Stop ignoring the West End!At least that’s the message from a recent Louisville Magazine cover story about the nine neighborhoods encompassing west Louisville.The 38-page exposé tells the community's history, and also outlined the current disparities in income, property values and education levels. Many know anecdotally about the so-called Ninth Street Divide, but the stark realities when compared to the East End is eye-opening.Statistics show residents in east Louisville make three times more and seven times as many have a bachelor's degree or higher than their West End counterparts.It's a bleak picture of the predominately African-American part of the city, which is increasingly isolated.Leaders in and outside of the community appreciate the cover story and argue this is the worst the area has been in years.While many appreciate Louisville Magazine's coverage and it has sparked plenty of conversation, other wonder if it will spark any significant changes in policy or personality.For this discussion, I brought in Louisville Magazine's managing editor Josh Moss, Councilwoman Attica Scott, D-1, and Russell neighborhood leader Haven Harrington to unwrap the problems and solutions facing the West End's various neighborhoods.
