The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil disturbances that initially started in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota, United States, before spreading nationwide. In Columbus, Ohio, unrest began on May 28, 2020, two days after incidents began in Minneapolis. The events were a reaction to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, asphyxiating him.
Protests were centered in downtown Columbus, the Short North, and the South Side; within Downtown, most were held around Capitol Square, spreading to surrounding streets. In the first few days, the protests and riots were met with a heavy police presence, although over 100 businesses were vandalized, along with numerous government buildings. On May 30, Columbus issued an indefinite curfew, and Governor Mike DeWine ordered the Ohio National Guard to maintain order in the city. The curfew and the city's state of emergency were believed to be the first in 50 years.
Protesters' tactics primarily included picketing, marches, and die-ins, including shouting, speeches, and chants. A few more agitated events involved protesters throwing water bottles, rocks and bricks, and launching fireworks into lines of police. Officers, mounted police, and SWAT used pepper spray, tear gas, rubber and wooden pellets, and flashbangs to drive them back, and sometimes to attack those protesting non-violently. Columbus's police chief, along with Mayor Andrew Ginther, stated there was evidence that some demonstrators protesting and rioting were from outside the community or state, including from the group Anonymous, turning the protests increasingly violent.
Protests began to drop in violence around May 31, and the city began making changes to support racial equality. On June 1, the city declared racism a public health crisis, and police chief Thomas Quinlan and other officers marched with protesters for the first time. Mayor Ginther also created an independent review system for police aggression that has taken place during the protests. On June 2, Ginther joined Quinlan in the protests. The city-wide curfew was lifted on June 6.
Background
The George Floyd protests were an ongoing series of protests and civil disturbances that initially started in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota, United States, before spreading nationwide. In Columbus, Ohio, unrest began on May 28, 2020, two days after incidents began in Minneapolis. The events were a reaction to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, asphyxiating him.
The events began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the city of Columbus along with the rest of the United States and most of the world. The protests involved large numbers of people in close proximity, creating fears the virus will spread and create new outbreaks. On June 3, Columbus Public Health identified a person who attended protests in downtown Columbus, despite feeling coronavirus symptoms on May 27, one day before protests had started downtown.
Timeline
May
May 28
Protests began at Broad & High Streets, the two main intersections of Columbus, and the location of the Ohio Statehouse. It began peacefully, though into the night the protests became violent. At around 7 p.m. EDT, some protesters blocked traffic on Interstate 71. Around 9 p.m. some protesters began to throw bottles. Protesters shouted, threw water bottles, eggs, shoes, and rocks, and launched fireworks into lines of police, while officers, mounted police, and SWAT used pepper spray, rubber and wooden pellets, flashbangs to drive them back. Some protesters threw the pepper spray back at police officers. Some tore trash cans and mailboxes from their mountings. Around 11:30, protesters used trash cans to smash the Statehouse's windows, and attempted to enter through its High Street doors (locked to the public for years). One person managed to enter the state auditor's ceremonial office through a window, though they left as soon as state troops arrived, and was arrested outside the building. Two lamps, over a century old, had their glass smashed, which may be difficult to replace. Small flags for forgotten soldiers on the east side of the building were set on fire; the remaining ones were brought inside by a Statehouse grounds crew. 28 Statehouse windows were shattered on May 28, along with the west doors, five pole lamps, some granite, and a bench. The Ohio Theatre, including its historic ticket office, had glass smashed in. The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts estimated the damage at $15,000. Numerous other buildings suffered damage.
As protesters were dispersed, a group of about 400 went south down High Street to the Franklin County Courthouse, with some breaking windows as they passed by. The downtown DGX store, part of the Dollar General chain, was looted. Around midnight, more Columbus police and Ohio Highway patrol officers were called in to further disperse those who were vandalizing.
May 29
In the afternoon, Governor DeWine encouraged people to protest, but urged them to peacefully.
Protesters gathered at Livingston and Lockbourne Avenues in Columbus's South Side in the evening, in a peaceful protest with signs and chanted slogans. In the evening, community leaders met at the Lincoln Theatre along with Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and Nick Bankston, president of the Columbus Urban League Young Professionals. The leaders acknowledged the damage, with some urging people to look beyond the damage, and others not condoning intentional property damage.
Hundreds of people arrived downtown later in the evening. Columbus Police set up numerous choke points to control traffic and block protesters. Around 10 p.m., an emergency was declared, with police ordering protesters and reporters to leave the area. At around 11 p.m., officers began firing tear gas to disperse the crowd of over 100. Cars and pedestrians dispersed, some south, some north. Protesters sprayed a statue on the Ohio Judicial Center and tore out planted shrubs.
Columbus City Council held a press conference in the evening, with support of protesting, though urging for nonviolence. Over 100 properties were damaged throughout the night. Five people were arrested that day for setting off fireworks and creating a panic, and five police officers were injured, at least two by rocks and bricks thrown at them.
Harvard University basketball player Seth Towns, who had just recently graduated from the Ivy League school and will play for Ohio State University as a graduate student, was detained at the rally.
May 30
In the morning of May 30, business owners began to clean up their vandalized businesses. One business reported that they hadn't had a problem with vandalism like this in their 40 years of operating. Bricks, rocks, pieces of granite, water bottles, and other debris lined the streets, while few storefronts were left untouched. Most windows were smashed, with graffiti on signs, walls, and windows across downtown. Milestone 229, at Bicentennial Park, had planned to reopen June 1, though the building was looted, stifling their reopening plans and causing significant damage. As well, it was announced in the morning that COTA, the city's local transit agency, would reroute all of its buses on May 30 around downtown, with no buses traveling through the affected areas.
Thousands of protesters continued demonstrating beginning at 10 a.m. at the Ohio Statehouse, relatively peacefully yet still tense. Protesters were estimated at 2,000 people, more than previous days. Police aggression was reported, including pepper spraying, tear gas, and shoving people to the ground. Some politicians were with protesters early in the day, including Ohio U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce. The three were hit with pepper spray by police around noon. At about 1:30 p.m., the city of Columbus issued an emergency declaration, advising people to avoid the area.
By 3 p.m., Governor Mike DeWine called in the Ohio National Guard, with Ohio Highway Patrol officers to help with law enforcement. Police were unable to respond to regular calls due to the protests. Mayor Andrew Ginther declared a curfew for 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. until things calm down, with any violators subject to arrest. The curfew excludes emergency services, news media, people traveling directly to or from work, and people seeking care, in dangerous circumstances, or experiencing homelessness. All downtown streets were indefinitely closed to non-emergency traffic at 6 p.m. The curfew and the city's state of emergency were believed to be the first in 50 years, since Mayor Sensenbrenner imposed a curfew in 1970 during violent protests at the Ohio State University campus.
Protests into the night involved demonstrators throwing items including rocks, water bottles, a traffic cone, a bottle of urine, and a bag of rocks. Around 9:35 p.m., the city responded to a trash fire at a construction site downtown, near where protests were held. The curfew went into effect for the first time at 10 p.m. on May 30. 59 people were arrested following the May 30 protests.
May 31
A nearly-completed apartment complex near Topiary Park caught on fire, with its roof collapsed. The fire is under investigation, and may be related to the protests happening. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost began sweeping up debris in Capitol Square early in the day, asking others to join him. Around noon, Hardin and Beatty, two of the politicians caught in police pepper spray on the previous day, made a statement supporting a civilian review commission to review police force, instead of allowing the department to investigate its own officers. They support immediate police reform, beyond commissions and studies into the issues. Hundreds gathered at the Ohio Statehouse in the morning into the afternoon for a fourth continuous day of protests. They were joined by members of the local Shiloh Christian Center, who gathered to pray for peace. Protests continued into the evening. Some protesters threw water bottles at police officers.
June
June 1
Protests took place in downtown Columbus as well as at the Ohio State University; the protests at the university were the first since George Floyd's murder.
The Ohio Judicial Center was closed on June 1 due to vandalism committed during the riots. The damage includes broken windows and graffiti messages such as "Fuck 12," "BLM," and "ACAB." Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan and several other police officers joined protesters.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus City Council denounced the police chief and his officers for their aggressive tactics. Ginther created an independent review board for police actions: he asks protesters to report instances of excessive force by police during the protests, to be reviewed by a civilian from the Department of Public Safety's Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance Office. On the same day, the city of Columbus declared racism a public health crisis, following Franklin County, which had done the same earlier that month. Over 1,200 people signed a letter of support of the city's declaration, many of whom were local business, institution, and nonprofit leaders.
A group of protesters created a committee to call for the resignation of the mayor and chief of police; echoed by Stonewall Columbus's call for the police chief to resign on the same day.
A protest near OSU lasted about 25 minutes past the city's curfew, until being broken up by police. The peaceful protest had about 200 participants. Police Chief Thomas Quinlan was marching with the crowd earlier in the day.
11 arrests were made for curfew violations in the evening of June 1. On the same night, student newspaper journalists from the Ohio State University were pepper-sprayed by police. The students, representing The Lantern newspaper, had shown their press credentials and were exempt from the city's curfew as journalists; officers replied with statements including that they "don't care" and to "get inside."
June 2
In the morning, Mayor Ginther and Police Chief Thomas Quinlan answered questions about the protests. Quinlan defended his officers' use of tear gas and pepper spray, stating that it helps disperse crowds without a need for arrests, charges, courtroom appearances, and further actions. Quinlan stated he just wants violent protesters to "leave and stop damaging our city".
Protests continued peacefully at the Ohio Statehouse on the sixth consecutive day of protests, and were again held at the Ohio State University. There was no visible Columbus police presence at the Ohio Statehouse, given the change in tactics to prevent confrontations and violence. Mayor Ginther, Police Chief Thomas Quinlan, and other officers walked with protesters during evening protests. Protests were mostly peaceful. The majority of protesters left after the 10 p.m. curfew set in, while some continued to walk from Broad and High to Hudson Street. Some protesters continued on to the I-71 on-ramp before police arrived and blocked the ramp.
The Columbus Urban League met with City Council President Shannon Hardin; the organization announced steps to address racial disparities, including seeking partnerships with the city's police union, and with other police, government, business, and nonprofit leaders. They also recommended implementing recommendations given in recent reports on the city's police reform, as well as advocating for Ohio to follow Columbus and Franklin County in declaring racism a public health crisis. Lastly, they recommended joining with city and county leaders to address health disparities between races in the area.