LEO Weekly May 5, 2021

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HOW MANY

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN KENTUCKY JAILS? WE DON’T KNOW, AND STATE WON’T SAY

DERBY LOSERS AND ONE BIG WINNER | PAGE 3

LOUISVILLE’S PANDEMIC EVICTION CRISIS | PAGE 6

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CORONAVIRUS CASES IN KENTUCKY JAILS? WE DON’T KNOW, AND STATE WON’T SAY

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DERBY LOSERS AND ONE BIG WINNER | PAGE 3

LOUISVILLE’S PANDEMIC EVICTION CRISIS | PAGE 6

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EDITOR’S NOTE

DERBY WINNERS AND LOSERS

By Aaron Yarmuth | leo@leoweekly.com WHILE it was great to be back socializing among friends and strangers, it’s not clear whether or not the community was ready for Derby weekend. Of course there were some big winners. But, in horse racing, for there to be a big winner, there have to be a lot of losers — that’s just pari-mutuel math.

Here are the losers — and a big winner — from Derby weekend:

LOSERS:

Louisville Metro Police, for not explaining why The West End Kroger and shopping center parking lot were shut down and barricaded Derby weekend. For many, this Kroger serves as the only source of food and groceries in the area.

“Following careful consideration, particularly as it relates to risk vs. safety, these measures are being taken to ensure the safety and security of citizens and businesses in that area,” LMPD spokesperson Alicia Smiley said in a statement. This, and other vague statements, shows this department has little interest in transparency.

So, allow me to be clear: This is one of the major reasons the Department of Justice is coming to rebuild this broken department.

Churchill Downs will remain a loser

until it does right by its essential workers, and pays the valets — the people who saddle the horses. The list of demands are not outrageous for the specialized-manual labor that valets perform. Sure, Churchill, like many corporations, had a down year last year. But if Churchill could afford to pay its CEO $10.5 million last year, they can afford to pay the valets.

This dispute seems like it’s less about the actual increase in wages, and more about sending a message to other working class track employees who might look for a modest raise.

The guy who pulled a pistol on Bardstown Road protestors Derby night is the epitome of a loser. OK, big guy, so your dinner was interrupted by a loud bunch of peaceful protesters… You’re going to shoot someone? If you’re that sensitive, don’t eat outside on a sidewalk. Try a small, quiet table in the back.

Me. I’m a Derby loser… again. My official record in picking the Derby winner is now approximately two for 31 (Silver Charm and Justify) after my pick this year was not — as his name would suggest — Highly Motivated.

WINNER:

The big winner of the weekend was Black Market KY. With the aforementioned, unexpected shutdown of The West End Kroger and shopping center, Black Market KY stepped up to help provide food to folks and keep families from going hungry. In a Facebook post on the Black Lives Matter Louisville page, Shauntrice Martin wrote, “Black Market KY has delivered more free emergency food today than we’ve sold food.”

We must celebrate the excellence of those making the community better — particularly for those who have been shut out for too long.

STEWARDS INQUIRY:

So, I’m not ready to put Mayor Greg Fischer in with the other losers, but I have questions. Fischer was ridiculed on social media for a candid photo of him at the track, maskless.

Fischer has already — very publicly — been vaccinated, so it’s debatable how unsafe he was being. That being said, this is an amateur move by a veteran politician. Of course he should know better and just mask

up at all times. Violating a Churchill and state mandate isn’t a good look.

What’s more egregious, however, is that Churchill patrons were explicitly told they are allowed to remove their masks when actively eating or drinking. Fischer is the “Bourbonism” mayor! So, why wasn’t he holding a Mint Julep... or a bottle of water or something?

I’m inclined to move him to Derby loser — partly for the bad example, but more so for not holding a Derby glass — but, I don’t want to overreact to a candid photo, without context.

A final inquiry is out for the social media police who made a big deal out of Fischer’s maskless photo. First, it’s clear the outrage is not out of concern for the mayor’s health (rightly so — he publicly promoted being vaccinated). So, if your concern is that he’s setting a bad example, that’s not unfair, but we don’t know the exact situation in the photo, and we do have bigger COVID issues, like anti-vax rhetoric. It seems like the internet sleuths might have chased the little red notifications a little too far. It’s a close call. Then again, there was also a dead heat on Derby Day, so a tie is possible. •

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THE TITLE IX GUY

5 YEARS AN ADVOCATE: THE LESSONS I’VE LEARNED TEACHING SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS

By James J. Wilkerson | leo@leoweekly.com APRIL not only marked Sexual Assault Awareness Month this year, it also commemorated my fifth year as an awareness and prevention advocate. From New Albany to Bowling Green, Lexington to Hanover, I have been blessed to work with hundreds of college students at some of our finest institutions. And just as I have taught them lessons on consent and healthy masculinity, they have taught me lessons as well. Here are a few of them.

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR TITLE IX COORDINATOR IS?

In the past five years, I have asked that question in every single lecture I have given and never has the answer been “yes.” While this scenario has become a familiar one, it highlights a crucial barrier that undergraduates encounter when reporting incidents of campus sexual assault. Most campus sexual assaults are not even brought to light, with The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) estimating that 95% of U.S. campus rapes go unreported. And when the Department of Justice digs into why that statistic is so high, three of the top six reasons for underreporting include 1) students being afraid of hostile treatment by authorities, 2) being uncertain that authorities would consider the incident serious enough, and 3) not knowing how to report the incident.

Students primarily interact with Title IX coordinators during the most traumatic experiences of their collegiate lives. In between the taking of statements and the collection of evidence, there is hardly time for relationship building. However, coordinators who host campus-wide educational workshops, visit fraternities and sororities, work with student athletes and make themselves known to graduate and professional students, enjoy a level of visibility that makes them less of a stranger when students turn to them with reports. Of course, Title IX coordinators must be non-partial, constantly juggling the hats of advocate and adjudicator. This balancing act may affect some of the activities they participate in. But, higher visibility endorses the level of comfort and trust that are key in the campus reporting process.

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KEEPING THE MOVEMENT ALIVE

Prior to #BLM and #MasksUp, there was #MeToo. Founded in 2006 by New York’s Tarana Burke, a tweet on October 15, 2017 by actress Alyssa Milano would send the movement viral. Milano asked those who had been sexual assaulted or harassed to respond to her tweet using the hashtag #MeToo, and suddenly we were in a full-blown movement of sexual misconduct awareness. Over the next two years, serial predators such as Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Larry Nassar would answer for their numerous acts of abuse. Thousands took to social media to discuss Christine Blasey Ford and her testimony about the sexual assault she encountered at the hands of then Supreme Court hopeful, Brett Kavanaugh. Oprah Winfrey trended as excerpts of her 2018 #MeToo-inspired Golden Globe speech was shared across numerous social media platforms.

And then one day, people were done talking about #MeToo. While sexual misconduct has certainly not gone anywhere, mainstream attention consistently shifts. When a cause is no longer on the frontpage, it is easy to assume it is no longer an issue. Those who once fervently shared articles and used agreed upon hashtags moved on to the next big story leaving the cause they previously championed in the internet past. This is the point when the most important work in any cause or movement must be done. It is this work that keeps the flame alive and prevents the movement from having to start from scratch.

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

When I decided my brand of advocacy would be based on speaking to fraternity men about sexual consent, I visited my school’s Greek Life office to seek guidance from the campus advisor. It was there, I learned the lesson of reading the room.

A year prior, the university’s Victim’s Advocacy Office sent a student speaker to

James J. Wilkerson.

conduct a workshop with the Interfraternity Council men on campus. In front of a packed auditorium of uninterested frat boys, the first words out of her mouth were “one in four of you in this room is a rapist. Let’s talk about it.”

It is a well-known statistic that one in four women experience sexual assault on college campuses. Despite school policies and a federal law, sexual assault remains a reality for college students each year. The issue was not the speaker’s statistics but rather, her approach. As you can imagine telling a room full of undergraduate men, most who do not want to be present at this workshop in the first place, that they are rapists is not a good opening line. As expected, the entire audience came together in a defensive stance, the rest of the speaker’s lecture fell upon deaf ears, and the Interfraternity Council told their advisor they never wanted a guest speaker from the advocacy department again.

From this story, I learned the importance of knowing your audience and tailoring your message appropriately. If my goal was to

turn men into allies, I would have to speak to them as partners instead of adversaries. I would present my consent lectures with the same storytelling, relatability and casualness I used when telling old war stories at the Granville Inn over a pitcher of Miller Lite.

Those lectures would contain the exact same information the student speaker used. But it would be the difference in delivery that would win their acceptance and attention, often gaining me invitations to return for future lectures. Be it a room of potentially hostile undergraduates or a higher education conference session with an audience of college professionals, knowing your audience and tailoring your lecture is just as important as the material itself. The way the message is delivered will affect how the message is received. • James J. Wilkerson, J.D., is the director of Staff Diversity and Equity and the Deputy Title IX Coordinator at IU Southeast.

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LOUISVILLE’S POLICE CONTRACTS MUST BE REVISED

By Ariana Levinson | leo@leoweekly.com [Editor’s Note: Below is an open letter that law professor Ariana Levinson wrote on behalf of the 490 Project concerning the contracts between LMPD’s union and Louisville Metro Government.]

THE COLLECTIVE Bargaining Agreements (CBA) between the Jefferson County Metro Government and the River City Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) that govern the Louisville Metro Police Department require significant modification to ensure the safety of our community.

Members of the Louisville Metro Council should vote “no” to any CBA that includes provisions that enable police misconduct and militarization or provisions that interfere with funding social workers and necessary services for our community. Information is available about problematic provisions of police contracts nationally from Campaign Zero and the ACLU, but this article focuses specifically on the Louisville police contracts. The 490 Project is a local group dedicated to educating others about the Louisville police contracts and advocating for their revision. As Louisville constituents with expertise in education, labor law, human resources, dispute resolution, community organizing, local politics, and, most importantly, with lived experiences with racism, we find problematic the following provisions, which are particular to the contracts between the Metro Government and the River City FOP. These provisions have no equivalent in and are not supported by state law. We hope you will educate yourself and your Metro Council member and urge them to vote “no” to any CBA that includes these provisions.

1. Article 14, Section 9. There will be no layoffs of members for the duration of this agreement.

A no-layoffs provision is practically unheard of in a CBA. CBAs normally provide protections from layoff by seniority and possibly provide rehiring rights and retraining for those who lose their jobs, but not an absolute prohibition on layoffs. Jobs are more often protected by a no subcontracting provision. If Metro Louisville has a fiscal emergency due to a pandemic or decides to fund other services that result in increased safety rather than the police, the inability to lay off officers will interfere with the ability to do so.

2. Article 17, Section 1. Receipt of Complaints. g) If the complainant declines to file a formal complaint, a complaint inquiry form

shall be completed. The commanding officer or the PSU investigator shall record as many specifics as possible. h) If the complainant declines to file a formal complaint under oath, the PSU shall do one of the following: i. Complete a complaint inquiry form and forward to the Chief’s Office if the allegations involve criminal activity. ii. Complete a complaint inquiry form if there is information independent of that obtained from the citizen substantiating the allegations of misconduct. iii. Handle the complaint in an informal manner. In these cases, no investigative paperwork is entered into a Member’s personnel file. i) The complaint inquiry form shall be maintained solely and exclusively by the PSU. The contents of this information shall be transmitted to the chief or his designee for appropriate handling. If the chief or his designee directs an investigation, the procedures outlined in KRS 67C.326 and this agreement shall be followed. If no investigation is directed by the chief or his designee, the complaint inquiry form shall be destroyed ninety (90) days after receipt.

Permitting handling a complaint in an informal manner incentivizes officers not to file paperwork and track complaints. Moreover, there is absolutely no reason to throw away citizen complaints after 90 days, let alone at all, in an era when we have unlimited electronic storage. Chief Erika Shields has commented on her inability to track police misconduct because of the outmoded use of paper rather than electronic records. But even with electronic records, if complaints are never memorialized at all or they are destroyed after 90 days, neither Chief Shields, the Civilian Review Board, or anyone else will be able to track police misconduct.

3. Article 14, Section 3. — Conditions of Employment — Metro Government agrees not to use electronic surveillance equipment in the investigation of any member.

This provision exemplifies the types of protection provided to police who violate the law that are not accorded to anyone else who violates the law. Criminal conduct aside, employers routinely surveil their employees to ensure they are working and performing tasks correctly.

They often use video and audio recordings, computer monitoring, keystroke monitoring and other electronic surveillance equipment to investigate theft and other workplace miscon-

duct. While some CBAs do place limits on using certain types of electronic surveillance, such as GPS tracking, as the sole basis of discipline, an outright prohibition on surveillance in any circumstances is unwarranted.

4. Article 15, Section 8. Metro Government shall issue all members a Kevlar riot helmet with an affixed face shield.

Ideally, police would be interacting with the community in a safe manner. Treating protestors as requiring the response of a militarized police force is unnecessary and counterproductive.

Requiring provision of riot gear forces expenditure of funds on militarization rather than on social services, deescalation training and community building. In the unlikely event riot gear is needed, it can be provided in those limited circumstances rather than required by the CBA. 5. Article 15, Health & Safety, Section 9.

Officers shall be permitted to review their Wearable Video System (WVS) footage of any incident in which they were involved prior to making a statement or report regarding the incident.

Normally someone suspected of engaging in an assault or other excessive force or committing a crime is apprehended and questioned.

They do not have an opportunity to review any video of their conduct before providing a statement to police or asserting their right to silence.

Solid investigatory practice is to sequester witnesses and interview them individually without letting them speak to each other or review recordings, so that they will not intentionally or unintentionally modify their story to comport with that of others or what they view on a recording. There is no reason an officer needs to review their video before making a statement.

They can provide a statement to the best of their recollection, and, if they can’t recall, they can so state.

6. Article 17, Section 2. Suspension without pay pending.

B. The chief of police may suspend an officer without pay pending completion of administrative investigation and before imposition of formal disciplinary charges and penalty (hereinafter “without pay pending”), only under extraordinary circumstances where each of the following conditions exist: a) The chief is in possession of evidence of a disciplinary violation, which evidence eliminates genuine doubt regarding what conduct has occurred. Examples, by way of illustra-

tion but not limitation, may include video or audio recordings, or photographs, unmistakably establishing facts or events constituting a disciplinary offense. b) The officer conduct in question also constitutes a felony under applicable criminal law, or is wrongful conduct that is so outrageous as to create a genuine threat to the public peace and order. c) The specific conduct triggering the suspension crosses out of the boundaries of legitimate law enforcement activity. d) The conduct clearly constitutes an offense for which, if disciplinary charges should be sustained, the chief will terminate the officer, barring mitigating circumstances. e) The offense is so extreme in degree that it is shocking to reasonable minds and compels immediate action. Examples, by way of illustration but not limitation, include an act of extreme violence, or sexual abuse of a child; and, f) Where the conduct constitutes use of force, the force involved must be plainly and obviously unjustified.

Most employees can be terminated for any reason or no reason at all. Even in union workplaces where progressive discipline is the norm, employees are routinely suspended for things such as unexcused tardiness or absence, inadequate job performance, negligent property damage and disrespectful conduct. They are routinely discharged for things such as intoxication, insubordination and theft. Yet, the Metro Government/River City FOP CBA prohibits suspension while investigating the types of conduct for which others would certainly be immediately terminated. Unbelievably, suspension requires not just one, but five, hurdles that are unlikely to be met for typically terminable offenses: 1) “extraordinary circumstances” 2) no doubt regarding the conduct having occurred 3) a felony or “wrongful conduct” so “outrageous as to create a genuine threat to the public peace and order” 4) conduct that “crosses out of the boundaries of legitimate law enforcement activity” and 5) conduct “so extreme” it “is shocking to reasonable minds and compels immediate action.” • The 490 Project is working towards a Louisville where every member of the community has what they need to thrive and is safe from police violence. They do this by collectively reimagining safety, exposing historically corrupt oppressive systems, organizing for investment in community care and organizing for divestment from and dismantling of policing and white supremacy.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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NEWS & ANALYSIS

TWO REPORTS HIGHLIGHT LOUISVILLE’S PANDEMIC EVICTION CRISIS

By Danielle Grady | dgrady@leoweekly.com

THORNS & ROSES THE WORST, BEST & MOST ABSURD THORNS & ROSES: DERBY WEEKEND

Another misstep by the LMPD. A maskless mayor.

Black Market KY comes to the rescue. Read this week’s Editor’s Note by Aaron Yarmuth, where he announces the winners and losers of Derby weekend.

THORN: MITCH IS STILL TERRIBLE AT BEING A HUMAN

A map of all eviction judgments in Jefferson County from January-March 2021. | COURTESY OF ROOT CAUSE RESEARCH CENTER.

EVICTIONS are still happening in Louisville during the pandemic, and two recent reports highlight just how severe the problem is.

Root Cause Research Center’s Spring 2021 eviction report found that 888 eviction judgments in which the tenants were found guilty have been handed out in Jefferson County District Court since the start of the year, totaling 2,260 since March 2020.

The Metropolitan Housing Coalition’s 2020-2021 State of Metropolitan Housing Report: COVID-19 and the Struggle to Stay Safe at Home in Louisville KY found that while evictions are down, they are just now in line with pre-COVID, national levels, and judgments are still being ordered at a rate that looks similar to what was occurring prior to the pandemic.

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The reports explore different aspects of evictions in Jefferson County and propose divergent solutions, but they both emphasize that the government has fallen short in ensuring that people remain housed during the COVID-19 crisis.

“It’s something that we should really be ashamed of and concerned about as a city,” said Josh Poe, co-principal investigator for the Root Cause Research Center.

The current state of eviction protections for Kentuckians include a federal and state moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent. The federal government has also directed millions of dollars in funding for eviction prevention assistance, which is being doled out in Louisville via Metro government.

But, there are gaps through which tenants are falling: Both renters and

landlords have to submit paperwork to be protected from eviction and to receive the money. When one party doesn’t for whatever reason, the deal falls apart.

Advocates also believe that some landlords are circumventing the moratorium by filing evictions for tenants who are not paying under other pretenses, such as lease lapses or for noise and trash nuisances.

The pandemic has “exacerbated housing insecurity and long standing racial and ethnic disparities” in Louisville, according to MHC’s report.

During his Monday COVID update, Beshear said he is following the Kentucky Supreme Court and the federal government’s lead in eviction prevention. At first, in March of last year, the Kentucky Supreme Court halted eviction court proceedings, and Beshear instituted

If someone like Jim Jordan is the peacock of the Republicans, just senselessly showboating and making a bunch of annoying noises, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is usually like a viper, weaving though the halls of Congress with stealth and venom, attacking the other side of the aisle every chance he gets. But every once in a while, he’ll use his words to let you know just how terrible he truly is. On Monday, he said that 1619 — the first year that enslaved Africans were bought and sold in a Virginia colony — was not a notable year in American history. His comments were in reference to the New York Times’ The 1619 Project, a series exploring slavery and systematic racism in America.

“There are a lot of exotic notions about what are the most important points in American history. I simply disagree with the notion that The New York Times laid out there that the year 1619 was one of those years,” McConnell said at a press conference, according to the Courier Journal.

Americans have had a problematic and devastating relationship with our nation’s history, which obviously directly affects the present and future, and someone that high in the government contributing to sweeping away important information is nothing short of wrong and tragic.

ROSE: CHARLES AND BERNIE AT THE SQUARE

Former state Rep. Charles Booker is exploring a Senate run against Rand Paul. On Sunday, Booker was joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders at a rally in Louisville that was held outside the Muhammad Ali Center. The duo also made an appearance at Jefferson Square Park, the epicenter of Louisville’s protests, to talk with people. So many politicians have lacked visibility during the demonstrations in Louisville — the ones that do show up and have conversations, give speeches or just walk around, show a commitment to a better tomorrow.

NEWS & ANALYSIS

a moratorium for all evictions. That May, Beshear amended the order to allow evictions for everything but nonpayment of rent. About a month later, the Kentucky Supreme Court opened up the courts for evictions once again.

In September, the federal government instituted an eviction moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent, which has been extended several times. The next due date is June 31.

“We think that the court has spoken on at least the ability for the court system to hear those cases,” said Beshear. “So, at this point we believe that the moratorium that we have on mirrors the federal one, it’s what’s available under law, and we’re going to continue that. But, please take advantage of the eviction relief fund. I don’t think anybody ought to be able to be kicked out on the street in the middle of COVID.”

ROOT CAUSE RESEARCH CENTER

Root Cause, which is a grassroots group, started a project called the Louisville Eviction Lab last year with a couple of goals: to create policy change and to organize tenant power.

The organization also believes housing is a right and the appropriate response from the government would have been to cancel rent completely during the pandemic. The government is helping businesses more effectively than regular people, according to Louisville Eviction Lab co-founder Shemaeka Shaw. “[Landlords] have been bailed out over a moratorium: bail out. Eviction prevention funds: bail out. PPP loan: bail out. SBA loans: bail out. The mortgage companies: bailed out.

The only ones still standing there, holding the bag and getting homeless: Tenants,” said Shaw, who is also the founder of the Broken Hearted Homes Renters Association.

Root Cause’s data can be viewed on its website in map form, showing each property in Jefferson County for which an eviction judgment has been ordered. The map shows a concentration of evictions in The West End and central neighborhoods.

Root Cause’s Louisville Eviction Lab has been collecting Jefferson County eviction data from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The grassroots organization cleans up the numbers, removing duplicate data.

The organization has also kept tabs on the top evictors in Louisville and the top recipients of federal funding. In some cases, those categories have overlapped. One significant example is Broadway Management, which manages around 2,500 rental units throughout Louisville, making it one of the largest property management companies in the city.

As of December, Broadway Management had received the most federal CARES Act

funding from the city at $170,538. And this year, the company had successfully received the most eviction judgments, at 33.

In an email, Broadway owner Greg Popham said that the company has been “diligently” trying to steer tenants to apply for eviction prevention funds but some residents have not made the effort to pursue that money.

He said he was surprised by Root Cause’s numbers and thought it might have something to do with the large number of rentals that Broadway manages.

“We manage properties for multiple owners that have mortgages and expenses to pay and we therefore need to move forward and regain possession of the property when residents do not pursue help,” he wrote. “Help is out there and residents just need to reach out and ask for it and we are trying to assist in that effort.”

Louisville Metro’s Director of Housing Marilyn Harris said that Broadway “bends over backwards” to help tenants during the pandemic. Popham said that, before filing for eviction, his company will send a letter and call residents two or three times, asking them to apply for eviction prevention assistance.

Poe’s response to Popham’s emailed statement was, “If people are eligible for rental assistance but are still being evicted, maybe Broadway Management should stop evicting them.”

Root Cause Research Center, along with activist Phelix Crittenden, who has been managing an eviction court watch program throughout the pandemic, are encouraging Broadway Management tenants to reach out to them with any issues they’d like to discuss with fellow tenants: hello@rootcauseresearch. org.

Root Cause will be releasing updated eviction reports on a quarterly basis.

METROPOLITAN HOUSING COALITION AND THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE The Metropolitan Housing Coalition’s latest report measures the impact of the pandemic on evictions throughout last year.

In 2020, there were 6,481 eviction filings, a 62% decline from 2019. There were also 2,765 eviction judgments, a 70% decrease from 2019.

But, “while filings and judgments were clearly down from past years,” says the report, the rate at which judgments were ordered were about on par with non-COVID times.

Judgments against tenants were ordered in 43% of all cases, compared with 53% in 2019.

And, in the second quarter of 2020, when the pandemic kicked in, eviction judgments were ordered in nearly 70% of all cases.

“The fact that this is actually continuing to

go on during a pandemic, you know, is of real concern, and I think it really reflects the limitations of the moratorium,” said Cathy Hinko, the executive director of the MHC. Louisville’s eviction rate in 2020 might have also been lower than in year’s past, but it actually put Jefferson County in line with the pre-COVID, national rate. Louisville’s 2020 eviction rate was 2.3%, compared to 7.6% the previous year. The national eviction rate was 2.3% in 2016, the date of the most recent U.S. analysis.

2020’s warrant rate, or the number of judgments that resulted in a warrant for possession from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, was also almost as high as normal.

There were 1,244 warrants issued in 2020, and the warrant rate was 45%, compared to approximately 48% in 2018 and 2019.

There have been 249 set outs actually executed so far in 2021 as of March 31, according to recent data from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office.

Louisville Metro Government could make some changes to handle evictions better, Hinko told LEO. MHC’s report called for a right-to-(legal)-counsel program for tenants.

Louisville Metro Council recently passed a right to counsel ordinance for families only.

Hinko would also like to see an option for tenants to receive eviction prevention funding if their landlords refuse to apply for the money.

Some landlords have declined to apply because they do not want to submit information to the government. Others have told Metro that the process to receive the money takes too long, according to Marilyn Harris, the director of housing for Louisville Metro government.

But, there are advantages to giving the money to the landlord, said Harris. The city can then require that landlord to agree to certain protections for the tenant. Currently, that includes the dismissal of all late fees, fines and penalties, as well as a time limit on when the landlord can legally file for eviction again.

The city is also working with tenants whose landlords refuse to apply for assistance, she said. So far, Louisville has received around $44.9 million in federal funding for eviction prevention assistance and spent around $42 million. Another $18.2 million is coming, said Harris.

Another step that the government could possibly take would be to expand the eviction moratorium to include all evictions instead of just banning those for nonpayment of rent, said Hinko.

Mayor Greg Fischer’s office has released an opinion from the Jefferson County Attorney, stating that Fischer does not have the authority to do so, because he is preempted by

the governor’s eviction order. But, the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, a legal advocacy group, released its own blog post, saying that it believed Fischer could, because the CDC gives local entities the ability to institute their own COVID protections. In its Spring eviction report, the Root Cause Research Center, also called for Fischer to expand the eviction moratorium.

The Kentucky Equal Justice Center has also asked for Gov. Beshear to close a loophole that landlords can use to evict renters for other reasons. Those include engaging in criminal activity and violating any applicable building code or similar regulation relating to health and safety. But, the one that they Equal Justice Center is asking to be eliminated allows landlords to evict tenants for “violating any other contractural obligation,” which can include overstaying the term of a lease.

In Louisville, Harris said her office is doing everything it can to prevent tenants from being evicted. Last year, there were five employees and a couple of interns helping tenants and landlords apply for money, dispensing those funds and sitting in on court. This year, her office has 15 interns in addition to its employees.

But, there is one thing she thinks the federal government could do to make her job easier. Currently, a tenant has to say that they can’t pay their rent because of COVID, and they have to meet certain income requirements. Harris’ office verifies their income, but she would like for tenants to be able to self-attest that they meet the income requirements instead.

When asked about canceling rent, Hinko said that she is not against it, but she has not seen much support for it on the national level.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced a bill in April 2020 that would have canceled rent and mortgage payments for home owners. It would have also established a relief fund for landlords and mortgage holders. It did not receive a vote. In March of this year, Omar reintroduced her bill, the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act. Poe believes the government shouldn’t just keep pushing the problem out by extending the eviction moratorium every three months.

Once the moratorium ends, he predicts a flood of evictions.

“We really have no way out of this,” he said. “Either we’re looking at mass evictions, or we’re gonna have to cancel rent.” • If you are a renter who cannot pay for your housing, go to stopmyeviction.org to start the process of applying for assistance.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

7

HOW MANY

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN KENTUCKY JAILS? WE DON’T KNOW, AND STATE WON’T SAY

By Jared Bennett | kycir.org

8

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

THERE COULD BE JAIL DATA

Editor’s Note: This story was produced by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit newsroom by Louisville Public Media. For more, visit KyCIR.org.

MICHAEL TAYLOR thought he might die alone in the Shelby County Detention Center.

Taylor had been sick with the coronavirus for weeks. It was early March, and he was living in a cell with 19 other people, some of whom had not yet tested positive for the virus. Taylor’s symptoms got worse and worse until medical staff quarantined him in the cell usually reserved for people in solitary confinement.

On March 3, the first night he spent in what he calls the hole, Taylor said he was having trouble breathing.

“I could die in here and nobody’s ever even come around and said anything,” Taylor said the next day, when jail staff let him out for an hour to make phone calls. “I feel like this little sentence that I got just turned into a life sentence.”

If Taylor were serving his four-year sentence for a felony conviction in a state prison, his case would be among those the state reports to the public each day.

But the Commonwealth of Kentucky pays local jails a $31.34 per diem for each person they house, and they say outbreaks in local jails are the jailers’ problem — even though almost

The majority of Kentucky’s incarcerated people are in jails locally run by elected or appointed jailers. Around 40% of them are considered state inmates.

The jails are independent bodies, but the Kentucky Department of Corrections exerts control through its funding: the state pays a per diem to local jails for housing those convicted of felony offenses,who would otherwise be in state prison. The DOC says jails are responsible for the wellbeing of people the state places in their care — but it did ask jails to notify them when a coronavirus outbreak occurred, “in an effort to provide assistance to county jails who were impacted by a COVID outbreak,” said DOC spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner of Community Services and Local Facilities Lisa Lamb.

Lamb said that data isn’t reliable, since all jails don’t report regularly, and the DOC won’t publish the numbers.

Lamb didn’t respond to a question about how many cases have been reported to the 9,000 people housed there are technically in DOC thus far. state custody.

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s prison systems have The state Department of Corrections says counted about 7,900 cases and 48 deaths — there is no statewide tally of how many of the second in the country for COVID-19 cases and more than 19,672 people serving time in local third for deaths per 10,000 jails throughout Kentucky prisoners, according to the contracted or died from Marshall Project.

COVID-19 because local Meanwhile, Darrell Cox is the jailer jails don’t have to report them, and the state can’t conKentucky’s prison in Shelby County, where Taylor caught the virus, and trol the measures taken. systems have their outbreak shouldn’t be a But that’s only partially secret. Cox says he reported true. Although the state counted about about 30 positive cases wields legal oversight to 7,900 cases and 48 directly to the state in Januenforce its standards, state ary and February, and the officials have been reluctant deaths — second facility’s positive test results to use those tools during the in the country for are automatically sent to the pandemic. Instead, some jailers say the DOC has conCOVID-19 cases and local health department. But the outbreak has not been tributed to the overcrowded third for deaths per made public until now. conditions by halting trans“We had to do daily fers from jails and into state 10,000 prisoners, reports,” Cox said. “If it was prisons. according to the an inmate, if it was a deputy, A KyCIR investigation we had to report that.” has found the state knew Marshall Project.

The Kentucky Departabout outbreaks in jails it ment of Public Health previnever publicized, as jailers ously tracked the cases jails themselves describe cramped reported. By January, they had logged over conditions sometimes driven by their obliga3,000 cases in 56 facilities, as well as over 500 tions to the state. cases among jail staff, according to an article by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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But Morgan Hall, communications director for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet said the public health office discontinued this report in January — after that article ran — because “the quality and reliability of these reports had been limited by incomplete and/or inaccurate reported data.”

James Daley, Kentucky Jailers Association president and jailer of the Campbell County Detention Center, said statewide reporting of coronavirus numbers wouldn’t do any good.

Jails are independently operated, Daley said, so what happens at one jail doesn’t impact what’s happening inside another.

“It’s really pretty limited on what we can and can’t do, because each county is its own animal,” Daley said. “Although we all get along, Campbell County doesn’t really have a dog in the race in Letcher County, for example.”

Daley dealt with an outbreak at his jail in January and February that he said infected over 200 people and killed two deputies. During an outbreak, his jail tracked positive cases and cell movement to help control the spread, he said, but otherwise the jail does not keep a tally of cases in his jail.

“I don’t really track my own numbers because they went up, and then they went back down within a month,” Daley explained. “As long as I’m keeping it out of my facility, I’m a happy camper, right?”

OVERSIGHT

The Department of Corrections does have one major stick it can wield to make sure jails are keeping the people they house safe. Kentucky pays counties $31.34 a day for every person serving a state sentence but held in a local jail — plus an additional $2 a day, per person, as long as the pandemic continues.

If a jail doesn’t meet its standards, the DOC can remove people serving state sentences from the facility, revoking crucial income for the county. The DOC’s Division of Local Services is tasked with enforcement of those jail standards and conducted 80 inspections in 2020.

But the state removed people from only two facilities last year.

None of the inspections were in-person.

Instead, inspectors randomly reviewed personnel files and jail policies for compliance.

The most commonly cited issues in 2020 were related to overcrowding at a time when social distancing and mask wearing were 10

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

widely proclaimed as the best way to fight the prevent that, but even then, if you have 20, 30 spread. people housed together, it’s even unclear how The DOC removed 53 people from the effective separating people would be because Carter County Detention Center in June after by the time you go to separate them transmisstate officials learned the sion may have already jail wasn’t communicatoccurred.”

The Department of ing with the local health Ronald Fry and Dwaine department about an Caldwell were in an Corrections does have 18-person cell at the Caloutbreak. one major stick it can loway County Detention Carter County jailer R.W. Boggs did not Center when a deputy wield to make sure respond to multiple first brought the virus into requests for comment. the jail. A cellmate was jails are keeping the Lamb, of the DOC, says taken to the hospital with people they house that removal was a onecoronavirus symptoms. A time occurrence and the couple days later the jail safe. Kentucky pays jail began accepting people began testing people in counties $31.34 a on behalf of the state the 18-bunk cell. Positive shortly after the issue was results started rolling in. day for every person resolved.

“We all got curious. We serving a state The state also removed knew it was airborne and 24 people from Allen stuff, so we started wonsentence but held in County in September, dering, ‘You all are just a local jail — plus when there were 12 going to leave us in here positive cases inside the when COVID has been in an additional $2 a facility, according to here?’” Fry said. day, per person, as emails obtained by KyCIR Calloway Jailer Kenneth through an open records Claud said he left the men long as the pandemic request. there because he didn’t continues.

The jail was leaving have space in the jail to people who tested negative separate sick people from If a jail doesn’t meet in cells with people who the healthy ones. its standards, the had tested positive, accordEarly on during the ing to emails between the pandemic, when the state DOC can remove state and jailer Larry Piper. released people en masse people serving state Piper responded that the and authorities arrested fewer people to keep popunegative people in the cells sentences from the lations low, Claud said the had already been exposed. facility, revoking jail was holding about 100 This is a common admission from jailers in Kencrucial income for the people, the fewest he’d seen in years. tucky, including Cox of the county. The DOC’s But Claud said that Shelby County jail, who number had been climbsay their facilities simply Division of Local ing since last September, don’t have the space to Services is tasked with partially because the state separate everyone.

Dr. Edward Nardell, an enforcement of those had been slow to transfer people from the jail to prisinfectious disease expert jail standards and con- ons during the pandemic. at Harvard University, said there is some truth to the ducted 80 inspections Typically, Claud said the state would transfer eight idea that by the time an in 2020. to 10 from the jail every infection is discovered, the month but that process virus may have spread to stopped during the panother people inside the cell demic. “There really wasn’t hardly any movewho have not yet tested positive. ment from the jails to the state prisons to speak “You have a congregate setting, that potenof,” Claud said. tial is going to be there. Period,” Nardell said.

Claud said the detention center had around “Ideally, you would separate people out and

30 cases in December and January.

“Those thirty-something that tested positive for it, some of them really displayed hardly anything,” Claud said. “On the other hand, there were some that displayed a whole lot of symptoms and felt pretty sick, I’m sure.”

Fry said everyone in his cell eventually had symptoms of some kind. He lost his sense of smell and taste before he had even been tested.

He asked medical staff what would happen if he tested positive.

“They said, ‘Nothing. You’re going to stay right here,’” Fry said, so he decided not to get tested.

Caldwell did get tested, but he said the jail never told him the results. Medical staff gave him steroids and cough syrup, but Caldwell said that wasn’t helping. He lost nearly 15 pounds and eventually needed to be taken in a wheelchair to the hospital, where he tested positive for the coronavirus and pneumonia.

Handcuffed to his hospital bed in the coronavirus wing, as doctors struggled to stabilize his blood pressure, Caldwell remembers feeling happy.

“I was so sick, but I was so happy at the same time,” he said. “If they hadn’t taken me

that night I believe I would have died.”

THE STATE SLOWS THINGS DOWN

Some jailers argue the state has some responsibility for the crowded conditions.

When the state inspected the Kenton County Detention Center in November, it found the jail was operating over capacity by 38 people and that six dormitories required people to sleep on the floor.

The DOC said the jail was out of compliance, and needed to submit a corrective action plan. In response, former jailer Terry Carl told the DOC he couldn’t provide a corrective action plan because the state is responsible for the remedy: transferring out the state prisoners that were supposed to be temporarily held for processing at his jail.

Carl said the state had only moved a handful of people since the pandemic began, despite his asking multiple times. He announced his retirement later that month, midway through his sixth term as jailer.

The new jailer, Marc Fields, said the jail’s

population has declined since November but was rising again as arrests began to increase in the spring.

Jails are also responsible for coordinating vaccinations on their own.

Renee McDaniel, executive director of the Kentucky Jailers Association, says jails in less populated areas seem to have better luck getting their hands on surplus vaccines. Since larger cities have more people to vaccinate in the general population, McDaniel said, “there aren’t as many as readily available to move into a controlled system, like a jail, where people cannot leave, go get vaccinated, and then come back.”

Claud says vaccinations will start at the Calloway County Detention Center by the end of the month. That’s too late for Caldwell, who is still feeling the effects of the virus months after he was released from jail.

The relief he felt at the hospital was short-lived. He posted bail and was released straight from the hospital on Jan. 7. Just over a week later, on his 52nd birthday, Caldwell’s nose started bleeding profusely and he considered going to the emergency room. His feet became swollen when he caught the virus, and they’re still painfully inflamed.

Caldwell doesn’t have a car, so he relies on friends and family for transportation but the virus has complicated that resource.

“With the coronavirus people, even family members, they love you, but they got to be careful,” Caldwell said. He’s been bouncing back and forth between friends’ houses while he gets back on track.

“I’m just happy to be alive, I pray and stuff, but this is the lowest I’ve been in a long time,” Caldwell said.

“It’s almost like I should have stayed in jail.” • Jared Bennett is an investigative reporter for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting. Before KyCIR, he was a reporter the Center for Public Integrity and a digital producer for WBUR in Boston.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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STAFF PICKS THURSDAY, MAY 6

Louisville vs. Lexington Comedy Battle

Aloft Louisville Downtown | 102 W. Main Street | redpintix.com | Prices vary | 7:30 9:00 p.m.

Our love for our city is no laughing matter –– but Louisville Laughs hopes that’ll change PUNCHLINE this Thursday. Cheer on four comics representing Louisville as they face off in a comedy battle against their counterparts from Lexington.

The funniest city, as decided by the audience, brings home the grand prize of… bragging rights, plus $25 and a T-shirt for each comic. No, it might not be a garland of roses, but our applause and support will be worth just as much to the performers. Probably. — Carolyn Brown

THURSDAY, MAY 6 – MAY 16

Young American Shakespeare Festival

Commonwealth Theatre Center | 1123 Payne St | commonwealththeatre.org | $15 | Times vary When Shakespeare wrote that all the world’s a stage, he probably wasn’t referring to the new performance space in the Commonwealth Theatre Center’s parking THEATRE lot, but no problem — live theater is back! This week and next, young actors and production crew members are bringing us the Bard with three outdoor productions of Shakespearean favorites: “Hamlet,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” and “The Comedy of Errors.” Each play will have five performances. There’ll also be pre-show activities for kids and adults alike, plus food trucks and drinks. Get your pod-seating tickets before they make a quick exeunt. To see or not to see the shows — there is no question! —Carolyn Brown

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

FRIDAY, MAY 7

Meditation Happy Hour

Joe Creason Park | 1297 Trevilian Way | Search Facebook | Free | 6 p.m.

Instead of decompressing from the work week with a drink, what about a meditation session? Bridge Counseling and Wellness guides this practice in a natural setting, RELAX starting with a refresher on the basics of mindfulness meditation, moving into a guided group practice and ending with a “short silent sit.” There will be a limited number of mats available, but you’re encouraged to bring your own or a cushion, chair or blanket — whatever will put you in the best headspace. The group meets near the playground across from the Olmsted Parks Conservancy building.

Ages 11+ are welcome.

—Danielle Grady

FRIDAY, MAY 7

Paint~n~Sip

KULA Gallery | 536 S. Fourth St. | Search Eventbrite | $30 | 7-10 p.m.

Want to unleash your inner-creative beauty? Need a little wine to get the creative juices flowing? KULA, the swanky contemporary art gallery on South Fourth Street, CREATE has you covered. While the beauty of any painting is… shall we say… open to interpretation, KULA’s painting instructors will be on hand to help you extract all the wonderful artistic talent you have bottled up. Plus, the welcome glass of wine should help. Essential oils company Jeweled Essentials will also be offering samples to benefit your health and wellness. Cash bar will be available for those looking for an extra boost of creativity. And, if you can’t make it this week, KULA will be hosting Paint~n~Sip each first Friday of the month. —LEO

STAFF PICKS

SATURDAY, MAY 8

Drag Brunch

Board and You Bistro & Wine Bar | 434 Pearl St., New Albany | boardandyoubistro. com/brunch | $20 | 1-3 p.m.

With several performances, a specialty brunch and a cocktail menu, Drag Brunch’s first regular show in Southern Indiana at the popular Board BEST MEAL OF THE DAY and You Bistro should be a hit. We know your Saturday afternoon meals have been pretty boring over the past year, so bring some fun back into brunch this weekend. —LEO

SATURDAY, MAY 8

@leoweekly

Outdoor Maifest Biergarten

German American Club | 1840 Lincoln Ave. | Search Facebook | No cover | 2-11 p.m.

Say Prost to the German American Club’s DRINK UP fair-weather biergartens returning. For Maifest, enjoy polka music all day and an authentic German meal from 6-8 p.m. including bratwurst, schnitzel, sauerkraut, red cabbage, green beans and German potato salad. Oh, and beer. Lots of beer. —LEO

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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Bindi: Introducing the beautiful

Bindi! This 2-year-old American Bulldog mix came to the Kentucky Humane Society from an overcrowded shelter.

She recently had puppies and was put into foster to raise her pups before finding her forever home. Bindi is done with all that mom stuff now and is ready to be loved and spoiled. Bindi’s foster home says she is “the sweetest girl ever” and is a super snuggler. Even at 56 pounds she’s determined to be a lap dog and do all that she can to convince you of such. Bindi is medium energy and enjoys her walks and spurts of chasing wildlife but is content to relax with you for most of the day. She likes learning and will do most anything for a treat. In her foster home Bindi lived with two other dogs, including a Yorkie. If you have a potential doggy sibling, she would love to meet them. She also lived with older children (8+) and would love to meet any potential human siblings as well.

Bindi is spayed, micro-chipped, and up to date on vaccinations.

Oh, and she’s potty trained too! This girl is about as perfect as you can get and is ready to go home. Schedule an appointment to meet Bindi today at the Main Campus, 241 Steedly Drive by visiting kyhumane.org/dogs today!

STAFF PICKS

THROUGH MAY 31

Rite of Spring

Virtual | louisvilleballet.org | $35 | Any time While we hope to be back in the theaters soon, the Louisville Ballet continues its Season of Illumination, a series of original ballet film productions, with “Rite of Spring.”

DANCE Originally scored by legendary Russian composer Igor Stravinsky in 1913, Louisville Ballet Resident Choreographer Andrea Schermoly created this “reimagined vision — set in a frozen, arctic world, as a small band of humans test the boundaries of selfpreservation as they do whatever it takes to ensure the success of a promised, impending rescue,” as described on the Ballet’s website. KERTIS Creative partnered in cinematic production of this world premier, filmed in the Ballet’s Main Street studio. A trailer is available on the website, and Season of Illumination series members have free access to this performance. —LEO

Kong: Introducing Kong! This sleek black Shorthair came to

the Kentucky Humane Society when a rural shelter ran out of space. When five-year-old Kong arrived, we discovered he has FIV or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. This weakens a cat’s immune system and can make it easier for them to become sick. Thus, an indoor lifestyle and regular vet care is essential for Kong to live his best life! Thankfully, many cats live long and healthy lives despite their FIV status. Kong is a big boy weighing in at 12 lbs and he likes to think of himself as a friend to all. He’s a very sweet boy who’s been quite overlooked at the shelter and he hopes his forever home will come soon. Are you looking for a robust, handsome kitty who will love you until the end of time? If so, Kong is the one for you! Kong is neutered, microchipped and up-to-date on his shots.

Head over to kyhumane.org/cats to schedule an adoption appointment to meet him at the Main Campus, 241 Steedly Drive, today!

THROUGH JUNE 30

‘Paul’s Pandemic Purchases’

Paul Paletti Gallery | 713 E. Market St. | Search Facebook | Free

CREATIVE Well, of course he did. Dur-

ing the pandemic, gallerist Paul Paletti bought some new photographs for his ever-expanding collection. But he didn’t buy nilly willy, instead “searching out treasures, including old friends and photographers and teachers I haven’t seen in years,” Paletti said. The gallery’s current exhibition features a diverse group of images from photographers that include Henri Cartier-Bresson, Marilyn Minter and Michael Clevenger. —Jo Anne Triplett

‘Justice Now’ by Marilyn Minter. Photograph.

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

MUSIC

SIX RECENTLY-RELEASED LOCAL ALBUMS

By Syd Bishop | leo@leoweekly.com

As always LEO likes to keep our eyes out for fresh local sounds. Here’s a list of six recent releases to sink your teeth into.

MATT SWEENEY AND BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY SUPERWOLVES

Guitarist/composer Matt Sweeney and Will Oldham, aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, kick off this record with an almost reverential tone, provided in part by shimmering organs. Sweeney’s guitar is murky and mercurial, from the density of his riffs to the fluidity of his solos. Oldham’s poetic croon pairs lovely with the guitar work, the perfect complement to one another. Despite lines like, “god can fuck herself,” there is an underlying sweetness to the album punctuated by Oldham’s recurring references to childhood. Songs like “My Popsicle” play more with that theme, by exploring the sonic melodrama of a child and their sweets. The overall arc of the album is about aging, growing from the carefreeness of youth to the complexities of adult life. Given the pedigree of the musicians, it should go without saying that this is a beautifully crafted, thoughtful and poignant album, ideal for listening on a quiet night under the stars.

LINK: MATTSWEENEYBONNIEPRINCEBILLY.BANDCAMP. COM/ALBUM/SUPERWOLVES

YONS

THE LAWS OF MOTION

Yons’ The Laws of Motion album cover

There is something so incredibly beautiful about the music of Yons, which is so perfectly encapsulated by the album art on The Laws of Motion. Here, you see a group of people pushing a car, the ideal representation of the community that Yons has built. The opener “The Walk” features the dulcet voice of Otis Junior. Yons is an adept producer and emcee, wonderfully building tracks at a granular level that develop and grow. Every note is in its right place, from the crackle of vinyl on “Loco Motives,” to the gospel-esque piano that propels the aptly named “Inspiration.” Did I mention that Yons is a superlative emcee? With lines like, “You ain’t shit ‘til you meet them quotas, so I hit ‘em with the two-week notice,” Yons is showing that he has bars and an excellent storytelling sense, using the track to simultaneously unpack the demoralization brought on by capitalism and the pursuit of actual happiness (re: not just material wealth).

LINK: EONSD.BANDCAMP.COM/ALBUM/THE-LAWS-OF-MOTION

IAMIS

LO(A)NERS

It’s hard to pin down the vibe on Lo(a)ners by IamIs, although the title does a little of the heavy lifting. There is a longing to the music, an almost tragic melancholy that undercuts each of the eight tracks. The song “Paper Face” is a bittersweet reflection on loss through the lens of perspective.

Elsewhere, the folk dirge of “Don’t Be Long” continues to lean into the blue, a slow and mindful look at waking up to uncertainty. Make no mistake though: This is not a bleak or inherently pessimistic or unhappy record. Instead, the band uses their various heartbreaks as a means of selfreflection, intent on finding a better way through. Throughout, there is a dreaminess that recalls the various diner scenes in “Twin Peaks,” which results in music that is simultaneously of the time and timeless pop that serves as meditations on the moment.

NOISEBODY HEAT

At first blush, Heat by Noisebody has a vaporwave quality, a lo-fi, hauntological ambiance that shimmers in the distance like a mirage. Transitioning from opener “Seattle” into “Inside These Walls,” the band explores driving rhythms and a Rhodes-like keyboard line that punctuates the melody. There are elements of synth-pop and electronica throughout the album, which is entirely instrumental, that recalls acts like Boards of Canada and Tame Impala. While the title of the album may imply motion, Heat moves at a leisurely pace, giving space for each introduced instrument to build and thrive. The keys are often treated like the vocal line, which provides a subconscious narrative to the album. This is a joyful occasion punctuated by chants for Black and trans lives matter on album closer “Heating Up.” All told, this is an entirely pleasant album, and one that leaves you feeling welcome, included and motivated.

LINK: NOISEBODY.COM/ALBUM/HEAT

FRENCH TV

ALL OUR FAILURES ARE BEHIND US

A Louisville institution since 1983, French TV produces avant-garde prog with a flair for the dramatic. That description remains true on their latest, All Our Failures Behind Us, which opens with clean, chiming guitar tones and some especially silky-smooth horn lines. As with much prog, it’s hard to identify any single lead instrument, as every musician is given the space and time they need to breathe and demonstrate their chops. That said, this leads to some particularly long passages —not a bad thing— but makes for an album with an especially long structure. There is a playfulness to the album that recalls the work of Adrian Belew and punk prog act Cheer-Accident.

Understand that, while there is plenty going on here, it never feels overwhelming, like baroque compositions as filtered through the work of Frank Zappa.

LINK: FRENCHTV.BANDCAMP.COM/ALBUM/ ALL-OUR-FAILURES-ARE-BEHIND-US

NMESH

APPEARANCE SETTINGS: VOLUME 01 (2009-2015)

As the name suggests, Appearance Settings is a collection of tracks from an assortment of compilations over the years. The opener “Terminal Interface (Shortform)” establishes a subdued tone that isn’t quite what plays out Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s Superwolves throughout the approximately 78 minutes album just dropped. running time. Instead, Nmesh pulls from his various tool sets to create a career-spanning pastiche. There’are the obvious moments of vaporwave haze, like a heavily filtered Sade, cut with blasts of breakbeats that would make Squarepusher blush. The sample clearances throughout the album are dizzying, to say the least — a collage of sounds from across genres, chopped, screwed and scrambled into something psychedelic and fresh. While not a proper album, there is a cohesion to the releases that lends itself to a long and deep listen, whether that’s from trying to identify the various sonic Easter eggs, or just soaking in the atmosphere.

LINK: NMESH.BANDCAMP.COM/ALBUM/APPEARANCE-SETTINGS-VOLUME-01-2009-2015

LINK: IAMIS.BANDCAMP.COM/ALBUM/LO-A-NERS LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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FOOD & DRINK

RECOMMENDED

OLD SCHOOL NY PIZZA ADDS AUTHENTICITY TO NORTON COMMONS

The small pizzas at Old School NY measure 12 inches; that’s plenty for two with this delicious, thin-crust veggie pie.

By Robin Garr | LouisvilleHotBytes.com IF YOU CAN’T make it to Southern Italy to indulge in traditional Neapolitan-style pizza at the source, New York City’s take on pizza is arguably second-best. But you won’t find a better slice in Louisville than at Old School NY Pizza.

A round of thin, crisp crust bearing portions of spicy sauce, melty cheese and toppings discreetly applied so all remains in balance, fired in a high-temperature gas or wood oven until the cheese bubbles: That’s the recipe for Gotham’s finest, and Old School does it right.

I loved the original shop on Factory Lane, although it is quite a hike out there.

Now there’s a second location, and it’s out in the far East End, too, filling a storefront in Norton Commons that looks a lot like... well, a Brooklyn pizzeria.

Actually, as I perched on Old School’s sunny patio looking out over Norton Commons’ New Urbanism melange of houses and buildings built in random designs from

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

all over the world — here a Craftsmanstyle bungalow, there a faux Southern mansion, over there a row of two-story brick apartments that would be at home in Queens, almost — I realized that Old School’s honest Italian-American fare may be one of the most authentic things in the neighborhood.

We chose to dine on the patio, more because it was a beautiful, sunny spring day than out of any pandemic concerns. For the record, servers were carefully masked, although if I weren’t vaccinated I might have been a little uneasy about what looked like rather close spacing among the black mesh tables and metal chairs.

The menu offers a broad selection of mostly standard pizzeria fare. A dozen-plus pre-built pies come in two sizes — 12-inch and 18-inch — and range in price from $10.50 (for a small cheese and tomato-sauce pizza) to $31 (for a large pizza topped with Philly cheesesteak ingredients, something

It’s not quite Flatbush, but Old School NY’s corner patio offers a mix of sun and shade for the season’s warming days.

FOOD & DRINK

FREE DATE CHANGES ON 2021 TOURS* FROM

$

1,449 *

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A trio of Old School NY’s crisp cannoli take us right back to our favorite Italian delis in New York City’s Queens borough.

that sounds strangely delicious yet might get one banned from Brooklyn).

Build-your-own options start with the cheese pie ($10.50 or $17.50), and invite you to add your pick among six sauces, seven cheeses, 14 veggie toppings and eight meat toppings, ringing up the total by 50 cents to $2.50 depending on topping and size; fresh mozzarella ($2.50/$4) and steak ($6/$12) are price outliers.

Three-cheese calzones are $9; each additional topping is $1. Subs and hoagies on freshly baked bread, including meatball parm, an Italian grinder and a cheesesteak, start at $9 plus toppings. And there’s the usual mix of Italian and Greek-style salads and bar bites as starters and sides.

For a real New York experience, you can get big, foldable slices from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, but we went with a whole small pie instead, and it was very good. Fresh salads and a trio of tasty cannoli for dessert set up a nostalgic al fresco meal that felt almost like being back at our old place in Astoria, Queens, at least for a few minutes.

The salads — a small Greek salad ($5) and a small Caesar ($4.50) — were generously portioned even in the small sizes and made well with fresh ingredients. Served in deep red bowls, both started with fresh, carefully picked-over, squares of crisp romaine.

The Caesar topped a full bowl of greens with thin deli slices of mild mozzarella and added excellent crouton cubes cut from bread made in-house. A creamy, garlicky Caesar dressing came in a tub alongside.

Starting from the same romaine base, the other salad turned Greekish with chopped pale tomatoes, crisp and juicy green pepper slices, sliced raw red onions, cubes of crumbly feta and delicious croutons. The traditional olives and cucumbers were AWOL,

but a decent vinaigrette in a tub on the side brought it together all the same.

A 12-inch veggie pizza was delicious, and it was New York-style right down to its thin-crust foldable form. Its only fault lay in having been pulled from the oven a little too soon, before the crust was fully crisp and attractively scorched in spots. It was good enough, though, and a trip through the toaster oven for the leftovers at home made it even better.

The crust was appropriately thin to the edge, in contrast with the pillowy, bready edges of Neapolitan tradition. Also as is proper for NYC pizza, toppings were well made but discreetly applied, not overdone. Tomato sauce went down first, just a schmear, and it was nicely herbal and gently spicy. Melted mozzarella and Romano cheeses came next, followed after cooking by mushroom bits, green pepper and onion slices, black olives, roasted garlic cloves and halved sliced tomatoes on top — drizzled with garlic oil to finish.

Three fine cannoli ($5) took us right back to our favorite Italian delis in New York City’s Queens borough. Crisp, crackling pastry shells were rolled around the traditional creamy filling of ricotta, sugar and chocolate bits.

Our lunch trip to New York for pizza and salad for two, with leftover pizza slices for another day, came to $31.27 plus a $9 tip. •

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

INAUGURAL 21C ARTADIA AWARD OFFERS LOCAL ARTISTS A CAREER-BOOSTING OPPORTUNITY WITH A $10,000 AWARD

By AB Elizabeth | leo@leoweekly.com

HOW WOULD a cool $10K boost your visual art career? Now through June 15, local artists will have the opportunity to apply for the inaugural 21c Artadia Award. The award — a partnership between contemporary museum and hospitality group 21c Museum Hotels and nonprofit grantmaker and visual artist community Artadia — will provide $10,000 in unrestricted funds to a visual artist living and working in the Louisville Metro area.

Designed to provide essential funding and recognition to artists at pivotal points in their careers, strengthen arts communities and spur new levels of career achievement, the inaugural 21c Artadia Award is available to visual artists currently living and working within the Louisville Metro area.

This includes: Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Bullitt, Nelson, Meade, Trimble and Henry Counties in Kentucky; and Clark, Harrison, Floyd and Washington Counties in Indiana.

While the program launches first in Louisville, it will rotate annually to nine U.S. cities where 21c currently operates museum hotels in thriving art communities. Cities currently slated after Louisville include: Kansas City (2022); Durham (2023); and Nashville (2024).

“21c is committed to supporting today’s most dynamic artists, whose work has the power to transform communities and nurture civic engagement,” 21c Chief Curator and Museum Director Alice Gray Stites said.

“We continue to discover inspiring artists in cities large and small across the U.S. Like Artadia, we seek to provide opportunities that allow [the artists’] visions and voices to be seen and heard.”

The open call, no-cost submission process and corresponding information can be found on Artadia’s website. Applicants must be a contemporary visual artist, creating works for presentation in a contemporary art context: museum, galleries, arts nonprofit, the public art realm, etc. Applicants must have lived and worked in the Louisville Metro area for a two-year period and cannot be currently enrolled in or planning to attend an art-related degree program in the coming year.

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

Map of 21C cities. The first 21c/Artadia prize will be awarded to an artist in Louisville

Each year, the award will be judged by a panel of leading national and international curators. This year’s award will be juried

by Vincenzo de Bellis, curator and associate director of programs, Walker Art Center, and Soyoung Lee, chief curator, Harvard Art Museums. The 21c Artadia Awardee will be announced in July 2021.

In addition to the grant itself, the award includes lifelong access to the Artadia Network, a support program nurturing strategic relationships and connecting awardees with a community of fellow artists and diverse cohort of professionals.

“Artists are the foundation of a creative society, and their endeavors form the bedrock of our cultural legacy,” Executive Director Carolyn Ramo said. “We are honored to be working with 21c to broaden our geographic reach and recognize the essential

contribution of artists in these American cities with this impactful award.”

Stites said, “It is especially exciting that the inaugural 21c Artadia Award will be given to a talented artist living and working in Louisville, where art collectors Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson founded 21c fifteen years ago with a mission to support living artists and broaden the audience for thoughtprovoking contemporary art.”

21c Museum Hotels has been a longtime supporter of local artists. Those represented in greatest depth in the collection and exhibits built by Brown and Wilson include: John Brooks, Mitch Eckert, Gaela Erwin, Carlos Gamez de Francisco, Ross Gordon, Monica Mahoney, Rebecca Norton, Anne Peabody, Chris Radtke and Letitia Quesenberry. Several of the artists have work on permanent exhibits inside the hotels.

The guest room art commissions for 21c Louisville are part of “Elevate 21c,” a program the hotel group developed in all locations to support and highlight the work of local artists. Works by local artists are exhibited on loan in dedicated spaces and change several times a year. Local artists have also been commissioned to create permanent installations.

Other initiatives by 21c to support the careers of artists in Louisville include hosting professional development workshops with Creative Capital Foundation and hosting ArtPrize Pitch Night, which provides a grant for the winning artist to install their work in Grand Rapids and become eligible for ArtPrize awards. •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WILD LIGHTS AT THE LOUISVILLE ZOO IS A WILDLY GOOD TIME

By Erica Rucker | erucker@leoweekly.com LAST YEAR, COVID put a damper on what should have been an amazing event at the Louisville Zoo with the first Wild Lights Asian lantern festival. This year with vaccines and dropping COVID infection numbers, the zoo’s Wild Lights exhibit is a must-see destination for families and the romantic set, but this is the last month to get there.

At the zoo, more than 70 different animatronic and interactive light displays are dispersed across the park’s 1.4 mile walking path. A few animals are out and about, but most of the animals are off display by the time the lanterns start to glow at dusk.

Like many, my family has spent the last year hunkered down to protect our health and the health of others close to us, but armed with fully vaccinated immune systems and low infection rates communitywide, we thought this was an event we could safely navigate with our son.

Since it was a school night, we didn’t want to take the kid too late but we didn’t want to miss the chance to see the lanterns glowing at night. We split the difference and went for the 8:15 slot. Shortly after our adventure began, the sun started to disappear, and the magic really turned on.

And this show, and the night, was magic.

We’re a family of three so the price of tickets at $20 bucks a pop was a little bit “ouch,” but the Family Four Pack, which gives you an extra ticket for the same price, made it a bit more palatable. The price for the evening also includes a $6 parking fee so don’t be surprised there. With the extra ticket, we were able to invite my also fullyvaccinated mother along.

We chose a Wednesday night hoping to find less of a crowd.

When we got there, the parking lot was sensibly full but nothing like a normal zoo day. It was about what we’d expected and what we’d hoped for.

Greeting us as we walked from the parking lot to the ticket counter was a row of lighted giraffes... then immediately through the gates a giant frog winking at us. I was already as excited (maybe more) as my 8-year-old son. Word of advice, give yourself to the magic and innocence of looking at pretty lights. The first displays we saw netted many oohs and ahhs from our little group, and, basically, that continued for the

entire night.

At our house, lasers and LEDs are standard fare. We are big fans of the Snoezelen room concept as a means of therapeutic relaxation.

Snoezelen Nine-Tailed Fox (Huli Jing) at the Louisville Zoo Wild Lights exhibit rooms are designed your loved ones. Hint: you’ll for individuals with multi-sensory needs, leave the park with hundreds brain injury, dementia and autism but are of amazing photos of your absolutely equally equipped to handle the family and displays, and needs of the high generalized anxiety folks A Studio Ghibli-esque display from the Wild Lights exhibit many photos of the ground like myself. I would not have survived this at the Louisville Zoo or blurry rocks because you last year without the solace of my LED got more than caught up in environments. the wonder then forgot to turn The Wild Lights exhibit, for us, was your camera off. much like a giant Snoezelen playground.

Guilty.

There were places that were more stimulatFans of K-dramas, take ing than others — so folks with epilepsy or note... there are definitely other sensory sensitivities be warned. The a few moments in the Wild zoo actually does a good job of that, too.

Lights exhibit where the Walking through the first flower tunnel fanatic in you will be sparked with the moving anime-esque figurines and reminded that while pulled at my love for all things floral and many of these were created spring, but also it was the perfect moment

by Chinese artisans, the to truly surrender any last shred of pompK-drama touch definitely ous adulthood I was going to display this dropped a little influence evening. It was a little bit “Alice in Wonin the light show offerings. derland,” and more than a bit Studio Ghibli When you get there, you’ll — very much like walking into a frame of know. Do a dance, take silly “Spirited Away.” photos, grab a kiss from your From there, are running LED peacocks, “Oppa” or “Jagiya.” Even my families of ostrich, gorillas, loads of hidden husband who doesn’t obsess lighted insects and other creatures to pique over Korean drama like I do, your interest. One of the most impresrecognized this moment and sive animatronic creations was the Viking started giggling. lava rock creature across from the bongos Here’s where I stop; I (don’t miss the chance to see the sweet won’t tell you everything baby bongo). This massive guy takes a bit because I do want you to go to reach his full height and power, but be and not to miss this wonderpatient and take the time to watch him. My Interactive displays at Wild Lights ful event. If you get a chance, son was thoroughly impressed.

Wild Lights opens at 6:30 every night be sure to stop by the small booth of Chinese Throughout the evening there are and the last admittance is at 10:30, but you goods near the snowy owl enclosure. There moments for child-like wonder and those don’t have to leave the park until midnight. are items in several price points. We loved that are pure fantasy or romance. The large So, go spend all the time you want relishthe lanterns and the wire sculptures, which pink feathers that you pass after moving ing this truly imaginative and unforgettable piqued the interest of my wire-obsessed by the gorilla enclosure is a great moment experience. • child. and visual element for taking photos with LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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O R A L B

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50 With 44-Down, making futile attempts .?.?. and an extra hint to this puzzle’s theme 51 Small black-and-white treat 52 Batman portrayer on ’60s TV 57 Google Photos precursor 58 Workers in forges 59 Murder weapon in ‘‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’’ 60 What ‘‘/’’ may mean 63 Key used to get out, but not in 64 Man’s name that means ‘‘king’’ 68 Palindromic leaders 69 Doctor’s order 71 They may be fixed 74 Highland beauty 75 The titular bad guy in ‘‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’’ 79 Capital of Saudi Arabia 80 Singer with the 2016 platinum album ‘‘This Is Acting’’ 82 In good shape 83 ‘‘Know what I’m talkin’ about?’’

84 Secret rendezvous 86 Like child’s play 89 Block where Sesame Street can be found?

90 Notable period 91 It’s constantly breaking around the world 93 ‘‘The straight path’’ 95 German steel city 97 Like neon

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DOWN Collectible records ____ milk Packs tightly Areas in many malls Eldest of the von Trapp children Mnemosyne’s daughters Benefits En pointe, in ballet Pizza chain since 1943, familiarly Weapon for Samson against the Philistines Whatsoever ‘‘North’’ or ‘‘South’’ land Undoing Faulty Subway fare Impact equally in the opposite direction Actor Elgort of ‘‘The Fault in Our Stars’’ Taints Sheepish response to ‘‘Where did the last cookie go?’’

How checks are written Hellion ‘‘Boyz N the Hood’’ protagonist Run an online scam Feel rotten Bona fide Big brush maker Starting point on a computer Won over See 50-Down Become rigid and inflexible Slides

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ACROSS Not express, in a way Second person in the Bible One of the Blues Brothers ‘‘History of the World, ____’’ (Mel Brooks film that doesn’t actually have a sequel) Grp. with Bills and Chargers Bridal adornment at Indian weddings Buckets Goggle Bird that went the way of the dodo (before the dodo) Mr. ____, scheming socialite in ‘‘Emma’’ See 105-Across Popular action film franchise .?.?. or what trying to find the item in this puzzle can be described as ‘‘There’s no use’’ .?.?. like trying to find the item in this puzzle? ‘‘The ____ Holmes Mysteries,’’ young adult series made into a 2020 film Hosp. procedure Keys Architect Maya Foreign correspondent, maybe 1976 greatest hits album with a palindromic title Site of Hercules’ first labor What’s-____-name Experimental offshoot of punk Echidna’s prey Service with nearly two billion users ____ reaction Deep cut Liquor store requests Frees (of) Quiet summons Greases What’s at the center of some court battles?

City of Angels Danger for an exterminator Scratch the surface of Certain customizable computer game character Kick starter?

America of ‘‘Ugly Betty’’ [Batman punches a bad guy] Onetime name for China They have big mouths Over More than umbrage Two-wheeled carriage ‘‘Anchorman’’ anchorman Simple earrings Duck Hunt console, for short

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Walking with flair Odd article of clothing to wear with a tank top Reached Man’s name that anagrams to HYENAS Did a Don Corleone impression, maybe Consonantless ‘‘yes’’ Actress Atwell of the ‘‘Avengers’’ movies Product whose sizes have letters Clickable images ‘‘As you can imagine .?.?. ’’ Item hidden somewhere in this puzzle (where is it?)

With 24-Across, Emmy winner for ‘‘Once and Again’’ Writer Horatio Word before an explanation Boxer Ali Bookmarked things Vowelless ‘‘yes’’ Personal datum: Abbr.

Long-gone Site that competes with Amazon Handmade Affliction also known as a hordeolum Mean

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The New York Times Magazine Crossword A RARE FIND

PHOTO BY RACHEL ROBINSON

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SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage | mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage

SWITCHED ON

Q: You’ve said that everyone is entitled to a “zone of erotic autonomy.” I was wondering if you thought that “zone” extends to sending thousands of dollars to a “FinDom.” I’m a 33-year-old straight woman and I love my husband and we have a great (or so I thought) sex life. He’s very dominant and controlling in bed and I’m very submissive and I thought we were well-matched sexually. So it was a shock for more than one reason when I stumbled over evidence that he’s been sending money to a female sex worker who calls herself a FinDom. This has been going on for nearly three years!

It seems clear from their messages (I have read them all) that they’ve never met in person (she clearly states that she never meets in person with her subs) but she sends him degrading personalized videos after he sends her money roughly once every other month. The amounts are small but they add up. We are more than comfortable so the issue isn’t the money. And while my husband has never complained about what I spend on a personal trainer or my hair or body treatments (admittedly a lot), this is obviously different because he’s masturbating over these videos. I don’t really want to degrade him and I obviously couldn’t dominate him financially as our finances are shared. My husband says he doesn’t want to be degraded by me but he was nevertheless willing pay a complete stranger to heap insults on him?!?

I don’t understand. I thought we had a great sexual connection. I also thought I knew who he was erotically. I’m confused and don’t know what to do.

Feeling Insecure Necessarily, Doubts About Marriage Now A: First things first: You actually have a great sex life (from the sound of things), your husband clearly loves you (if this if your only issue), and his dominance in the sack isn’t an act, FINDAMN, it’s just that having control isn’t the only thing that turns him on. It’s just that every once in a while he wants to give up control.

Maybe he should’ve come to you to get this need met and couldn’t bring himself to ask—for fear of rejection, for fear of spoiling your D/s dynamic—or maybe he sensed you wouldn’t enjoy degrading him and/or being degraded by you wouldn’t work for him.

Backing up for a second: You say you’re “more than comfortable,” FINDAMN, which is filthy rich person code for “we have tons of money.” So while I’m opposed to one person in a marriage spending significant amounts of money without their spouse’s knowledge, I’m going to climb out on a limb and guess that this isn’t money you missed. No mortgage payments went unpaid, no vacations were cancelled, no kids were yanked out of private schools. Even if your husband sent this woman $9,999 dollars over the last three years—the highest figure that keeps us in the “thousands” range— that works out to $278 dollars a month. I’m guessing the

actual amount spent was far less than that, FINDAMN, and in no way impacted your comforts. (But here’s hoping Joe Biden’s tax hikes on the wealthy do!)

As for the seeming contradiction—your husband dominates you and submits to this woman—it’s not that hard to explain what’s going on. While you’ve probably never been to a big gay leather/fetish event, FINDAMN, if should ever go you would meet dozens of men who have both Doms and subs. So the guy you saw being dragged around on a leash on the first night will be dragging someone else around on a leash the second night.

Because very few people into power exchange are 100% dominant or 100% submissive; one guy can bring out a gay guy’s submissive side and another guy can bring out his dominant side. Similarly, you seem to bring out your husband’s dominant side—much to your delight—while this other woman brings out his submissive side. So it would seem your husband is a bit of a switch; in his case, FINDAMN, he’s mostly dominant but also enjoys being submissive too. And being submissive to an online FinDom once in a while doesn’t mean there’s anything inauthentic about your husband when he’s dominating you.

If you don’t want to degrade your husband—if you or if he or if you both prefer your roles to be fixed (which is common among kinky switches)—and your husband is willing to keep this connection 1. online only, 2. below an agreed to amount, and 3. to himself (if you don’t want to hear about it) or shared (if you do), I think you should allow your husband to have outlet. Again, you can spare the money and your husband hasn’t done anything stupid—he hasn’t given this woman access to your savings accounts or written her into his will.

He’s paying this woman for a little dominant time and attention every now and then. And while what your husband did (basically purchased some interactive porn) does feel cheating-adjacent… I gotta ask… have you ever hired a personal trainer just because he was hot?

Have you ever chosen a hairdresser because you liked to look at him? Have you ever gone out of your way to get body treatments from a VGL male masseuse? And then thought about one of those guys—or all three of them—while you were masturbating or having sex with your husband? If you can identify any small zones of erotic autonomy that you’ve carved out for yourself, FINDAMN, allowing your husband to continue enjoying the small zone of erotic autonomy he’s carved out for himself might come a little easier.

Q: I’m a 27-year-old gay man who’s having a hard time. I’m in relationship with a spectacular guy. He’s a 25-year-old bisexual man.

He’s smart, funny, extroverted, and has lots of friends and lots of ex-fuckbuddies. We are deeply in love and neither of us has ever felt that before. It’s been five months and nothing could be better—except the fact that I’m deadly insecure. He’s got tons of friends, he’s extremely attractive, and sexually he’s perfect.

He’s a top who knows how to use his big dick and he has infinite endurance. I’m the opposite

of all that: I have a few friends, I’m an average/ugly guy with an average/small dick, it’s not easy for me to get a solid erection, and it takes me just a couple of minutes to come. I keep comparing myself to him: he’s perfect and he can fuck anyone and I’m ugly and sexually inept compared to him. These feelings are killing me.

I Can’t Be The Right One A: Your boyfriend, who could apparently have anyone, has chosen you. So you’re either far more appealing—physically, emotionally, socially— than you give yourself credit for, ICBTRO, or your boyfriend gets off on the power imbalance.

But if the latter were true, if he was manipulating you with his looks/dick, you would know. You would be painfully aware of it and you would’ve mentioned it in your letter if your boyfriend had leveraged his looks and/or his dick to get you to do things you didn’t want to do or put up with things no one should put up with. (If he had said something to you like, “You’ll never leave me because you can’t do better,” you would’ve included that.) So I’m guessing you’re a lot more appealing—physically, emotionally, socially— than you’ve allowed yourself to realize.

Instead of worrying about whether this relationship will last forever (and most don’t), ICBTRO, try to enjoy the boyfriend you’ve got right now. Speak to a doctor about ED meds for your dick and speak to a shrink about your low self-esteem—because if anything is going to prematurely kill this relationship, it’s your insecurities. Your boyfriend may not want to be with you forever, ICBTRO, and you may not want to be with him forever. But if you want to be with him for as long as you can, you’ve gotta get a grip on your insecurities. He can’t help you with those.

And if you can’t help yourself, ICBTRO, find a therapist who can help you. mail@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. www.savagelovecast.com

CLASSIFIED LISTINGS LEGAL Notice is hereby given that pursuant to KRS 359.200-359.250 Morningstar Storage, 646 West Hill St, Louisville, KY 40208 502-434-7537 will sell the contents of the storage units listed below at a public auction at storageauctions.com at 1pm on 5-18-2021. This will not be public, this will only be done digitally at storageauctions.com: Marcus Porter – Unit #247 Te\’zha Jones – Unit #326 Gordon Jackson – Unit #348 Bridgett Campell – Unit #442 Alexis Cooper – Unit #546 Reva Tyus – Unit #551 Richard Tucker – Unit #699 Treva Parker – Unit #776 Kevin Ellis – Unit #788 Chris Robinson – Unit #823

Rick’s Collision and Paint, 5210 Cane Run Road Louisville, KY 40216, 502-494-2262 is seeking to obtain a clear title to a 2010 Ford Fusion, Vin # 3FAHP0JG2AR421770, Owner Aleashea Robertson, 1728 Marlow RD, Louisville KY 40216, Gardiner Used Cars, 2700 Seventh St Rd, Louisville, KY 40215 You/They have 21 days from the first date of this publication of this legal notice to notify me.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION TO OWNERS OF THE WITHIN DESCRIBED ESTATE AND ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: SSK Communities / Barrington Pointe Will expose at public sale to the highest Bidder on MAY 20th 2021 At 10:00 am. Location of the sale will be 1321 Glengarry Drive.

Mobile home only, 1983 Liberty, VIN: LL1462BFKDU, Located At: 1477 Glengarry Drive Fairdale, KY 40118.

Notice is hereby given by AAMCO Transmissions, 6309 Preston Hwy Louisville, KY 40219 502-966-5166 to obtain the title to 2003 Chevrolet Suburban VIN# 3GNFK16Z43G127096. Owner: Michael L. Pritchard, 3611 Grand Ave #2F, Louisville, KY 40211. Owner has 14 days to respond in writing to obtain title.

Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 2008 Ford Fusion black VIN #3FAHP081X8R216001, Owner Jake Sweeney Kia Florence Ky Lien Holder: none Unless owner or lien holder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice.

Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 2003 Ford Focus gold VIN #1FAFP34PX3W320402, Owner Ricardo Lee Louisville KY Lien Holder:none Unless owner or lien holder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice.

Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 2006 Dodge Charger purple VIN #2B3KA43H86H362565, Owner Taiwan Martian Louisville KY Lien Holder: Credit acceptance co. Southfield MI Unless owner or lienholder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice.

Leo’s Towing & Recovery, 510 E Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202 (502)-727-9503, has intention to obtain title of a 1999 Honda accord Silver VIN #1HGCG5652XA092842, Owner Kaitlyn Green Louisville kY Lien Holder: Unless owner or lienholder objects in written form within 14 days after the last publication of this notice.

EMPLOYMENT QUALITY CONTROL ENGINEER Address problems areas and oversee corrective action programs, establish and review annual quality improvement plans as well as plant operational plans, and perform continuous improvement in quality key measure performance and customer satisfaction.

Develop key customer relationships in the supplier quality area for successful execution of product launches. Must have a Bachelors degree, or its foreign degree equivalent, in mechanical or automotive engineering or related, 2 years professional experience in auto/industrial manufacturing. Send resume to Human Resources, Yamamoto FB Engineering, 7331 Global Drive, Louisville, KY 40258 or email hdean@yamamotofb.com.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // MAY 5, 2021