Yesterday I watched the social media feeds of friends of mine bravely go to a protest downtown. For over an hour, maybe longer, it was peaceful. Then, somewhere, a switch was activated and the police, mounted police and SWAT teams indiscriminately pepper sprayed scores of people.
Police Chief Thomas Quinlan blamed the protesters, the protesters blamed the police and the Mayor of Columbus, Andrew Ginther...well where was he while the president of Columbus City Council Shannon Hardin, County Commissioner Kevin Boyce and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty were on the front line and were also pepper sprayed by the police.
It was tense and this old man on the couch was worried about his friends, some of whom were sprayed or shot with wooden bullets but are otherwise intact.
The protests spread to the short north, where many businesses had already boarded up their windows in anticipation of confrontations. Several shops has already sustained damage and looting during the previous nights clashes.
By this time Mayor Ginther came out of meeting with developers, or where ever he was receiving orders, to issue this tweet.
"Racism and discrimination are threats to the quality of life and safety of our community. We are committed to addressing these concerns and making changes when necessary. We believe that we can peacefully protest, keep each other safe and make sure that our community remains America’s Opportunity City"
I'm so glad he took the time to issue a marketing and branding report for Columbus. Ginther had a press conference with Governor DeWine, and the national guard was called in to assist. Ohio and the national guard have a wonderful history together. A 10PM curfew was enacted and it seemed like it was respected as the streets were clear.
I woke up to what I think is calm in my newsfeeds. I know there were more injuries and violence in other cities. We're not doing this well. How do we fix this and all that? Committees, blue ribbon panels, citizen councils taking a knee and the like - they have not worked. The only thing that has not changed is the police, who are now equipped like Robo Cop while school buildings have leaky ceilings.
In this culture, this climate, with this administration in charge in the White House, what do we have the collective will to do to stop this racist county from being racist anymore?
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