October 24th 2023.
On July 4th, Black trucker Jadarrius Rose was stopped by six highway patrol officers who cited a missing mudflap as the cause for concern. While Rose was on his knees, with his hands outstretched, he was attacked by a police dog in a scene that echoed Civil Rights movements of the past, in which law enforcement would use K-9s to attack innocent Black civilians.
Residents of Circleville, Ohio, a rural town just 25 miles south of Columbus, are now grappling with the history of inequality in their community. Rev. Derrick Holmes, a local resident and leader of Second Baptist Church, commented on the situation, saying, “Everyone doesn’t have the same experience, even though they’re all in the same town. And I think those divisions exist around the realities of bigotry, the realities of racism.” The attack on Rose sparked outrage throughout the small town, with many feeling that it had been all too familiar.
The concerns don't only affect Circleville, but the entire state of Ohio. According to The Associated Press, 28% of Ohio State Highway Patrol’s 2013 to 2017 traffic stops involving Black motorists included the use of drug dogs. Officer David Haynes, an alleged founder of the Circleville police K-9 unit, was fired almost two decades ago for his public opposition to the department’s decision to cut back on training hours for the dogs and their handlers. He had warned that “words like ‘deliberate indifference,’ ‘negligence’ and ‘failure to train’ will someday be brought up.” Now, K-9s are required to train for 16 hours per month, or 192 hours per year.
Given Rose’s compliance and body position at the time of the incident, many feel that the decision to use a police dog was an example of excessive force. Nana Jones, President of the Columbus Chapter of the NAACP, commented on this, saying, “If it were a white man and a dog was unleashed on that individual, what would that community be saying? I bet they would be up in arms.”
The unjust attack on Jadarrius Rose serves as a reminder of the racism that still exists in Circleville, Ohio and beyond. It is up to us to work towards creating a more equitable society.
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