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LISTEN: What Could Help Police-Community Relations In Louisville?

More than 100 people crowded in front of police headquarters in downtown Louisville on Monday to call for racial justice in light of recent police shootings of African-Americans.

The rally was organized by the local Showing Up For Racial Justice chapter and lasted about an hour. Organizers handed out signs reading "Black Lives Matter" and recited names of nearly 200 people killed this year by police across the country.

It came in the wake of two recent police shootings that left two African-American men dead in Minnesota and Louisiana. And last week, a man opened fire at a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas, killing five police officers and wounding a dozen more.

Across the country, tensions are high between police and local communities, especially African-American communities.

WFPL asked people at the rally in Louisville what they believe needs to happen to improve police and community relations.

Here's what they said. You can also listen in the audio player above, or watch the video.

Karl Swineheart: "There needs to be changes in law enforcement. They need to be funded less, they need to be armed less, they need to be less present."

Trinese Smith: "I can't put it all on the police, because sometimes we can be in the wrong, as well. So, there's like adjustments we need to make, as well, as the people."

Brandon McCormack: "This is not an anti-police situation, it is a situation in which justice is not being served and police serve in a system which reinforces laws that have historically been put in place to disenfranchise certain groups."

Darius Anderson: "Better days are going to come, as much darkness is going on, better days will arrive, sooner or later."

Jacob Ryan is the managing editor of the Kentucky Center for Investigative reporting. He's an award-winning investigative reporter who joined LPM in 2014. Email Jacob at jryan@lpm.org.