just recently reignited after LMPD officers shot and killed 28-year-old Katelyn Hall while she was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Hall's death had many people question why there wasn't a mental health professional on the scene— especially because LMPD has a mobile crisis response — but in a press conference after her death, LMPD said because there was a weapon and other people present, the situation "did not meet the criteria for deflection or a mobile crisis response."
In the days following the shooting, Greenberg introduced the idea of dual response teams for situations like Hall's to avoid officers having to use lethal force.
Both the mayor and police chief were asked during the CLOUT meeting whether LMPD would create standard operating procedures for using the crisis center, ensure all officers are trained on it, and work with Seven Counties Services to include referrals. The center allows people of any age to walk in or be brought by first responders for a mental health evaluation and connection to services.
While neither Greenberg or Humphrey provided a concrete timeline or full-fledged plan for this, they both confirmed their commitment to reform.
"As you just heard, the crisis called Deflection Center that you all advocated even before I became mayor," Greenberg said. "And when I became mayor, it was simply dealing for a few hours a day in a small part of our city. Now we've expanded it to 24 over seven in every part of the county, regardless of whether it's LMPD or another jurisdiction."
Along similar lines, Humphrey said LMPD will continue to support the effort.
"Our goal, as with yours, is to keep people safe and get them the resources they need that are most appropriate for them and their families," Humphrey said.
JCPS reading gaps
Similarly, Yearwood was there to address ongoing concerns about JCPS, particularly the gaps in JCPS reading levels.
Three years ago, 64% of JCPS students were not reading at grade level — a number that rose to 79% among low-income students.
Yearwood was asked about the district’s use of a science-backed reading program that has shown promise. The program is not implemented in every school or across all grade levels, raising questions about whether it could be expanded.
He said that due to union contracts, the district cannot require teachers to undergo additional training needed to implement the program.
Yearwood also agreed to review current student reading data with CLOUT members and to work with schools that did not meet behavior-related goals.
He did emphasize the district’s relationship with the group.
“But I want you to know that we at JCPS appreciate — cherish — the partnership with CLOUT. It has made us stronger, and it has made us much better as far as dealing with our students and helping our teachers to grow stronger,” Yearwood said. “We look forward to continuing this partnership because, like you said in your vision statement, we too must embrace justice. We must embrace fairness for all. That means every student, every year, every teacher.”
CLOUT is having a meeting in October and have invited all of those that attended tonight to comeback and give an update on their commitments.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
