Local
Thursday, June 18, 6-7pm on Facebook Live
https://www.facebook.com/byron.l.potts
Facebook event
Now that the protesters have the attention of the entire nation, it is our responsibility as Legal Professionals to help bring about change, and to educate the public about what steps they can take, too, to create the change they are fighting for. Focusing on what the Legal Professionals can do to educate the community on how to continue to push for change after the protests.
“There was nothing that I can tell was improper from that incident,” said Clermont County (Bethel) prosecutor Vince Farris about the sucker punch to the back of the head of a peaceful protester.
Since Sunday, June 14, the small town of Bethel, Ohio, became a dangerous place for peaceful anti-racist protesters after four different biker clubs arrived on the scene to confront the protesters, some of whom were physically assaulted.
The Free Pressspoke to several of the protesters who easily identified four different sets of biker vests among those throwing sucker punches and spewing the n-word. Also disconcerting is that bikers and Bethel police in several videos appear to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder facing down protesters.
“At times the police seemed too chummy with the bikers,” said one peaceful protester, a Bethel resident who was sucker punched several times in the face. “I saw police pat them on the back.”
On Sunday morning, June 14 there was a Short North demonstration in support of North Star and Brassica restaurant staff who have quit in protest of the 50% discount given to police officers, as well as the refusal of the owners to sign on to a Columbus City Council Resolution declaring racism a public health issue.
Ohioans To Stop Executions is saddened by the racism that continues in our country and our criminal justice system, and we are committed to join the fight for racial equality.
With the recent killings of Black citizens by police that made national and international headlines, Columbus’ troubling history on this topic has resurfaced. A graphic that originally circulated via social media four years ago after the killings of Henry Green and 13-year-old Ty’re King went viral in the past couple of weeks. On June 10th, The Columbus Dispatch posted an article, “Fact Check: Is Columbus the Most likely place in America for police to kill black people?” Their ruling of the graphic is that the information presented is false, however the analysis in this article is deeply flawed.
Let’s start with the title.
Mayor Ginther and many others are calling for a civilian review board to investigate and rule on police misconduct, but recent history from other cities has shown many civilian review boards to be mostly ineffective.
Take Minneapolis, which has had several civilian review boards come and go over this century. Since 2012, over 2,600 complaints were filed against police, but only 12 resulted in discipline, the most severe punishment being a 40-hour suspension, this according to the Communities United Against Police Brutality, a twin-city advocacy group.
The fundamental problem is, almost all civilian review boards in the US can only recommend how police should be punished. Out of the 200 civilian review boards in our major cities, only a handful have the authority to make final decisions on punishment.
Final say on punishment is instead delivered by a department’s chief of police or a city’s safety director.
If Minneapolis had a civilian review board with the final authority on how police should be disciplined – such as removing an officer from duty – would George Floyd be alive today?
Saturday, June 13, 7-9pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/222255972
Meeting ID: 222 255 972
