LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Recent violence near two of Louisville's most iconic streets has left some neighbors scared to leave their homes at night.
Hundreds of residents who live near Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue packed into Douglass Boulevard Christian Church on Sunday to discuss recent violence in their neighborhoods.
Many neighbors said local bars are to blame.
Pictured: investigators with Louisville Metro Police on the scene of a triple shooting that left one person dead in the 1500 block of Bardstown Road in Louisville, Ky., in the early morning hours of July 31, 2023. (WDRB photo)
"Keep Highlands weird, not dangerous," Highlands resident Katherine Ussery said.
"I had gunshots 40 feet from where I sleep," Ussery said.
Then, on Thursday night police lights filled the streets near Frankfort Avenue after officers shot and killed a man LMPD said was firing at them.
The violence left residents of both neighborhoods desperate for solutions.
"We don't feel safe outside past dark," Ussey said.
Councilmen Ben Reno-Weber (D-8) and Andrew Owen (D-9) hosted a community meeting in response to discuss what's being done in their districts to curb the violence.
"This is not a new issue, when you combine alcohol and humans, there have been issues for centuries," Reno-Weber said.
A graphic at the meeting showed violent crime from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. is clustered around bars in the area.
Representatives from LMPD, the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and Alcohol Beverage Control, addressed what steps they're taking.
"We have an alcohol fueled entertainment industry in a the middle of a residential neighborhood," LMPD Maj. Jason Grissom said.
Grissom said he plans to increase patrol around bars in the area.
He said due to historically low crime the Highlands was not heavily manned.
"I need more officers, I need more help," Grissom said.
Neighbors also said noise from the bars keeps them up at night
"We are going to focus on the loud music that will be our number one focus," Grissom said.
Louisville Metro Police at the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Frankfort Avenue in Clifton on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. (WDRB photo)
Now, the first time a bar receives a complaint that its music can be heard from over 50 feet away, it'll have to pay a $2,500 fine.
"We are making a zero tolerance policy for noise at all bars in Jefferson county" Brad Silveria, director of Jefferson County Alcohol Beverage Control, said.
Reno-Weber talked about reintroducing a plan by former District 8 Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong.
It attempted to change bar closing times from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. but was shot down in 2021.
"It's something may of us on council are open to revisiting and I think its something the mayors office is also open to" Reno-Weber said.
"A business shouldn't be open till 2:30 in the morning," Ussery said.
Alcoholic Beverage Control said If you're having problems with noise coming from a bar, call Metro at 311.
Related Stories:
- Highlands neighborhood to hold community meeting after deadly shooting off Bardstown Road
- Louisville police shoot, kill man who was firing at officers in Clifton, chief says
- 1 dead, 2 in serious condition after shooting in Louisville's Deer Park neighborhood
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