City officials weigh in on Mizzou unrest

Following days of turmoil on the University of Missouri campus, ABC 17 News talked with city officials about how the unrest is affecting Columbia as a whole.

Second Ward Councilman Michael Trapp said he met with some of the protesters on campus Friday and said although things have been eventful, he feels this is bringing important discussion topics to the forefront.

“The University is not alone in wrestling with racism,” Trapp said.

He said these recent concerns raised are not unique to just the campus and said the city has an opportunity to step in and encourage conversations about race.

“It’s unfortunate that it has, in some areas, people have drawn battle lines and has further divided our community, but then I think its brought some underlying issues that really need to be addressed,” Trapp said.

He said he felt it was an important as a city official to get involved in the conversations on campus.

“They were pleased that I showed up, you know, that I stood in their prayer circle,” Trapp said. “I think they were presently surprised that a city official would make his way to the scene and offer support.”

He said he also thinks there will be more of a conversation about race equality at the next Task Force on Community Violence meeting on November 17.

“My strongest wish is that we will come out of this stronger, and really, I’ve heard ‘one Mizzou’ but what I would really like to see is be one community here in Columbia,” Trapp said.

ABC 17 News also reached out to the Chamber of Commerce to see how the recent turmoil has affected city businesses, but due to a large call volume, calls haven’t been returned yet.