We demand that Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer grant community observers access to the current private negotiations regarding the LMPD police union contract — and that ALL future negotiations regarding police union contracts be conducted with community observers present.

The current round of negotiations began on January 21, 2021 — in secret and behind closed doors. Nowhere in the contract or in city ordinance does it state that negotiations must be done in secret.

Therefore, we are demanding that community observers be present during this and ALL future negotiations regarding the police union contract.

Why is this so important?

There are sections within Louisville's police union contract that make it difficult to hold police officers accountable for violent misconduct. This is ratified through sections within the contract that limit oversight and give officers 48 hours after misconduct occurs to access evidence prior to interrogation. These same protections are not awarded to civilians involved in alleged misconduct, thus holding police officers above the law.

Further, there are many other clauses in the police union contract that reflect how much power the police union holds over the city. Clauses like 'there shall be no layoffs,' and 'the city of Louisville must pay for any civil settlements against police officers' are also antithetical to building safer communities.

Mayor Greg Fischer has the sole responsibility to negotiate with the police union and remove these sections that allow officers to operate with impunity. Allowing community observers to witness negotiations will shed light on the process, and will ultimately make it harder for the Mayor to agree to all of the police union's demands.

Police unions are arguably the most powerful unions in the country. They have millions of our own tax dollars invested in lobbying political candidates and legislation. They fiercely defend cops who have extensive records of violent misconduct, including the officers who murdered Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, George Floyd, Laquan McDonald, and countless others.

The movement that ignited a global uprising in late May has taught us that we, the people, must actively hold our elected officials accountable for the entrenched violence that they have sanctioned for far too long.

It is critical community members are present when matters of policing are discussed — especially in Louisville — where Breonna Taylor, a beloved daughter, partner, sister, niece, friend, essential worker; a beloved Black woman, was killed by the state in her own home.

We cannot afford to let matters of life and death be negotiated in secret any longer!

For more resources pertaining to the police union contract in Louisville — and how to get involved in fighting police union power — please visit linktr.ee/the490project.

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