The evening of June 1, two protesters were struck by cars in separate instances while demonstrating against police brutality at the intersection of Providence Road and Broadway. One of the instances was captured on video and has been viewed over 300,000 times on Twitter. Both were witnessed by around 40 individuals also protesting against the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Since that day, more than two weeks ago, the Missourian repeatedly asked the Columbia Police Department for more information about the two drivers involved in the very public incidents. A week after the two women were hit, local organization Race Matters, Friends sent a letter to the Police Department and city of Columbia officials asking them to “swiftly identify, charge and prosecute any person or persons who use(s) a vehicle to intimidate or injure protestors and to be completely transparent to the public about their response.”
Behonsay Williams was one of the people hit by a car that evening and sustained a leg injury. She said the police did not reach out to her about the incident until nearly five days after. They have provided both her and her attorney with little information about the driver, a minor, who hit her, and whether he will go to trial. The driver in the other incident has not been identified.
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