Residents: Police shooting underscores needs

Old Louisville leaders and business owners say that Saturday's shooting of a Sudanese man at Fourth and Oak streets has underscored their concerns about how to balance residents' safety with helping vulnerable populations in the neighborhood.

Surveillance footage taken from the Smoker's Smoke Shop on Fourth Street shows Deng Manyoun — who was in and out of homeless shelters, according to shelter officials and acquaintances — swinging a flagpole at Officer Nathan Blanford before the officer fatally shoots him.

Several witnesses said Manyoun — who was suspected of assaulting a woman earlier Saturday afternoon — was intoxicated leading up to the shooting.

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Metro Councilman David James, a former Louisville police officer who represents the area, said that his office has received complaints in recent weeks from restaurants about servers quitting because of the excessive number of "drunks and panhandlers" in the area. He said other businesses have had employees harassed, robbed and assaulted.

Other neighborhood leaders say the shooting shows the need for better outreach to help residents with mental illness, substance abuse and other quality of life issues.

"Reality is you have so many different types of people who converge there at Fourth and Oak, it's an epicenter that is like no other place in town," said Dan Mason, president of the Toonerville Trolley Neighborhood Association.

"We have said a few times that on that corridor, you have a lot of folks who are walking to work, school or wherever without a police presence," he said. "We have requested, please help us, whether with prostitution (or) people on the streets panhandling."

Chief Steve Conrad, who defended Blanford's actions during a press conference on Sunday, said it is unclear if Manyoun — whose name is also spelled Manyuon in some court documents — was intoxicated. The coroner's office said the toxicology report would be back in six weeks.

James said that some residents and business owners want more police patrols in the area.

"The concern among residents is wanting to have a focused police presence in the area whether that's in the form of foot patrols or bicycle patrols," he said. "They have expressed their concern to the police department as have I, and it's something we were asking for prior to the shooting and since the incident."

Four years ago, James formed the Oak Street Task Force to blend public safety, infrastructure and street scape needs while acknowledging quality of life concerns.

According to James, a 2012 study conducted by the group along with the police department's 4th Division found there were approximately 485 runs made by police within a 100 foot radius of the Fourth and Oak Street intersection during one year.

Mason said advocates and businesses along the Fourth and Oak corridor need to consider more "compassionate, but effective" responses other than calling the police to deal with panhandlers and homeless people.

James agreed that issues such as alcoholism and mental illness are not always for police to handle.

"The police quite often have a pretty blunt instrument to deal with those kinds of issues and sometimes you need a more refined instrument," he said. "If all the residents know there's a number to call and we can have mental health professionals come to a scene to intercede or deal with that individual to get them back on track, something like that."

Scott Lukemire, owner of Toonerville Deli, said the area has made progress over the past four years, but Manyoun's death is tragic for all involved. He said it demonstrates a need for better outreach to those vulnerable populations as the area becomes more diverse and more gentrified.

"It's really easy for some people to point a finger and say 'Oh, look there's another homeless person,' " he said. "Take the time to learn what they are and who they are as a person.

"We all want charity and these organizations in our neighborhood, but when they reach out and help these people and these are the people in our neighborhoods because of the charities around, you can't turn a blind eye and say all these homeless people are ruining the Fourth and Oak corridor."

Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at (502) 582-4475, follow him at @phillipmbailey on Twitter.