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Yesterday morning I personally spoke with Mayor Fischer and expressed my concerns with the enforcement and use of the mandatory curfew throughout Jefferson County. This curfew is meant to assist police with protecting people and property, while also maintaining the ability of others to peacefully protest. Since its start, questions about the curfew have been numerous, and we have tried to answer them to the best of our ability.
As a result of our conversation, the Mayor clarified his position, stating that persons maintain the right to work at their businesses and commute to and from them after 9 p.m. Any person needing to travel to and from work, religious services or any other necessary locations can do so. Persons can continue socializing with neighbors, but all are asked to please stay out of large groups or places where disturbances may occur. Public safety officials do have the ability to give a citation to any person who is not following the curfew, but more than likely if you are stopped you will just be asked to disburse or move on.
Again, the Mayor has emphasized that the goal is not to have officers out in neighborhoods but instead in those areas where concentrated problems are occurring. This limits the use of the National Guard, but also helps to ensure that the people who are familial with patrolling our streets will be the ones continuing to interact with our residents.
I have expressed my desire to see the curfew curtailed and to again allow businesses such as restaurants, retail stores and other public venues to stay open beyond 9pm where it is reasonable to do so. As of now, the Mayor is not interested in that course, but we will continue making every effort to push the Mayor toward re-thinking this policy and reopening our community.
The decision to invoke a curfew is an executive function of the Mayor, authority he is granted by state statue and isn’t something that can be modified or voted on by the Metro Council. As your representative I have expressed many of the concerns voiced by constituents related to this decision, but the ultimate decision on this matter has been made by Mayor Fischer and his team. For more information on the Jefferson County Curfew please follow this link: https://louisvilleky.gov/news/curfew-qa
Marilyn Parker
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