Emotions ran high at times during a Friday presentation from Columbia’s Office of Violence Prevention administrator to the Columbia Pachyderm Club at a packed restaurant.
Two women in the audience who disagreed with some of D’Markus Thomas-Brown’s answers to questions walked out during his presentation at Dickey’s BBQ. Mr. Thomas-Brown, who started his new job on March 31, tells 939 the Eagle that it was an emotional event:
“This is a very emotional topic, emotional subject. If we can show to the children how to remove ourselves from the emotion to bring solutions. We must do that as adults and as citizens,” Thomas-Brown says.
Thomas-Brown received loud applause from the audience as well. He outlined his new role during the presentation, and he continues to appeal to the community for unity to stop violence. He also says shooters must be at the table to stop the violence. He is a certified harm reduction specialist with the Missouri Credentialing Board. D’Markus Thomas-Brown graduated from Columbia College. He hopes his position can help develop systemic change by empowering individuals and families.
Columbia’s new Office of Violence Prevention administrator tells the Columbia Pachyderm Club that we have a mental health crisis. Mental health was a key theme during D’Markus Thomas-Brown’s presentation at Dickey’s:
“Mental health is huge right now, just a crisis with depression. I was at a community town hall for Boone Health and that came up there too. Especially even in Boone County, our levels were higher than what we see in the other counties that they compared us too,” he says.
Mr. Thomas-Brown has attended training for mental health first aid from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. He worked as the regional director of Good Dads Inc. since 2024. He tells Columbia’s Pachyderm Club that he is not partisan and that he is community and works to hold both parties accountable.
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe first proposed the creation of the new office in October 2023, after the high-profile killing of a three-year-old child. Mr. Thomas-Brown tells the audience at Dickey’s that the Columbia police officers who worked that case deserve awards for their dedication.
