Gov. Matt Bevin's 'disturbing' West End comments spark outrage

Thomas Novelly | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Matt Bevin's comment about a West Louisville chess club sparks outrage Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin sparks outrage after comments made about a West Louisville chess club.

Gov. Matt Bevin said in a promotional video featuring the West Louisville chess club that some people might be surprised by the connection between the club and the neighborhoods it draws children from, unleashing a barrage of criticism on social media.

"I'm going to go in and meet the members of the West Louisville Chess Club," Bevin said in the video. "Not something you necessarily would have thought of when you think of this section of town."

Bevin made his comments in a promotional video published online Tuesday. In the video, he took a tour of Nativity Academy, an independent private school in Phoenix Hill. The club often plays in locations around the city.

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“Governor Bevin met with the West Louisville Chess Club to showcase an important program that is encouraging sportsmanship and character building among Kentucky’s youth,” Bevin’s spokeswoman Elizabeth Kuhn said in a statement. “It is disappointing that some are trying to shift the focus away from the incredible accomplishments of these talented kids.”

The West Louisville Chess Club "primarily targets" young children who live in the West End of Louisville, according to Lyndon Pryor with the Louisville Urban League.

The Louisville Urban League, located in the Russell neighborhood, is a partial source of funding for the club.

Councilman David James, who represents District 6 in Louisville, was present at the event where Bevin filmed the promo. James said it is a sign of Bevin's deteriorating relationship with the state's African-American community.

"It was just an obvious move by the governor to take photos with the African-American community," James said. "To perpetuate a stereotype of the African-American community like that is unbelievable."

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

Enjoyed meeting the members of the West Louisville Chess Club at Nativity Academy at St. Boniface...Incredible kids with incredible minds. #WeAreKY pic.twitter.com/ePnrmkmR0g — Governor Matt Bevin (@GovMattBevin) July 10, 2018

Community leaders from the West End said the comments were offensive.

"Bevin...Blacks in west Louisville enjoy chess, tennis, and many other activities not associated with guns and violence," Donovan Taylor, the secretary for the Chickasaw Neighborhood Association said on Facebook. "To think less of west Louisville shows your thinking of the residents of the area."

Taylor considers himself a "concerned resident" in West Louisville.

"It was a very funny video," Taylor added. "It's laughable to have such a small view of West Louisville. It is definitely offensive. If it's not racist, it's classist. It's disturbing."

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Kentucky Sports Radio Host Matt Jones, who often dives into politics in his programming, took to Twitter to call out Bevin for the comment.

"That’s a really tone-deaf, dumb intro by the Governor," Jones said on Twitter.

Other Twitter users also jumped in to call the governor's comments offensive.

"Ummmmm.....why exactly wouldn't you think that there would be a chess club or 'incredible young minds' in the West End of Louisville?" Twitter-user Erin Andando said. "Please do elaborate."

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Brandon J. Lawrence, an attorney in Louisville who lives in the West End's Portland neighborhood, said it was discouraging to see the head of the commonwealth stereotype an area, especially because Bevin is the adoptive father of African-American children.

"It's sad," Lawrence said. "It's sad that you've got a governor who is the head of our state that feels that way. Especially when he has black children."

Bevin's comments come a little more than a year since he went to the West End and advertised his plan to combat rising violence by using prayer patrols around certain areas of town, a proposal that offended many prominent West End leaders and residents.

Ummmmm.....why exactly wouldn't you think that there would be a chess club or "incredible young minds" in the West End of Louisville? Please do elaborate. — KentuckyStrong (@ErinAndando) July 10, 2018

Thomas Novelly: tnovelly@courierjournal.com, 502-582-4465. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tomn.