Amid nationwide protests, Columbia civil rights group calls for policing reform

As the nation reels from the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, a Columbia civil rights organization has joined many calling for policing reforms.

The Columbia Urban League is calling for police to increase use of body cameras and dashboard cameras, revise how officers are hired and use force, and appoint independent prosecutors to investigate allegations of police wrongdoing, the organization’s president, James T. “J.T.” McLawhorn, Jr., said in a statement.

“Today, we are confronting two deadly pandemics,” McLawhorn said. “One is the novel coronavirus, which has taken more than 500 lives here in South Carolina, and the other is the 400-year-old epidemic of racism that manifests itself in the tragic loss of lives of African Americans in the custody of law enforcement.”

Though some of the protests ended in property damage and injuries to protesters and law enforcement, McLawhorn praised both police and protesters for keeping things relatively calm and productive.

However, there is still much work to be done, McLawhorn said.

“The protesters’ message of social justice reform and a future that is free of racism and police brutality needs to be heard,” McLawhorn said.