Louisville pastors say 'churches are the answer' to protecting kids along school commute routes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Calls for change and community support are increasing across Louisville after a young girl was critically injured when she was shot while waiting at her school bus stop Tuesday morning.

Local churches are now joining the conversation, looking for ways to step up and keep children safe.

The shooting happened around 8 a.m. Tuesday at Beech Street and Wyandotte Avenue in Louisville's Park Duvalle neighborhood. Since then, Louisville Metro Police has increased its presence near the bus stop.

Officials with the Metro Office of Violence Prevention were at the bus stop the afternoon of the shooting and the next day. Volunteers from Men Against Gun Violence have also been standing post at bus stops watching over kids as they get on and off the bus in the mornings and afternoons.

As many continue efforts to shield kids from gun violence, the community is desperate for solutions to a long list of problems.

"This senseless violence is out of hand," said Kimberly Burns, whose cousin was shot Tuesday at her bus stop. "It's ridiculous, closing JCYC, these kids have no repercussions for the things that they're doing."

Both Burns and Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins, D-1, brought up the closure of the Jefferson County Youth Center on Thursday. The youth detention center closed in 2019 after an audit found a lack of mental health resources, staffing shortages an high turnover made for dangerous conditions in the jail. It was also a financial decision.

"A lot of our youth know that JCYC is not open," Hawkins said.

Crime data shows violent crime involving guns is down nearly 20% in Louisville, but every incident of gun violence leaves a deep stain that traumatizes communities.

"Poverty is the soil that breeds all dysfunction," said Eric Johnson, pastor at Greater Galilee Baptist Church. "We need to come back to a foundation of respect and dignity and treating each other right."

Tuesday morning's shooting that left a Valley High School student fighting for her life and left the community with calls to act.

"The churches have always been the answer," said Emery Scott Lee, senior pastor at No More Limits Christian Church.

Lee is now in constant contact with Hawkins, and said he's willing to open his church as a safe haven, allowing it to be utilized as a bus stop.

"When we look at the shootings that have taken place over the last couple of years, there was a local church somewhere within reach of every one of those situations," Lee said. "Had we been able to have opened the door, activate some volunteers or even identify funds to pay staff, those children could have been walked in protected and escorted inside and outside to the bus."

A spokesperson for Jefferson County Public Schools said "As a school district, our ability to make direct changes is limited to our schools, our buses, and our campuses."

The district does not have the authority to designate churches as bus stops.

"If the local school district can't do it, it has to come out of Frankfort. That's the Kentucky Department of Education," Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. "If a church wants to step up and be a safe place along the route, we ought to definitely look at that."

JCPS said it's doing everything it can to ensure students are safe.

In a statement Thursday, the district said it was "heartbroken by the shooting and the impact it has had on the student and her family, as well as our students, staff, and the broader Louisville community."

"Please know that, as a school district, our ability to make direct changes is limited to our schools, our buses, and our campuses," the statement continued. "While we do not oversee the broader community spaces where students travel to and from school, we are doing everything within our ability and responsibility to support student safety and ensure students are able to arrive at and attend school and travel home safely.

"We also understand that a child’s safety does not begin or end at the doors of our schools. Bus stops are part of our students’ journeys, and we recognize the importance of working with LMPD to address concerns that extend beyond our direct responsibilities. We are supporting community partners and the other organizations working collaboratively to investigate this incident, support those impacted, and make our neighborhoods safer.

"We appreciate the greater community’s concern and the many people offering ideas and solutions. We will continue listening, working with our partners, and offering suggestions that can help better protect our students and families."

Hawkins said this is a call to the community, and that it's going to take everyone being involved to create change. Those who lead a church and are open to being involved with ongoing discussions can reach out to Hawkins directly.

Wednesday morning, Councilwoman Donna Purvis, D-5, announced the launch of the "Watch the Stop" initiative, a "community-based effort to help keep children safe while they wait for school buses each morning."

Purvis said the goal is to recruit volunteer "Bus Stop Ambassadors" throughout her district to keep an eye on nearby bus stops in the morning. They're encouraged to call LMPD if they see something suspicious or unusual.

"It takes a village, and I'm actively recruiting neighbors across the district to volunteer 30 minutes of their mornings," Purvis said in a news release. "Enjoy your morning cup of coffee on your porch while helping ensure the youth in our community board their buses safely."

Those interested in volunteering as an ambassador can contact Purvis' office at 502-574-1105.

Support for students

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Tuesday officials from the city's Office of Violence Prevention would be at the bus stop in the coming days, along with enhanced security.

"This is a horrible act of violence. A tragedy that no parent, no friend, no community should ever have to deal with," Greenberg said. "But here we are, in Louisville again, where there's another heartbreaking act of violence at a school bus stop, which should be a positive time in our children's life as they begin another productive and enriching day at school."

In a news release Wednesday, JCPS said members of its Crisis Team, JCPS Police Department, and the JCPS Violence Prevention Team are actively supporting students, staff and the impacted school community, offering counseling resources to anyone affected.

"Our hearts are broken for this student, their family, their classmates, and everyone who loves them," Yearwood said in a statement. "We must stand together, support one another through this painful time, and strive for a safer Louisville for every single student."

Specialized counseling is available to students and families, as well as mental health support for employees.