5 years later: Columbus' response to George Floyd's murder
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In 2020, Mayor Andrew Ginther promised "significant, substantial and swift" change to local policing. Photo: Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
Five years ago, the country took to the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd — but most feel the summer of 2020 did not result in changes that improved the lives of Black Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Why it matters: Despite the Black Lives Matter movement's visibility and protestors' calls for spending cuts, the Columbus Division of Police has more funding than ever.
- Fatal police shootings have continued, and Columbus continues to pay millions of dollars in police misconduct settlements.
By the numbers: Pew finds 72% of Americans say the increased focus on racial inequality didn't lead to significant changes that helped Black people, Axios' Russell Contreras and Delano Massey report.
- Now, 52% of Americans express support for the Black Lives Matter movement, a 15 percentage point drop from June 2020.
Flashback: That month, Mayor Andrew Ginther walked with protesters (and police), saying he felt "a sense of urgency for action" due to the demonstrations.
- "People are tired of talking, they're tired of studies, they're tired of recommendations, they want change and they want action and I think this movement can really help us make a ton of progress in a very short period of time."
Ginther promised "significant, substantial and swift" change, prohibiting tear gas and limiting pepper spray for crowd control, instituting third-party investigations for police-involved deaths and creating a police civilian review board and police chief advisory panel.
- Voters approved the creation of the civilian review board that November.
- In May 2021, a federal judge ordered CPD to stop using tear gas, pepper spray, batons and rubber bullets against nonviolent protesters, writing that the case was a "sad tale of police officers, clothed with the awesome power of the state, run amok."
Last year, a Ginther-requested U.S. Department of Justice report found that CPD doesn't track use of force data well enough to determine racial bias.
- The report concludes CPD "cannot definitively state that it is doing things very well, nor can it identify any underlying problems that may exist."
What they're saying: CPD declined an interview request about the board and panel, instead issuing a statement that the board "plays a critical role in independently reviewing internal investigations, conducting its own inquiries, and offering recommendations regarding officer discipline and departmental policies."
- Asked for examples of the board's impact, CPD spokesperson Caitlyn McIntosh pointed to a new requirement this year for special duty officers to wear body cameras.
- A statement from Ginther's office said he's "proud of the progress" made by the board, adding that the city has "taken significant steps toward building a modern, community-centered approach to policing."
- Members of the review board were not made available for comment.
The bottom line: For longtime activists and community organizers like Aramis Sundiata, executive director of the Ohio People's Justice Project, the events of 2020 were "a critical moment" but now represent an inflection point in shifting their focus to education and organization.
- "The overall occupational forces of the police have not changed," he tells Axios.
- "What organizing is about is examining the structures and really digging into what this thing is."