Juneteenth ceasefire sought amid violence
Al Edmonson’s T-shirt bore a succinct message that he hopes to spread across Columbus less than a week away from a day meant to celebrate the end of slavery.
Ceasefire.
Standing before a crowd of about 30 people gathered outside A Cut Above the Rest — the Near East Side barber shop he owns — Edmonson implored the community to put a pause on the rampant gun violence that has plagued the city this year as Columbus’ homicide rate continues more than two months ahead of last year’s record-setting pace.
Specifically, he was calling for a ceasefire on Juneteenth, the June 19 celebration of the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas, with word that the Civil War was over and that slaves had been freed 2 1⁄2 years earlier by the Emancipation Proclamation.
“That’s the time when we celebrate our heritage,” Edmonson later told the Dispatch.
“I want us to continue to celebrate that heritage in a safe way.”
Edmonson was joined Sunday afternoon by community activists and leaders representing various organizations around central Ohio who echoed his message. Those who were present expressed their intent to keep spreading the message throughout the week through word of mouth and social media campaigns.
Edmonson even said he intended to advertise on radio stations in the hope that elected leaders in Columbus would take up the mantle.
“If we all come together and do that, we can make a difference and continue to do it,” Edmonson said. “As a community, we want things to get better.”
Their plea was made amid another weekend in Columbus punctuated by gun violence.
By Sunday afternoon, Columbus police had investigated at least five shootings — one of them deadly — that had all occurred since Friday afternoon.
A 34-year-old man was also stabbed to death early Saturday morning while he was at a gentleman’s club on the Far East Side.
The city has now reached 89 homicides in 2021 following the death of a man late Saturday night who was found with fatal gunshot wounds near an apartment complex on the West Side. In 2020, the deadliest year on record with 174 homicides, the 89th homicide didn’t occur until Aug. 23.
Such violence troubles those who spoke on Sunday, including Brandon Mancuso, the president of Breathe Ohio , a face mask company, and a host of social justice-centered podcast Enough is Enough.
“We’re killing ourselves,” Mancuso told the crowd. “It hurts me to my core.”
Charity Martin-king, president of the Columbus chapter of the National Pan-hellenic Council, an umbrella organization composed of historically African-american fraternities and sororities, said her organization will step up the many youth mentorship programs it already has.
“We have got to take an increased stand against what’s happening in our neighborhood,” Martin-king said. “It’s unacceptable here in this community and enough is enough.” elagatta@dispatch.com @Ericlagatta