Residents voice concerns about Louisville's mask mandate during public meeting

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's police chief is reiterating the purpose of the city's mask mandate.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the return of the decades-old mask mandate is in direct response to violent crime reaching unprecedented levels as police look to use any tool possible to prevent crime.

As of Wednesday, the city has seen 131 homicides so far this year. Humphrey said the city hasn't seen below 150 homicides in the last four years, something he calls a public health crisis.

"When you look at it from a race perspective, 71% of our homicides are Black people," he said Wednesday during Metro Council's Public Safety meeting. "This is absolutely a social justice and a racial justice issue. We cannot continue to sit back and accept the status quo."

The ordinance would only be enforced outdoors, would not be applied to anyone 13 or younger or those over the age of 60. It also does not include masks for Halloween, sporting events or celebratory events, or religious reasons. There will also be exemptions for health purposes.

There are still many concerns from the community, which were heard during Metro Council's meeting Wednesday evening.

"I'm concerned about how you're going to enforce them," Susan Bornstein, MD, said. "I mean, are you going to walk up to anybody wearing a mask on the street and ask them to divulge their medical history?"

Mayor Craig Greenberg's office has said someone will not be stopped for simply wearing a mask. Police will look at the totality of the circumstances and must have a reason for stopping someone.

Greenberg made a push to reinforce the 40-year-old mask ordinance, enacted in 1983, on Oct. 1.

The ordinance says no person shall, while wearing any mask whereby a substantial portion of the face is hidden or covered so as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter, be or appear in any public place within Jefferson County.

Greenberg said the ordinance was not enforced during the pandemic, when masking was encouraged to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But, he said, there has been a rise in crimes being committed by people wearing masks. The revival of the ordinance is meant to stop criminals from wearing masks to hide their identities when they commit a crime.

Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins, D-1, is sponsoring several amendments to the ordinance, which were announced Tuesday.

"We understand the concern of the community, what's also concerning is the crime rate in this city," Hawkins said in a news release. "This is not to target any group of people except those committing crimes and to lessen their ability to do so."

Hawkins said Tuesday the "issue is the rise of crime being felt among all of us because of the accessibility to easily conceal who they are. You want to know who's killing your kids, you want to know who's breaking in your homes, you want to know who's stealing your cars."

Based on feedback from the community, city leaders are suggesting the following amendments to the current ordinance:

Protection of health and indoor masking wearing
Anyone 13 or younger or those over the age of 60
Religious reasons
Holidays, celebrations and situations where masks are commonly worn

The updates are designed to ensure that officers cannot stop people just for wearing a face mask, but must be based on "a totality of circumstances." They are also making clear that it is LMPD's responsibility to make sure officers participate in comprehensive training to help protect citizens' constitutional rights.

"The millions of taxpayers' dollars that have been used towards equipment, cameras and other technology to help identify suspects is of no use if the full identity of the criminal recorded is blocked while wearing a ski mask," Hawkins said in a news release.

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