A fast-growing online petition in Columbus is turning up the heat on police union president Brian Steel, with organizers calling for his ouster after they say he publicly taunted the head of the local NAACP. The petition urges the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9 and Mayor Andrew Ginther to remove Steel, appoint interim leadership and secure a public apology for what supporters describe as inflammatory rhetoric.
According to petition language and local reports, the backlash stems from a press conference last Thursday where Steel singled out NAACP Columbus Chapter President Sean Walton Jr. Organizers say Steel used derogatory language, referring to Walton as a "poverty pimp" while taking aim at local organizers he argued had benefited from city contracts. As reported by ABC6, Steel later texted that he "could not care less about this petition" and insisted he answers to union members and will continue to advocate for police officers.
Petition supporters also accuse Steel of undercutting accountability by suggesting an officer's conviction "served no one" and by using a late‑April officer shooting to push tougher policing rhetoric. They further argue the union stepped into electoral politics by helping drive a recall effort against Whitehall Mayor Michael Bivens, a role that local reporting tied to the campaign's organization. That recall coverage appeared in The Columbus Dispatch. Separate background from Capital University notes that Bivens is Whitehall’s first elected African American mayor.
Background on Steel and the FOP
Steel, a Columbus police lieutenant, was elevated to lead Capital City Lodge No. 9 in April 2024 after months serving as the union's public spokesperson. In that role, he has regularly weighed in on high‑profile policing cases in the city. Local outlets have chronicled a pattern of disputes between the lodge and city and suburban officials, with coverage showing the union stepping into more overt political battles at times. WOSU reported on Steel’s path to the presidency and earlier clashes involving the lodge.
What petitioners want
Organizers say the goal is straightforward, if ambitious. They want Steel removed or to see him resign, an interim president installed and a formal, public apology issued. They also want union leaders to dial back polarizing language that petitioners argue undermines already fragile trust between officers and residents, and to spell out clearer commitments to open dialogue with community groups. ABC6 detailed the petition's demands and included comments from supporters.
As signatures climb, there is still no indication that the union's executive board or city officials will move to discipline or remove Steel. Petition backers say they launched the campaign to force a broader reckoning over tone and leadership inside the union at a time when relations between Columbus police and the communities they serve are already under significant strain.
