Jecorey Arthur was born in the Parkland neighborhood in Louisville’s West End. Redlining practices in the 1930s segregated Black residents in this part of the city. It was once a thriving hub of Black culture and business, but decades of disinvestment drove many residents into poverty. Today, the Black home ownership rate in the city is half the rate of white residents.
Last year, at 28 years old, Arthur was elected the youngest member of Louisville’s Metro Council. He points to the city’s history of housing discrimination as the root of the poverty that many West End residents are living in today, and says that combatting systemic racism and economic inequality must be at the heart of the city’s efforts to improve police relations with Black communities like the one he represents.
“In the city of Louisville, we have a housing crisis: 31,412 units for households at the lowest level of income are needed,” he said. “So when you can’t afford to live in the neighborhood with the highest rate of poverty, highest percentage of renters … you can’t afford to live anywhere.”
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