Respect Equality

Ohio State students hold huge sit-in to protest against police for shooting teen

by Alexandra Kelley | April 22, 2021 | Apr. 22, 2021

black lives matter ma'khia bryant ohio columbus ohio state university OSU sit-in protest demonstration
Hana Abdur-Rahim presides over a vigil for MaKhia Bryant on April 21, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. The 16-year-old Black girl was shot and killed by police who had been called to the scene of a disturbance. ( Stephen Zenner/Getty Images

Story at a glance

  • Students at Ohio State University held various demonstrations decrying what they say is police brutality in the wake of Ma’Khia Bryant’s death.
  • Police fatally shot the teenager after she allegedly wielded a knife at another girl.
  • This comes days after Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the death of George Floyd.

Fresh anger has befallen the nation as the fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant becomes yet another instance of police force against Black Americans.

In protest, students at the Ohio State University (OSU) have held large demonstrations as well as a vigil for Bryant, who was shot in Columbus on Wednesday following a video showing her allegedly holding a knife while running toward another girl.

The Columbus Police Department issued statements saying that they are investigating the fatal shooting incident.

In response, students at OSU have called for the school to cut ties with the police department and demanded that the officer involved be terminated from the force, according to local reporting.

Part of the protests include sit-ins as demonstrations, with students holding signs. Other demonstrations involved students moving through Ohio Union on the school’s campus, shouting Bryant’s name. 

 

 

OSU officials issued a statement in response to the demonstrators, telling local outlets that “Ohio State supports the right of our students, faculty and staff to peacefully express their views and to speak out about issues that are important to them. Freedom of speech and civic engagement are central to our values as an institution of higher education.”

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