"Let's Tone It Down For 24 Hours": Columbus Leaders Ask Community to Not Murder Anyone On Juneteenth

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Jun. 18, 2021

Black leaders in Columbus, Ohio are calling on their community to not murder one another on Saturday in honor of the holiday of Juneteenth.

From WCMH, "Columbus leaders call for Juneteenth ceasefire of violence in city":

Columbus community leaders are calling for a ceasefire in honor of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday.

At a press conference outside a barbershop Sunday, city leaders pleaded with people to make a change and encourage one another to end the violence.

As of Sunday, the city has 89 homicides for 2021.

That means there's been a murder around every other day.

"We have exceeded the homicide rate of where we were last year, and that is unacceptable," said Charity Martin-King, president-elect of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

This is why leaders are calling for a 24-hour ceasefire on Saturday, June 19, the Juneteenth holiday which celebrates the emancipation of slaves in America.

Community leaders in are asking for a 24-hr stop to the violence in Columbus. Find out what’s planned for the announcement of this cease fire today coming up on #WakeUpCBUS on @10TV ! pic.twitter.com/LqPaeqBgDC
— Gabriela Garcia (@ggarcianews) June 13, 2021

[...] "We're telling everybody in honor of Juneteenth, let's tone it down for 24 hours and see what we can do, and if we can get that done, we can do more," [Making a Difference CEO Al Edmondson] said.

At least 91 people have been killed as of late Friday.

There were at least two shootings on Juneteenth Eve with one victim dead and another victim in critical condition.

In the wake of the Floyd riots, the homicide rate in Columbus surged 67 percent in 2020 to a record 170 dead and in 2021 the homicide rate is on track to double that of 2020.

UPDATE: Man Shot Hours After 'Juneteenth Ceasefire' Begins in Columbus, Ohio

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