Columbus Clergy March in Silence for Racial Justice with Nearly 200 Community Members, Call on Mayor Ginther to Implement De-Escalation Strategies To Save Lives
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2017
CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202)735-7123
Dan Clark, dclark@faithinpubliclife.org, (614)648-3663
Columbus Clergy March in Silence for Racial Justice with Nearly 200 Community Members, Call on Mayor Ginther to Implement De-Escalation Strategies To Save Lives
COLUMBUS, OH — On Wednesday, October 4th, Columbus interfaith clergy and leaders marched with nearly 200 community members in silence for racial justice in response to the deaths of black men and boys who were brutalized or shot and killed by Columbus Police within the last year: Henry Green, Kwame Patrick, Tyre King, Jacquarius Robinson, Chris Wade, Jaron Thomas, Kareem Ali Nadir Jones, Timothy Davis and others.
Over 70 Columbus faith leaders have signed a moral declaration calling on all levels of city leadership to take action by implementing Crisis Intervention Training and Mental Health First Aid training, and cooperating more with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity for anti-racism, implicit bias and cultural sensitivity training. To read the letter and the full list of signers, click here. To watch the video of the silent march, click here.
Rev. Susan Smith, Crazy Faith Ministries:
“We march because we are thoroughly opposed to racism in all of its covert and overt forms; we march because we want our children to live in a better world; we march because the stubborn persistence of racism and white supremacy is a bane to all that is good and right and just; we march because we need Mayor Ginther to come to the table in an authentic and meaningful way to bring community voices into the conversation.”
Pastor Terry Stephens, Manifestation Church:
“We call upon our Mayor Ginther and the leaders of our community to lead with love. To legislate with love and to change the culture of our society out of the consciousness of fear but back to God’s original plan of a society of love.”
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