Even attorneys want to see criminal justice reform in wake of George Floyd killing
Tamika Thompson marched on the State House on Monday because she’s afraid of what kind of world her son will grow up into.
Right now, the 6-year-old doesn’t know the world has any problems outside of his Columbia home. His biggest concern is starting the first grade in the fall.
But “one day he will be older,” Thompson said at the latest protest march sparked by the police killing of George Floyd two weeks ago in Minneapolis. Then Thompson’s son might end up in the same situation as Floyd or the many other African Americans who have made headlines after dying in encounters with the police.
“He’s already tall, so he’s going to be a big boy, and I know he’s going to speak up when the expectation is we just have to let things happen,” she said. “I’m just concerned that one time, I’m not going to be able to be there all the time to protect him.”
Thompson marched not only as a mother, but as an attorney in the 5th Circuit public defender’s office that serves Richland and Kershaw counties.
She was part of a crowd of around a hundred who gathered at the Richland County Judicial Center and marched to the State House. After a week of protests against Floyd’s killing, Monday’s march focused on criminal defense and the rights of the accused, calling for more funding for public defense attorneys in South Carolina.
Fielding Pringle, the chief public defender for the 5th Circuit, spoke to the crowd at the State House, promising to work “harder and better” against racial injustice in the court system.
“I’m going to hold myself accountable, my family accountable, my friends accountable, and my office accountable,” she said. “Then my office is going to hold the prosecutors accountable, is going to hold law enforcement accountable.”
Marchers also called for the release of police body camera footage of the shooting of Joshua Ruffin. The 17-year-old was shot and killed by a Columbia police officer on April 8. Police say Ruffin pulled a gun after running from police patrolling the area near Monticello Road and Columbia College Drive, which had seen a rash of car break-ins.
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson is reviewing the case, and Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook has said the body camera footage will be released at the end of the solicitor’s investigation.
On Friday, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin released two videos from officer body cameras after The State published a photo appearing to show an officer placing a knee on a suspect’s neck during the period of unrest following Saturday’s march.
Thompson said she knows from experience how young black men can be treated when they have a run-in with law enforcement.
“I see it time and time again, on the body camera footage,” she said. “Boys who are 11 years old, 17 years old, get abused, mishandled, mistreated, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even when they have committed the crime, and often they have, I hope we can shed light on that, and speak up when we think they’re being treated unfairly.”
Christy Monet and Ramon Lopez, two recent arrivals from Chicago, marched with a sign that called for an end to qualified immunity for police, which can protect officers from legal action for acts taken as part of their official duties.
“This is something that has wormed its way in through judicial decisions,” said Lopez, a professor at USC Sumter. “It was never legislated. The people didn’t have a say in it.”
Monet said when it comes to police reform, “It matters who we hire, how we hold them accountable, and we need to be able to ban someone with a history of misconduct, and not after a terrible issue comes up with people of color.”
Monday was the 10th consecutive day of protesting in downtown Columbia after the death of Floyd in police custody on May 25. Floyd’s death sparked weeks of protests across the country after video surfaced showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd lay on the ground struggling for breath.
Initial protests on May 30 and 31 led to clashes between police and protesters and damage to property downtown. But protests since then around the S.C. State House have remained peaceful, and consistently drawn crowds to call for an end to police brutality and racial inequities in the criminal justice system.
Organizer Lawrence Nathaniel said Monday’s march was the first of a series that will focus on more specific issues and groups, with a teachers’ march also being planned, Nathaniel said.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 8:15 PM.
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