COLUMBUS, Ohio — Throughout all the protests, Columbus police have lined the city streets keeping the peace for days on end. Many have worked extra days and plenty of extra hours.
In his own uniform, 17-year-old Markel Davis says he's always known what he wants to do when he grows up.
“I wanted to be a police officer since the age of three,” Markel explained.
As someone interested in law enforcement, he's also kept a close eye on the protests downtown.
“I feel like they are feeling that nobody out here is supporting them. I don't want them to think that. I want them to know that I am here for them,” Markel said.
“We have a lot of friends in law enforcement and one of our friends had posted something saying they didn't have food down there and they are working endless hours,” Markel's mother Jessica Davis said.
So Markel and his mom hit the grill.
“Since Monday I've been preparing a hundred meals every day for the Columbus Police Department and the National Guard downtown,” he said.
“Today is our fifth day, so we've done 500 meals. Starting tomorrow, we'll do 200 meals,” Jessica explained.
They delivered the meals to the Columbus Police department headquarters and Markel even got a chance to meet Police Chief Thomas Quinlan.
“It's awesome. Everybody loves it. They are very thankful,” Markel said.
As for the protests, both Markel and Jessica say there needs to be change and they understand the message, they just want things to be peaceful.
“I do think what happened was wrong. I agree we should be protesting. I don't think rioting and looting is the way to go about things,” Markel said.
“We cannot fight hate with hate, it's not going to get us anywhere,” Jessica said.
