The Columbus Civilian Police Review Board was created to provide independent oversight of the Columbus Division of Police. The entire purpose was to restore public trust and ensure accountability.

So here's the question:

How can a member of the Civilian Police Review Board be paid nearly $50,000 by the Columbus Division of Police while serving on the board responsible for reviewing police conduct?

We're told there was no ethics violation.

We're told there was no legal violation.

Why can't we reach Black youth? Maybe that's the wrong question. The truth is we reach Black youth every single day. Music reaches them. Social media reaches them. Athletes reach them. Influencers reach them. Their friends reach them. Street culture reaches them. Gaming reaches them. Fashion reaches them. The real question is not why we can't reach them. The real question is why our messages are losing the competition for their attention, trust, and respect. The problem may be that many young people are being exposed to powerful influences every day without being taught how those influences work. A teenager today consumes thousands of messages every week through music, social media, advertising, entertainment, peer groups, and online personalities. Every one of those messages is competing to shape their beliefs about success, status, relationships, money, self worth, and purpose. What many young people are never taught is that attention is an…

The uncomfortable truth is that most youth safety strategies begin after something has already gone wrong. We react to shootings. We react to fights. We react to overdoses. We react to truancy. We react to bullying. We react to social media threats. We react to car thefts. We react to homicides. The question nobody wants to ask is this. Where was everybody before it happened? A teenager does not wake up one morning and suddenly become disconnected from school, angry, carrying a gun, involved in a gang, or willing to hurt someone. There are usually warning signs long before the crisis. Friends know. Family knows. Neighbors know. Schools know. Social media knows. Yet most of the resources are positioned at the end of the pipeline instead of the beginning. After the shooting, there is a press conference. After the murder, there is a vigil. After the arrest, there is a…