We know that access to information is critical during social movements like the recent protests downtown. We’re partnering with Matter News, a local non-profit news organization, to bring you daily updates of the Black Lives Matter protests in Columbus.
6/12/2020
Protests
March for Ohio Families Killed By Police
People of Columbus (POC) March for Justice!
Locations
City Hall, Statehouse, Trinity Baptist Church in King-Lincoln Bronzeville, Franklin County Government Center
Police size
No police at any of these sites. Around 30-40 police cruisers were parked outside the central police station on Marconi Boulevard.
Police tactics
None
Protestor tactics
The March for Ohio Families Killed by Police began at City Hall before protesters marched their way down Front Street and back to High Street before finally arriving at the Statehouse. Around 400 people took to Front Street at 4:30 p.m. with those in the front row carrying a banner printed with the names of Black Ohioans who have been killed by police.
Family after family spoke out, starting with Adrienne Hood, the mother of Henry Green, a 23-year-old man who was shot and killed by plainclothes police officers in Linden on June 6, 2016.
Protesters at the People of Columbus March for Justice began their march at the Trinity Baptist Church on St. Clair Avenue in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood of Columbus. At least a hundred people or more marched from church all the way to Ohio Statehouse before meeting up with an off-the-books group of protesters at the intersection of Mound and High Street.
The two protest groups joined forces at the Franklin County Government Center around 8 pm on Friday evening before marching north on High Street toward the Broad and High intersection near the Ohio Statehouse.
Similar to past actions, this group once again brought out shields used by white people to protect Black people in the center, who were encouraged by organizers to “take up space that has been taken from Black folks for far too long.”
Coming tomorrow
- Black Lives Matter Peaceful Movement Protest
- Muslims in Solidarity: Black Lives Matter (Central Ohio)
- Change Starts Now: A Solidarity March for Community Empowerment
- Rally on the Side of Love – Peaceful Witness
- Community is Everything!
- Change for Columbus: Prayer at the Statehouse
6/11/2020
Protests
DeEscalateOhioNow! HeartBeat Movement
Locations
Statehouse, City Hall
Police Size
Only a small state trooper presence on the Statehouse steps.
Police Tactics
None.
Protester Tactics
Today, protests outside the Statehouse were smaller than most days, and much smaller than previous Thursdays. The HeartBeat Movement, an advocacy organization focused on protecting Black lives through improved community-police relations, was one of the only groups to host a formal protest outside the Statehouse.
The event “De-Escalate Ohio” included singing, chanting and the remembrance of Kareem Ali Nadir Jones, a Black man from Franklinton who was shot and killed by police in July 2017. After an internal investigation, Officers Samuel James and Marc Johnson were found to be acting within CPD’s Use of Force Policy.
After Marcella Bailey, Jones’ mother and organizer of the HeartBeat Movement, shared her story to the crowd of around 40 people, the group marched to City Hall demanding that CPD end broken window policing, mandate mental health crisis intervention training and more. The event last from 6 to 8 p.m.
Coming tomorrow
- March for Ohio Families Killed By Police
- The Discussion on Racial Injustice
- People of Columbus (POC) March for Justice
- View the entire calendar
6/9/2020
7 – 9:30 PM EST
Protesters were chanting and holding signs on the High Street sidewalk in front of the Statehouse. Around 7:45 p.m., protesters began marching around the Statehouse to the Franklin County Government Center for a short speech before dispersing around 8:30 p.m.
Police size
There were two police cars parked outside of Franklin County Government Center, but only one state trooper out front of the Statehouse for most of the evening.
Look out for this today…
Candidate for Ohio House of Representatives Dontavius Jarrells is hosting an online event to discuss racial justice at 6 PM on Facebook live. And, city council president Shannon Hardin is hosting an online hearing about the Community Safety Advisory Commission’s recommendations for police reform with Senator Mitch Brown. The hearing will stream on Columbus City Council’s page or you can listen in by dialing 1-650-479-3207 Access Code: 160 505 5506.
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING:
Black Freedom was not in attendance at the beginning of this protest. The protest seemed to have no organized leader. One of the organizers of the emerging Black Lives Matter group called Black Freedom, Ramone Obey, said the group had been out twice that day to try to get people’s opinions on what reform should be, adding that Tuesday was all-around a small crowd. Black Freedom showed up to the Statehouse after 8:30 p.m. on June 9.
