Local
The march began Wednesday, June 3 with a rally at 12:00 noon at the north end of the Kingsdale Shopping Center in Upper Arlington, a six-minute walk north of where I live. At about 12:40 p.m., following the rally [that had included several speakers], the group of thousands marched, on the streets, through several neighborhoods of Upper Arlington [including a section of the historic "Old Arlington" neighborhood south of Lane Ave.] and eventually returned to the Kingsdale Shopping Center.
In the wee hours last Saturday morning, Columbus Police discussed using deadly force against anti-police brutality demonstrators.
Columbus Police Lieutenant and SWAT Commander Paul Ohl wrote a summary to Deputy Chief D.C. Becker requesting expanded guidelines on the use of “deadly force” in Columbus on May 30, following four days of downtown area anti-police brutality demonstrations.
Ohl ended his report to Becker noting: “If a counter-sniper is required to stop that deadly threat, I would be glad to deploy those resources.” Ohl’s report revealed the presence of “six counter-snipers” who “occupy overwatch positions at HQ, Short North area, and Broad and Front areas.”
In Ohl’s assessment, the Columbus Police “Field forces” were too large and ineffective in controlling protesters. Ohl wrote: “There was a total lack of coordination with regard to operation.”
Ohl has worked for the Columbus Police since 1989. He suggested to Becker that, “Dispersal orders should be given three times after a plan for non-compliance is in place. If the orders are disregarded, as many arrests as possible should be made. There’s no substitute for decisive action.”
Saturday, June 6, 10am
Meet at Drexel and Broad
March to the Statehouse in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
*masks required.
The union representing the Columbus Division of Police (CPD) told the Free Press they are willing to negotiate for a civilian review board when negotiations for the next police union contract begin at the end of this year. However Janet Jackson, Chair of the Mayor's Community Safety Advisory Commission, told the Free Press she is concerned about how much opposition the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) brings to table when they negotiate what authority the civilian review board will have.
What the FOP Capital City Lodge #9 President Keith Farrell to this day is still shaking his head over, however, is the city had a chance to negotiate for a civilian review board three years ago.
“The city and the mayor had a chance three years ago to bring this to the table, but for whatever reason they did not,” Ferrell said. “We wanted to talk about it. We wanted them to bring this to the table. I was saying, ‘Let’s talk about it.’ The city had that opportunity. I honestly do not know why they didn’t.”
Thursday, June 4, at 4pm
North Broadway and High Streets
George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police on May 25, 2020. While being suffocated by an officer during a deadly arrest, he gasped out for his “mama”.
George Floyd is one of many Americans who lost their lives to police violence in our country and in our city. As mothers, we can only imagine the excruciating pain of loosing a child to police violence. On behalf of parents who lost their children and those children, we mourn with you and we gather in protest against the violent and racist police system that lead to their deaths.
Show your support at a peaceful children-friendly protest, brings signs for support of BLACK LIVES MATTER, wear a mask, bring drinking water, maintain social distance.
Tear gas has been known to cause miscarriage in pregnant people and is banned in war under the Geneva Convention, which are internationally agreed upon rules of warfare.
Despite this, local law enforcement agencies and the Ohio National Guard used tear gas in communities throughout Ohio as peaceful protests have supported the Black Lives Matter movement and called for justice for George Floyd and many others.
Late Tuesday afternoon when Mayor Ginther joined protesters near the Statehouse, several young African American self-appointed protest leaders – some barely out of their teens – approached him wanting to talk. The Mayor turned to them and one of the young African American protest leaders didn’t hesitate. He’s known for his icy confidence and at that moment it was coursing through his veins.
His name is “Jay Kay,” a 21-year-old who works in the kitchen of a local sports bar. He graduated from a Grove City high school in 2017 but could not find any reasonable way to raise tens-of-thousands for college and potentially start a career in media. His doesn’t come from privilege and far from it.
If you want to know the character and mindset of the young people who are peacefully protesting, get to know Jay Kay, who refused to offer his real name for safety reasons.
What sets him apart from many of the young protesters is what radically changed his soul at the onset of his teens. The shooting death at the hands of Columbus police of an older close friend who was popular in his former Hilltop neighborhood.
