On September 15th, Columbus community will join Julius Tate’s family for an evening of poetry with local artists. This evening will honor Tate’s life through celebrating him and all lost from police murder. The march gathers at 5:30 PM at Mayme Moore Park and the poetry readings followed by the march will begin at 6:00 PM. 

This evening will be the fourteenth of sixteen consecutive days of marching for justice to commemorate the life Julius Tate. For the past two weeks, hundreds of community members have come out to voice their support for Julius’s family, and their outrage at Columbus Police Department. 

“The same use of excessive force that resulted in police murder of George Flloyd, Aubrey Ahmed, and Breonna Taylor is the same policing that exists here in Columbus,” says an anonymous community member who has come to every evening of the march. “We still do not have justice for Julius Tate.”

Tate was sixteen years old when he was shot eleven times, handcuffed, and killed, according to the official autoposy. His arm was broken in the process. 

This information contradicts the story that CPD put out, in which they claim to have only shot him five times. Rather than being held accountable for the murder he committed, CPD Officer Eric Richards was promoted later in 2019 for SWAT Officer of the Year. 

“Nobody has ever knocked on my door to tell me what they did to my son. I wasn’t even the one to identify his body,” says Jamita Malone, Tate’s mother. “Did they think I didn’t care? Did they think I wouldn’t fight with all that I have for each and every one of my children?”

The final two days of the march will also take place at Mayme Moore Park at 5:30 PM. Musicians will gather and play on the evening of September 16th, and there will be a candle light vigil to end the week on September 17th.