COLUMBUS – Members of Columbus City Council are calling for some of the charges against George Floyd protesters to be dropped.
The weekend saw more peaceful demonstrations in Columbus and Ohio over the death of Floyd, a black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police and Mayor Andrew Ginther rescinded his order for a continuing nighttime curfew.
But, council president Shannon Hardin and others are calling for charges of violating curfew and failure to disperse to be dropped.
“After more than a week of protests, I am calling for those charged with violating curfew and ‘failure to disperse’ to have their charges dropped immediately. Folks don’t need to be penalized for peacefully assembling and making their voices heard. The City should be focused on implementing the recommendations of the Community Safety Advisory Commission,” Hardin wrote in a statement.
“We should not police free speech, and people certainly do not need to face penalty by their government for exercising theirs,” council president pro-tem Elizabeth Brown said.
City Attorney Zach Klein says his office, which handles misdemeanor cases, has already dismissed several curfew charges
“We continue to review allegations of violence on a case-by-case basis. Only those charges with sufficient evidence will be pursued,” Klein wrote on Twitter.
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Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith issued a statement Sunday declaring racism a public health crisis and supporting athletes who have spoken out against police brutality and in favor of equality.
“Hate has no place in civil society,” Smith said.
“Over the past decade, Buckeye student-athletes have proactively engaged in issues that have resulted in a shift in our departmental culture…The department will continue to support our student-athletes as they participate in activities to eradicate hate and racism in our society. Recently, student-athletes have been active on social media platforms denouncing racism, participating in attention and awareness videos promoting Black Lives Matter, holding peaceful demonstrations (Kneel for Nine) and participating in video calls with their teammates and others. The Ohio State Department of Athletics supports the Black Lives Matter movement. We will continue to support our student-athletes as they participate in driving positive change in America so that every person is respected regardless of the color of their skin.” -OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith