From left to right: Jerry Cisse, Roughiatou Ngaide, Luka Bastin Howes and Kel Harris give speeches at a rally for Casey Goodson Jr. at Hale Hall. Credit: Nora Igelnik | Lantern Reporter
An approximately 35-person rally was held outside of Hale Hall Friday calling for the conviction of former Franklin County sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade, who shot and killed 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. in 2020.
On Dec. 4, 2020, Meade shot at Goodson six times, with five shots hitting him in the back, according to the Associated Press. Meade said he saw Goodson waving a gun while driving and followed Goodson to his grandmother’s house. There, Meade claimed Goodson pointed a gun at him in the doorway of the house, prompting Meade to shoot.
There is no body camera footage of the incident, and prosecutors said Goodson was holding a sandwich bag and keys in his hands when he was shot. Goodson had a license to carry a firearm and his gun was found on his grandmother’s kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged, according to the Associated Press.
The rally was organized by Luka Bastin Howes, a second-year in city and regional planning and campus organizing fellow for the People’s Justice Project — a Columbus-based political organization that “organizes the Black working class and other oppressed people leading the struggle against all state institutions that oppress or occupy our communities,” according to its website.
Several people gave speeches about Goodson and Meade or their experiences as Black Americans. Student and Ohio organizations were present, including Rising Tide, Ohio Youth for Climate Justice, People’s Justice Project, Justice, Unity and Social Transformation, Undergraduate Black Caucus and the Ohio State chapter of the NAACP.
“The goal today is to push for, now that it’s been announced, a speedy retrial of Jason Meade,” Bastin Howes said. “We want to challenge the system. We want to do as much as we can to ensure that justice is not denied for Casey and Casey’s family.”
On Feb. 16, a judge declared mistrial twice in a case where Meade faced charges of murder and reckless homicide for shooting Goodson. Throughout the trial, there were issues with the jury, including multiple dismissals and alternates. Special prosecutors announced Thursday they will be retrying Meade, with his next court date set for June 6, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Ramon Obey, a third-year in African American and African studies and executive director of Justice, Unity and Social Transformation — also known as J.U.S.T. — said the potential results of the trial can shine a light on injustices for those unaware of them.
“I’m hoping the family gets the justice that they deserve — the justice that they’ve been fighting for — and that these contradictions within the system become plain for everyday people,” Obey said.
The mistrials that came out of Meade’s first trial convey that criminal justice reforms are needed in Ohio, Kaira Mack, a fourth-year in psychology and chair for the Undergraduate Black Caucus, said.
“It just goes to show the need for a change in the system and for future trials moving forward,” Mack said. “So I think [this case] will set a precedent for future cases, in terms of equity all around.”
