PANEL DISCUSSES TROUBLES FACING BLACK COMMUNITY

Prominent Men Help Lead Dialogue

Troubled by violence in recent years, 17 of Louisville's most prominent
African-American men and an audience of about 800 people held a dialogue
for three hours yesterday in search of solutions.

The event was a success, if only a start, said two of the participants in
the Brothers Reaching Brothers forum, the Rev. Kevin Cosby of St. Stephen
Baptist Church and Ricky Jones, chairman of the University of Louisville
Pan-African Studies department.

"This was a large forum bringing some constituencies together that normally
wouldn't come together," Jones said. "So today I think was going to be more
symbolic than substantive. The substantive work comes later."

Also taking part were Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert White, car
dealership owner Winston Pittman, Democratic state Sen. Gerald Neal of
Louisville, local Urban League President Ben Richmond, professors,
activists and several ministers.

Simmons College of Kentucky, where Cosby is president, and the U of L
Pan-African Studies department sponsored the forum, which took place at St.
Stephen, at 15th and Prentice streets.

After the forum, Cosby said, "We recognize that we must be mobilized to
fight the unique problems that we're facing on multiple fronts." Echoing
comments he made during the forum, Cosby said those are personal
responsibility, empowering the black community by spending money in the
community and attacking institutional racism.

"Our goal is to mobilize the various resources we have in our community and
strategically put them in position to ... aggressively remedy some of these
problems," he said.

More forums and discussions will follow, organizers said. Another forum
will be Nov. 19 at a site to be determined.

In addition to answering questions posed by moderators, panelists heard
questions and observations from dozens of attendees who lined the aisles of
the church to speak into microphones.

Much of the discussion centered on how to connect with youth.

U of L student Phillip Bailey, who came under criticism last week for
online comments that some people interpreted as a threat against President
Bush, said that it's crucial to see "youth as equal partners," and that in
Louisville there "seems to be a ceiling on leadership."

Cosby said churches must embrace hip-hop culture while remaining true to
the Gospel.

"The mainline church is becoming a sideline church because the church
refuses to make -- not an alteration of the Gospel -- but an adjustment of
the Gospel to speak the language of this culture," he said.

Shawn Gardner, a 31-year-old Phoenix Hill resident, challenged White about
a double-standard message being sent to people on probation who must stay
drug-free when a police officer who tested positive on a drug screening is
given another chance.

Last year, White fired an officer after he tested positive in a random
department drug test. The officer admitted at that time that he had smoked
marijuana a few days before the test.

The police merit board voted 4-2 to reverse the firing and give the officer
a 27-day suspension. White appealed the decision.

In an interview, Gardner said it's premature to evaluate yesterday's forum.
"You can't say until down the line," he said, when it will be known whether
something came from the forum besides the talk.

Most of the panelists gave White a standing ovation -- in addition to
applause from the audience -- when one of the moderators, Chuck Olmsted of
WHAS-TV, directed a question to White, saying, "and he is still chief."

Last week, Republican mayoral candidate Kelly Downard said he would fire
White if elected mayor. White was appointed by incumbent Democrat Jerry
Abramson.