In the 1960s Owensboro's white establishment belittled civil rights leaders who came to Owensboro seeking to end segregation. Mayor Morris continues that tradition by degrading civil rights leaders who urge him to focus on the Owensboro Police Department's use of deadly force. In the 1960s, grand juries were unwilling to indict white Southerners for killing civil rights workers and African-American children. So it comes as no surprise that grand juries today are reluctant to indict white police officers for killing young African-American men. Even more troubling is the eagerness of the Morris administration to accept the vacillating and inconclusive OPD final report.
Many questions remain to be answered.
Owensboro's African-American community has clearly stated it feels threatened by OPD's use of deadly force. Mayor Morris' failure to address this issue threatens to seriously tarnish what has otherwise been a successful tenure in office.