Robert LeVertis Bell for Louisville Metro Council District 4: Beargrass Thunder interview
(5/12/20) We had the pleasure of speaking with Robert LeVertis Bell who is a candidate of Louisville Metro Council District 4 last week. We had a great conversation about his ideas and goals for the city, and touch on the pandemic impact, safety zone legislation, and the Green New Deal.
Who is Robert LeVertis Bell?
(from bell4louisville.com)
Robert LeVertis Bell is a longtime community activist, a father of three, and a public school teacher running to represent the Fourth District in Louisville’s Metro Council. A Louisville native and a democratic socialist, Robert is running due to his desire to see the city of Louisville live up to its potential as a city for the many, not the few. He is committed to doing his part in the movement to turn back the tide of austerity and inequality.
Robert grew up in West Louisville and, from a very early age, learned the importance of community organizing, stuffing envelopes and walking picket lines with his grandmother, community activist Mattie Jones and legendary Louisville organizers Anne Braden and Rev. Louis Coleman, among others. By the time he was a teen, Robert’s community activism had begun to take its own shape. He was involved in Brat Magazine, was the founding vice-president of the BRYCC House — an arts and activism community center that served Louisville’s youth and music cultures — and organized actively against organized racists and fascists throughout the South and Midwest. Robert would go on to be involved in many local organizations over the decades including Citizens Against Police Abuse and the Democratic Socialists of America. In addition, Robert’s been very active in the Shelby Park neighborhood, serving as the vice-president of the Shelby Park Neighborhood Association for three years.
A middle school English teacher at an especially challenged public school, Robert is a proud union member who is extremely aware of the ways in which our city’s institutions have failed its most marginalized inhabitants. He’s here to continue building a movement for change and is ready to transform the city from the Fourth District.
Mission & Values
Responsive and Transparent Government: As a councilperson I will be responsive to the citizens of the district and city. I will operate with transparency and do whatever I can to increase community participation in governing, especially for those members of the community who have long felt that they did not have a stake in city government.
Movement-Centered Governance: I will maintain an office that is movement-centered. This campaign doesn’t stop at elections; we will continue to build collective power.
For the many, not the few: I will always refuse ALL donations from corporations, large landlords, megachurch leaders, and for-profit developers.
To learn more about Robert, his campaign, and how to support, check out his website, and follow him on social media!
Robert LeVertis Bell For Metro Council District 4
www.bell4louisville.com
www.twitter.com/belle4louisville
#SolidarityCity
Note: [Sorry for the sub-par quality of this particular interview. We are new to recording and capturing video interviews, and also interviews in general. This was a great learning experience that will help us greatly improve the quality of our interviews in the future! A special thank you to Robert for working with us through our technical difficulties]
-Richard
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