An emotional crowd estimated at 700 to 1,000 people gathered at a racial justice solidarity rally at noon Thursday at Columbus City Hall plaza. It ranks among the largest crowds in recent years for a social justice gathering.
Organizers pleaded with people to transfer Thursday’s passion to encourage the Bartholomew County Council to find and approve funding for body cameras for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, and for everyone to register to vote. The Columbus Police Department officers have worn body cameras for several years.
Many of the early rally attendees marched around the Bartholomew County Courthouse at the beginning, calling out the chant “hands up — don’t shoot,” in reference to police confrontations and shootings of unarmed black citizens nationwide in recent years.
The Columbus/Bartholomew County Area NAACP Branch, the local African American Pastors Alliance and the Justice Resource Center of Columbus Indiana organized the peaceful gathering for two reasons — to show support for families of black victims in a string of recent high-profile police brutality cases that have unfolded across the country, and to build unity for racial equality and justice.
The most publicized death was that of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25. While Floyd was handcuffed and forced face-down on the pavement, a widely-circulated cellphone video shows that a white Minneapolis Police Department officer firmly held his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd told officers he couldn’t breathe and begged for help.
Floyd’s name and the names of more than a dozen other black victims of police brutality in the past six years alone were shouted from the mostly white crowd, though a mix of nationalities were represented from the city’s diversity. Plus, people holding signs with black victims’ names ringed the speakers at the top of City Hall’s steps.
“Your willingness to join us today is a welcomed first step,” said Mayor Jim Lienhoop, referring to ensuring justice.
Some in the audience wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Many carried signs with messages such as “Am I Next?” “Dark Skin Is Not a Crime” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
For the complete story and a photo gallery, see Friday’s Republic and visit therepublic.com.
