Louisville mayor declares racism a 'public health crisis'

The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, signed an executive order on Tuesday declaring racism to be a "public health crisis," local Wave 3 News reports.

Mayor Greg Fischer signed the order “[in] light of the tragic death of Breonna Taylor and recognizing the imperative need to address the impacts of racism and dismantle systemic racism.”

According to the executive order, it will "acknowledge and address the societal, physical and mental health impacts on Black residents and all Louisvillians."

The order, titled "Advancing Racial Equity for Black Louisville," contains within it seven initiatives to address racism within the city. Equity is a concept distinct from equality of opportunity, whereby separate groups of people are treated differently in order to achieve an equal outcome.

The first of these initiatives is "reimagining public safety," including a section on "community policing." Another initiative on the list seeks to "eliminate barriers to voting" by expanding mail-in voting to all future elections and encouraging the state government to give convicted felons the right to vote after they are freed from prison.

Louisville City Council voted "no confidence" in Mayor Fischer, who is currently serving his third term as mayor, over his handling of the death of Breonna Taylor and the subsequent unrest which plagued the city over the course of the summer. Two police officers were shot and a business owner was killed during the protests.