COLUMBUS, Ohio — Groups across the United States gathered Sunday for the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the criminalization of a generation. One of the protests happened in Columbus at the Ohio Statehouse, with several members of Ohio Families United for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC) coming together to organize the rally.
According to OFUPAC, more than 1,200 people in Ohio have died from police brutality since 2000.
"I mean that's a lot of people, that's a lot of grieving families,” said Sabrina Jordan, a mother whose son was killed by a police officer.
"We wanted to represent the loss that that is, the empty shoes, that there's no replacing those family members,” Elaine Schleiffer, OFUPAC organizing director, said.
The Statehouse lawn was filled with shoes for the rally, representing the emptiness families and friends feel having lost someone they love to police brutality. Grieving mothers and families continue the work to influence what they believe is a necessary change, starting with more accountability for law enforcement.
"For accountability, we're asking for drug testing, we're asking for alcohol testing when they're involved in shootings,” Tania Hudson, a mother whose son was killed by a police officer, said.
The group is also working to end qualified immunity, a policy protecting government officials from some lawsuits, as well as changes to Marsy’s Law, which provides protections to crime victims, which can include police officers in some cases.
"These officers are taking lives with no consequences. These policies are protecting them; it's not for us,” Hudson said.
The group also asks for more training for officers responding to mental health-related calls.
"Until we're prepared to send first responders who are trained in de-escalation, trained in mental health signs and symptoms, trained in how to de-escalate that type of situation, we're going to keep seeing that looming threat over families like me and mine,” Schlieffer said.
This 22nd day of October brought awareness to the mission of O22 so that no more families have to endure the pain these live with every day.
"There never will be justice for us, but we're out here trying to save other people’s lives, that's why we're constantly out here,” Jordan said.
"We're asking everyone to come walk with us toward accountability knowing that there's no way we can fill those empty shoes,” Schlieffer said.