Candidate Adrienne Hood
Perhaps no candidate running for City Council this November is better suited to talk about safety, crime and police reform in Columbus than Adrienne Hood. Her son Henry Green was shot and killed by the Columbus Police in 2016.
Hood is running for Columbus City Council District 4, in what could be considered one of the most hotly contested local races this November.
In our interview, Hood talks more about her background, concerns about the increasing cost of living in Columbus, and much more.
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Confluence Cast, presented by Columbus Underground. We are a weekly Columbus-centric podcast focusing on the civics, lifestyle, entertainment, and people of our city. I'm your host, Tim Fulton. This week, in anticipation of this fall's election, the Confluence Cast is endeavoring to introduce Columbus voters to the 12 council and two mayoral candidates in their own words. Perhaps no candidate running for city council this November is better suited to talk about safety, crime, and police reform in Columbus than Adrienne Hood. Her son, Henry Green, was shot and killed by the Columbus police in 2016. Hood is running for Columbus City Council District Four in what could be considered one of the most hotly contested local races this November. In our interview, Hood talks about her background, concerns about the increasing cost of living in Columbus, and much more. You can get more information on what we discussed today in the show notes for this episode at theConfluenceCast.com. Enjoy the interview. Sitting down here with Columbus City Council candidate Adrienne Hood. She's running for District Four on Columbus City Council. Ms. Hood, how are you? I am doing wonderful. How are you? I'm doing well, thank you. Let's start off — just tell us a little bit about yourself and what brings you to your candidacy. Yeah. So, thank you for having me, for one. I am a Columbus native. Grew up, for the most part, in Linden. Family still owns the home that I came home from the hospital to, off of 23rd in Linden. My mom moved around a lot, but my grandmother has always been that constant for me. And so, for the most part, I grew up in the Linden area, went to and graduated from Columbus City Schools. Shortly thereafter, I joined active-duty Army and did that for three years, did a break of service, came back home, ended up joining the Air Force Reserves — because I got smart, to use my mind and not my body, per se. And so I finished my career in the Air Force Reserves and retired in December of 2020, actually. I have three children, my blessings, my heartbeats, my motivation for when I want to give up. They have always been that. And now I have four beautiful grandchildren, three girls and one boy. I asked God, what did I do to get three girls in this day and age? But they are blessings for me, nonetheless. And how I got here was from a very tragic entryway into the public eye. That is my son, Henry Green the fifth, who was killed by two plainclothes police officers that worked for Columbus Division of Police. And navigating, advocating for him, I learned so much that was not okay with me within the police department, but then also understanding and realizing how there are many entities that are connected that I didn't realize were, and the importance of policy is what really caught my attention. And that is what has brought me to this place and space at this time.
Okay, and that serves as a good transition to the next topic, which is: what are the issues that Columbus is facing? Oh, lots. You know, Columbus, to me, has always been slow enough to raise a family, fast enough to have things to do for your family. What I did not understand or realize is that there's also an underbelly to Columbus, and if you oftentimes are Black, brown, or poor, you get to see those things a lot more up front and personal, which is very unfortunate. Affordable housing — we know that that is something that is striking to everyone, no matter what walk of life you come from. But there are disparaging numbers when it comes to affordable housing, when it comes to police accountability, when it comes to mental health access and services. We — the Black community, Black, brown, and poor communities — tend to see and feel the brunt of the lack thereof of those. And public education — like I said, I graduated from Columbus City Schools, things have definitely changed. I worked for the district for 11 years. I've seen some of that change, and much of it has been disheartening to me as far as preparing our children for their tomorrows. And so those are the things that are near and dear to me. Though there are — you know, I'm sure, when you have conversations with many people, you hear different facets of that. But nonetheless, all of those areas, to me, are interconnected. Okay. Talk to me about how your campaign's gone up to this point, and how you feel about the new districting system that we're in. Yeah. So, as you know, this is the first year that we're doing districts. So we have nine in the city. Honestly, the only thing that has been district-related was collecting signatures to get on the ballot. That has been district-specific. Outside of that, the race really is a citywide race. You know, so you have to get support from across the city. And so I look forward to the continuing of interacting with the community. I do that in so many different capacities. So that part has been good. You know, I am not the endorsed candidate. And so with that comes its own challenges, as far as the finances are concerned, as far as having campaign literature and access to even media and things like that. But I feel like I have been called to be in this space. And so that's what I continue to keep my focus on.
Okay. Talk us through why folks should vote for you as a candidate. Many reasons. I am a veteran. And so I know the life of a veteran, I know the things that we should have access to, and sometimes we don't — not necessarily because the resources aren't there, sometimes it's just about not knowing that the resources are available. And so I think that we definitely can do a better job of communicating those things out. I am a mother. I am a mother who loves passionately. And, you know, living in Columbus and being a single parent — unfortunately, I did go through a divorce, and it was very challenging for me, but my children kept me going in the times when I really felt like giving up, and, you know, "for what, what am I doing all of this for?" And they kept me going. And so, understanding the struggles of how and when you're going to pay bills, because we still have to eat, my children still need clothes, and, you know, just juggling life, and having those life experiences, I can relate to so many things. You know, drugs at one point in time devastated many members of my family. And so I know what that feels like, from a parent-child relationship, and then even just having a family member be drug-addicted. And then also, that typically is a segue into the criminal justice system, and seeing what that looks like even after you've paid your debt to society, so to speak. You are forever sentenced in many of the things as far as access is concerned — access to education, access to housing, access even to a job that has a livable wage. And so all of those things I have seen up close and personal and dealt with personally to some extent. And because of that, I take all of me into the decision-making process when it comes to serving the members of our community. And so I think that I am a good candidate for those reasons and beyond. And I'm just a servant leader. So I'm always going to serve, I will always find a way to be involved in the community. And that is what makes me a good candidate. Got it. I just wanted to see if there's anything else that you wanted to make sure you covered today. Yeah. You know, like I said, I think that Columbus has a lot of opportunity and potential. And we're seeing that in a lot of ways. We're growing, growing really. You know, I was just at an event last week that Councilwoman Shayla Favor did at Columbus State. And the projection in Columbus for growth by 2050 is 3.1 million. And so we have to figure out where everyone is going to go, and what that looks like, respectfully, for the members of our community. And the affordability thing, you know — that's troublesome to me. The more I learn and understand about it, it's like, we have to pull the reins in a little bit and figure out what that's going to look like for us. I truly believe that everybody desires to be safe, regardless as to what area you come from, what neighborhood you live in. Of course, safety is going to look different depending on what area you do live in, and equitable access to safety and the services that are connected to that are just as important. And so I think that we are doing a good job as far as opportunities are concerned. Where we continue to fall short is who has access to those opportunities. And so we have to do a greater job at that if we want our teen and youth violence to go down. We have to address that in a real way, and not just dump money in organizations that are supposed to provide services to different members of the community. There are a lot of grassroots organizations that, because they don't have the years in certain spaces and the many requirements that are required to get access to the funds, they continue to not be able to serve as many people as they should. And so I think that we definitely have to look broader than we are in order for Columbus to be healthy and whole.
Okay. I end every interview by asking two questions. First of all, what do you think Columbus is doing well, and what do you think Columbus is not doing so well? And I appreciate that. So, again, the opportunities that they're providing, the opportunities that allow our students to graduate from Columbus schools and get to go to Columbus State, you know, for free — which, I don't know about you, but I know I have students that — so that's an awesome thing. What we aren't doing so well — because I can go on and on about, you know, what I see as far as things that Columbus is doing well — but, again, I feel like we definitely can be doing a better job at affordability. We definitely can be doing a better job around teen violence and the things that we provide for our youth in order to get them engaged and get them prepared for their tomorrows. So, with our young people being our future — one of my girlfriends says, actually, they're not our future, they're our today. Yeah. And so we have to do the things that we need to in order to prepare them for our tomorrows, because that touches every single point and place of our community. So I think that we definitely can be doing a better job around that. And so, you know, public education, the affordable housing, and just accountability all the way around — yeah, elected officials, and beyond, you know, the leaders in the community. Accountability is necessary for us to do the great things that Columbus is capable of. Absolutely. Ms. Hood, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Thank you for listening to the Confluence Cast, presented by Columbus Underground. Again, you can get more information on what we discussed today in the show notes for this episode at theConfluenceCast.com. Please rate, subscribe, share this episode of the Confluence Cast with your friends, family, contacts, enemies, your favorite activist. If you're interested in sponsoring the Confluence Cast, get in touch with us. We can be reached by email at info@theConfluenceCast.com. Our theme music was composed by Benji Robinson. Our producer is Philip Cogley. I'm your host, Tim Fulton. Have a great week.
Transcript2,064 words
Tim Fulton Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Confluence Cast, presented by Columbus Underground. We are a weekly Columbus-centric podcast focusing on the civics, lifestyle, entertainment, and people of our city. I'm your host, Tim Fulton. This week, in anticipation of this fall's election, the Confluence Cast is endeavoring to introduce Columbus voters to the 12 council and two mayoral candidates in their own words. Perhaps no candidate running for city council this November is better suited to talk about safety, crime, and police reform in Columbus than Adrienne Hood. Her son, Henry Green, was shot and killed by the Columbus police in 2016. Hood is running for Columbus City Council District Four in what could be considered one of the most hotly contested local races this November. In our interview, Hood talks about her background, concerns about the increasing cost of living in Columbus, and much more. You can get more information on what we discussed today in the show notes for this episode at theConfluenceCast.com. Enjoy the interview. Sitting down here with Columbus City Council candidate Adrienne Hood. She's running for District Four on Columbus City Council. Ms. Hood, how are you?
Adrienne Hood I am doing wonderful. How are you?
Tim Fulton I'm doing well, thank you. Let's start off — just tell us a little bit about yourself and what brings you to your candidacy.
Adrienne Hood Yeah. So, thank you for having me, for one. I am a Columbus native. Grew up, for the most part, in Linden. Family still owns the home that I came home from the hospital to, off of 23rd in Linden. My mom moved around a lot, but my grandmother has always been that constant for me. And so, for the most part, I grew up in the Linden area, went to and graduated from Columbus City Schools. Shortly thereafter, I joined active-duty Army and did that for three years, did a break of service, came back home, ended up joining the Air Force Reserves — because I got smart, to use my mind and not my body, per se. And so I finished my career in the Air Force Reserves and retired in December of 2020, actually. I have three children, my blessings, my heartbeats, my motivation for when I want to give up. They have always been that. And now I have four beautiful grandchildren, three girls and one boy. I asked God, what did I do to get three girls in this day and age? But they are blessings for me, nonetheless. And how I got here was from a very tragic entryway into the public eye. That is my son, Henry Green the fifth, who was killed by two plainclothes police officers that worked for Columbus Division of Police. And navigating, advocating for him, I learned so much that was not okay with me within the police department, but then also understanding and realizing how there are many entities that are connected that I didn't realize were, and the importance of policy is what really caught my attention. And that is what has brought me to this place and space at this time.
Tim Fulton Okay, and that serves as a good transition to the next topic, which is: what are the issues that Columbus is facing?
Adrienne Hood Oh, lots. You know, Columbus, to me, has always been slow enough to raise a family, fast enough to have things to do for your family. What I did not understand or realize is that there's also an underbelly to Columbus, and if you oftentimes are Black, brown, or poor, you get to see those things a lot more up front and personal, which is very unfortunate. Affordable housing — we know that that is something that is striking to everyone, no matter what walk of life you come from. But there are disparaging numbers when it comes to affordable housing, when it comes to police accountability, when it comes to mental health access and services. We — the Black community, Black, brown, and poor communities — tend to see and feel the brunt of the lack thereof of those. And public education — like I said, I graduated from Columbus City Schools, things have definitely changed. I worked for the district for 11 years. I've seen some of that change, and much of it has been disheartening to me as far as preparing our children for their tomorrows. And so those are the things that are near and dear to me. Though there are — you know, I'm sure, when you have conversations with many people, you hear different facets of that. But nonetheless, all of those areas, to me, are interconnected.
Tim Fulton Okay. Talk to me about how your campaign's gone up to this point, and how you feel about the new districting system that we're in.
Adrienne Hood Yeah. So, as you know, this is the first year that we're doing districts. So we have nine in the city. Honestly, the only thing that has been district-related was collecting signatures to get on the ballot. That has been district-specific. Outside of that, the race really is a citywide race. You know, so you have to get support from across the city. And so I look forward to the continuing of interacting with the community. I do that in so many different capacities. So that part has been good. You know, I am not the endorsed candidate. And so with that comes its own challenges, as far as the finances are concerned, as far as having campaign literature and access to even media and things like that. But I feel like I have been called to be in this space. And so that's what I continue to keep my focus on.
Tim Fulton Okay. Talk us through why folks should vote for you as a candidate.
Adrienne Hood Many reasons. I am a veteran. And so I know the life of a veteran, I know the things that we should have access to, and sometimes we don't — not necessarily because the resources aren't there, sometimes it's just about not knowing that the resources are available. And so I think that we definitely can do a better job of communicating those things out. I am a mother. I am a mother who loves passionately. And, you know, living in Columbus and being a single parent — unfortunately, I did go through a divorce, and it was very challenging for me, but my children kept me going in the times when I really felt like giving up, and, you know, "for what, what am I doing all of this for?" And they kept me going. And so, understanding the struggles of how and when you're going to pay bills, because we still have to eat, my children still need clothes, and, you know, just juggling life, and having those life experiences, I can relate to so many things. You know, drugs at one point in time devastated many members of my family. And so I know what that feels like, from a parent-child relationship, and then even just having a family member be drug-addicted. And then also, that typically is a segue into the criminal justice system, and seeing what that looks like even after you've paid your debt to society, so to speak. You are forever sentenced in many of the things as far as access is concerned — access to education, access to housing, access even to a job that has a livable wage. And so all of those things I have seen up close and personal and dealt with personally to some extent. And because of that, I take all of me into the decision-making process when it comes to serving the members of our community. And so I think that I am a good candidate for those reasons and beyond. And I'm just a servant leader. So I'm always going to serve, I will always find a way to be involved in the community. And that is what makes me a good candidate.
Tim Fulton Got it. I just wanted to see if there's anything else that you wanted to make sure you covered today.
Adrienne Hood Yeah. You know, like I said, I think that Columbus has a lot of opportunity and potential. And we're seeing that in a lot of ways. We're growing, growing really. You know, I was just at an event last week that Councilwoman Shayla Favor did at Columbus State. And the projection in Columbus for growth by 2050 is 3.1 million. And so we have to figure out where everyone is going to go, and what that looks like, respectfully, for the members of our community. And the affordability thing, you know — that's troublesome to me. The more I learn and understand about it, it's like, we have to pull the reins in a little bit and figure out what that's going to look like for us. I truly believe that everybody desires to be safe, regardless as to what area you come from, what neighborhood you live in. Of course, safety is going to look different depending on what area you do live in, and equitable access to safety and the services that are connected to that are just as important. And so I think that we are doing a good job as far as opportunities are concerned. Where we continue to fall short is who has access to those opportunities. And so we have to do a greater job at that if we want our teen and youth violence to go down. We have to address that in a real way, and not just dump money in organizations that are supposed to provide services to different members of the community. There are a lot of grassroots organizations that, because they don't have the years in certain spaces and the many requirements that are required to get access to the funds, they continue to not be able to serve as many people as they should. And so I think that we definitely have to look broader than we are in order for Columbus to be healthy and whole.
Tim Fulton Okay. I end every interview by asking two questions. First of all, what do you think Columbus is doing well, and what do you think Columbus is not doing so well?
Adrienne Hood And I appreciate that. So, again, the opportunities that they're providing, the opportunities that allow our students to graduate from Columbus schools and get to go to Columbus State, you know, for free — which, I don't know about you, but I know I have students that — so that's an awesome thing. What we aren't doing so well — because I can go on and on about, you know, what I see as far as things that Columbus is doing well — but, again, I feel like we definitely can be doing a better job at affordability. We definitely can be doing a better job around teen violence and the things that we provide for our youth in order to get them engaged and get them prepared for their tomorrows. So, with our young people being our future — one of my girlfriends says, actually, they're not our future, they're our today. Yeah. And so we have to do the things that we need to in order to prepare them for our tomorrows, because that touches every single point and place of our community. So I think that we definitely can be doing a better job around that. And so, you know, public education, the affordable housing, and just accountability all the way around — yeah, elected officials, and beyond, you know, the leaders in the community. Accountability is necessary for us to do the great things that Columbus is capable of.
Tim Fulton Absolutely. Ms. Hood, thank you so much for your time.
Adrienne Hood Thank you. I appreciate it.
Tim Fulton Thank you for listening to the Confluence Cast, presented by Columbus Underground. Again, you can get more information on what we discussed today in the show notes for this episode at theConfluenceCast.com. Please rate, subscribe, share this episode of the Confluence Cast with your friends, family, contacts, enemies, your favorite activist. If you're interested in sponsoring the Confluence Cast, get in touch with us. We can be reached by email at info@theConfluenceCast.com. Our theme music was composed by Benji Robinson. Our producer is Philip Cogley. I'm your host, Tim Fulton. Have a great week.