The Louisville metro police department has a history that dates back to their founding of disproportionately targeting black people. Many of whom are unarmed, innocent, and/or were not resisting.  In America it’s supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.  The systemic oppression and behavior of police towards black people has already fostered an environment of distrust causing many in the black community to fear the police.  We want this to change.  We want our police department to protect black lives and to open up a dialogue with government officials including our governor Andy Beshear and the Louisville metro police department to defund the police. For those of y’all who don’t know “Defund the police” means,  it means reallocating or redirecting funding away from how it’s being spent by the Police department now  towards other ways of policing funded by the local municipality.  We would like these funds to go into social workers on the force present to respond to certain situations, training for all of the police force to learn better deescalation tactics, a new process of investigating the police that doesn’t involve a coworker investigating them, training for all police on how to identify and handle people with mental disabilities, creatIng unity within the west end and the police department where the police department only shows up when they are wanted and only in the capacity they are wanted, and so much more that we are talking to all members of the black community on what we need including Black men, black women, black trans persons, Black non binary persons, and all black people in the community.  We will have a separate petition for the police brutality that has occurred to all races during the protests for Breonna Taylor, David McAte, and so many more.  While we want these changes we are asking now for there to be an investigation into all of the harm and death brought upon the black community of Louisville by the Louisville metro police department.  They have broken their own unjust laws and while we want those prosecuted we Waldo are asking that consideration is taken for the fact that the laws in existence are already unfair.  Most people do not fully understand the law yet are expected to follow it to a T and that alone is unconstitutional.  You shouldn’t need to be a lawyer to know how to follow the law.  The average American professional commits about three felonies a day many times unbeknownst to them.  This is an estimate done from a study by a Harvard University professor named Harvey Silverglate.  So if you are of the mind that people just need to stop committing crimes and they would stop being murdered, go turn yourself in and explain to an officer everything you’ve done for the past week and see if you aren’t meant to be in prison. Think about why they didn’t look for an excuse to target you for these felonies.  We are so over-criminalized that people are committing felonies without knowing.  Let that sink in.  We invite everyone to sign this petition and share it thank all who sign for supporting the black community in Louisville, Kentucky!!!