Andre Hill’s funeral on Tuesday started with a photo slideshow of the beloved gentle giant over his 47 years – from a boy in a cowboy hat riding a bicycle to a smiling man smoking a cigar in the sun and how a grandfather entering a famous roller coaster amusement park with a child.
A gospel song by Marvin Sapp played in the background: “Here I am, I’m still standing / Here I am after everything I’ve been through / I survived every drudgery / And every trap I’m alive, I’m alive here.“
Except for Hill, an unarmed black man shot and killed by a white policeman seconds after the policeman arrived and days before Christmas, he is still not standing.
His murder was the second of a black man by law enforcement in Columbus, Ohio, in December, leaving the city shaken by protests over the two high-profile cases.
Both men’s families now demand justice and legislative changes as part of the calculation around systemic racism and police violence.
“Cynicism is a rational emotion now, as we gather at the First Church of God to put our brother to rest,” said Shannon Hardin, president of Columbus City Council, speaking at Hill’s memorial service. “It is a rational emotion, since we were here less than two weeks ago to bury our good brother, our kind brother, Casey Goodson.”
Goodson, 23, whose family had gathered for his funeral at the same church, was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy on December 4.
The cases are different, but contain similarities. Both were black men from Columbus, both from close-knit families, both shot and killed by policemen in incidents that gained national attention because neither was clearly breaking the law or being pursued for a crime when they were killed.
“The fact that Andre could be killed three weeks after Casey was killed shows the need for immediate accountability,” Goodson family lawyer Sean Walton told BuzzFeed News.
The two men were considered a threat by the police because they were considered to be weapons bearers. (Hill held only one cell phone, while Goodson had a gun, but he owned a gun licensed in an open transport state.)
Hill was delivering a Christmas present to a friend when the police responded to a non-emergency call and shot him. His death was considered homicide by an Ohio coroner. The images showed that he was left dying for five minutes on the floor, until the police realized he was still alive and handcuffed him, but did not provide medical attention.
Goodson was returning from a dentist appointment for lunch when an assistant to the Franklin County sheriff, who claims to have seen Goodson brandishing a gun, followed his car. The deputy shot and killed Goodson when he entered his own home. There is no body camera footage, but he died in front of his family.
The officer who shot and killed Hill was immediately closed, but no charges were filed. Jason Meade, the sheriff’s assistant who shot and killed Goodson, is still working.
Although federal and state investigations continue, Walton said the Goodson family wants Meade to face the real repercussions. “With each passing day, they become more and more adamant in their belief that Jason Meade should be fired and imprisoned and that this should happen quickly,” he told BuzzFeed News.
During Hill’s funeral on Tuesday morning, speeches focused on his unjust death and how black families shouldn’t have to endure these huge losses or be unable to trust the police.
“We all want justice for André and the change must come, because, as a people, we should not have our loved ones sacrificed in the hands of evil and violence just to be heard, looked at or even considered as equals”. said his sister Shawna Barnett, as people applauded. “We shouldn’t have to shout, shout, march, protest or beg to be treated with humanity and warmth as human beings.”
Another sister, Michelle Hairston, read directly from the Columbus Police website.
“Our main focus is the safety of the people we serve, while treating our residents with respect, dignity and justice. This was taken directly from their website, “said Harriston.” This did not happen to my brother. “
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Black Lives Matter activists wave a banner outside the memorial service for Andre Hill.
Outside the church, supporters stood 6 feet away each other, holding painted wooden signs that said “Rest in Peace Andre Hill” and “Black Lives Matter”. After Hill and Goodson’s deaths, local Black Lives Matter protests took place in Columbus. But families also want legislative reforms.
“It’s not a new problem,” said Walton, who represented more than a dozen families of victims of police brutality in Columbus. Currently, he still represents the families of Tire King, a 13-year-old boy shot while holding an air gun; Henry Green, a 23-year-old shot dead by the police in 2016; and Jaron Thomas, a man with schizophrenia who died in police custody.
“It’s systemic,” said Walton. “People in Columbus are saying, ‘Enough.’ They are not just making general calls for reform; their appeals are very direct and specific. “
At Hall’s funeral, Hardin announced that he had filed a city council resolution called André’s Law to ensure that the body’s cameras were turned on by the officers and that the officers provide medical care. The local police union also asked for more funding for medical training for police officers.
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, the new head of Congressional Black Caucus, said at the funeral that the caucus would begin its next meeting with a prayer for Hill and seek changes in the law on behalf of him and other victims of police violence.
She pledged to aggressively pursue a political agenda with legislation that aims to combat police misconduct, excessive force and racial prejudice in policing.
“It will be based on accountability and transparency,” said Beatty. “It will be anchored in justice and dedicated to the memory of Andre Hill and all the others who came before him, losing their lives unjustly, unnecessarily and unacceptably.”
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Protesters gather outside Columbus City Hall last month.
On behalf of his son, the Goodson family is demanding new legal protections for Black weapon owners.
“We live in a country where it is a constitutional right to bear arms and something people are passionate about, but black people cannot have that same passion around it,” Walton told BuzzFeed News.
Goodson was a proud gun owner and his family believes that made him a target. Goodson carrying a gun that he was licensed and trained to carry was “seen as a criminal act,” said his family’s lawyer.
“His death will have to be a catalyst for change in this country, and the conversation about blacks and guns needs to be normalized,” said Walton.
On New Year’s Eve, the Goodson family home was shot. Based on the trajectory of the bullets, Walton said, the family believes it “was an intentional shot” and the police are investigating.
It is not yet known when the investigation into Goodson’s death will be completed and whether the deputy of the sheriff who shot him to death on criminal charges.
Following the 24-year term of a Republican county prosecutor who oversaw the prosecution of just one police officer for the death of a civilian, despite several high-profile incidents, Democrat Gary Tyack was sworn in as Franklin County prosecutor on Monday night. -market. Tyack made persecution of police misconduct and racial justice part of his campaign promises.
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A woman stands and raises her fist while Reverend Al Sharpton praises Andre Hill during the memorial service.
During Hill’s funeral, Rev. Al Sharpton applauded the mayor of Columbus for ensuring that the officer who killed Hill was closed, but said he didn’t go far enough.
“I salute, but I’m not satisfied with that,” said Sharpton. “This man’s dismissal is a personal decision. This is not a legal decision.”
Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump is representing Hill’s family, and at Tuesday’s funeral he spoke about the inhumanity shown to other black men and women killed last year, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery , whose families he also represents.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Kenosha district attorney announced that the officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back would not face charges. Crump immediately flew to Wisconsin.
But the words Crump said in his speech to the Hill family at the patriarch’s funeral just hours earlier, remained relevant when the protests began on the streets of Kenosha.
“We have come to ask for this call for justice,” said Crump, “but now … we are also demanding justice.”