May 25, 2020 – The day that many Americans felt change was needed.

On that day, George Floyd died at what many thought to be the hands of the police. This sparked outrage throughout the country, as well as many ideas for racial justice reform. 

The Scribe conducted a survey, in which 95% of students responded that they felt there is still work to do in terms of racial equality in America. 

Since the summer, many have thought that there could be changes made to how the police system works. 

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the Columbus Police Department is currently undergoing reform to operations after two unarmed black men were fatally shot.
Furthermore, the city passed measures to restrict no-knock warrants, as well as form a list of military type equipment that will be banned. 

According to USA Today, the police department is demoting Thomas Quinlan back to deputy chief, after appointing him as chief just over a year ago. 

Rashawn Ray, from the article “After 2 Black Men Are Killed By Police, Columbus Demands A Reckoning” by NPR, brought up a point that most white officers don’t live in the city that they work in.

Ray argues that the Columbus Police Department should consider having a residency requirement, as it would create some accountability for officers. 

Senior, Ini Oyewusi, feels as though there is a lot of work to do regarding police reform. “We definitely need more classes teaching the police how to work under different circumstances and also teach them how to be less violent,” said Oyewusi. “I don’t think violence ever needs to be used unless it’s an actual life or death situation.”

The Scribe contacted the Westerville Police Department; however, they did not comment. 

Oyewusi also feels strongly that a college degree should be required to join the police force. “I think it allows more time to mature and also more interaction with a diverse crowd of people,” said Oyewusi.

According to the Connecticut General Assembly, 13 states have already implemented this idea, citing that it enhances technical training skills, which in turn helps police academy trainees.

Senior, Kyla Nickerson, also sees police reform as necessary. Nickerson wants equity and bias training in the police academy curriculum. “It’s really just recognizing the biases you have and trying to unlearn them,” said Nickerson.

“I hope that we can establish more training for police officers to prevent situations like George Floyd and Casey Goodson Junior,” said Nickerson. 

Nickerson believes that spreading awareness, peacefully protesting, and talking to government officials will achieve progress. “Any kind of exposure is good exposure,” said Nickerson.