Opinion Essay: Alternative crisis response is overdue in Columbus

In 2017, my brother, Jaron Thomas, suffered a mental health crisis. During those critical moments, what he needed most was help. He needed safe transportation to the hospital for evaluation and stabilization. He needed the trusted support of others who could contact a friend or family member for assistance. He needed to be treated with professional care and dignity. Instead, Jaron was met with excessive force and brutal mistreatment, ultimately dying at Riverside Methodist Hospital while in custody of the Columbus Division of Police.

As co-chair of the Columbus Safety Collective, I stand alongside advocacy organizations, directly impacted families, and community leaders committed to finding safer, more just solutions so that other families do not have to experience the same tragedy mine endured. The Columbus Safety Collective has been very clear regarding the community support Columbus needs. Citizens deserve a crisis response program that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, specifically for residents of Columbus who are nonviolent and pose no threat to themselves or others.

Jaron did not have a weapon. He was not combative. And he was excited to see that what he thought was help had arrived. He then coded in the front yard after being beaten and kicked by police, who placed a knee on his back, handcuffed him, and tied his ankles. The police called an ambulance only after they noticed his body had gone limp. So many of our community members, including my brother, just need care and help in their times of need. Investing in an alternative response program is an investment in community safety. Existing emergency services are not enough to meet the needs of residents, and in fact result in the loss of lives, including Jaron’s.

This was considered a co-responder model, which failed to meet the needs of Jaron, who suffered from schizophrenia. If Columbus had a non-police emergency response system for this type of call, he would still be here today. Jaron’s death has traumatized his daughters, along with myself and my son. And still similar instances continue to happen over and over again, both here in Columbus and across the country.

Nearly five years ago, Columbus offered a resounding endorsement of non-police crisis services and announced intentions to reimagine public safety. Then, in 2023, the members of Columbus City Council finally heeded our urgent calls and allocated $1.2 million for an alternative response program. However, we have yet to see anything concrete beyond a plan and a timeline for an evaluation of current programs.

It is crucial that Columbus residents have access to a fully funded alternative response program and that City officials set aside political differences to bravely lead and deliver on that promise.

We refuse to wait any longer for basic community care.

Chana Wiley is the Campaign Manager of Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC) and Co-Chair of the Columbus Safety Collective.