Scott Woods

Nov 4, 2024 | matternews.org | Scott Woods

Only Andre Hill’s family can say whether or not Adam Coy’s conviction is justice. So long as Hill cannot be returned to them, we know that it can never be enough. “Enough” has rarely been a good gauge of justice. Prior to this conviction, the City of Columbus paid Hill’s family $10 million as the result of a civil suit. It is not the first settlement paid for a police killing here, but it is the largest ever paid in Franklin County.

Jul 17, 2024 | matternews.org | Scott Woods

Here is a description of events that occurred yesterday in Milwaukee that cannot be disputed by anyone: Dozens of Columbus police officers traveled to Milwaukee to provide security support to the Republican National Convention. A number of them were assigned to the outer security perimeter, approximately one mile away from the convention. Five of those officers encountered, shot and killed a Black homeless man named Samuel “Jehovah” Sharpe Jr., who was in an altercation with another man.

Apr 8, 2024 | levelman.com | Oklahoma Voters |William Spivey |Scott Woods |Garrick McFadden

Judd Blevins is a veteran of the Iraq War. He performed manual labor in Tulsa before returning home to Enid, OK, to take over his father’s roofing business. Blevins proclaims himself to be a man of God, and when running for the city council in Enid, he touted the city as a place where “traditional values” remained the norm. Election day was February 14, 2023, coincidentally on Valentine’s Day—two weeks before the vote at a campaign event.

Mar 21, 2024 | matternews.org | Scott Woods

Go back and look at news articles written in the summer of 2020 that featured commentary from people – the mayor, local artists, activists, random citizens – who made a case that the statue should come down. “For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness," Mayor Andrew Ginther said at the time.

Feb 22, 2024 | matternews.org | Scott Woods

Columbus generally concerns itself with the question of city identity only when money is on the table, developer chum floating above our public discourse. In the most recent version of public square haggling, a regular target has risen to the surface: the Short North Arts District. The question circling recent findings about its usage and economic impacts (thanks to a study paid for by the Short North Alliance) is whether or not the Short North still qualifies as an arts district.