Community policing, employment equity and mental health were among the topics discussed during a town hall meeting hosted by the NAACP Columbia chapter.
More than 60 people attended the town hall Tuesday night at Second Missionary Baptist Church, including Columbia City Council members, City Manager De’Carlon Seewood and state Rep. David Tyson Smith, whose district includes the north part of the city.
“We’re not here to try and change Columbia; we are here to enhance Columbia,” NAACP Columbia President Pamela Hardin said. Nationwide, NAACP has been hosting town halls ahead of the 2026 midterms, emphasizing the mobilization of Black voters.
“We’re here today because we have got to get people out to vote,” former Missouri NAACP President Mary Ratliff said. “If we don’t do it, it will not get done.”
Ratliff served as Missouri’s NAACP president for 25 years before her departure in 2016, and remained president of Columbia’s branch until 2024.
“We all need to do the work; it’s not time to sit on the sideline,” Smith said.
Following remarks from several NAACP and community leaders, the town hall split into six breakout sessions. The sessions covered community policing and racial profiling, mental health, transitional and rehabilitation housing, equity in employment, youth and gun violence and Columbia Public Schools.
Each session was facilitated by a leader with a level of expertise or interest in the topic. Robin Winn, founder of Winn Law Firm, oversaw the community policing session. The goal of each breakout session was to determine problems and find potential solutions.
The community policing group found a common desire for a return to beat policing. Several community members recalled a time when it was typical to know your local officer, due to them being assigned to a specific neighborhood, or “beat.” Now, community members feel alienated from the local police force.
“Our community has asked to go back to community policing,” Second Ward resident Elena Vega said.
After an hour of breakout sessions, participants reconvened in the sanctuary to discuss the solutions they came up with.
A common theme among all groups was identifying systemic issues that make daily life harder for marginalized groups in Columbia. Verna Laboy, Love Columbia outreach coordinator, emphasized the lack of transitional housing for young adults phasing out of foster care.
“There used to be so many services for that population, now there is nothing,” she said, “And then on top of that, they have babies.”
Laboy and her transitional housing group urged city staff to continue work on changing the definition of family for zoning purposes. Zoning codes specify how many people can live under one roof for various types of housing, and supporters have argued that changing those codes could allow more family members to occupy a residence and improve housing affordability in the community.
The mental health breakout group, led by psychologist Tasca Tolson, brought awareness to the lack of long-term mental health resources, especially for incarcerated individuals.
“There’s not a lot of long-term support to keep those people stable so they can be functional in society,” she said.
The youth gun violence and public schools breakout groups found common themes in needing better support networks for youth, as well as more accountability from Columbia Public Schools and parents.
“There are voices that tell us this is not a nice place,” Seewood said. “There are voices that tell us this community is dangerous, but that’s not the community I see.”
Another town hall is set for Nov. 10.
