Please consider 1) looking at the video of June 5 public testimony and/or 2) calling the Mayor’s office  and/or 3) attending on Monday night July 15 at City Hall to let CDP and the City know we care about this issue. Thank you for any action you take to improve policing.  Columbus continues to suffer racial injustice within and by the Columbus Division of Police. The Mayor’s Community Safety Advisory Commission, intended to recommend improvements to CDP, finally took public testimony after meeting for 13 months, and near the very end when Commission recommendations were to be drafted.  The June 5 public testimony was shocking as citizens raised numerous and consistent serious allegations against CDP.  These included but were not limited to these reports.

• CDP frequently and unnecessarily escalates rather than de-escalates situations with citizens, resulting in citizen injuries, arrests or death.
• A lawyer for a civil rights watchdog group stated that CDP purposely targets legal observers, violating the civil rights of protesters and purposely attacks Black and Muslim protesters. She testified that officers can be seen on their body cameras bragging about this.
• Family members described beatings of themselves or their loved ones.
• A religious leader testified about racism and sexism within CDP, officer to officer, and by CDP, and that retaliation against officers who speak out is not uncommon.
• One South Side resident who came to testify about a neighborhood matter completely scratched her intended remarks as she was overwhelmed by what she had heard from other testimony, and begged the Commission to address the concerns and put an end to CDP injustice.

People who want to support CDP reform and improve racial justice in Columbus can call the Mayor’s office (614-645-7671) and demand that the Commission do its duty and study the issues discussed in the June 5 public testimony before any Commission recommendations are released. All the testimony (Part 1 & 2) can be seen at Commission Videos The next meeting of the Commission (according to the 7/8/19 1:45pm website listing) where public comment is not allowed but the public and media can observe is scheduled for Monday July 15, , 6:00 – 8:00 pm at City Hall in the Mayor’s Conference Room.