DAY OF FRUSTRATION AND PAIN

Vigil, Forum Held; Ministers Chide Mayor

Residents and community activists held a vigil and forum yesterday to vent
their frustration over the Jan. 3 shooting of a 19-year-old black man by a
Louisville Metro Police officer, while metro officials again asked for
patience.

Nearly 100 participants gathered for a candlelight vigil last night at
the site where Michael Newby was fatally shot in the back by Officer
McKenzie Mattingly during an alleged undercover drug buy.

Hours earlier, the Rev. Louis Coleman promised to enlist parents to
help keep the peace during a prayer vigil and protest planned for 2:30
p.m. today at police headquarters, hoping to avoid the violence that
broke out at a similar protest Thursday and ended in four arrests.

And yesterday morning, a group of African-American ministers released
a statement criticizing Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson for
failing to provide leadership to frustrated western Louisville
residents, as police Chief Robert White met again with community
members to bridge the gap he says is dividing police and residents.

Newby was the second man, and first African American, fatally shot by
Louisville Metro Police since the city and county police departments
merged Jan. 3, 2003.

He was the seventh African-American man to be shot and killed by
police in Louisville in the past five years.

Yesterday's events began with a forum sponsored by the African
Methodist Episcopal Ministerial Alliance at Quinn Chapel AME church,
1901 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. There, White brought several black officers
with him to talk to more than 60 residents.

White said the criminal and administrative investigations his
department is conducting into the shooting need to be allowed to run
their course.

"You have my word as your police chief, you have my word as a parent,
that we're going to ferret out the facts," he said. "... I am going to
do what is right."

Questions for White at the forum covered details of the shooting,
police-community relations and Thursday night's protest - a peaceful
rally that turned into a melee.

Protester Nancy Jakubiak asked White why he hadn't come out of his
office to meet with protesters sooner, saying the violence might have
been averted. White's failure to come out sooner sends a message that
people have to get violent to get the chief's attention, she said.

White said he hadn't been invited to the protest.

"It wasn't my position to do that," he said. "Ultimately, once things
got out of hand, I did make the decision to come down, to monitor what
was happening and agreed at some point in an effort to try to defuse
the incident."

Jackie Paynter, Newby's cousin, asked why police waited for a shooting
to implement cultural diversity and cultural identification training.
White said that training was in place before he became chief last
year. But he said he is trying to enhance that training.

"What I have learned from my first year here, the culture of our
police department to some extent is different than the culture of the
community, and the two have to become one," he said, adding that in
the past year, systems have been put in place to do that.

"We have issues on our police department, that is quite apparent. I am
not blind to that," White said.

Sgt. Yvette Gentry, who came with White, spoke through tears,
disputing claims made by some people that Louisville police do not
care about black men.

"That's just ridiculous to me," she said. "... I'm the daughter of a
black man, the mother of black men. It's not an us-against-them thing."

After the forum, Gentry said she agrees that there are culture
problems on the police force.

"It's not necessarily just a racial thing. Some people just don't know
how to talk to other people in a respectful manner," she said. "But I
think something that's overlooked is we don't get very much respect
either. ... I think sometimes that's overlooked, especially by the
younger generation. They feel like they can do whatever and say
whatever and we're not ever supposed to respond. We're human beings."

After the forum, Helen Swain, Newby's aunt, went over and spoke with
the black officers, who were sitting together. In an interview
afterward, Swain said she told the officers not to be discouraged and
to do their jobs.

The forum prompted eight pastors of African Methodist Episcopal
churches and the denomination's local elder to release a
five-paragraph statement saying they expect Abramson and Metro Council
members to do more in response to the shooting. Much of the criticism
was aimed at Abramson.

"The absence of the mayor's leadership and significant contact with
the taxpaying citizens of western Louisville is troubling to say the
least and leaves him looking indifferent, disengaged and unconcerned,"
the statement said. "You even failed to send a representative to
represent you and the city at the funeral of the slain young man."

The statement also called on Abramson to "open a broader dialogue"
with a cross-section of people on the issues of police conduct,
community safety and economic justice.

In a telephone interview, Abramson said White is at the forefront on
the issue.

"The chief is the point person based on his knowledge of the ongoing
police investigation, and I think he's the best person able at this
point to address questions regarding the investigation," Abramson said.

Abramson said he's discussed the shooting informally with citizens
he's come across wherever he's gone in the last week and hasn't been
able to tell them more than what he has said in statements and news
conferences. He said he and White have many of the same questions as
citizens.

"The way to arrive at those answers in my judgment is to ... conduct a
comprehensive and fair investigation as quickly as possible," he said.
"I'm just asking folks to be patient."

Abramson spokesman Jay Blanton said a representative was not sent to
the funeral because the administration did not want to do anything to
detract from the time for family and friends to mourn.

Yesterday afternoon, Coleman reiterated that civil rights activists'
weekly Sunday protests would continue today, as they have the past 57
Sundays since police fatally shot James Edward Taylor, a black man, in
the Smoketown neighborhood in December 2002. Taylor, though
handcuffed, had a box-cutter knife and was under the influence of
drugs, tests showed.

Coleman said one of the reasons violence broke out Thursday outside
police headquarters was that mounted police used too much force to
disperse the crowd. He said the parents he recruited would help move
people out of the streets if necessary and avoid confrontations.

Metro police wouldn't discuss their tactics for handling today's
protest, but they promised to uphold the law if violence erupts.

"We are anticipating a peaceful rally. ... We welcome anyone who is
willing to help keep that peace," Officer Dwight Mitchell, a police
spokesman, said.

Hours later, ministers, neighbors and relatives - including the
husband of Newby's mother - took part in a candlelight vigil in the
parking lot in the 4600 block of West Market Street where Newby died
and stressed nonviolence for today's protest.

"Yes, we're angry," Jerry Bouggess said. But, he added, people should
disperse when the allotted time for a protest is over.

"Nonviolent!" he shouted, and the crowd followed in
refrain.

Bouggess also advised people not to give police a reason to make
arrests.

The Rev. Tim Duncan was one of four people arrested Thursday. He was
charged with hitting a police horse, but denied that allegation last
night.

"Supposedly hit a horse and you get a night in jail," he said. "Kill a
black man and you get a paid vacation."

Mattingly has been placed on administrative leave during the
investigation of the shooting.

After the vigil ended with a hymn, participants said its message would
only reach police if the protests continue.

"It's senseless killing," said William Bouggess, one of Newby's
uncles. He suggested the mayor and White hold a forum with black
leaders and televise it to prove their good faith to the community.

Another uncle, Jeff Mitchell Sr., said of White: "He seems like a he's been
a fair guy. He just keeps being put in bad situations."