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Year In Review BEST SONGS OF 2023 | PAGE 23

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EDITOR’S NOTE

IF KISSINGER WAS EVIL, ARE WE DIFFERENT?

By Erica Rucker | erucker@leoweekly.com

today’s political climate. These changes have given rise to the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter, Occupy, and other recent political positions, including ideological right-wing movements like Right to Life and the Tea Party. All of these movements have shifted our beliefs and, in turn, challenged what we think of as moral and correct in our lives. More and more Americans seem to understand that we are our brothers’ keepers, and that means it is our

responsibility to consider the whole and not just the individual.

With that said, rugged American individualism dies hard, and it is fighting for its life right now.

So when our eyes look back at someone like Kissinger, we are horrified.

How could he remain a free man, fed and watered on a pension of our tax dollars after causing the deaths of millions of people around the world?

How can he be considered palatable by any stretch of the imagination?

Kissinger represents the moral failing of U.S. foreign policy, and as we see our leaders make similar mistakes, we’re dealing with big dilemmas. How can we separate our morality from our ideology to do what is best for humanity?

I don’t have an answer, but I know that as we move into another year, the more I see political maneuvering and the treatment of our power in the world, I’m disheartened that we still deem some

people worth more than others instead of looking for ways to bring solutions so that more people can survive and build together instead of moving farther and farther apart.

Take that how you will, readers, but I hope that in the new year, your heart leads

you toward kindness, fairness, and a true sense that you can and do affect all of the people around you.

‘Til 2024. •

MARC MURPHY

WHEN HENRY KISSINGER died this past week, articles used words like “complicated” and “difficult” to describe him and the decisions he made that adversely affected the lives of millions in Cambodia, Chile, East Timor, and Bangladesh. Political maneuvering to protect state interests, I guess, could be difficult, but Kissinger chose ideology over morality, and that’s why what is happening now around the world is causing such a headache and debate here at home.

We all have to make difficult decisions.

We have to pick the lesser of two evils many times, and most of us choose that path. But there are times when the difficult decision makes some lean into the side of ideology over what is best for humanity, and during this holiday season, I’d like us all to reflect on that thought.

Ideology vs. morality.

Both are systems of deeply held beliefs but one connects us to others in a way that is flesh and bone instead of words on paper and praxis.

Ideology lives in theory and operation, whereas morality often exists in the flesh and experience of the human being. Morality and morals are closely linked, but what we often call “morals” is ideology in practice.

All of these concepts are mutable and can change as societies and thoughts of humankind shift.

What we once allowed as ideological people and under the morality we were brought up with before we learned to be critical and to examine more deeply seems to be undergoing a drastic shift in

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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VIEWS

‘ROUND THE FIRE

A HEART THAT HURTS IS A HEART THAT BEATS

By Christina Estrada | leo@leoweekly.com

I HAVE ALWAYS had a strong connection to my cousin Susan.

Susan was one year older than me, and we formed a special bond over a love of music and reading together for hours.

She was the first person who met my creative heart and understood my budding views of the world and spirituality.

We were passionate souls with an intense attraction to the arts. She played drums and clarinet and I played trumpet. We continued music through high school, and she planned on taking her love of music into a career. Susan was the first to leave the state for college in our family, and it was quite the leap for her personally and emotionally.

Susan did not complete her studies, instead marrying a military man — the man of her dreams — with a life deeply rooted in farming. She was in love and left collegiate life behind to start a family.

Both our lives were full and on different trajectories.

That put a gap in our relationship, and sometimes we found ourselves worlds apart from understanding each other. As the years passed, we found ourselves coming together only in celebrations and deaths.

Susan’s mother, Joyce, was my aunt — my mom’s sister and best friend. She passed unexpectedly in 2004, and Susan began to harden.

Life was coming at her from many directions — a growing daughter and a military man living the transient military life, war, and running a farm.

We were adrift from each other for many years. By the time her father died in 2015, we were at the most distant. I could barely feel her as a part of my life, but I have a distinct memory of hugging her in the reception line at the funeral. She was stiff, yet put together with perfection — as she always was. I squeezed her hard and felt her body give with the grief she had been holding back for eleven years since her mom had died.

Her facade was cracked, and I began to see the girl she used to be.

I reached out to her from time to time, and life wouldn’t slow down enough for the connection we needed. It wasn’t until this past year that we found time to connect again.

We now meet weekly and share a few hours reflecting

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on who we are, where we’ve been, the many lessons we’ve learned, and how we plan to deal with the future.

The space we have created together is healing — food for our weary souls — and a reminder of who we are in worlds that did not turn out as expected. We tell stories that define our lives and challenge ourselves with the openness I have needed.

Yes, there are tears and then bouts of hysterical laughter that have been a staple in our relationship from day one.

I see her allowing the pain to be released in a safe place before going back into a hectic life and responsibilities.

Last week Susan came by and shared her breakthrough with her granddaughter. We sat on the deck and looked at the barren trees against the crispness that only comes in fall.

A core memory was about to happen for both of us.

Susan keeps an immaculate home and takes care of her things. On a chaotic night at her home, where all three grandchildren and her daughter were unexpectedly hanging out for the evening, she found herself frantically preparing sandwiches that suited all the requests from the little ones while her daughter completed an online class.

They went outside to watch an amazing sunset. Her granddaughter was in the swing. Being a child, she began swinging right and left as well as back and forth.

She hit the wall several times, and Susan had to scold her for it. At the same time, her grandson jumped on the swing and sent it against the wall yet again.

Susan began to tear up. Her dam was breaking.

Instead of leaving the moment in uncomfortable discipline, she decided to share why she was so protective of a swing, something that can be easily replaced.

She looked into her granddaughter’s eyes, allowing herself to be vulnerable. She shared the reason why she was protective of the swing and why it was special to her: Her husband bought it for her right before her mother died.

Her mother’s death was prolonged and excruciating to witness. Susan found herself working days and spending evenings by her mother’s side. Bill, her husband, would always be in that swing waiting for her to get home safely. It kept her going and was a beacon for her.

Her granddaughter listened to her intently and put her arms around Susan’s neck to comfort her. That moment of vulnerability with her grandchild offered Susan another moment of healing, and understanding and was a healthy, emotional education for a child who has yet to experience grief herself.

As she told me the story, we were both in tears and let them flow. It was as necessary as any wound that refused to heal until it was cleaned out and tended. For me and Susan, this was a moment we needed — a nexus — this fall, on my back porch. •

CHRISTINA ESTRADA

Christina Estrada is a lifelong seeker of light in the darkness wearing a variety of hats, including, but not limited to: student/teacher, survivor/healer, mother/child, therapist/client, introverted extrovert. At present, a disabled wife and mother with stories and thoughts from five decades of life and 30 years of social work, inpatient and outpatient.

VIEWS

2023 IN REVIEW: A LETTER TO REPUBLICANS: THOMAS CLAY IS SICK OF ‘ALL’ OF YOUR SHIT

By Thomas E. Clay, Jr. | leo@leoweekly.com

DEAR REPUBLICANS, I was wondering when it might be enough for you to give up on Trump?

Every single indictment against him was presented to a grand jury with *only* Republican witnesses. How can this be some grand witch hunt if all of the witnesses against him are Republicans?

He’s been in our lives for eight years now and we, the sane people of the United States, see all of you Magats teetering on the precipice of throwing our democracy in the toilet or falling in love with Vladimir Putin and turning the U.S. in to some satellite state with Pootie in charge.

I have friends who say that you all will eventually flee the flagrant and obscene amount of imbecility that comes with Trump, Marjorie, and Lauren — and I keep telling them that you will not ever come back into the realm of reality.

I know there is no polite way to tell you that everything you believe in is an illusion, but here we are.

It’s hard to gauge if it is a form of dementia or just common stupidity that has afflicted the members of your party who attend these Trump rallies but at this point, there’s no point in arguing about which it is.

Trump told Hannity that China paid $18 billion to farmers after he imposed tariffs on China. It’s akin to saying, “Monkeys fly on popsicles so Kevin McCarthy can ski on banana skins.”

China did not pay a single nickel in tariffs, you did. That’s how tariffs work in reality but in Republicanistan, you all seem to believe other nations pay tariffs. That’s not how things work. That trade war with China that Trump said was so easy to win?

Yeah, well we had to borrow money from China to pay the farmers during COVID

when they had a $26 billion surplus with China. Trump erased that number, but of course ‘sane’ people also know that you care nothing for facts anymore, especially the ones what prove how wrong you all are about everything.

Kevin McCarthy and Marjorie swore to the sweet baby Jesus that they were going to tackle the Bidenflation as soon as they took power. And what did they do to cut oil prices and reduce inflation?

Well the first week Kevin became speaker, you all passed three abortion bills, but lowering the price of oil and inflation?

Well you all haven’t done a damn thing.

Jim Jordan and James Comer are trying to convince anyone who will listen that they have whistleblowers who are going to blow the lid off Benghazi and Hunter Biden’s laptop. And how many of the ‘whistleblowers’ have both of them managed to produce in a single hearing?

None, not one. Zip. James Comer’s big ‘whistleblower’ who was going to testify about all the criminal activity of the Bidens turned out to be a dual citizen of the US and Israel who is working

as a foreign agent for China — illegally I might add. He’s seemingly fled justice in the U.S. and remains abroad from the long arms of American Justice but Comer still will not stop hemming and hawing about how this is the big witness.

A Chinese agent is his big witness who has fled jurisdiction to avoid facing American Justice. You built that.

Meanwhile, the economy is doing better than anywhere else in the world since COVID and would be doing better still if Republicans cared a single whit about making anything better. Instead Marjorie got on the podium of Turning Point USA and told everyone how Joe was just trying to finish what Roosevelt and LBJ did and the White House is using that as a campaign ad because that’s exactly right.

No matter how many times Republicans have been put in charge, you always end up breaking the economy and adding more and more to the national debt while Democrats are the *only* fiscally responsible people who do anything to reduce the debt.

Trump and his Republican congress added $6 trillion to the national debt because all of you people living in Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana bitch the loudest about how awful Democrat states are run while you all cannot suck enough money out of Washington, which is always more than you contribute. The biggest welfare states are all Red States.

And what do you all contribute to the Nation? Tommy Tuberville who is singularly the dumbest senator ever elected, which Marsha Blackburn is thankful for.

Not only do we have to put up with the endless lying of Republicans in office, now we have to put up with the Klanned Karenhood of Mom’s for Liberty who like to recite Hitler quotes and ban books, you know, just like nazis did.

A Republican school superintendent in Oklahoma told a meeting of teachers that the Tulsa Race Riots could be taught but they

needed to not mention that they were ‘race riots.’

I mean, at this point, you don’t want history taught. And, it seems, you don’t want Algebra taught because a poll done for and by Republicans found that a majority of Republicans don’t want ‘Arab numerals taught to your kids’ because you all do not understand that our good old American numerals are the same Arab numerals. I guess you all don’t want to be ‘woke’ about a damn thing, huh?

Are you seriously thinking about voting for Trump again because he has flat out stated that he will end democracy in the United States and he will fire every federal employee who is not a Trump supporter.

Is that the vision you all see? Where every student is stunted because you don’t want to prepare them for a modern world where facts, science and competence matter?

It seems in every Trump rally some dunderhead says, “We need to get back to the way things were in the 1950s,” which is rather optimistic considering your Supreme Court Justices are aiming for the 1850s.

It’s painfully obvious that you all want to chuck everything in the fuck-it bucket and let Jesus take the wheel but what in the hell happened to your responsibility as Americans to leave a better country than your parents left you? Hmm? Because every single one of you cult members are blowing that for all of your grandchildren because you only care about the bullshit culture wars your dumbass politicians keep pretending to fight.

15 of the hottest days ever recorded on this planet have been this month. It was 154 degrees on an Iranian airport earlier this week and it’s like beating our heads against a wall when we even attempt to try and communicate to you all that climate change is real and that your belief in the end times and Jesus coming back is a bunch of malarkey but is there anything that can get your heads out of the sand so we can start addressing this very real problem?

Of course, my friends who think you will swing back into the land of sanity are mistaken. After watching Trump’s town hall with Hannity, I came to the realization that we’ll just have to wait for you all to die. •

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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NEWS & ANALYSIS

‘2023 IN REVIEW’ FEDS: LOUISVILLE POLICE ‘ROUTINELY’ ENGAGED IN UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES, ‘HARMED’ BLACK COMMUNITY. CONSENT DECREE COMING.

THORNS & ROSES

By Josh Wood | jwood@leoweekly.com

THORN: HOUSE FIRE DURING HOLIDAYS It’s a common occurrence as the chilly temps set in and people use space heaters or other methods of staying warm, but the house fire that claimed the life of a child and one adult in Louisville’s Chickasaw neighborhood is all too sober a reminder that fire safety is important during this season. At press time, another adult is in critical condition. Please check for fire hazards around your home and have working smoke detectors. This family did or things likely could have been much worse.

THE WORST, BEST & MOST ABSURD

ROSE: BIG CHEERS FOR BESHEAR On Dec. 12, Beshear will be sworn in for his second term as governor of Kentucky. On hand for the event will be Eastern Kentucky native singer Tyler Childers, and state poet laureate Silas House. There is also a poster contest for children and guess what else, you’re invited. RSVP is required at Kentucky. gov/inaguration.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a press conference announcing the findings of the Department of Justice’s two-year investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department at Louisville Metro Hall on March 8, 2023. | Photo by Carolyn Brown.

Editor’s Note: This article was written in the hours after the Department of Justice report on the Louisville Metro Police Department was released on March 8. As such, it is based on a fast read of the 90page document, what was said by officials in a press conference announcing the findings, and reactions from community members in the immediate aftermath of the report’s release. While we have tried to dive into the major themes of the report and highlight certain incidents, this is not an exhaustive list of the misconduct described within it and we still recommend reading the entire report, which is linked to at the end of the story.

IN a damning 90-page report released on March 8, the U.S. Department of Justice

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said it has “reasonable cause to believe” that the Louisville Metro Police Department engages in unconstitutional policing, including discrimination against members of the Black community, violating the rights of people engaging in free speech activities critical of the police and by “routinely” conducting unlawful searches and seizures.

“For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city,” read part of the report’s executive summary. “LMPD cites people for minor offenses, like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved.”

The executive summary added that some officers “insulted people with disabilities; and called Black people ‘monkeys,’ ‘animal,’ and ‘boy.’”

Speaking at a press conference at downtown Louisville’s Metro Hall announcing the findings on March 8, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the DOJ and the city had signed an “agreement in principle” committing them to negotiate a legally-binding federal consent decree.

“This conduct is unacceptable. It is heartbreaking. It erodes community trust necessary for effective policing. And it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honor,” said Garland of the misconduct and unconstitutional

A LEAF?: GRIM REAPER DOING HIS DUE DILIGENCE It is tasteless to celebrate the death of someone but, in the case of the passing of 100-year-old Henry Kissinger, a man responsible for the deaths of millions, it’s hard not to wish that kind of malice away from the world and hope that the afterlife finds him like the millions of lives he helped to snuff out. Kissinger himself was a refugee from the Nazis in Germany and yet his own experience didn’t extend grace to others. He was a calculating and cold strategist, and now he’s gone. He wasn’t the only major political death this week, Sandra Day O’Connor also died at age 93. She was the first woman on the Supreme Court. Moral: Be questionable to despicable as a human and live a long life.

THORN: NOT ENOUGH VETS FOR YOUR PETS Veterinary Medicine in Kentucky, much like the healthcare industry for humans is seeing a decline in its workforce and older veterinarians are having to work for a longer time. The shortage is affecting those who need farm animal care the most. In 86 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, the shortage is being felt in real-time. The students in veterinary school aren’t choosing the rural communities to fulfill their roles. Good veterinary care for farm animals means a safer food supply for people. Something for new vets to consider. The Courier-Journal found loan debt, long hours, and burnout among the reasons for the shortage.

NEWS & ANALYSIS

police practices described in the report. “And it is an affront to the people of Louisville, who deserve better.”

Garland called recent reform efforts within LMPD ahead of the report “commendable” but added that “more must be done.”

Speaking to LEO Weekly, Louisville Urban League President Kish Cumi Price said the report was “sickening, but also sobering to have the practices we’ve been calling out for so long to be validated, or affirmed, by the Justice Department.”

The DOJ announced its wide-ranging investigation into LMPD in April 2021, 13 months after the police killing of Breonna Taylor and following months of protests in Louisville.

While the DOJ investigation was civil, not criminal, in nature, separately four former LMPD officers have been federally charged in connection to the raid that killed Taylor.

During the Metro Hall press conference, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who said his office received the report the day before its release, said hearing the details of the report “brings back a lot of painful memories.” The mayor, who was sworn in in January, publicly apologized to those who had been harmed by LMPD’s actions.

“Too many people who deserve respect and dignity didn’t get it from officers of the law sworn to protect them. Instead, they received contempt and abuse,” he said. “To those people who have been harmed: On behalf of our city government, I’m sorry. You deserved better. We can and will do better.”

Among a long list of violations, the DOJ also found that LMPD officers often escalate encounters, which then leads to excessive force, as well as allow police dogs to bite people after they have already surrendered.

RACIAL BIAS IN POLICING

One subheading in the DOJ report is devastatingly blunt: “LMPD Engages in Racially Disparate Enforcement that Harms Black People.”

That section starts off by saying: “LMPD treats Black people differently than white people even when they engage in the same conduct.”

Illustrating that point, the report said Black people are 3.6 times more likely than white people to be cited for having a broken headlight, 4.7 times more likely to be cited for improper tags, more than four times more likely to be charged with loitering, 2.5 times more likely to be charged with disorderly conduct and 3 times more likely to be charged with littering.

“These disparities are so large that they are unlikely to result from race-neutral enforcement,” the report concluded.

The DOJ took aim at LMPD’s use of “pretextual” traffic stops — that is, traffic stops

based on a minor violation like a busted headlight or a wide turn, but actually aimed at trying to find a larger charge or outstanding warrant.

This kind of policing disproportionately targets Black residents, the report said, whether they are in a majority Black neighborhood or not.

LMPD also fails to take allegations of explicit racial bias by individual officers seriously, the report said.

The report highlighted a 2015 incident in which a white sergeant called a group of Black men “fucking monkeys.” According to the DOJ, LMPD investigated the officer for “discourtesy and conduct unbecoming, but not bias or prejudice.”

In a 2017 incident, an officer said, “Gimme your arm, boy!” after chasing down a Black man who fled after officers approached him in the street. The officers struck him, leaving the man bloodied, and said, “This is what happens when you act like a fucking thug.” When the man denied having a gun, as officers accused, and asked why they chased him, the officer said: “That’s the problem with this community, nobody wants to take a stand for what they did.”

The officers were not disciplined.

Similarly, LMPD found no violations when a white officer during in-service training asserted that “minorities are the majority and they’re the ones that’s committing the…violent crime.”

“In sum, LMPD’s inadequate and dismissive response to racial bias signals that discrimination is tolerated,” the report said.

WEAK OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The widespread misconduct within LMPD is aided by a lack of oversight and accountability, the DOJ found.

“LMPD supervisors regularly fail to identify, document and address problematic conduct by officers under their command,” reads part of the report. “A high-ranking LMPD official told us bluntly, ‘There is a lack of supervision here.’

That view is widely shared within LMPD.” Additionally, the DOJ found LMPD’s internal investigation protocols “flawed,” saying the department “sets arbitrarily high thresholds for investigating allegations of misconduct” and that even when investigations do occur, they fail to be “thorough, impartial and timely.”

In its report, the DOJ said LMPD’s discipline investigations can take years to complete (which is something LEO Weekly has regularly encountered in its reporting).

Instead of recommending investigations into misconduct, the DOJ found, LMPD supervisors often “verbally counsel” the officer.

Additionally, the DOJ found officers discourage civilians from filing complaints by adding “unnecessary burdens,” including

making members of the public sign statements that if they make a false statement in their complaint, they “shall be guilty of Perjury in the Second Degree” and that they can be sued by the officer their complaint is against.

The DOJ found that LMPD threatened and retaliated against civilian complainants. The report described how in one instance, a woman who’d been hit in a shooting was trying to file a complaint about how she felt the LMPD investigation was deficient. According to the DOJ, she then received a voicemail from a detective who said he was dropping the case because “you’re trying to file a formal complaint on me.”

REPORT SHEDS LIGHT ON SPECIFIC INSTANCES OF MISCONDUCT, UNCONSTITUTIONAL POLICING

While the investigation looked at patterns and practices within LMPD, it also highlighted a number of specific instances of officer misconduct and unconstitutional policing to illustrate the broader problems.

In one unlawful search and arrest incident the DOJ spotlighted, which was first reported

by LEO Weekly, LMPD officers responding to the scene of a stabbing stormed into an apartment to arrest an uninvolved woman because she had a similar physical description to a potential perpetrator.

In another incident, an LMPD officer searching for a suspect in a home invasion came across a Black 14-year-old boy lying face down in the grass. Without warning — and even though the child was not resisting — the officer sicced a dog on the boy and “ordered the dog to bite the boy at least seven times.”

In 2019, the DOJ said, an LMPD officer slammed a Black man’s head into the ground, “causing profuse bleeding” after the man called the officer “too little.”

“Nobody’s too little bro, this is what happens right here…. Who’s too little, huh?” the officer said. The DOJ added more force was used on the man, even though he was handcuffed and of no risk to the officers, or of fleeing.

As part of its investigation, the DOJ said investigators read “many thousands of documents” and reviewed “thousands” of hours of LMPD officer body camera footage.

The DOJ also found that LMPD violates the Americans with Disabilities Act with its treatment of people with behavioral health disabilities.

To highlight that point, the DOJ shed additional light on the case of Keith Smith, a homeless 66-year-old Black man who died in Louisville’s jail in January of last year. As LEO first reported several weeks after his death, despite a recommendation from Pretrial Services that he be released from custody,

Smith was held in jail on a $1,500 bond after being arrested for refusing to leave a downtown restaurant on a cold night.

According to the DOJ, Smith had “an apparent behavioral health disability” and had more than 25 run-ins with LMPD in the two years that preceded his death — and in some of these instances, the DOJ said LMPD officers mocked him or escalated the situation. In one instance in October 2021, the DOJ wrote, officers were called to the scene of a “disorderly person panhandling” and found Smith with his shirt off. He spoke to officers and was “not making any sense,” but officers said he “always” acted that way. Despite that assertion, officers started talking about what to charge him with and wrote him up on a drug paraphernalia charge after bringing him to the hospital.

In body cam footage of Smith’s last arrest in January 2022, obtained by LEO Weekly, a seemingly distressed Smith can be seen asking LMPD to call EMS for him.

“We’re not calling EMS,” said an officer to Smith, who was largely unintelligible in the body cam footage. “Because you don’t need EMS.” Smith died several days later at Louisville’s jail.

“These encounters — including the October 2021 and January 2022 incidents — could have been handled by a behavioral health-focused response concurrently with law enforcement, and some did not need police involvement at all,” the DOJ wrote about Smith.

Several months after Smith’s death, Louisville launched a pilot program that sees nonpolice responders showing up to some 911 calls for behavioral health issues — occasionally by themselves, sometimes with police. However, according to the DOJ, as of January, that program is only operating for eight hours per day and only in one part of Louisville.

DOJ LAYS OUT RECOMMENDATIONS

In order to reform LMPD and ensure policing that complies with the Constitution and federal law, the DOJ has laid out 36 specific recommendations for the department.

Chief among them are reforms surrounding force, how and when it is used, and how to ensure accountability when force is used.

The DOJ is also calling on LMPD not only to adopt different warrant policies, but to make sure officers are aware of proper criteria and procedures for warrants and searches.

Other recommendations call for LMPD to create a “true crisis intervention team” to respond to behavioral health calls and for the city’s non-police response pilot program for certain 911 calls be expanded.

However, both the DOJ and city officials portray a long path ahead to reform.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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NEWS & ANALYSIS

“Whether here in Louisville or around the country, police reform won’t happen overnight or by chance. It will take time, along with focused effort and sustained commitment,” said Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta.

“Improvement will not occur, as you’ve heard before, overnight,” said Interim LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.

In brief remarks, the interim chief, who took over the department in January, invoked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., saying: “The ultimate measure of a man is not when he stands in the moments of comfort or convenience, but when he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

REACTIONS FROM COMMUNITY, POLITICIANS

In a statement, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called the DOJ findings “concerning,” adding: “My hope is that everyone in Louisville will come together and see the findings of this report as an urgent opportunity to take intentional steps for positive, lasting change.”

On Twitter, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is also the Republican frontrunner in the crowded race to take on Beshear in this fall’s gubernatorial election, wrote: “The vast majority of Kentucky’s law enforcement community practices & serves the Commonwealth with dignity & honor, & I am thankful to these brave men & women who put their lives on the line day in & day out to keep our communities safe. We hope that the U.S. Department of Justice’s work with Louisville Metro and city officials will help address lingering concerns & better allow law enforcement to keep people safe.”

In a statement, The 490 Project, an activist group focused on police reform, said the DOJ “confirmed what the people of Louisville already knew — the Louisville Metro Police Department has long engaged in unconstitutional practices and policies that violate constitutional rights.”

The group called for “systemic changes” as well as for transparency in the city’s upcoming contract negotiations with the police union, which the city has said would be closed-door meetings.

For LMPD and the city, building trust will remain difficult.

Anti-violence activist Christopher 2X told LEO Weekly he was not surprised by the DOJ’s findings.

“For many years we’ve always heard these complaints. With regards to patrols and specialized units, you would always hear these things. And now the Justice Department is saying based on their findings, these things are reality,” said 2X. “Now, the long-term challenge is how these relationships — especially with LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

the African American community and LMPD particularly — is going to evolve into a trust relationship. Because you can believe, coming out of this, most likely there’s still going to be that hesitancy of trust based on what Attorney General Garland talked about today.”

Price, the Louisville Urban League president, was also hesitant about the prospects for bridge building.

“So much has been done to create a culture of mistrust, that in order to even begin to try to build trust, it really starts with listening to the community and then responding to what the community is sharing,” she said.

She added one of those potential building blocks for trust would be allowing the public into upcoming contract negotiations between the city and the police union — something the Greenberg administration has said it will not do.

“So instead of that being a block of trust, there’s mistrust there,” she said. • To read the DOJ report in its entirety, go to: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/ file/1573011/download

KEY FINDINGS OF

THE DOJ REPORT (IN THE DOJ’S OWN WORDS)

• LMPD uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers.

• LMPD conducts searches based on invalid warrants.

• LMPD unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing.

• LMPD unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops.

• LMPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.

• LMPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech critical of policing.

• Louisville Metro and LMPD discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.

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9

2023 IN REVIEW: ‘LET ’S CHECK THE BOARD’:

LOUISVILLE FASHIONISTA BECOMES TIKTOK STAR RAESHANDA LIAS-LOCKHART

HAS BUILT A HUGE FOLLOWING FOR HER TOUGH LOVE — AND APPROACHABLE STYLE

By Erica Rucker | erucker@leoweekly.com

RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart has made fashion and teachable moments her brand. | PHOTO BY TYLER LIZENBY

“A LOT of you have said, ‘RaeShanda, you’re not Mrs. Garrett, but you stay giving us the facts of life.’”

If you’re a fan of TikTok, chances are you’ve “been to the board” with RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart of All is Fair in Love and Fashion (or @shopaif), a women’s clothing and accessories boutique. Even as Lias-Lockhart preps her store (online and by appointment only) for the coming Kentucky Derby season, her viral videos offer common sense advice, which she delivers at her dry-erase board. Lias-Lockhart also meets her followers — some of whom are also patrons of her business — online during live events where she talks about new products and shares insight into how she approaches TikTok. Meeting Lias-Lockhart “at the board” or at a live event offers just a taste of the content and hard work that has made her famous.

Lias-Lockhart has over two million followers on TikTok and comes close to 100,000 on

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

Instagram. Opening up with LEO, she shares her journey to TikTok stardom, making clear that despite this recent bit of fame, she’s already had quite a journey from homelessness to business owner and now muchsought-after online personality.

Initially, Lias-Lockhart used Facebook for her clothing business but resisted TikTok. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do on TikTok. I’m not getting on TikTok, it’s another app that I have to be active on,’” Lias-Lockhart said.

Lias-Lockhart started using the app so that she could watch other creators’ videos.

In March of 2021, she posted a few videos of her own. After one went viral, she began to find a rhythm.

“I just started posting, like, my rules for life, and, like, three or four months in of posting, something went viral and it just went from there.”

Lias-Lockhart began introducing her

family — her wife LaShondra and their five children (four of RaeShanda’s and one of LaShondra’s). Within a year, her following had grown to one million.

Lias-Lockhart doesn’t do a lot of planning for her videos. Much of what she shares comes to her in a moment. She also doesn’t necessarily spend entire days on social media.

“I used to post, like, once, maybe twice, a day. Now, I just post whenever, because everything I post and everything I do is off the cuff anyway. It’s not written down anywhere. So if I think about something, I post it, especially at the chalkboard,” she said.

The chalkboard is where Lias-Lockhart explains simple life lessons and points out obvious truths like the importance of having the right outfit for a Beyoncé concert — a nonnegotiable must — or how to protect one’s peace from those who don’t have the best intentions. Lias-Lockhart’s intuitive

responses to simple dilemmas provide almost mini-therapy sessions in the span of a TikTok minute.

“No, it’s not wrong to feel the way you feel, and it’s not okay for you to be around people that you kinda like, or you don’t wanna be with,” said Lias-Lockhart. “Especially coming from someone that has no problem with saying no. I love a good ‘no.’

I keep one in my holster daily to dish out to anybody. And I feel like a lot of my friends … They have anxiety and they suffer because they don’t know how to say no to people.

“So, that was very freeing for me to start just letting people know, ‘You don’t have to deal with fake friends,’ or, ‘It’s not even really that you’re dealing with fake friends, it’s that you’re putting people in categories that they don’t belong and you’re getting hurt.’”

Lias-Lockhart learned these life lessons early — before she began her boutique sell-

ing women’s clothing and accessories and before becoming a TikTok sensation.

Born in Chicago, Lias-Lockhart grew up in Mississippi after moving there with her mother when she was about six years old.

At 13, Lias-Lockhart gave birth to her first child, but when the father of her son — and then later a different boyfriend after him — each died tragically in a car accident, her mother suggested that perhaps men were not for her. To Lias-Lockhart, the joke made perfect sense and she followed her heart, meeting her first girlfriend just before leaving for the military at 19.

Even so, during her service in Frankfurt, Germany, Lias-Lockhart married a man and became the mother of three more children. After the military, she moved back home to Mississippi.

Lias-Lockhart’s story could make quite a movie. The usual life highs and lows are there, but throw in a natural disaster and a family betrayal to the tune of $30,000 and it becomes the stuff of Hollywood.

It was Hurricane Katrina — which hit the Gulf Coast in 2005 — that brought her for the first time to the Bluegrass State in 2006.

“I had a college friend here in Kentucky. And when Hurricane Katrina came through, she suggested Kentucky. And I was like, ‘Kentucky? People don’t wear shoes in Kentucky,’” Lias-Lockhart laughed.

The friend reminded Lias-Lockhart that she was also from a state ridiculed as an impoverished backwater.

“She said, ‘Girl, you are from Mississippi,’” Lias-Lockhart recalled. “I was like, ‘Touche.’”

Lias-Lockhart moved herself and her children to Frankfort, Kentucky, where she began working as a financial aid officer for Kentucky State University. At KSU, Lias-Lockhart finished her degree.

Lias-Lockhart went back to Mississippi to start a nonprofit, but after losing a large sum of money to a family member, she packed up her family and left Mississippi in a fit of anger in the middle of the night.

That’s when she found her way to Louisville. She was broke, hurt, and homeless — living with her kids in a pay-by-the-week motel off Preston Highway.

“I didn’t know anybody here. I found a temp job through Kelly Services. Started working at Republic Bank,” said Lias-Lockhart.

“I remember looking through the newspaper, and nobody at work knew I was homeless, but this one lady next to me was like, ‘If you’re looking for a place to stay, don’t stay in West Louisville.’

And I was like, ‘Why not?’ She didn’t know that I didn’t have a place to stay and I didn’t know there were different sides to Louisville or whatever. And she was like, ‘Just don’t stay in West Louisville.’ So of course I found a home and it was in West Louisville on Greenwood and Cecil Ave.” In that home, Lias-Lockhart’s life changed forever. One night, in October 2012, she started a Facebook page: “All Is Fair in Love and Fashion.”

“I was just putting together style ideas for women,” she said. “So if you’ve ever seen those collages with the shirt, pants, and shoes with nobody in them, I started posting those, and something I posted went viral,” she said.

“I went from 200 followers to 2,000 followers to 200,000. Somebody suggested, ‘Why don’t you start selling these clothes that you were posting?’ I was like, ‘I don’t wanna do retail.’”

Lias-Lockhart was still working another job. However, the encouragement from a follower in Atlanta helped Lias-Lockhart decide to start selling the fashions she’d been styling for free. The follower asked Lias-Lockhart to be a buyer for a boutique in Georgia.

Lias-Lockhart agreed and did the job for a few months. Then the fol-

Lias-Lockhart runs the fashion boutique All is Fair in Love and Fashion both online and by appointment | PHOTO BY TYLER LIZENBY LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

11

lower told LiasLockhart that she was going to teach her how to run her own boutique.

That follower, Shelly, remains a friend today.

Connecting with her wasn’t Lias-Lockhart’s only moment of serendipity.

“One of the amazing things is there was a grant coming up, a revitalization grant, and it was only for people that lived in West Louisville. And I said, ‘Had I listened to that lady at my job, I would not have gotten the $15,000.’”

Lias-Lockhart, then shipping worldwide from her home in West Louisville, was the only online store to get the grant.

But her story certainly doesn’t end there.

She began her business, first finding a location in the Heyburn building in downtown Louisville, and then opening a short-lived retail space in Oxmoor Mall in East Louisville. But the regular retail life didn’t suit Lias-Lockhart’s tastes. She preferred the online, appointment-only approach.

While growing her business, she hired herself as her own public relations manager.

She used the internet to find contacts for local news outlets, sending releases titled, “From Homeless Vet to a Six-Figure Business.”

Local news outlets loved her story, and that press found its way to producers at “The Steve Harvey Show.” After an appearance there, Lias-Lockhart’s business continued to expand, and — amid everything else — she found love with her now-wife.

That also happened online.

“I don’t even know how we became Facebook friends,” Lias-Lockhart explained.

“She just posted like two, three days ago that we’ve been Facebook friends for 10 years.

I made a post that I was sitting at the gas station waiting for someone to pump my gas ’cuz I don’t pump gas. And she commented, ‘Bless your heart.’ And she’s from Texas. I know what that means. She’s judging me.

She inboxed me and was like, ‘I would like to take you for coffee.’”

Lias-Lockhart gave her response in the same blunt fashion that has made her famous, “And I was like, ‘Coffee? I’m not 70 years old.’”

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

Lias-Lockhart at “The Board” giving needed advice. | SCREENSHOT VIA @SHOPAIF TIKTOK

“She was like, ‘Well, I would like to get to know you.’

I said, ‘I eat and you can take me to dinner.’”

Their dinner at Mesh lasted four hours, and maybe a week later, LaShondra surprised Lias-Lockhart at her boutique.

“She came to the boutique and brought me — ‘cuz I don’t like flowers — she brought me a bowl, a spoon, some Fruity Pebbles, and some milk.”

The couple ended up on “Say Yes To The Dress,” tying the knot in 2019.

“She clowns me all the time,” said LiasLockhart. “She is the one that will humble me at any moment. But we kind of… we just mesh. We are both Leos.”

LaShondra — whose last name is also Lias-Lockhart — is a property manager in Louisville and a minister. She features prominently in RaeShanda’s videos. The couple laughs together, sometimes works together, and openly supports each other.

“We’re extra and over the top and there’s nobody to calm us down. There needs to be a balance. But it’s not, you know, there’s no balance in this house. It’s just extraness everywhere,” said Lias-Lockhart.

Just after the couple married, COVID-19 shut down the world, and Lias-Lockhart had to figure out how to maintain her business, which was also closed due to Governor Andy Beshear’s order.

“I was in bed for seven days. When I say, throwing up, sliding down the wall sick.

I was like, ‘I’m gonna be back homeless, eating beans out of a can.’ ‘What do you mean with all businesses?’ I was freaking out.

In bed seven days, and every day, my wife, cuz she’s an essential worker, so she still had to go to work, and she’d come in there and be like, “Babe, it’s gonna be okay.’ And I’m like,

Lias-Lockhart stands in front of fashions from her boutique. | PHOTO BY TYLER LIZENBY

‘Shut up.’”

Lias-Lockhart said that on the eighth day of her panic, she got out of bed and had a conversation with God, asking what she should do. Realizing the need for masks would grow, she found a way to get masks and other personal protective equipment from her manufacturers in China. Within days, she’d sold $50,000 worth even while donating to essential health workers, the National Guard, and other frontline workers.

By December 2020, she’d paid off her debt and continued to tuck money away in savings. And today, as the world emerges from isolation and needs something fabulous to wear, business is better than ever.

This April, Lias-Lockhart held her eighth Derby fashion show at Fourth Street Live!, the sold-out event previews Derby-appropriate looks because the right outfit is a Derby obligation. Some proceeds from the Fashion show are donated to the Louisville TAPP school for teen mothers.

For those of us in the Louisville area, a trip to the board or to visit Lias-Lockhart’s boutique is closer than TikTok: Lias-Lockhart and her wife LaShondra live in Jeffersonville, and Lias-Lockhart’s boutique is in Clarksville just minutes from downtown Louisville. She is open by appointment only (connect with her through social media or at shopaif.com).

For Lias-Lockhart, the journey through fashion and social media has been life-changing.

“It’s just been an amazing ride. And that’s what I mean when I’m talking about the power of social media. It changed my life and my children’s life before I even met my wife.

And now it has changed our lives. I always hold onto that good part of it. I don’t venture off into anything else and we’re fun and upbeat. I’m a really light person.”

Lias-Lockhart wants folks to know what social media can do in a positive way. She also reminds people that even while she maintains a positive page, she still faces adversity as a plus-sized, Black, gay woman and that sometimes being on social media has its drawbacks — particularly when followers push past her boundaries, forgetting that what you see on social media isn’t the whole story of her life.

“Our page is fun and light,” said LiasLockhart. When folks forget the tone of her content and make inappropriate comments, she steps in: “‘Now I gotta check you,’ which I enjoy doing. But I think that people are… they get too familiar with the parasocial relationships, that they forget that because you love somebody or love watching their content, you forget that they are human.”

Lias-Lockhart sees “the board” as the perfect chance to correct, in a fun way, those who breach her boundaries.

“I am cute and we can kiki and haha, all day, but we’ve got real issues that we deal with as Black people and as women,” she said. “So, I love the social media part of getting to tell people that.”

These days, Lias-Lockhart is in full Derby mode, adding new items to her boutique and online shop. She’s also still making content at “the board” for those who need a reminder — and sometimes, that’s even herself. •

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ARCHIVAL PHOTO OF ELIZABETH GRIFFITH | Photo provided by Author.

2023 IN REVIEW: THE LOUISVILLE LOVE TRIANGLE

THE MURDER OF ELIZABETH GRIFFITH

by J’aime Rubio

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

THE story below is chapter 14 from a book of forgotten stories. As we talk about the holiday of love, we should remember that love isn’t always sweet and sometimes, it’s even sinister. The book, “Stories of the Forgotten: Infamous, Famous & Unremembered” is written by J’aime Rubio and reprinted here with the written permission of the author. (CreateSpace, 272 pgs., $15.99) “It was Christmas Eve, 1919, in Louisville, Kentucky. A young nurse by the name of Elizabeth F. Griffith was ecstatic. Her wedding was just days away, and she was about to become a new bride.

Little did she know that this day would prove to be her last.

The story surrounding the death of Elizabeth Griffith is one shrouded in a complex web of mysterious unanswered questions, scandalous behavior and lies. It appeared that during my investigation into this case, every time it seemed as though I had found answers, I stumbled upon even more questions and clues. After countless hours of researching every avenue I could find, I felt it necessary to bring back Elizabeth’s story from the dark abyss of forgotten ones, and shed light onto this ever perplexing mystery.

Elizabeth Griffith was born on May 13, 1902, to parents Martha McLean and John Griffith of Louisville, Kentucky. At the time of her death, seventeen-year-old Elizabeth was working as an office assistant to a very prominent doctor in town, Christopher G. Schott. After her death, the newspapers brought up the fact that Elizabeth and Schott had briefly been engaged to be married, however the engagement was soon called off.

Stories seem to differ on just who ended the relationship, although Elizabeth continued working for Schott at his office, so it seemed to the unsuspecting eye that the break up was amicable.

As time went on, Elizabeth started seeing another male suitor, George Jordan, an Army Captain who was stationed at Fort Zachary Taylor, in Key West, Florida. The two hit it off, and eventually the pair were engaged to be married on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, due to changes in his military responsibilities, Captain Jordan had to postpone the wedding by a few days. Jordan chose to travel all the way to Louisville to see Elizabeth to break the news to her in person. According to his statements, she was happy and excited about the upcoming nuptials and seemed to be alright with the wedding date change to New Year’s Day. When he left her to go back to Fort Zachary Taylor, she

was alive and well. Knowing the wedding was now a week away, Elizabeth continued on with her day as usual and went to work at the Dr. Schott’s office. It wasn’t until after 3:30 p.m. on that day, Dec. 24, when everything changed.

“The eternal triangle…It was just like many other love affairs. We had been good pals for more than a year and I am confident she loved me. Once, in my office, she saturated a cloth with chloroform and was found in a semi-stupor.”

It was around that time that Elizabeth’s body was discovered in a locked back room of Dr. Schott’s office with a bullet through the heart. The gun, a .45 caliber revolver belonging to Dr. Schott, was found next to her body. It was ascertained that she had been shot from above in a downward trajectory, having been on her knees at the time of her death. In the middle of possibly pleading for her life, she took one bullet to the chest. The person who allegedly found Elizabeth’s body was none other than Dr. Schott himself, who was then accompanied by his thirteen-year-old neighbor, Laurene Gardner. Schott claimed that he and his little companion, Laurene came to the office after driving around town for several hours, delivering Christmas gifts. After returning to the office he noticed the back room door was locked. Using his own key, he unlocked the door and found Elizabeth’s body in a pool of blood. Schott told the police that he was certain that Elizabeth had committed suicide.

In other words, besides mentioning there was some sort of “eternal” love triangle, he was also attempting to sully her reputation by claiming that Elizabeth was getting high on the doctor’s supplies. Interestingly though, Dr. Schott offered more information with that one statement than he would realize. This will be discussed later on in this chapter. According to his statement, Dr. Schott claimed he was happy for Elizabeth’s upcoming marriage and that he felt it would be a good “trial run” for the marriage he believed would take place in the future between the two of them. It was apparent that although he made remarks that Elizabeth was obsessed with him, it was clearly the opposite. Friends of Elizabeth said that she had ended the engagement with the doctor claiming she was actually afraid of him, and that she was too afraid to quit her job, at least until she was married.

Detectives investigating found no evidence of suicide, but instead believed that the lack of powder burns on her body, clothes or hands proved that she was murdered. They also discovered a newspaper clipping in her pocket, which led to even more questions.

The piece of paper had a headline that read: “Paying the Debt in Full”—with a lead pencil underlined sentence, “Who was it that took the pains to tell your husband about the one awful mistake you made in your life?” Even more perplexing was the handwritten words on the margin of the clipping that read, “The man who persuaded you to make it.”

This clue left detectives scratching their heads, but certain that it had something to do with Elizabeth’s murder. With this in mind, the police did not hesitate to arrest Dr. Schott for the murder of the young lady and held him on $15,000 bail until arraignment. When questioned, Dr. Schott claimed that he was innocent, but didn’t make himself look too good with his admission of his odd relationship with the deceased. The Chicago Tribune dated December 26, 1919 quoted Dr. Schott when he was questioned about his relationship with Elizabeth, saying:

Investigating the dynamic of Schott and Elizabeth’s past relationship reveals much more. One of Elizabeth’s friends, Anna Boswell, did not like the doctor one bit, due to his bad reputation. This caused the two friends to avoid conversation about Elizabeth’s relationship with the doctor. Nurse Cohan, another close friend of Elizabeth, was quoted in the newspapers. She recalled one night when she, Elizabeth, Dr. Lee Botts and another young gentleman were out for dinner and a show.

“We walked out First Street from Chestnut Street. At the drug store at First Street and Broadway, Dr. Botts went in and ordered a taxicab.

The taxi arrived soon after and we all got in. Just before we started away though, a man stepped up to the side of the cab and peered in the window.

Elizabeth exclaimed: “Yes, It’s me, George. It’s Elizabeth.”

It was later explained to the group that “George” was a man that Dr. Schott had hired to shadow her everywhere. It seemed that the doctor had serious insecurities and trust issues, and this caused Elizabeth not only to resent him, but to fear him for his out of control jealous nature. Could the good ole’ doctor have hired George to commit the dastardly deed, murdering poor Elizabeth?

During the inquest, some of Elizabeth’s letters to Dr. Schott were read to the jury. One was dated LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

15

Photo of the grave of Elizabeth Griffith in Cave Hill Cemetery | Photo by Robert Mitchell.

in May of 1919, while Elizabeth was in nursing school at the city hospital. It read: “Did you ever stop to think that the time would come when I didn’t want to come back? You seem to think you can have me or leave me at will. I’ll admit that I waited, hoped and prayed during my first three months that you would come back to me, but now it could not be if you wished it. Your unjust suspicions today settle the question forever.

Didn’t you tell me that you had a different girl every night, and when I merely go downtown to supper you say that everything is not on the level?

Had I never gone with any one and let you do all the going, you would have found some other excuse. They are nothing new.

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

I have been fed up on excuses and promises for the past three years and let me relieve you of responsibility of making more, for I have forgotten the place where I do not even want to return. It doesn’t matter to me if you come or go. It’s hell to feel that way, and I never thought I could feel any other emotion but love for you. Don’t ever think of me personally again, as I have already schooled myself to an impersonal feeling for you. I want to keep on fixing your books and I want some money, in fact, need it. I don’t mean to borrow it, as I feel that I am earning a little bit working on the books.

It doesn’t matter how deficient I was, it will be hard to find another girl to help you as I did and be as true as I was, considering everything, and I realize, too. You just want to get something on me

so you can go around and talk about me as you did Jennie Cole, and I have been good to you, too, but I see that it is all you are after. If that is gratitude and appreciation, well.”- “Elizabeth Griffith.”

By his own admission, Dr. Schott claimed that during his time engaged to Elizabeth, he hired a private detective to shadow her wherever she went, out of fear that she would be unfaithful. During the time he was being held, Dr. Schott remained somewhat arrogant in his stance. He even went on record for the newspapers intimating that he expected to be released immediately and “to be calling on patients again” by New Year’s Eve. “They have not even proved Miss Griffith was murdered,” Schott told the press.

The Richmond Times Dispatch offered a full page spread on their take of the story. This included information that clearly pointed to the doctor as the best possible suspect and the theory of how it took place.

“More probable that this is the theory that Elizabeth Griffith– a high-spirited, courageous girl, as all her friends say– snatched the weapon from the doctor’s table and wielded it first herself in an effort to force her tormentor to cease the threats to go to her sweetheart with the stories of her past. A struggle followed and the weapon was wrested from Elizabeth’s hands. She fell to her knees to plead for mercy, but her prayers went unheeded, for a mad rage at this unexpected show of resistance nerved the hand that now held the automatic.

The trigger was pressed, the muzzle spat fire and the ill-fated little brideto-be was suddenly transformed into a ghastly bleeding corpse.”—- Richmond Times Dispatch.

During the inquest, witnesses came out of the woodwork favoring both sides. Some claimed they saw the doctor coming to the office around the same time he claimed to have found her body. Another person, a patient of Dr. Schott, Mrs. Paul Stone claimed that she called the office about an hour before Elizabeth’s alleged time of death, claiming that Elizabeth was depressed and had mentioned she didn’t have anything to live for. She stated that Elizabeth told her that the wedding was postponed because her fiancé’s mother was out of town visiting his sister and he refused to be married without his family present.

During an era when a sense of propriety was expected from everyone, it seems very unlikely that Ms. Griffith would have expressed her emotional state to a patient over the phone in a casual conversation.

Not only would it be unlikely, but unprofessional for that time period.

The only thing I could imagine was perhaps Dr. Schott had leverage on

certain “witnesses” in his defense, and possibly threatened exposure of personal secrets had they not gone along with his story. After all, most people disclose personal information to their doctor that normally they would never share with others, and in a pinch the doctor could have easily blackmailed certain people to help aid in his alibi or defense.

It seemed that the doctor was shady, hiring men to shadow Elizabeth, and from her own letters to the doctor she mentions that he was trying to “get something” on her, in order to ruin her reputation. The newspaper clipping found in her pocket eluded to that very thing.

But what was it that Dr. Schott knew about her that no one else did?

And was that information something the doctor held over her head and threatened to take to her new husband-to-be?

When it came down to questioning all the eye-witnesses in the case, not all stories matched up. William J. Ryan, a local baseball umpire, claimed that he saw the doctor leaving his office around 3:30 p.m. This was the opposite of what Schott had previously stated. He claimed his arrival was around that time, which would put him at the scene of the crime at the time of Elizabeth’s murder. Whether Schott was there or not, he could have easily made that alibi, knowing all too well that he had hired someone to do the job for him.

Even more strange was the fact that an anonymous writer sent a letter to Dr. Schott’s attorney’s threatening to kill Mr. Ryan for his testimony against the doctor. The letter which was also published in the newspapers claimed that Ryan “needed killing,” and that he was only going to cause the doctor more problems. The letter was signed simply as “A Friend.”

Elizabeth’s sister, Kate Griffith was quoted in the newspapers explaining that she had called the LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

office around the time that coroner’s claim Elizabeth had died, and that Dr. Schott had answered the phone at his office. She also was very insistent that Dr. Schott had some sort of hold over her sister and she was unsure why. With all these conflicting statements, it seemed the doctor’s story wasn’t adding up that well. He did have one trick up his sleeve. That was his little companion, thirteenyear-old Laurene Gardner. Her testimony at the grand jury hearing gave him an alibi. I found it quite interesting that at the very same time the detectives were searching for more witnesses to question in regards to the case, a discomforting headline pops up connected to the story, “Girl Takes Life To Escape Going To Witness Stand.” Could that actually be?

Was there another girl, dead?

The Appleton Daily Post, for January 9, 1920, stated that a young lady by the name of Theodosia Saunders was found dead in her house. It was suspected that she took her life to avoid speaking to detectives or to Dr. Schott’s attorneys about her possible knowledge of Elizabeth’s death. I tracked down several newspaper articles mentioning this tragic turn of events, all of which seem to be conflicting. Although some state that Miss Saunders killed herself to avoid being named a witness, others claim it was accidental, and that she had been ill with tonsillitis and was selfmedicating. According to the papers, her personal doctor came by earlier in the day to check on her and left his medical bag there by mistake. Later on, Theodosia’s mother found her body with a handful of chloroform soaked cotton. It was apparent that she had died from inhaling the toxic fumes.

Theodosia’s death certificate states it was accidental overdose of chloroform poisoning. It is quite odd that she died the very same way in which Dr. Schott claimed he had once found Elizabeth in his office, as I previously mentioned. Another thing I found strange about Schott’s statement

was the fact he even mentioned the chloroform at all. Was that a slip up by the doctor? Did Theodosia really accidentally overdose on the chloroform? Or was her death just as questionable as the way Elizabeth died?

This story seemed to take me even further down the rabbit hole with a sense of uneasiness along the way.

How did Theodosia fit into the story?

What did she know that perhaps cost her life? Why did Dr. Schott, a middle-aged man, choose to take a thirteen year old girl with him to deliver Christmas gifts alone? And how did Elizabeth end up in a locked room in the doctor’s office, to which only he had the key?

There were even more questions.

What was the cryptic newspaper clipping found in Elizabeth’s pocket all about? Was that sent to her anonymously by an ex-lover? Or perhaps a jealous woman who had affections for one of Elizabeth’s male suitors?

I found myself theorizing so many possible scenarios in both Elizabeth and Theodosia’s deaths.

Records indicate that Dr. Schott had been released from police custody a few days prior to Theodosia’s death, and newspapers relay that Dr. Schott did stop by Theodosia’s home to give her parents his condolences, so he obviously knew where she lived. Was he that desperate to have been involved in her death, too?

Or did her death have nothing to do with Elizabeth’s death, and was just merely coincidental?

After all the incriminating evidence and suspicious circumstantial evidence against the doctor, ultimately the grand jury accepted the alibi given to them by the little girl, Laurene Gardner. After dismissing all murder charges against the doctor, Elizabeth’s death slowly to faded in the papers, and over time became forgotten.

Her friends and family could find no reason that Elizabeth would have

fied woman, who was not a patient to the sanitarium, abusively dragging her across the floor and screaming to his employees to “put her to bed,” Newman had enough. After some heated words were exchanged between the two, Newman felt his life was in danger, so he went to his room and retrieved his pistol to keep in his pocket for his own safety.

A shot of the Griffith family area of Cave Hill Cemetery. According to photographer Robert Mitchell, Dr. Schott is buried nearby. | Photo By Robert Mitchell

killed herself. Her wedding was days away and her new life was in clear view. By newspaper accounts prior to her death, it shows Elizabeth’s personality to be adventurous, spirited and fearless. She was mentioned five months before her death as being a volunteer passenger on an JN-4 airplane that was delivering newspapers to Shelbyville, Lexington and Frankfort. The pilot admitted that she asked him to perform stunts such as tailspins, flip-flops, nose dives and barrelrolls. She seemed to be full of surprises and open to exciting new things. To imagine that someone as spirited as she was would end her life when she was fully capable of making any choice she wanted, just doesn’t add up.

It was so clear that she had been murdered, even the newspapers expressed their opinion of it; yet, it seemed that Dr. Schott was out of the reach of the law. How did he manage to get away with it?

Dr. Schott owned nine properties in town and the Gardner family rented one of those properties. In fact, they lived just next door to the doctor. As I had mentioned before, perhaps Schott threatened his “witnesses” to help provide an alibi for himself.

Something as serious as threatening to throw them out on the street could have been used as leverage to persuade the young girl to lie to the grand jury, giving him a solid alibi. Of course, that’s just speculation. Again, he could have very well been with Laurene as he stated, all the while a hired gun could have been waiting for Elizabeth in the office.

And where does Theodosia fit into this story?

Did she know something crucial to the case and thus she needed to be silenced, for fear that the truth could come out? Or was her death just a coincidence? It seemed so unfair to think that if Dr. Schott was responsible for ending these two young women’s lives, how was he was able to get away with it?

Fast forward to April 16, 1928. We find that Dr. Schott now has his own sanitarium for the treatment of opium and morphine addiction in Louisville, at the same location where Elizabeth’s heinous death had taken place only nine years earlier.

Schott is much older now, a heavy drinker and a tyrant of an employer. Abusive to both patients and employees, even making inappropriate sexual comments towards women in public. It seemed the doctor’s true colors came out eventually with time and carelessness. After verbally abusing the cook for misplacing a key, one of the male nurses on staff, Dan Newman, approached Dr. Schott and stood up to him, making it clear that his abuse toward his employees would not be tolerated. This did not sit well with the doctor and it immediately created tension between the two men.

According to testimony by Newman, a drunk Dr. Schott had previously bragged that he had gotten away with killing Elizabeth Griffith many years ago, as well as knocking off a fellow physician, too. Perhaps after realizing he had once shared too much information with Newman, Schott felt that his livelihood was now threatened. When the two met again that evening, their argument started again. When Newman witnessed the doctor reaching into his own coat for what he believed was a weapon, the nurse was quick on the draw, pulling his own pistol out and shooting the doctor down, dead. After the deed was done, Newman called the police and confessed to the events that had taken place. A jury freed Dan Newman on June 14, 1928, dismissing the murder charge and citing that he had acted in self defense. One can only imagine that perhaps some of the jury members from the community, who remembered Elizabeth Griffith’s case, may have been relieved that justice had in a round-about way been served.

After all, it was better late than never.

According to Robert Mitchell, Find-a-grave contributor and avid historical researcher, it was discovered that both Dr. Schott and Elizabeth are interred just a few feet from one another at Cave Hill Cemetery, in Louisville, Kentucky. It appears that Elizabeth was buried somewhere in the cemetery in December of 1919, but that she was later moved to her current plot in March of 1920.

The burial documents are in the name of Mattie Griffith, Elizabeth’s mother. Why or how Schott convinced Mattie to allow him a spot next to her daughter, the very man that so many were convinced caused her death is yet just another aspect to this unanswered mystery. Sadly, it appears that even in death Elizabeth could not seem to escape the grasp of Dr. Schott.”----Copyright October 17, 2016. All rights reserved.

This continued for several weeks. According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, dated April 17, 1928, after watching Dr. Schott bring in an unidentiLEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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STAFF PICKS FRIDAY, DEC. 8

Better Days Records Presents: Punk Rock Night Louisville - CBGB 50th Birthday Bash

SATURDAY, DEC. 9

Lydia Loveless

Whirling Tiger | 1335 Story Ave. | thewhirlingtiger.com | thewhirlingtiger.com | $25 | 8 p.m.

Alternative country artist Lydia Loveless will bring their brand of new country to the Whirling Tiger, promoting the fantastic new album Nothing’s Gonna Stand CONCERTS In My Way Again, released in September via the resurgent Bloodshot Records. Expect nothing less than magnificence from this show. —Erica Rucker

Mag Bar | 1398 S. 2nd St. | magbarlouisville.com | $12 advance, $15 at the door | Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.

On Dec. 10, 1973 at 315 Bowery Street in New York City, a little hole-in-the-wall club named CBGB opened its doors for the first time, and would go on to change the ROCK’IN face of music forever. Celebrating this 50th anniversary, Punk Rock Night Louisville pays tribute with Sedated: The Ultimate Ramones Experience (from Dallas), Creeps Inc (featuring Morgan Donor from Indignant Few) performing as Dead Boys, and Zerg Rush performing as Blondie.—Jeff Polk

SATURDAY, DEC. 9

FRIDAY, DEC. 8-24

The Brown-Forman Nutcracker

Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts | 501 W. Main St. | louisvilleballet.org/holidaymagic | $39.20+ | Times vary I’d argue that a Louisville Christmas would be incomplete without seeing “The Nutcracker.”

The Louisville Ballet always puts on an excellent production of this eternal CLASSIC classic, and the tunes are inextricably connected to the holiday season anyway. I don’t get out to see ballet as often as I’d like to, but “The Nutcracker” is always unmissable. — Carolyn Brown

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

The Umpteenth Annual $20 Art Show

Headliners | 1386 Lexington Rd. | Search Facebook | Free admission | 6-9 p.m.

Started at the old Clay Street Warehouse by John King and Mike Ratterman, the $20 Art Show is happening again for, well, its umpteenth time. This show will will bring ART together artists and crafts folks for a night of good fun and one-of-a-kind holiday gift shopping. Participating artists include: Angie Reed Garner, Will Garner, Shandy and Asana Gazo, Shayne Hull, Ashley Brossart, Clay House Pots, Damon Thompson, Natasha Sud, and many more. —Erica Rucker

STAFF PICKS

SATURDAY, DEC. 16

THURSDAY, DEC. 21

Raven’s Roost Boutique | 201 E. Market St., New Albany | Search Facebook | Free | 12-6 p.m.

Portal | 1512 Portland Ave. | Search EventBrite | $25-$35 | 6:30-8 p.m., 9:30 -11 p.m.

Meet Krampus at the Witches Market

Want the kids to behave during the holiday? Krampus has been checking rotten tots for hundreds of years. So if you’d like to get the kids in check and NAUGHTY OR NICE find some witchy goods for yourself or the beloved coven in your life, check out the Witches Market and Krampus meet-and-greet. Unless you’re a bad kid, it can’t be a terrible time.—Erica Rucker

A Better Trip

Comedian Shane Mauss is known for his forays (both personal and scientific) into many different kinds of psychedelics. (He even made a movie about those HIGHLY FUNNY experiences, “Psychonautics,” which guest-stars Eric Osborne, the leader of Louisville’s psychedelic mushroom church.) This show will have trippy visuals to accompany the stories. — Carolyn Brown

FRIDAY, DEC. 29

Shloob w/ Fredd C., TrapSteve & Elz Bentley Whirling Tiger | 1335 Story Ave. | Seach Facebook | $10 | 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 16

Louisville’s hip-hop scene has been on a run, and this show with The Homies member Schloob will showcase some of the best local rap talent. Come find out what LOCAL it’s all about. —Erica Rucker

Sweater Fest

Headliners | 1386 Lexington Road | headlinerslouisville.com | $10 in advance, $15 at the door | 12 -11 p.m.

This all-ages festival of mostlylocal music LOCAL JAMS will return for its third year. The lineup includes Snooper, Anemic Royalty, TABS, Black Sheep Mobb, Surfaced, The Ego Trippers, Rat Motel, Terminal Axon, Antithesis, qwerty, Lucky Star, and Sharp Stars. Bring winter clothes to donate and wear an ugly sweater. — Carolyn Brown Photo by Mat Schladen.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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Catering Orders Available For Holiday Parties

STAFF PICKS

MONDAY, JAN. 15

The Monday Blues Featuring The Highway 31 Blues Band

Barrel Room at 21st In Germantown | 1481 S. Shelby St. | Search Facebook | Free | 7:30 p.m.

It’s blues on a Monday at a staple club in Germantown. There’s not a lot to say about it, but on cold January days, some bourbon goes down warm, and a little blues music BLUES might chase away the blue mood of the post-holiday season. —Erica Rucker

Middletown 12003 Shelbyville Rd. 690-8344

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St. Matthews 323 Wallace Ave. 899-9670

H a p py H o u r M o n – T hur s | 4: 30 – 7p m C a l l f o r R e s e r v at i o n s w w w. Simp l yT haiKy.co m

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18

WFPK Presents: King Bu�falo

Whirling Tiger | 1335 Story Ave. | thewhirlingtiger.com | $20 | Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.

Having recorded five EPs and four full-length albums in the past 10 years, Rochester, New York-based heavy psychedelic rock trio King Buffalo are the definition of prolific. They’re almost completely D.I.Y., too, as they self-manage the band as well as PSYCHEDELIC record, produce and release their records themselves, earning spots at major music festivals such as Burning Man and tours with the likes of Clutch and All Them Witches, garnering thousands of dedicated fans (including yours truly) along the way. When they aren’t recording, they’re touring.

And the band returns to Louisville in support of their latest record, Regenerator, with Chicago heavy psych heavyweights REZN and Louisville’s own Doom Gong supporting.—Jeff Polk

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

MUSIC

ACCORDING TO JEFF, THESE ARE THE BEST LOCAL SONGS OF 2023

By Je�f Polk | leo@leoweekly.com

IT’S A BIT EARLY, but since our next issue isn’t until February, I thought this would be the best time to let you know what my favorite local songs of the year were. There were so many amazing songs, but these rose to the top for me.

FALL “501C3”

I have yet to see FALL live (“yet” being the key word).

But to be honest, I’m a little scared to.

This is the kind of aggressive old-school hardcore that I would assume leaves a lot of people bleeding after their set, and “501c3” would be a big reason for that. Parts like the first breakdown a minute in, that swells then explodes into old-school beatdown hardcore — at 2:25, it goes into an insanely powerful stomp, then a slow, plodding, crushing beat at 4:54 — if you’re not delivering a windmill kick to someone’s face in those moments, you’re on the receiving end of one. Honestly, there are so many shifts in tempo and timing here that it never gives you the chance to get bored… or comfortable, and that’s what I love about it. It’s almost like numerous pieces of different songs mixed together, but it all flows perfectly. From melodic to progressive to downright brutal, FALL rolls through every change with absolute precision while remaining aggressive as fuck the entire time. And the conviction in vocalist Michael Spalione’s voice while screaming these lyrics is truly frightening, putting every ounce of energy he has into every word. All the best elements of Sick Of It All, Snapcase, Converge, Terror, Strife, Knocked Loose, Hatebreed, and Earth Crisis — they’re all here. “501c3” is absolutely one of the best hardcore tunes I’ve heard in over 20 years! fall.bandcamp.com

INDIGNANT FEW “GIMME THAT SOMETHIN’”

A few things have happened in the 27 years since Indignant Few broke up and reunited: smartphones, Netflix, the Squatty

Potty, Amazon’s world domination, Limp Bizkit (I didn’t say they were all good). Through it all, these guys kept playing, albeit in separate bands. If you were around the local scene from 1991-1994, you knew who Indignant Few were. You couldn’t not know — they were loud, abrasive, snot-nosed punk rockers who, depending on your expectations, either created a good time or ruined it. Their songs back then weren’t particularly well-written, but they were catchy and served their purpose. Flash forward to 2023 and “Gimme That Somethin’,” Indignant Few’s first release since 1992’s Street Smart Girl EP, and, well, the more things change, the more they stay the same. They’re still loud, abrasive, snottynosed punk rockers — just older, wiser, slightly more refined, and now very capable of writing talented punk rock tunes. “Gimme That Somethin’” is a catchy as fuck, driving, powerful, energetic, straightforward, and unapologetic punk song along the lines of Social Distortion, Dead Kennedys, and The Sex Pistols, with a punchy singalong chorus that sticks in your head. This is the kind of punk music that Louisville has needed again ever since, well, since Indignant Few originally broke up. And for the record, they can still either create a good time or ruin it, depending on your expectations, only now for a whole new generation! indignantfew1.bandcamp.com

LUX “KYDS”

Easily one of the most overlooked bands in Louisville, LUX once again makes my list for favorite local songs (for the second year in a row). Far more advanced as musicians and songwriters than their young age would lead you to believe, LUX combines shoegaze with post-hardcore mixed with a bit of indie rock and even grunge for a distinctly unique sound. There is an underlying element here that brings to

mind that amazing ‘90s Louisville sound of bands such as Slint, Rodan, Falling Forward, and Enkindle that draws a ‘90s scenester like myself in. But listen a little deeper and bands like The Bends/OK Computer-era Radiohead, Hot Water Music, and early We Were Promised Jetpacks (before they went the Coldplay route) emerge. “KYDS,” one of two songs to released by the band this year, blends a flowing, emotional, melancholic, even somewhat haunting melody with explosive, driving, powerful rhythms to create a huge dreamlike soundscape.

Concerned by their social media silence since the release of their two tracks this past summer and fearing they might have broken up, I reached out to them and was told by bassist Gavin Martinez: “2/4 of us are currently in college while the other half work full time.” So they haven’t had time to do much musically lately, “but hopefully that will change once this school year is out.”

Here’s to hoping some new tunes and shows are in store for 2024! linktr.ee/luxband

PRODUCING A KIND GENERATION “STAIN”

PAKG was making this list regardless; it’s just that, initially, it was going to be “Eye Do” from their Life is a Miracle album, which came out back in April. But then they snuck in their brand new album All of Us at the last minute, and I heard “Stain”. This is a hit song if I’ve ever heard one. The fact that PAKG isn’t signed to a major label and their songs aren’t in rotation on every modern rock radio station worldwide is proof of how messed up the music industry has become. Or proof of how racist it still is against Black artists playing rock music (something Angelo Moore and John Norwood Fisher of Fishbone can tell you all about). From frontman Dre Smith’s smooth-flowing vocal delivery and guitar work, Kym Williams’ laid-back, in-thepocket drums, and bassist Aaron “Ace” Holmes’ funky bass lines that drive it all

home, “Stain” is a mellow slow-burner of an alt-rock tune with its roots planted firmly in funk and blues. Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “Californication,” but with more heart and soul. Smith’s poetic lyrics are bleak and heartbreaking, but they embrace the music perfectly. Although the entirety of All of Us is as solid as they come, “Stain” just has such a strong groove to it that pulls you in and demands your full attention. Give them a listen and try to tell me PAKG isn’t one of Louisville’s best bands ever. pakg.world

SHITFIRE “IN YR HEAD”

I knew the moment I heard this song all the way back in April that it would wind up on this list. I will admit, though, that it was a bit of a toss-up between this and “Old Time,” both from the Shit Genes EP. Oddly, both songs are pretty much on different ends of the spectrum, to the point to where it’s hard to believe this is the same band on both tracks. “Old Time” is more of an Americana ballad, whereas “In Yr Head” is, well, pretty much the exact opposite. Modern garage punk with a 90’s grunge soul, “In Yr Head” explodes out of the gate as the lead track on the EP, setting the tone for the tracks to follow. This is the kind of sound Courtney Love wishes she could have pulled off with Hole, and the kind of sound The Gits actually were pulling off around the same time but not enough people were listening. There’s a powerhouse performance by the entire band here, but vocalist Hannah Blakeman really steals the show with the expressiveness and ferocity of her vocals. “In Yr Head” is pretty much Shitfire’s calling card at this point, and with good reason. If someone were to ask what’s going on in the Louisville punk scene these days, this would definitely be the song to play for them first. linktr.ee/Shitfire

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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MUSIC

TYRONE COTTON “GO BACK”

If you read my review of Tyrone Cotton’s new album Man Like Me earlier in this piece, it should come as no surprise that this is one of my picks.

Literally, every song on the album should be on this list. I’m not exaggerating when I call it one of the greatest records ever to come out of Louisville. It’s an absolutely stunning collection of songs, all written at various times in Cotton’s 30 years as a musician.

However, it’s “Go Back” that gets me every time. I’ve probably listened to this song 10-15 times in the past week alone, and not once have I not at least teared up hearing it.

“Go Back” is a gorgeous, soulful, bluesy, piano-driven ballad with a minimalist drum beat and synth-based atmospheric sounds coloring the background. But it’s Cotton’s voice — proud, strong, and confident as that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., yet at the same time delicate and vulnerable like that of Johnny Cash in his later years — and his heartwrenchingly beautiful poetic lyrics that are the star here. When I asked about the inspiration behind the lyrics, Cotton said: “It’s gotten a bit hazy at this point. Anyway, sometimes we stray from where we need to be. And now it’s time to go back.” Producers Josh Kauffman and Ray Rizzo bring such a warm, expansive, inviting sound to not just this song but the entire record that it almost feels like Cotton is sitting right in front of you singing and playing his songs. tyronecotton.com

LETTERS OF ACCEPTANCE “STATUE OF YOU”

So I can admit now that I’d already decided back in the very first days of 2023 when Letters of Acceptance’s Shadow Problems 1 EP came out that this track was making this list. It’s just too damn good not to. This four-piece hybrid band made up of members from Louisville and Lexington (band practices must be fun when it’s college rivalry week) has been churning out some amazingly catchy power pop songs over the past year; the aforementioned EP was released in January, the follow-up EP Shadow Problems 2 came out in September, and a brand new full-length album is set to be released in

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

January 2024. This is one hell of a prolific band. Their sound is straightforward yet genre-defying; “Statue of You” in particular takes on elements of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, The Wallflowers, and even a bit of Elvis Costello with an underlying vibe of The Grateful Dead and the spirit of early Beatles. LoA has a way of creating amazing songs that are rich with big hooks and catchy melodies, but they do it in such a laid-back kind of way that you get completely lost in the music and lose track of just how well-crafted their songs are and how much talent is behind them. “Statue of You” is one of those songs you can put on, let go of your problems, and sink into a feeling of pure contentedness to. lettersofacceptance.org

STONECUTTERS “SCOWLERS”

When vocalist/ guitarist Brian Omer sings “Had enough of the disrespect, my life’s work you cannot steal,” he means it. “Scowlers,” the lead track on their latest album Eye of the Skull, is everything Omer has needed to say for the past few years. Less an attack on his former bandmates and more of a battle cry regarding the fight Omer had to go through to reclaim the Stonecutters band name, “Scowlers” hits hard with a pile-on sing-along chorus and a crushingly powerful, stomping groove that falls somewhere between Death’s “Spiritual Healing,” S.O.D.’s “March of the S.O.D.,” and Sepultura’s “Inner Self,” blurring the lines between death metal, thrash, and hardcore.

Although all of the members of this new Stonecutters lineup are accomplished musicians and could’ve made this song as technical as they wanted, they dial it back and just let the power of the chugging riffs lead the way. This is one of those tracks that when you hear it, you can just picture the pit opening up when it’s played live — arms flailing wildly, feet stomping, and bodies flying every which way. This is a perfect song to slam to, no doubt about it, and definitely a standout track amongst Stonecutter’s entire discography. “Chin up. Head high. ‘Til we die! SCOWLERS!” stonecutters.bandcamp.com

THE RESPONSE “WE’RE THE RESPONSE”

I fucking love this band! They’re rowdy, they write catchy-as-fuck tunes, and they’re

fun as hell to watch live. “We’re The Response” is their mission statement, and the lyrics tell you everything you need to know about them. Made up of former members of bands such as Reagan Youth, The Vagrants, Ants in an Argument, The Sickies, The Shanks, and The Ladykillers, among many others, this band plays raw, gritty, strippeddown, bare-bones, true punk rock; this track in particular is reminiscent of Sloppy Seconds, The Queers’ pre-Grow Up era, and Nine Pound Hammer, but with an early Rolling Stones influence underneath it all. Guitarist Sean Magnum brings his gruff voice to the mic, taking on the lead vocal duties for this tune, while vocalist Donnie Vagrant is relegated to sharing backing vocals with a special guest, local music legend Brent Starkey (Creeps Inc., Cherub Scourge, Brain Dead, and many others). Behind it all is drummer Trey Meihaus playing like a punk rock Charlie Watts, and fill-in bassist Alien J (Plague IX) holding down the low-end.

“We’re The Response” is two minutes and 44 seconds of relentlessly energetic, fun, catchy old-school punk rock that kicks you in your ass and pushes you into the pit. Cuz they’re The Response, and they’re here to regulate...y’all! theresponsekyhc.bandcamp.com

WARPLAN “UNMERCIFUL”

When former My Own Victim and Surviving Thalia vocalist David “Sailor” Bryant messaged me about a new studio project he had coming out, I knew it would be good.

But what I got was something much better than I expected. Warplan isn’t just good, it’s fucking amazing. Produced by and featuring Nashville-based musicians and producers Kile Odell and Jameson Force, Warplan’s debut EP The Snake-Eye Conspiracy is a world-class modern metal record. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on the track “Unmerciful,” which also features Louisville musician Bryan Fox (End Of Me, Bryan Fox and the Good Chiggens), and sounds like equal parts Slipknot, Pantera, Disturbed, and Parkway Drive. Yeah, this song hits hard! This is a sound tailor-made for the main stages of Louder Than Life, and one the Loudmouths will lose their shit over.

The musicianship on this song is outstanding, and the production is flawless, but it’s Bryant’s vocals that are clearly in the spotlight here. His voice is as solid as any of the vocalists of the aforementioned bands, with the ability to go from the hardcore aggression of Phil Anselmo to the clean dynamics of Corey Taylor at the drop of a dime. This should honestly be in heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal channel right now, and hopefully soon will be. A video was just shot for this song, and Bryant is now working on putting a band together and turning Warplan into more than just a studio project, so there are definitely great things on the horizon. warplan.bandcamp.com

WIIRMZ “A LA CARTE”

If you’ve ever wondered what MC5 or The Stooges would sound like today if they were just now recording Kick Out The Jams or Fun House, then you really need to look no further than Wiirmz. However, don’t mistake them for a modern-day proto-punk revival band. Wiirmz is its own beast, but with the power and strength of the aforementioned bands in their prime. Featuring former members of Trophy Wives and Hot Wires, Wiirmz came about because, as drummer Brad White recently told LEO, “We were feeling pretty upset with the affairs in the world and thought a punk band would be better than yelling at the Internet.”

“A La Carte,” the title track from their latest EP, comes out swinging from the opening chords and doesn’t let up. Proto-punk meets classic punk meets garage rock in a head-on collision of sound. This is gritty, raw, powerful, energetic, stripped-down, true rock n’ roll. When asked about the lyrics to this track, White said: “‘A La Carte’ is about everyone having an expectation that they deserve to get whatever they want and having to watch grown men, influential people, publicly throw temper tantrums.” So basically a big middle finger to Trump and his supporters. “A La Carte” is one of those songs that just plows right over you, leaving you beaten and bruised but wanting more.

Play this one at full volume! instagram.com/wiirmz

MUSIC

LISTEN LOCAL:

showcases Robin Embry’s excellent songwriting abilities and knack for connecting with the listener, and is a little slice of Americana that leaves a lasting impression. facebook.com/RobinEmbryMusic

NEW MUSIC FROM PLAGUE IX

LOUISVILLE-AREA ARTISTS FUCK…IT’S CHRISTMAS AGAIN?!

By Je�f Polk | leo@leoweekly.com

TYRONE COTTON MAN LIKE ME

Incredible, stunning, emotional, powerful, beautiful — Louisville music legend Tyrone Cotton’s debut album Man Like Me is quite simply a masterpiece! The result of a lifelong journey of his nearly 30 years of performing locally, the nine tracks that make up Man Like Me were all written at various times in Cotton’s life and are a deeply stirring reflection of his own experiences, exploring connection, loss, hope and resurrection. Each track paints a vivid picture through its lyrics and music. From the Chicago blues stylings of album opener “Across The Water,” New Orleans-style ragtime swing of “Standing Rag,” the heart-wrenching ballad “Go Back,” jazzy country blues of “It’s Alright Not To Know,” upbeat Americana of “Rosie,” the hauntingly melancholic blues of the title track, to the absolutely beautiful album closer “Dreams,” this is an album that gets everything right.

Every note needs to be played; every lyric needs to be sung. There is no filler here. And much like what Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash’s later records with American Recordings, co-producers Josh Kauffman and Ray Rizzo create a warm, expansive studio environment that brings Cotton’s powerful, soulful yet fragile and vulnerable vocals and finger-picking guitar work to the front and center, with all other instrumentation taking a backseat. To truly appreciate the brilliance here, you need to turn off all distractions, put on your headphones, and immerse yourself in what is easily one of the greatest albums ever to come out of Louisville. Absolutely phenomenal! tyronecotton.com

ROBIN EMBRY

A FEW THOUGHTS AND NOTES

You very well may already be acquainted with Henryville, Indiana, singer/songwriter/guitarist Robin Embry, as the man has had a busy gig schedule around the Louisville and Southern Indiana area over the past year playing covers and his originals alike. And if his latest album, A Few Thoughts and Notes, is indicative of his work, you’ve likely not forgotten him. The album is eight tracks of vocal and acoustic guitar-driven Americana flavored with a bit of rock, folk, country, and newgrass. The absence of drums on these songs creates a stripped-down, intimate atmosphere that allows the lyrics and melodies to take center stage. With themes of love, heartache, happiness, sorrow, contentment, and misfortune, Embry is able to weave stories that resonate with listeners on a personal level. And his decision to collaborate with world-class guest musicians such as Grammy and multiple IBMA award winner Tim Stafford (Blue Highway, Alison Krauss and Union Station), Carson Peters (NBC’s “The Voice”), Tony Dingus, Bobby Starnes, and Jeff Guernsey enhances the depth of his songs while perfectly complementing Embry’s rich vocals. And in keeping with the spirit of the season, Embry closes out the record with two great new Christmas songs, “He Brings Joy (Merry Christmas)” and “We Need Christmas.” Overall, A Few Thoughts and Notes is a masterfully crafted album that

So, your mom won’t stop playing her Andy Williams Christmas albums? You haven’t found “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” amusing since you were 3?

Can’t stomach hearing that insipid Mariah Carey song one more time? Well, fret not, my friend; Plague IX has a little something in their sack just for you: more Christmas music! The first track, “Two Christmases,” is a positive spin on divorce from a kid’s point of view. And if what Buddy the Elf taught us is correct, I know of no better way to spread Christmas cheer than singing the refrain “Fuck yeah! Two Christmases!” loudly for all to hear.

And the mistletoe hanging over this is the music, which I would describe as sounding like the Sex Pistols playing an MC5 cover of a Chuck Berry song. The second song, “Paranoia (The Song About Crack),” is, shockingly, about crack and kinda sounds like early Indignant Few playing a Black Flag cover of a MC5 song. And the bow on this present is that you can name your own price for it on Bandcamp, so you can be the hero at your family Christmas dinner by paying good money for these tunes and blasting them when your racist uncle starts going into a diatribe. Or be the cheapass at your company holiday party and pay nothing, burn it to a CD-R, and Secret Santa it to a coworker. Either way, it’s far better than getting an octopus in a box. plagueix.bandcamp.com

SCOTT WHIDDON THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

I don’t think I’ve been shy about my unabashed love of Louisville-Lexington hybrid power popsters Letters of Acceptance, so I was certainly not unhappy to get the email from bassist Scott Whiddon letting me know his new full-length solo album The Best of Intentions was out. Whiddon, who is also a Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication at Transylvania University in Lexington, as well as director of their Writing Center, certainly showcases his skills as a songwriter and musician here. While there are certainly elements of Letters of Acceptance, it’s hard to imagine many of these tunes as LoA songs, and that’s one of the things I really love about this record. The Best of Intentions effortlessly weaves together the sound of 90’s indie rock, 2000’s power pop, and modern Americana. Whiddon’s emotive vocals, expressive lyrics, and smooth-flowing melodies create an intimate listening experience, drawing you into his world. Supported by an amazing production job by J. Tom Hnatow (Ringo Starr, Horse Feathers, Mynabyrds, These United States) and featuring the likes of Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers), Robby Cosenza (These United States, Horse Feathers), John Ferguson (Apples in Stereo), Dave Cobb (Movie Jail), Blake Cox (The Worn Jets), Kim Conlee (Frigidkitty), and others, this record is stacked with talent, and the album artwork created

by Louisville-based artist Lori Larusso complements the sonic journey. The Best of Intentions is a wonderful 38-minute ride you’re gonna need to take. adoorforadesk.bandcamp.com

LEO now has playlists for Listen Local and Tuesday Tracklist. Search Spotify for LEO Weekly and have a listen.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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FOOD & DRINK

INDIAN? MEXICAN? TREAT YOURSELF TO BOTH AT TIKKA TACOS

By Robin Garr | leo@leoweekly.com

Behold, the Bollywood taco! More Indian than Mexican, it features bites of chicken tikka and avocado loaded into Indian paratha flatbread with taco toppings added. | PHOTOS BY ROBIN GARR.

WHAT IS TIKKA? Based on a Punjabi word meaning “small pieces of meat,” it’s an Indian dish of marinated, tandoor-roasted meat. Eat them right up, or serve them in a creamy sauce as tikka masala.

Okay, then, what’s a taco? You’re kidding me, right? Everyone knows what a taco is.

But what happens if for some inexplicable reason someone decided to put these two things together? Shazam! Now we’ve got Tikka Tacos, a curiously delightful new spot on Preston Street near Audubon Park.

Opened recently in the former home of New Wave Burritos, Tikka Tacos promises us “Indo-Mexi Fusion.”

“Indo-Mexi Fusion”? This is a combination of words that one rarely hears. But they already had me at “Tikka” and “Taco.” I love Indian food, and I love Mexican food.

How could I not leap in the car and head straight for this wondrous new experience?

Tikka Tacos’ narrow, windowless room receives little daylight,

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but walls painted adobe yellow and pale sky blue with pops of red chiles brighten the space. A small bar with a half-dozen tall seats fills one side of the room.

Our friendly server, who may also have been the owner, told us that the idea to merge Mexican and Indian fare came out of a conversation over a few drinks that paid off.

An effort to train one chef in both cuisines didn’t work out, though, so, he said, a Mexican and an Indian cook work together in the kitchen.

The menu does lean more toward tikka than taco, but both cuisines are front and center, variously separate or blended. A dozen dishes billed as “specialties” include three or four seemingly Mexican tacos and a burrito; the rest appear to be standard Indian fare. These dishes are priced from $11 (for tuna tacos, lamb tacos, or the classic spicy, deep-fried South Indian dish chicken 65) to $16 (for butter chicken masala or chicken tikka masala).

Seven more dishes listed as “entrees” lean more Mexican, with taco, burrito, quesadilla, and loaded

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

nacho plates from $10-$12, plus a couple of down-home Norteamericano items such as Philly cheesesteaks ($10).

Right at the top of the menu stands that mysterious Bollywood taco ($9), billed as the restaurant’s “Signature Fusion” offering. What is this intriguing thing?

First off, it’s not so much a fusion as a merger. The Bollywood taco ($9) places an Indian standard – spicy, minty, cumin-and-citrus-scented bits of tender chicken tikka and a scoop of rice – into a puffy, flaky Indian flatbread called paratha that fills in for the usual tortilla. But then it goes all south-of-the-border with toppings of sliced avocado, pico de gallo, red onions, and fresh lettuce.

Like several of the other dishes, the Bollywood taco came with small tubs of mild avocado sauce and fiery salsa verde. Or was it green chutney? At Tikka Tacos, you can

Dal Tadka is a classic Indian dish of yellow lentils and veggies simmered to a comforting porridge, with a spicy tadka mix of spices, chiles and oil stirred in to finish.

What’s not to like about flaky, crispy fried pastry? Especially when it’s stuffed full of delicious Indian flavors. That’s Tikka Tacos’ somosas appetizer.

FOOD & DRINK

Public Media for Public Good

It takes all of us.

Tikka Tacos’ homemade carrot cake is not Mexican, and it’s not Indian. What is it? It’s delicious.

never be quite sure.

An odd combination? Well, yes. But the flavors were wonderful. It boasted that fresh, complex quality that makes Indian curry flavors pop, with haunting aromas and then, blasting in at the end, mild but perceptible chile pepper heat. It was an unexpected mix, but it was memorably good, and so were the other dishes we tried. The cooks — both of them — consistently hit the mark.

Vegetable somosas ($6) are billed as an appetizer, but came out after the Bollywood.

No matter; it was worth the wait. Two hunks of crisp, golden fried pastry the size of baseballs but shaped as cones were loaded with an flavor-rich mix of soft, hot potato, finely chopped hot red and green peppers, onions, mint, and cilantro, all browned and stuffed into the sizzling pastry treats.

India is famous for its dal, a hearty, nutritious, and usually spicy lentil stew that comes in dozens of forms. Tikka Tacos’ dal tadka ($14) was an excellent example. It was prettily plated in a squarish white bowl with dal on one side and perfect basmati rice dotted with spices on the other. The dal, a comforting porridge-like mix of soft yellow lentils with tomatoes and plenty of garlic and peppery heat, was garnished with cilantro leaves and one long red chile pepper left on top as the ghee-and-spice tadka was stirred into the mix.

As an apparent apology for the Clover point-of-sale system being down, our host comped us to a slice of homemade carrot cake ($5) to go, an unnecessary but kind

gesture. A generous slice of rich, textured, deeply flavored and sweet but not cloying cake was dotted with visible carrot bits and covered with a thick cream-cheese frosting.

A noteworthy meal for two came to a thrifty $32.86, and I shelled all the remaining singles out of my wallet to approximate a tip since the credit-card system wasn’t working. It probably wasn’t enough, but I’ll catch up next time. •

TIKKA TACOS

3311 Preston Highway 918-4606 https://bit.ly/TikkaTacos NOISE LEVEL: It was sporadically noisy in the crowded room, especially when Imagine Dragons’ track “Believer” hit the sound system.

Sound levels averaged just under 70dB, with conversation-blasting peaks to 81.9dB. ACCESSIBILITY: The restaurant appears accessible to wheelchair users, but rough and uneven surfaces and concrete car bumper blocks outside the front entrance can make for a treacherous trip from your car to the door.

Donate today at LPM.org/support

Meet Bindie! This four-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix is a big, goofy sweetheart who weighs about 63 pounds. Bindie came to the Kentucky Humane Society from an overcrowded shelter and is now searching for her furever home! When Bindie first arrived, she needed some time to decompress so we sent her into a loving foster home where she was able to relax and we were able to learn more about her. Her foster parents told us that Bindie is a big time cuddler and loves snuggling up on a good couch or bed. Bindie appears to be housetrained and is great in a home. She is also very smart and knows basic tricks like sit and shake and could probably learn much more if her new family works with her. She is VERY excited by cats and would do best with no cats in her forever home. She has had a few meet and greets with other dogs and has shown she is uncomfortable with other canines in her space. Because of this, she needs to be the only pet in the home. Bindie would do best with older children and will need to meet the whole family before going home. If Bindie sounds like everything you've hoped for, apply for her today! She is spayed, micro-chipped, and up-to-date on her vaccines. Bindie is staying in a foster home while she is up for adoption. If you are interested in meeting her, please first submit an online adoption application located at www.kyhumane.org/dog-app. Once we have received your adoption application, our foster team will follow up and provide you with more information.

BINDIE

Coke or Pepsi? I think the choice is pretty obvious!

Hi, my name is Pepsi, and I'm hoping to become PEPSI your top choice when you're choosing a new kitty friend. To tell you all about me, I'm three years old, and I came to KHS when a kind person found me and my kittens.

My sweet little ones are all with their families now, so now it's time for me to find a home of my own, too! I've been told that shouldn't be too hard as I'm sweet as can be and adore people. I love laying in warm sunny spots, following my humans around the house, and getting lots of love from anyone who meets me! I'm not sure how I would feel about a kitty roommate, but I'm willing to try! I haven't met those d-o-g-s things either so I don't know how I feel about them. I'm spayed micro-chipped and up-to-date on all vaccinations. If you're looking for a sweet, loving, meow-volous cat, make the right choice, and come choose me today! You can meet me at the Main Campus, 241 Steedly Drive, or learn more at www.kyhumane.org/adopt-cats/.

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TRACY LIKES THIS ONE:

AKI KAURISMÄKI’S GRACEFUL RETURN

By Tracy Heightchew | leo@leoweekly.com

FALLEN LEAVES

Friday, Dec. 8-Sunday, Dec. 10 Speed Cinema, 2035 S. Third St. $12 | $8 Speed members PICTURE this: two lonely, working poor people — one an alcoholic, the other harassed by her coworkers. Each one circles the other in bars and on street corners, both taking and losing soul-draining jobs, all set over a season in Helsinki with the ongoing Ukraine War playing in the background.

What do you see? A bleak and hopeless film drained of color, perhaps touched with violence and ill-treatment? An unappealing film for these times when it is tempting to use film to escape the harsh reality of our weird, troubled world?

Now what if I tell you the walls are full of old movie posters, and the action takes place in karaoke bars? That the Finnish band Maustetytöt performs beautifully in a tiny club and the most soulful dog wanders in? Does that convince you to give this wry and playful tragicomedy a chance?

Because it is a delightful, funny, and hopeful film that must not be missed.

Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki threatened to retire six years ago after the release of “The Other Side of Hope,” a study of immigration in Europe, stating he was exhausted with making movies. Having directed 18 movies at the time, he claimed that age 60 was a good time to quit. Fast forward to 2023, and here he is again with this Cannes Film Festival favorite, taking home the Jury Prize for a film he wrote in 33 hours.

“Fallen Leaves” is a straightforward will-they-or-won’tthey romantic comedy that shows a master paying homage to his heroes. Influenced by Robert Bresson and Yasujirō Ozu, Kaurismäki’s minimalist style lends a dry humor to the misadventures of the leads. This is a movie that loves movies, and a real pleasure for those who know their film history, with a Jim Jarmusch centerpiece providing a great inside joke for movie lovers. The movie posters and film references are a rich text that characterizes the small cast of characters throughout.

Kaurismäki is the anti-Kubrick, and the exact opposite of a director like David Fincher, whose reputation is built on total control of exacting details and torturing actors with dozens and dozens of takes. Kaurismäki instead tries to get all his scenes in one take without rehearsal. This process can be nerve-wracking for the actors, like performing without a net, but it does lead to naturalistic footage. In a world of loud superhero movies, extreme storylines, and CGI acting, this film is a reminder that simple films and stories, what I like to call “little films,” go a long way in soothing the soul.

There is a chance that Kaurismäki came out of selfimposed exile just so he could show off Alma, the dog he pulled off the streets of Portugal, who happens to be a great actor, too. Alas, Alma only took home the Dog Jury Prize, having lost to Messi in “Anatomy of a Fall.” What a tough

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LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen in Fallen Leaves. | SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPH.

race!

I’ll leave you with a promise: If this is your first Aki Kaurismäki film, congratulations, it won’t be your last. His simple, wry, and insightful films are too rich to resist.

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL Saturdays, Dec. 23 & 30 Speed Cinema, 2035 S. Third St. $8 | $5 Speed members speedmuseum.org/cinema

Do you have a budding cinephile in your life? Here is your chance to introduce them to a love of short film! Check out two different programs selected from the New York International Children’s Film Festival, featuring live-action and animated shorts from all over the world. Meet Attila the Grilla at the mall, a spider in France, a girl and her goat in Pakistan, a 12-year old astronomer from Zimbabwe, an architect in Korea, and a boy with a hole in his sock in

Luce and the Rock, Directed by Britt Raes.

Spain. These and many more characters overcome obstacles and go on adventures in two separate programs. These are great gateway films for kids (and adults) to get acclimated to a different sort of film storytelling, and unlike YouTube, you can’t just click to the next video!

Program 1 is for kids 5+, program 2 is for kids 8+. •

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Week of December 7© Copyright 2023 Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I will cheer you on as you tenderly push yourself to be extra exploratory in the coming weeks.

It’s exciting that you are contemplating adventures that might lead you to wild frontiers and half-forbidden zones. The chances are good that you will provoke uncanny inspirations and attract generous lessons. Go higher and deeper and further, dear Aries. Track down secret treasures and lyrical unpredictability. Experiment with the concept of holy rebellion.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In January, I will tempt you to be a spirited adventurer who undertakes smart risks. I will invite you to consider venturing into unknown territory and expanding the scope of your education. But right now, I advise you to address your precious needs for stability and security. I encourage you to take extra good care of your comfort zone and even add cozy new features to it. Here’s a suggestion: Grab a pen and paper, or open a new file on your favorite device, then compose a list of everything you can do to feel exceedingly safe and supported.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was an American Black leader who advocated a gradual, incremental approach to fighting the effects of racism. Hard work and good education were the cornerstones of his policies. Then there was W. E. B. Dubois (1868–1963). He was an American Black leader who encouraged a more aggressive plan of action. Protest, agitation, pressure, and relentless demands for equal rights were core principles in his philosophy. In the coming months, I recommend a blend of these attitudes for you. You’ve got two big jobs: to improve the world you live in and get all the benefits you need and deserve from it.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I periodically get a big jolt of feeling how much I don’t know. I am overwhelmed with the understanding of how meager my understanding of life really is. On the one hand, this is deflating to my ego. On the other hand, it’s wildly refreshing. I feel a liberating rush of relief to acknowledge that I am so far from being perfect and complete that there’s no need for me to worry about trying to be perfect or complete. I heartily recommend this meditation to you, fellow Cancerian.

From an astrological perspective, now is a favorable time to thrive on fertile emptiness.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Have you reached your full height? If there were ever a time during your adult life when you would literally get taller, it might be in the coming weeks. And that’s not the only kind of growth spurt that may occur. Your hair and fingernails may lengthen faster than usual. I wouldn’t be shocked if your breasts or penis got bigger. But even more importantly, I suspect your healthy brain cells will

multiply at a brisk pace. Your ability to understand how the world really works will flourish. You will have an increased flair for thinking creatively.

will have extra access to this superpower in the coming weeks. Homework: Identify three situations or feelings you will use your magic to change.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I like Virgo author Cheryl Strayed’s thoughts about genuine togetherness. She says, “True intimacy isn’t a cluster fuck or a psychodrama. It isn’t the highest highs and lowest lows. It’s a tiny bit of those things on occasion, with a whole lot of everything else in between.

It’s communion and mellow compatibility.

It’s friendship and mutual respect.” I also like Virgo author Sam Keen’s views on togetherness. He says, “At the heart of sex is something intrinsically spiritual, the desire for a union so primal it can be called divine.” Let’s make those two perspectives your guideposts in the coming weeks, Virgo.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The eminent Capricorn philosopher William James (1842–1910) is referred to as the “Father of American Psychology.” He was a brilliant thinker who excelled in the arts of logic and reason. Yet he had a fundamental understanding that reason and logic were not the only valid kinds of intelligence. He wrote, “Rational consciousness is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.” This quote appears in his book The Varieties of Religious Experience. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to investigate those other types of consciousness in the coming months. You don’t need drugs to do so.

Simply state your intention that you want to. Other spurs: dreamwork, soulful sex, dancing, meditation, nature walks, deep conversations.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to my interpretation of your astrological prospects, you now have the capacity to accelerate quickly and slow down smoothly; to exult in idealistic visions and hunker down in pragmatic action; to balance exuberant generosity with careful discernment—and vice versa. In general, Libra, you have an extraordinary ability to shift moods and modes with graceful effectiveness—as well as a finely honed sense of when each mood and mode is exactly right for the situation you’re in. I won’t be surprised if you accomplish well-balanced miracles.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dear Goddess — Thank you a trillion times for never fulfilling those prayers I sent your way all those years ago. Remember? When I begged and pleaded with you to get me into a sexy love relationship with You Know Who? I am so lucky, so glad, that you rejected my prayers. Though I didn’t see it then, I now realize that being in an intimate weave with her would have turned out badly for both her and me. You were so wise to deny me that misguided quest for “pleasure.” Now dear Goddess, I am asking you to perform a similar service for any Scorpio readers who may be beseeching you to provide them with experiences they will ultimately be better off without.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Among our most impressive superpowers is the potency to transform ourselves in alignment with our conscious intentions. For example, suppose you feel awkward because you made an insensitive comment to a friend. In that case, you can take action to assuage any hurt feelings you caused and thereby dissolve your awkwardness. Or let’s say you no longer want to be closely connected to people who believe their freedom is more important than everyone else’s freedom.

With a clear vision and a bolt of willpower, you can do what it takes to create that shift. These are acts of true magic—as wizardly as any occult ritual. I believe you

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Are people sometimes jealous or judgmental toward you for being so adept at multi-tasking?

Are you weary of dawdlers urging you not to move, talk, and mutate so quickly? Do you fantasize about having more cohorts who could join you in your darting, daring leaps of logic? If you answered yes to these questions, I expect you will soon experience an enjoyable pivot. Your quick-change skills will be appreciated and rewarded more than usual. You will thrive while invoking the spiritual power of unpredictability.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Romantic relationships take work if you want them to remain vigorous and authentic. So do friendships. The factors that brought you together in the first place may not be enough to keep you bonded forever.

Both of you change and grow, and there’s no guarantee your souls will continue to love being interwoven. If disappointment creeps into your alliance, it’s usually wise to address the issues head-on as you try to reconfigure your connection. It’s not always feasible or desirable, though. I still feel sad about the friend I banished when I discovered he was racist and had hidden it from me. I hope these ruminations inspire you to give your friendships a lot of quality attention in 2024. It will be an excellent time to lift the best ones up to a higher octave.

[Editor: Here’s the homework:] I dare you to reclaim a power you gave up once upon a time. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

UPCOMING EVENTS DECK THE HALL! A FAMILY CHRISTMAS CONCERT TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2023 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST BEARGRASS CHRISTIAN CHURCH DEC. 17 HOLIDAY HILARITY AT TEN20 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023 7:00 AM - 8:30 PM EST TEN20 CRAFT BREWERY CANTICLES OF CHRISTMAS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST ST BRIGID CATHOLIC CHURCH THE MURDER CIRCUS COMEDY SHOW THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2023 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST HORSE AND JOCKEY DEC. 21 COMEDY NIGHT AT GRAVELY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2023 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM EST GRAVELY BREWING COMPANY KMAC COUTURE 2024: ART WALKS THE RUNWAY SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2024 7:15 PM - 11:59 PM EDT PARISTOWN- LOUISVILLE, KY redpintix.com

LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

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ETC.

The New York Times Magazine Crossword DETOURS AHEAD

BY ADAM WAGNER | EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ No. 0924

ACROSS

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1 4 9 13 17 18 20 21 22 25 27 28 30 31 32 34 35 36 37 39 40 43 45 48 49 51 52 53 54 56 58 60 62 63 67 68 70 71 72 74 75 77 80 82 83

Chat chuckle Less than one’s best, in sports lingo ____ Stadium, venue with a cushioned acrylic surface that is the largest of its type in the world Wholesale Inits. associated with accessibility Submitted after the deadline Some ring finishes, for short ____ research, source of ‘‘dirt’’ on a political rival Dickens clerk DETOUR: Theatrical success Formidable-but-awesome behavior DETOUR No. 1 It comes out on top Family name in folk music Parts of some choral arrangements?

Boosler who was the first woman to have an hourlong comedy special on cable TV Big name in health care What a sleepy head might do Stagger Dentist’s command ‘‘That sucks’’ Composer Strauss, the brother of Johann ‘‘Glass Onion’’ director Johnson Homeland Security concerns DETOUR: Computer-port inserts Cry stressed on its second syllable Purpose Bygone auto inits.

DETOUR No. 2 Present-day auto inits.

Pharaoh who founded Egypt’s 19th dynasty ‘‘Get out!’’

Things settled over drinks Shakespearean verb A head Mums’ mums ____ cloth (sandpaper alternative) They’re laid in Australia DETOUR: They feel your pain Gas whose name comes from the Greek word for ‘‘foreigner’’ Common first word for an infant Taxpayer’s ID DETOUR No. 3 Lose one’s balance?

Hebrew greeting ‘‘It’s a thumbs down from me’’ ‘‘O patria ____’’ (Verdi aria) Metropolis with a Little Havana neighborhood LEOWEEKLY.COM // DECEMBER 6, 2023

84 86 87 88 90 91 93 94 95 97 98 100 102 105 107 108 110 112

115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122

Major ref.

Mineral used in glass production Texted shrug Photographer’s setting DETOUR: Come in handy Grps. that liaise with superintendents Fermented drink from Russia Embargo DETOUR No. 4 Bird embodied by the Egyptian god Thoth Cells are covered in it, in brief Studio Ghibli genre Trickster What some emails, checks and balls do Wholesale Jane who says, ‘‘I need not sell my soul to buy bliss’’ Golden Classic game of bluffing Feature of some sweatpants DETOUR: Well-known musical group with a place name Then Puts together DETOUR No. 5 Brown, for one N.A.A.C.P. and A.C.L.U., for two Component of a beekeeper’s suit Stuffs with bacon fat, say Caustic cleaner

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 23 24 26 29 33 36 38 40 41 42 43

Titration station Something typically found in a barnyard Lead-in to delivery Hunt-and-peck types?

Chewed (on) Meeting spot for a union Company that owns Bloomingdale’s Neighbor of Djibouti: Abbr.

In check Reggae forerunner Jumble Early victim of identity theft?

Israel’s Dayan Photographer’s setting Suddenly appears, with ‘‘up’’ ‘‘And, uh, that’s what happened’’ ‘‘Come On ____’’ (1982 hit) Michael who was knighted in 2000 Related thing Substitute Face ____ Noggin Containing graphic content, say Diamond imperfection?

Vaccinated, to Brits ‘‘Wowza!’’

Seethed Parts of drinking or reading glasses

44 46 47 50 51 55 57 59 61 64 65 66 68 69 70 72 73 75 76 78 79 81 83 85 88 89

Access points Express some intense emotion Goal that sends a game into overtime Bit of cereal CVS competitor Make more powerful, with ‘‘up’’ Series segments, informally Five-time winner of the Copa do Mundo ‘‘Love It or List It’’ airer Inability to recall the names of everyday things Restriction on some wedding invites Running kicks?

William Phelps ____, inventor of the stop sign and the crosswalk Henrik Ibsen play Motion-sensing Microsoft gaming devices Literary character who transforms into an insect Backyard toy that attaches to a hose Some hair products Busy time at a cafeteria Small towns ‘‘Calvin and Hobbes’’ character based on ‘‘every jerk I’ve ever known,’’ per Bill Watterson ____ Maria Bite-size Tex-Mex snack Enlighten Elle or Dakota of Hollywood Slippery sort

90 92 93 96 97 99 101 102 103 104 106 109 111 113 114

Resolution units Flashcard words Leave high and dry Snoozefest Not easily accessed Conventions ‘‘Ooh, that’s bad’’ Iraqi city near the Tigris and Euphrates Peripheral Amazon’s domain Lambert or Levine of pop Sin that sounds like two letters Many ’90s music purchases Code of the world’s busiest airport Stain, maybe

PHOTO BY RACHEL ROBINSON

ETC.

SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage | mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage

MAINTENANCE HAZE

Q: It’s been a month since my great five-year-long relationship ended and it’s my fault. We were both in our mid-forties, got along, and had amazing sex three to four times a week. Yet I felt unsatisfied with the sex, as it was almost always “maintenance sex,” at least on my ex-partner’s side. While I found it enjoyable, I knew she often didn’t. Another reason for my dissatisfaction was her inability to converse about the things I am most passionate about: music, movies, anime, and the paranormal. Her interests were tax codes, insurance rates, and other administrative topics. It should also be noted that my ex was a heavy pot smoker due to terrible menstrual cramps and, as a consequence, I became a huge pothead.

I actually broke up with her after our first year, but we ended up getting back together after she texted to tell me how heartbroken she was. I loved her and felt terrible about the whole situation, so I caved. Afterall, I enjoyed my time with her, and, despite conversations that were often boring, the pot-fueled maintenance sex was amazing, and the cuddling afterward was nice.

Fast forward three years and an attractive woman in her twenties moves in next door and we quickly become friends. She would bring pastries over for my child (I’m a single dad) and once brought soup over when I had the flu. On one occasion she drunkenly knocked on my door late at night, wanting to hang out.

I couldn’t, as I had my child at the time. Due to the dissatisfaction I had long felt about the maintenance sex that characterized my relationship, I was tempted to have sex with my neighbor, if she was interested. I told my girlfriend about the late-night incident, and she demanded that I no longer hang out with my neighbor.

I agreed but soon I was hanging out with my neighbor behind my girlfriend’s back. My girlfriend found out by snooping through my phone and broke up with me. I was devastated and begged for her to forgive me, which she did on the condition that I cease all contact with my young neighbor. I agreed and another (pleasant) year passed until I met another young woman who seemed to like me.

This young woman, also in her twenties, was interested in all the same things I am. Knowing I couldn’t trust myself, I made the difficult decision to break up with my girlfriend. When she left my house for what I thought would be the last time, I felt like I had destroyed a functional relationship. It wasn’t perfect — lack of common interests, uneven sex drives — but we enjoyed each other’s company. So, a week later I asked her to take me back again. She agreed. A few weeks later, I was again scheming to hang out with this twenty-something young woman. I was almost immediately busted by my girlfriend — she snooped and read my texts (this time on my laptop) — and upon discovering my betrayal, she screamed at me at the top of her lungs before slamming the door and exiting my life, this time, I fear, forever.

Will the regret and shame I feel ever go away? I’m utterly “maiden-less” now I’m utterly ‘maiden-less’ now and, in my mid 40’s, am having a difficult time finding someone in my wheelhouse. I was kidding myself that two cute women in their twenties would be interested in a man like me. So, not only did I wreck a perfectly good relationship, in the end I wrecked it for nothing. There was no pussy at the end of this shit rainbow. Please, Dan, tell me something that will make me feel better about this flaming dumpster. Will I find my way? Or am I condemned to forever lay in the bed I shat?

Anonymous Magnum Subscriber A: So, you didn’t actually cheat on your ex-girlfriend, right?

You thought about cheating on her, AMS, and you were tempted to cheat on her, and you’d gone to the trouble of crafting a rationalization: the sex with the girlfriend, while amazing, was maintenance sex (at least on her end), which somehow ruined the sex for you without making it any less amazing. I’m not sure how one squares that circle — lousy and amazing — but in the end, AMS, you never actually touched someone else with your dick.

And it’s not like you were indiscreet. Your ex only learned you were talking to a young neighbor that — let’s be honest — nothing was likely to happen with because 1. you told your ex about her and 2. your ex took that admission as a justification to snoop on your devices.

I’m not your ex-girlfriend — my boundaries are not her boundaries — but if I were a straight woman in my forties with a straight male partner in his forties, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he’d engaged in harmless, delusional, and discreet flirtations with other women. If I knew I couldn’t handle it emotionally, I would ask him not to tell me about his flirtatious interactions with other women and I wouldn’t go looking for evidence of them. So long as my boyfriend didn’t do anything stupid — so long as flirtations remained flirtations and didn’t turn into affairs and/or the kind of obsessions that result in neglect — I would suspend my disbelief, turn a blind eye, and enjoy a few harmless flirtations of my own. But, again, I’m not your girlfriend, AMS, and neither is girlfriend anymore.

Zooming out for a second…

Many people want to believe that younger women who are interested in older men — which includes a subset of young women who are specifically attracted to partnered older men for reasons —are a figment of the straight male imagination. That’s not true. While there are fewer younger women out there who are interested in older men than there are older men like to imagine and/or write screenplays about, some younger women are attracted to older men. (Jon Hamm is in his fifties and he can still get it.) The odds that you ran into two of these women in such a short period of time are close to zero (as are the odds that you look like Jon Hamm), AMS, but it seems possible — at least to me — that you might’ve run into one.

Or… Your young drunk neighbor and/or that other young woman who was interested in the paranormal might not have been flirting with you at all and you misread — due to dickful thinking —simple/messy neighborliness and/or shared interests as sexual interest.

I’ve been going on for a while here without answering your question: Will you find your way? Yes, AMS, you will. It’s only been a month since you broke up with your on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again ex-girlfriend. Just because you haven’t found someone else in four weeks doesn’t mean you won’t find someone else. My hunch is that you’ll wind up getting back together with your ex-girlfriend — on-again, off-again relationships are like that — and when you do, AMS, I hope you’ll have a renewed appreciation for her. Frankly, AMS, your ex-girlfriend sounds pretty amazing… and you sound like you let and your ego, vanity, and self-pity fuck up a good-to-great relationship.

If you’re lucky enough to have ex come back into your life, resolve not to take her for granted anymore. If maintenance sex makes you sad, only have sex when she’s horny — sex that she’s just as excited to have — and take care of yourself the rest of the time. If she doesn’t enjoy discussing music, movies, anime, and the paranormal, talk about other things (there are other things). And speaking as someone who doesn’t understand tax codes and insurance rates, being with someone who does — God bless you, Terry — is a pretty good deal.

P.S. They say there’s no fatal dose of pot, but if discussing the paranormal was something my partner insisted on, I would find it.

P.P.S. Delete “shit rainbow” from your vocabulary immediately.

P.P.P.S. Thank you for being a Magnum Sub, AMS! Q: My friend needs help. He’s an adorable 30-yearold gay boy who’s a top but his mannerisms, height, demeanor, and exceptionally cute butt suggest otherwise.

We’ve been friends since I was 19 and he was 22. Here’s the issue: He’s so strident about monogamy that it turns most men off, which is a shame. Most gay/bi men expect some degree of openness! Additionally, like that one college student you’ve mentioned on your show, he thinks relationships that start out as hookups or something slightly sleazier are suspect whereas I and the most significant men in my life disagree! Besides occasionally offering a nudge, is there anything I can do for him? He truly is a catch, and I don’t like seeing him glum. He’s broken up with several guys who can’t commit to total monogamy forever — all while still being flirty with me, a guy who has multiple partners. (Nothing would work out between us, as we’re both tops.) I know that my life is enhanced dramatically by my boyfriends, and I just want him to have what I have, instead of going to bed alone almost every night. How can I help him?

Boy Explaining One Possible Erotic Niche A: Does he want to be helped, BEOPEN? I’ve known some gay couples who met cute, e.g., their straight besties conspired to introduce them, they reached for the same sweater on a sale rack, they took a class together at college, etc. But most gay couples I’ve

known met sleazy, e.g., they swapped hole pics on Grindr by way of introduction, they were chained to the same rack in a sex dungeon in Berlin, they met sucking dick in a cruisy toilet at college, etc. I’m going to guess that your friend, having been out and for at least decade, has met enough gay couples to know that ruling out guys he meets under sleazy circumstances — he doesn’t go to bed alone every night — is an act of romantic self-sabotage. Same goes for browbeating men who might be willing to consider monogamy (at least at the start, at least for him) by insisting they commitment to monogamy on principal before he’ll consider dating them.

So, I’m guessing this problem — your hot friend’s inability to find a boyfriend — isn’t a problem for him.

Some people set unrealistic expectations/conditions at the start of their dating lives, they’re alone as a result, and they eventually adjust their expectations/conditions.

But not everyone who sets unrealistic expectations/ conditions is unhappy about being alone — some prefer to be alone — but they would rather be seen as pitiable than seen as be damaged or emotionally stunted. (For the record: I don’t think people who prefer to be single are damaged or emotionally stunted.) So, they never adjust their expectations/conditions because they’re only pretending to be unhappy about still being single.

Seeing as there are guys out there who want monogamy as badly as your friend (my hunch) on pretending he does, BEOPEN, the fact that he hasn’t managed to locate even one over the last decade is solid evidence he isn’t seriously looking. Which means your friend’s insistence on monogamy isn’t an obstacle he faces, but rather a barricade he built.

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