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activist amber evans found dead

March 25, 2019
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Today a community is in mourning.

On January 28th, Ohio activist and grassroots organizer Amber Evans was reported missing after last being seen on security footage making a purchase at a convenience store. Her purse was in the trunk of her car and her phone was found in Scioto Mile the next day.

On March 23rd, her body was recovered from the Scioto river in Columbus. She was 28.

Evans was a longtime community organizer and she’d just been promoted to executive director of the Juvenile Justice Coalition, an advocacy organization that works with Ohio youth who are at-risk of involvement in the juvenile court system.

One of Evan’s biggest projects was House Bill 410, a state reform that put strict limitations on how law enforcement officials could deal with school-based issues like skipping school, which was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich in 2016.

While police maintained they were doing all they could to find Evans, many criticized law enforcement for dragging their feet because of Evans’ long history of speaking out against police.

“Anyone who knew Amber knows that she was extremely disciplined and dedicated to struggling for a better world,” said Showing Up For Racial Justice organizer Tynan Krakoff in a statement. “She treated everyone with dignity and when you spoke, it always felt like she truly was listening. She was a fighter and we will continue her legacy.”

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