LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville’s mayor is placing renewed focus on prevention, intervention, and enforcement in the city’s new crime plan — but for many in the city's west end, the message is clear: they want to see results, not just promises.
James Mathis Sr. knows the impact of violence all too well. He still bears the scars from a 2018 home invasion that nearly cost him his life.
“I was shot six times in 2018,” Mathis said. “In my chest, leg and hand.”
The man who shot him is now behind bars and won’t be eligible for release for at least 20 years.
“Just like when I got shot in 2018 — they are seeing justice,” he said. “And I see what it felt like. I seen what it tastes like. And it felt good because people sought to get the people that harmed me.”
As part of the new crime-fighting approach, Mayor Craig Greenberg has rebranded the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods. It’s now called the Office of Violence Prevention — a division that has been in place since 2013 and has received millions in city funding.
Two years ago, the agency’s director said in a press release: “We are building the necessary infrastructure to support our community-driven, evidence-based strategies for violence prevention and intervention.”
That strategy isn’t new — but some said it’s still missing key ingredients.
Mathis believes a successful crime plan must go further by encouraging people to work with police, something he said is lacking in many neighborhoods.
“People have chosen not to say anything,” Mathis said. “I will not get involved because you’re asking us to put our lives on the line for nothing.”
He said what’s missing is communication — and trust.
“We don’t have a relationship with the officers,” he said. “The officers don’t have a real relationship with the street. You trying to get it?”
Despite those challenges, there are signs of progress. According to the Office of Violence Prevention, homicides and non-fatal shootings are down nearly 32% compared to this time last year.
Still, for residents like Mathis, numbers mean little if the streets don’t feel safer.
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