A murder, three non-fatal shootings, and 65 arrests tied to last weekend’s pre-Kentucky Derby “cruising” in Louisville have officials considering whether the tradition has become too violent to continue, says the Louisville Courier-Journal. Thousands of visitors turned much of the city’s West Broadway and downtown into a giant parking lot Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as scantily clad men and women hung out of car windows and gyrated to thumping music.
“This is the worst in 15 years,” said Chong Kim, who lost two-thirds of her business Saturday at her a beauty supply shop because of the rowdy crowds. Mayor Jerry Abramson and other officials indicated that the violence that marred this year’s unofficial Derby event cannot continue. Richard Dotson, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he wants this to be the last year for cruising because of the danger it poses. “This weekend was the Run for the Roses, not a Run from Bullets,” he said. “It’s just gotten all out of being reasonable. It’s a very dangerous situation.”
Link: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050510/NEWS01/505100359