Public Forum Held at Columbus Public Library to Discuss “Epidemic” of Police Violence in America
A standing-room only crowd packed a meeting room of the Columbus Public Library Monday night to discuss “the epidemic of black men and women being killed by police” and to propose solutions towards ending the violence.
Nearly 100 people listened as Vernessa Clements and Carmen Gray, two recent University graduates with deep ties to Columbus, opened the meeting. Clemons spoke about the need for unity in the light of a withering barrage of deadly police confrontations. This meeting comes on the heels of last week’s fatal shootings of Philando Castille and Alton Sterling, as well as a coordinated sniper attack on Dallas police officers who at the time were providing security for a protest over those same shootings.
Clements’ voice wavered with emotion as she spoke about watching the grisly video of Castille’s death, which was shared widely on social media. “I don’t want us to ever become desensitized to this,” she said. The two moderators also said that they
wanted to pay special attention to fight the “erasure of black women victims” such as Kayla Moore, Michelle Cusseux, Sandra Bland and others.
Columbus attorney Katonga Wright took the floor to discuss how the law affects interaction between the police and the public. Wright (who also represents the family of Zikarious Flint, a black man killed in 2014 by University Police in a CSU dorm) spoke about a recent supreme court case that makes it easier for police to use evidence found during searches of cars and belongings to obtain criminal charges.
She encouraged the crowd to be constantly aware of the judicial system and to be active watchdogs of government policymakers. She advised the crowd to follow directions during police stops, but to record the encounter discretely if possible. “We’ve got to know our rights but we’ve also got to exercise our rights, and we have to know, when faced with police, how to handle that situation.”
For the remainder of the meeting, people in attendance took turns speaking, pitching solutions and sharing their frustrations. “Who is policing the police?” exclaimed one woman, to great applause. Clements and Gray listed several concrete ways to help record and report the conduct of police. There is a governmental organization known as the Public Safety Advisory Commission that works to address complaints and concerns about the police department. Complaints may be filed with them as well as with the department itself.
The moderators also advised downloading an emergency-beacon app called “Cell 411” which provides a number of panic-button like features that will record audio, video, and location data and send it to a specified group of people. They encouraged vigilance when witnessing any type of police proceeding, but to not put themselves in any danger. “Keep yourself at a distance, so you don’t get directly involved in the situation,” said Gray.
Several educators were in attendance at the meeting, including Michael Armstrong, a math teacher and coach at East Columbus Magnet Academy. He affirmed the power and importance of education, and the vital need for all people, young and old alike, to be involved in current events and political elections in order to elicit change. “I applaud you all [for being here], but it needs more of us,” he said. “We got people rising up wanting to take the war to them, but that’s not the answer. We need to pay attention to what’s going on. If you wanna see a change, it ain’t gonna come from the outside. As long as we got people from a certain demographic making the laws, the system won’t change.” Stefan Lawrence, 2015 Muscogee County Teacher of the Year, echoed that sentiment. “Getting angry in a contained room does nothing,” he said. “We have to teach people about privilege, about what it means.”
Clements and Gray said that they hope to have similar forums in the coming months, and to invite law enforcement representatives to attend and engage with the attendees.
