Leila Goldstein

Following nationwide protests of police brutality against Black people, local governments across the country are reevaluating police practices. In Dayton, the city commission has launched five working groups to address police reform which will begin meeting this month. But some local leaders who have worked on these issues for years question whether the new plan will lead to real change. 

The outbreak of COVID-19 among inmates at the Montgomery County Jail has grown since the first case was reported on June 10. 

The National Park Service has awarded the Dayton nonprofit Early Visions $500,000 to preserve the site of the country’s first African American YWCA. The branch originally formed in 1889 and moved into a West Dayton house on South Paul Laurence Dunbar Street, what was then Summit Street, in the early 1940s. While the branch closed in the 1970s, one childhood member has had a lifelong vision of reopening the center as a community resource for women and girls in West Dayton. 

The Wesley Community Center’s annual Juneteenth festival in Dayton was cancelled this year due to COVID-19. But following the killing of George Floyd and nationwide protests against police violence toward Black people, several community leaders saw a necessity in holding the yearly celebration to commemorate the end of slavery. 

Another inmate at the Montgomery County jail has tested positive for COVID-19. 

The first case of COVID-19 at the jail was reported last week. Two guards have also tested positive, and two more inmates with symptoms are waiting for test results. 

A Better Dayton Coalition organized a memorial service today at Courthouse Square in honor of George Floyd and other victims of police violence, as mourners gathered in Houston for Floyd’s funeral.

From marches to vigils to die-ins, cities across the country have been holding demonstrations over the last week. Residents are protesting police brutality against Black people following the killing of George Floyd. These events will continue this weekend in communities throughout the Miami Valley.

On Wednesday the City of Dayton announced 5 steps it will take related to the Dayton Police Department. This follows a weekend in which police officers used tear gas and pepper balls on residents protesting the death of George Floyd and police violence against Black people.